I am terrifically behind on my Christmas gift shopping. Can’t seem to get my imagination to surface good ideas, and time is running out. Today it came to me — there are probably brilliant things you’ve already picked out to give during the holiday season. Suggestions welcome! What’s needed are things I can get my hands on in the next 10 days, that are under a hundred dollars. (Not books — yes, I know…. But where a book would be a good choice I already have that covered.)
[Art by Lynn Maudlin.]
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10 days may be too little, but I found expensive but good choices from Artifact Puzzles, who make a wide variety of wooden puzzles that include whimsy pieces. (They do have puzzles under $100, but the larger puzzles cost more.)
Even more unhelpfully, I typically get some British foods for friends (like me) who grew up in Britain but now live in the USA.
For a couple of artists I know, I got Stuart Semple’s very black paint that is a rebuttal to Vantablack (I also bought some pinkest pink). Warning: this may take more than 10 days.
There are a lot of excellent t-shirts, some of which would likely arrive on time! E.g. I ended up getting four humorous t-shirts for board game nerds, including an “Is It Still Your Turn” shirt and a “This Shirt Is Worth 2 Victory Points” shirt.
Best of luck.
Having trees planted in people’s names is always a great gift https://shop.arborday.org/commemorative-trees-in-celebration
The custom imprint places like Zazzle might provide suitable products (t-shirts, coffee mugs, throws, & many, many others) that you can choose a specific image for, suited to a recipient’s interests.
As stocking stuffer type gifts this year, coffee mugs with different images for every household member: cat, dinosaur bones, a classic horse painting, cat + sewing, and a writing mug for myself.
Drawback is that with a gazillion images available, sometimes even using filters and keywords can still leave multiple screens of examples to browse thru. Can be a timesink.
Some good ideas here. I’m grateful! Need to stay away from just giving everybody gift cards.
Food hampers,potted plants,not so cliched wearables like slippers,bedsocks,the much maligned..but I love them,scented candles..again you can buy quirky ones..Maybe too late but frig magnet photos of their family,pets…
You left this wide open. Male/female, kids, elderly?
Mundane, SF, Fantasy, Mystery, Ren Faire folk? Woodworker, homebody, retired, active kids? You’ll want something that caters to their interests, habits, preferences.
Some gifts are universal. For cold weather, a nice sherpa throw, down comforter, etc.
For Anglophiles, how about a remembrance ornament of the Queen. Plenty of options on Amazon.
For General gifts, really depends on the person. If not book reader, how about bubbly (wine/champagne) or if a tea enthusiast, a variety tea pack in a nice tin. Coffee drinker? A nice, high end coffee variety pack. For kids, find what interests them, and buy for that interest.
You can always fall back on something they need or would like that they won’t buy for themselves.
Look at the stores available in your area, and search. I once spend 5 hours in a mall, visited just about every shop, and found something for everyone. If it’s the right thing for that person, go for it. Sometimes you just know when you see it.
Ursula Le Guin’s Catwings is available as a very nice boxed set, hardcover or paperback, if that’s appropriate for any of your intended recipients. All four books. Atheneum.
Bottle of wine? High-end chocolate? Craft cheeses?
Sorry, I won’t be able to help much Mike.
I have enough “stuff” in my life—too much, really. (More than enough to overflow my house.) And so do virtually all of my friends and family. I had already transitioned much of my holiday season giving to this, but beginning this year all of it is going to a charitable contribution given in honor of family members and friends. I pick a different charity every year, depending on what moves me, and what the world seems to need at the time. And, I request that if any friend or family member wants to give me a gift, they do the same with a charity of their choice. (One or two choose to give to a small, endowed scholarship I set up at my alma mater.)
The only notable exception is a gift exchange within our local sf/f club (which happens to include many of my friends and all of my immediate family). But then, I can’t tell you what I got for that since it’s supposed to be a surprise & the exchange isn’t until Saturday. Shhh. They might be reading this.
Gift subscriptions to Acorn, Britbox, PBS Passport, etc.
Some good suggestions coming in here.
The various ideas about charitable donations are good but my mother is doing that so I want to give tangible things.
I assume you’ve already wandered through Scalzi’s Gift Guide days 3 and 4?
SnorgTees has a respectable selection of T-shirts relevant to our interests, and my SO is still wearing the Tardis T I gave him six years ago. Serrv does fair-trade crafts, including lots of pretty & practical home goods. Going to Etsy and typing a recipient’s interest into the search box has turned up many a serendipitous result, although one has to double-check that each item is shipping from the US.
What I’ve been telling people who ask what to get me lately is upgraded kitchen stuff. Like, a Really Good skillet, saucepan, or Dutch oven. It’s not more stuff, because the battered old things I’ve had since college are due an honorable retirement, and it’s a nice little bump in everyday quality of life.
Tons of good suggestions here, so I will only add spices, if any of the recipients are good cooks. There are some very pretty gift packs.
“O” brand vinegar is excellent. I especially like their Cabernet Vinegar. Made in California, vibrant flavor. For balsamic vinegar, Bariani is my favorite. Made in California, rich flavor. For olive oil, I like Corto, they make super-fresh extra virgin olive oil in Lodi, California.
One great gift a friend gave me once: a cozy evening in, featuring a blanket/throw, a DVD, two packets of cocoa, and a little booze to put in the cocoa.
Winter survival kits? Good thick socks, maybe some of those hand warmer packets, good lip balm, and toasty slippers.
Everyone wears socks, right? Cute But Crazy socks are fun. Mail order from Washington state, but I’ve seen them in independent stores locally (Madison, WI). Designs include space, art (e.g. Starry Night, Laurel Burch, Bob Ross, The Scream), animals, and much much more.
Experience gifts might work. Memberships to museums of all kinds, a local zoo, planetarium, or national park for a year, or even just a few months. If you need a physical item to unwrap, find a small representation of the membership and wrap that for under the tree.
Shameless personal plug:
The studio where I do my pottery had a serious fire, caused by someone outside torching trash bins. Like most art endeavours, this was run on a shoestring.
I know every cause in the universe has a fundraiser these days, and some gofundmes are hard to tell from scams, but this is a real place (You can find a CBC article about the fire with a sadly terrible picture of Elise, the owner). And I’m not the only person who works through there who makes fandom related art. One of the other artists also runs an RPG/board gaming store.
https://www.edgevillage.com/fundraiser