Holiday Gift Guide

Each year, I have lengthy conversation with my friends/family on what kinds of things we all should buy one another as gifts for the Holiday season. Hands down, this is my favorite part of the year. A great gift is not determined by the dollar amount attached to it, but rather the thought and sheer brilliance the giver had in plucking the right idea out of thin air (and in some cases, not so thin of air).

A great gift should be something that the receiver would not normally purchase on their own, be it an item out of their budget reach, or one that may be more obscure in the realm of things that they like. But, in most cases, the greatest gifts we can give to the people we care about most are the things that they would like, but just cannot justify buying for themselves. In my case, it would be something like a new front glass (I’m on my 2nd) for my 4s, or a bookshelf for my nonexistent home. I’m going to take the wise words of a great friend of mine, Tom Haverford, and flip them: “treat yo self!”.

Here is a list of my favorite gift ideas for the 2011 Holiday season.

Whiskey Stones

No matter how cold the liquid you’re pouring, ice will punish you for the kidnapping from its frosty abode. In your glass, ice melts quickly and dilutes the flavor (the only acceptable case of this being a glass of ice water) of your drink. That is where whiskey stones come in. Freeze these cubes, drop them into your glass (no, it does not have to be whiskey) and enjoy a chilled beverage without the gross. Also, use these with your friends visiting and prepare for them all to be suitably impressed.

Leatherman Charge TTi

This is my favorite multitool. I use it constantly when on shoots (read, mostly for opening boxes) and building lighting/camera rig systems. It is loaded with a myriad of useful tools, with my favorites being the interchangeable bit driver and S30V (aka very very sharp) steel knife. Most of it is one hand use and every tool locks. Trust me when I say this, any male (or even most females) will love this gift and find it very useful. Oh, and the scissors are decent for cutting hair (don’t do this).

Good Chopsticks

Chopsticks are my favorite eating utensil. I spend many hours behind a desk post-processing work, which means I often take meals at said workspace. These stainless steel ones look awesome, but food slips on them easier than their bamboo counterparts. Chopsticks are a great way to snack (things like chips, fruit, whole eggs) without coating your fingers with whatever it is that you’re eating. Trust me, your keyboard and mouse will thank you for it.

Skyrim

It’s been years since I’ve played a game without competitive online play, let alone an RPG. For Skyrim, I braved the battlefield of Black Friday night and haven’t regretted it since. Skryim is the it game right now, and for good reason.

Johnnie Walker

Few words are necessary. Johnnie Walker has set the standard in blended whiskies and is a favorite of mine, particularly the coveted Blue Label. This will be a gift that is appreciate over an extended amount of time; expect the recipient to sip on this over the 9 months to a year. Also, Double Black isn’t the easiest to find either, but worth it.

Steve Jobs Biography

Fewer things could inspire your loved one more.

The Best Razor

Department store razors that are reaching speeds of up to 27 blades per razor head are terrible; they dull quickly and are incredibly overpriced. This Merkur safety razor will change the life of whomever you buy it for. I personally use this model and can’t sing its praises enough. The shave with this will be better than any they’ve ever gotten from the razor they use now, and with the replacement razors coming in at something like a nickel per pack of 12, you’re going to save them a ton of cash in the long run.

Simple Hoody

More often than not, simple is better. When keeping to myself, I’m usually wearing one of these hoodies. Go with black or asphalt.

Case of Dry Soda

Dry is the wine of soda. Think about that. They have some of the most interesting flavors I have ever seen pulled off in a carbonated beverage (my favorites being Vanilla Bean and Lavender), and have only 4 ingredients per bottle. This is the best soda in the world.

Shoe care kit

You know who to buy this for. Well-made footwear deserves proper maintenance and care. If they haven’t gotten a kit for their amazing shoes already, hit them with this.

Great scarf

One well-made scarf can go a long way. This is a scarf that I own and wear on the coldest of winter nights. Soft cashmere feels amazing on the skin (also, very warm) and stays in great condition without much care. Perfect gift.

Apple TV

I did a review for the Apple TV what seems like ages ago, and I stay by my initial thoughts; it is very useful. Watching television programs and movies should be an immersive and passive experience, not one riddled with complicated menus and discs you have to physically acquire before viewing. Whether they’re streaming Netflix, Pandora, watching podcasts, or even renting new things, this is a gift that will get tons of use.

