It’s that time of year again.
The exchange begins, and the giver-getters gather around the tree—bags and boxes in hand, ribbons tied to perfection and anticipation brimming at the edge.
It’s the ultimate guessing game—a slight shake here, a little knock there—to figure out what each package holds.Before anyone knows it, wrapping paper shoots into the air.
Bows are stuck onto heads; tissue paper floods the floor; and envelopes lose their cards to a flurry of over-ecstatic readers. Everyone is happy; they all got exactly what they wanted.
Well, almost everyone anyway.
You don’t have to be a Scrooge to be honest, but there’s an underlying fact to Christmas and gift giving.
Ladies and Gents, it’s this: the perfect present isn’t always easy to find, and for the nontraditional recipient, this can sometimes pose a problem.
Don’t get us wrong—your hipster pals aren’t ungrateful for your present. They absolutely love that you’ve thought about them, and they love that you care, and they’re so happy to be spending such a special time of the year with you.
But it’s you who feels like something’s missing, like you’ve failed somehow.
It’s you who realizes that the perfect gift just wasn’t perfect enough, and that bothers you. In order to have a perfect Christmas, you want to be as happy giving your gift as you are in recieving it.
So how to solve this ever-recurring predicament?
Easy. Think outside the box with these awesome gift ideas.
An out-of-shelf experience: Books walk the runway and cover for charity
Whether sharing your love with a local librarian, researching that perfect find for your bookworm friend, or bribing your English teacher before exams, books are always a great holiday gift.
It’s like Jane Austen said: “There is no enjoyment like reading!”
But picture this: You’ve just wrapped the latest and greatest novel to gift—and so has everyone else. Or worse, your friend rips off the gift paper and exclaims, “I loved this book!”
Buying books can be incredibly difficult; it’s hard to surprise and delight a critical reader. Rather than struggling between the best John Green books to purchase, try a unique alternative.
Out of Print clothing company reimages classic literature as pieces of fashion. Classics you’ve read and loved at school–including The Great Gatsby, Dracula, Animal Farm–are available in various T-shirts and sweater designs.
Out of Print also designs accessories such as e-book covers and phone cases. Each design, beautiful and detailed, either captures the original book or redesigns the novel in a breathtakingly original way.
Their library is burgeoning with titles, quintessential literature that perhaps you’ve not read yet. Giving a friend a Wuthering Heights T-shirt could allow him or her to investigate an ageless book in a different light.
An Alice in Wonderland phone case could inspire them to reread a favorite.
And for each product Out of Print sells, the company donates a book to a needy community, partnering with companies such as Books for Africa.
Friends can boast their literary prowess while promoting literacy across the world.
An alternative company is Litographs. Offering over forty titles, Litographs incorporates the entire text of the book into an artistic design.
For example, the Hamlet T-shirt features the iconic skull from Act Five. Theatre friends will appreciate this unique graphic, and earnestly search the sleeves of the shirt for those famous words: “To be or not to be?”
Beyond T-shirts, Litographs creates designs for posters and tote bags. Proceeds from these awesome gifts go towards International Book Bank, which also donates books to communities in need.
If your friend is more of the creative writer type, the challenge is taken to a whole new level.
You want to find a gift that speaks to them, maybe even helping them fight off writers’ block. Ex Libris Anonymous is a company that scours the world of recycled books and restores them, salvaging the cover and a few select pages.
The book is then filled with writing or sketching pages and bound as a journal, ready to be filled with mysterious stories or elaborate doodles.
Covers range from The Cat and the Hat to Modern Chemistry and everything in between.
Some older books, textured and weathered with age, simply have strange insignias on the fronts.
With each journal sold for $14, Ex Libris Anonymous bestows a gift-giver an opportunity to personalize a present, yet leaves blank pages for originality and brainstorming to blossom.
From Ebay to the Flea Market: The ghosts of toys past bring old spirits to new souls
Hark all ye Jedi Junkies and Star Trekkers, for that vintage, 1970s action figure you’ve been dreaming of just might be waiting for you in your stocking this year!
There’s nothing better than getting a toy for Christmas, but for that kid who doesn’t quite enjoy the marvels of now and wishes he was born 20 years ago, you’re in luck because the days (and, more importantly, the toys) of old aren’t gone just yet.