Settlers of Catan

My favorite board game second to Monopoly. This is a lot of fun to play with your friends, and promotes critical thinking vs. the more passive nature of the majority of board games.

Moleskine

A very simple, yet powerful gift. I chose the sketchbook version instead of ruled. I find that lines on paper are incredibly limiting, and creativity/thoughts should never be limited. Give a blank page and it could be the best gift they’ve ever gotten: motivation.

Card Bottle Opener

So very useful. Flat, muted design. Awesome gift. They can even use it with their Dry Soda.

Solid Bags

These bags are one of my best kept secrets. My mom randomly stumbled upon these years ago when searching for a Christmas gift for me. I have a handful of their products and can’t support them enough. You’ll find any of these as great gifts that they will use for many years. Also, they are dangerously affordable.

Team Shirts

Again, this is something they wouldn’t normally buy for themselves. There aren’t many social cues (or stores for that matter) that we see every day where we can pick up a simple shirt for our favorite sports team. Honestly, I think a unique and rarely seen shirt will be worn more proudly than the same jersey that everyone wears.

Leather Dopp Kit

Traveling with product can be a hassle, but it’s always nice to house your things in something that you actually like. I am constantly traveling and have yet to find the perfect dopp kit, but I am hopeful. This one from Scully is very nice, though. Not only is it my favorite leather color, but it also has minimal visible stitching. I’m not a fan of heavy stitching on leather. One made of saddle leather will resist water splashing and most product leak, but again this one is fine. I’m still on the hunt.

Portable Drinks

I love this and use it everyday. The design (Minus the logo. It isn’t a deal breaker, but I could do without) is very handsome and the cup itself is very useful. It is basically a stainless steel version of their popular hot drink container, but instead has a double walled interior (no burnt hands) and a lid that closes shut (airtight, it’s the best) and swings back for drinking. I don’t recommend this because it is Starbucks. I recommend it because it is the best portable solution for self-made drinks.

Bose qc15

I’ve used these headphones for 4 years. I’m using them now as I write this. Not much to say though, really. Great noise canceling, very comfortable, and they sound amazing. I’ve put them through many shoots (they serve as great earmuffs on long cold nights) and many sessions at the gym, but they’ve stood up to the abuse.

Magazine Subscription

With information being so massively consumed on the web, magazines are being overlooked more and more each day. Gift them a year of literature/content that they’re really into. I still read a few magazines every month, and they’ve consistently been the best place for me to learn more about the things that I care about (my favorites being GQ and Esquire). A good magazine subscription can teach some more than they ever learned (or will learn) in college.

A Good Ink Pen

A good writing utensil will receive lots of use. I used to lose pens on a regular basis, then I leveled up and grabbed one that took replaceable cartridges, and that I could call my own. Lamy makes a super affordable version of my favorite (the fountain pen), not to mention it looks pretty cool too. They’ll appreciate the gesture here; everyone is sick of losing their pens, trust me.

Better Sunglasses

Like pens, I lose sunglasses all of the time. Unfortunately, the trend has been for me to lose expensive pairs of sunglasses, which are a pain to replace. Even in the winter, the sun is very bright (especially those of you around lots of snow). Buy them a solid pair of sunglasses that they won’t lose. Make it Ray-Ban’s modern take on the wayfarer (in tortoise, of course) and you’ll win at gift-giving.

Less Boring Coasters

Good coasters can make a dull table less boring. These slate coasters are super cheap, but a damn cool gift.

Bacon Chocolate

It sounds crazy, I know, but this is one of my favorite chocolate bars. This is a very simple, laughter-inducing gift that will win you many cool points. It tastes awesome, stop worrying.

A Blender that Works

Listen, this is a serious blender. At the end of the day, we’ve all struggled with less-than-satisfactory results with the sub $100 blenders we’ve used in the past, but I promise that will never ever happen with this model from Blendtec. If it’s in your price range, pony up the cash, bite the bullet, and give them a blender they will use forever.

Woolen Socks

This is probably the best and most sincere gift you can give this holiday season. One can never have enough socks, a wise man once said.