If you’ve been to Toys “R” Us recently, you will find that many of the up-and-coming figurines are merely a reflection of the yesteryears—-that is, toys from series like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars and Transformers that made their mark in the world’s most precious industry long before the 21st century.
You will also find, however, that some of these toys just don’t have quite enough punch for that tumbling tot who’s more interested in a 1980s He-Man than he is in a Skylander.
So where does one go about finding these rare (and often near-extinct) toys? Well, they aren’t always easy (or cheap) to come by, but with the right amount of patience and some luck (as is often seen during the season of miracles), you can find your über unique figurines on websites like Ebay and places such as the Flea Market.
If you know the recipient of your gift doesn’t mind a toy that might be a little bruised and used, then this gift idea is perfect for you. If Toy Story is any indication, every toy needs a home—-even the older ones. Typically, however, the older the toy, the harder it will be to find it in mint condition. So if you’re looking for a vintage action figure that is brand new, keep in mind that you’ll most likely be looking at a price tag of $100 or more—-which, needless to say, might be just a tad too much to handle, even for ol’ St. Nick.
Aside from that disclaimer, though, Ebay and Amazon are great sites to shop for those old toys you just can’t find on the shelves anymore. Punch in the name of any toy and nine times out of ten, you’ll find the item listed.
Most items are up for bid, so you may find a toy or group of toys (as some are sold as a package deal) with starting prices at mere cents. Bids can be tricky, however, so you’ll want to be careful. Don’t bid too soon, or someone might outbid you and raise the price.
Figures that can be found on Ebay and Amazon include original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurines and vehicles as well as vintage Transformers, both Autobot and Decepticon alike.
Another place to find some really nifty action figures is the Flea Market. If you want a deal that’ll leave your wallet singing the hallelujah chorus, then the Flea Market is the place for you.
Here, you can find a wide range of collectible items including figurines from the Star Wars and G.I. Joe series. Another tip: if you can talk the talk and walk the walk, bartering will be your best friend, so don’t be afraid to speak up and get verbal about prices (in a polite, diplomatic way, of course).
Vintage G.I. Joes, for example, might cost around $20 or more individually at other places, but at the Flea Market, it can be sold in a group of three or more for the same bargain price of $20.
Buying the perfect gift—-especially for a child—-is no easy task. Finding the right toy that will make that child happy is even harder. But it can be done—-even if the toy you’re looking for was all the rage back when your parents were the children.
So never fear all you comic-book-reading, superhero-loving, action-figure-wielding champions of youth. The perfect toy is out there—-and just in time for the holidays.
Vinyl records make a musical comeback, Milktapes keep it real
Music lovers are always hard to surprise; you want to buy them a gift that they will love, but something they wouldn’t immediately consider. For close friends and family, a record player is a rocking good idea.
Though some record players can be rather expensive, certain Crosley turntables are not more than $100, and can double as radios and iPod amplifiers. And a record player is just a gateway for the real fun—vinyl record shopping.
Vinyl shopping is a truly singular experience for friends and family to bond—you can discover so much about a person in his or her musical tastes.
Urban Outfitters is a convenient place to start your search for records; they usually stock a blend of classic and pop music.
However, these records are rather pricy—in your quest to expand your musical tastes, your pocket seems to be quickly emptied.
The solution to this conundrum is another adventure: vintage vinyl! Shopping for vintage music reopens the chapters of music long ago: classic rock, Golden Age musicals, grunge and more. Contrary to popular belief, used records are not too expensive; some disks are even sold for as little as $3.
Stores like Park Ave CDs, Rock and Roll Heaven, or Maya’s Books and Records boast a vast quantity of quality vintage records.
Prepare to spend hours between dusty shelves, searching for that perfect record—and the elation upon finding it.
If records are just a little too hipster for you to gift, fear not! Your unique, musical friend can still receive a heartfelt, personalized present.
Milktape is a mixtape maker for the modern century.
Though it looks like an antediluvian tape, each Milktape is equipped with a USB drive, compatible with both Macs and PCs.
With 128MB of storage, you can fill it with about 15 songs—at about $15, that’s cheaper than an iTunes album and more personalized too. It comes with a blank cover to fill with song titles, love notes, inside jokes and every personalization to make your friend feel truly special.
