I hope you had a delightful Thanksgiving — last week I heard from several of you who appreciated my gift suggestions, so here are a few more:
Supplies for aspiring collage artists — If you know someone who likes to make things or maybe you want to design a gift (like a handmade notebook?), these may help inspire: The Antiquarian Sticker Book has stickers of weird and vintage things, like skeletons and vegetables and old-timey people; Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage offers similar images, only they aren’t stickers. Fun for offbeat brains of all ages.
Replacements grab bag — I’ve raved about the rerelease of The Replacements’ Tim (the “Let It Bleed Edition”), so you may wanna put it on your own list or give it to an eternal fan like myself. Pair it with Bob Mehr’s book, Trouble Boys, and/or more ‘Mats ephemera, like this lil’ pin for your jean jacket.
Parental puberty gift pack — Having a kid who’s going through puberty is almost as bad as when you did it yourself. (In fact, today it may be a bit worse because all these children have damn phones.) In any case, begin to heal/understand with this book and maybe throw in some Goo Goo Clusters or the 30th anniversary edition of Generation X or something.
Misprinted writing utensils — Recently I discovered I could order a box of 100 random “misprint” pens or pencils on the internet, and I’m just waiting for the sleepless night when I decide to pull the trigger. How great would it be to get 100 strange pens in the mail? I realize most people would say “not very,” but I promise there’s someone in your life who’d disagree.
John Candy — I adore the enamel pin website Patti Lapel, and recently they launched a “John Candy Collection” with stuff like an Uncle Buck pin, a Spaceballs “Barf” name patch and a Summer Rental tote bag. I want it all.
Smokey Bear socks — A few years ago I got some Smokey Bear socks from Socksmith, and they continue to be the best socks I own in terms of appearance and quality. These are what I bought originally, though Socksmith now offers the ones above instead (which are still very cute). And not to get too nuts with Smokey, but did you know there’s a family-owned business that has been selling officially licensed Smokey and Woodsy Owl merch since the ‘80s?? They have tons of choices, including sweatshirts, blankets and stuffed Smokeys.
Sunglasses with teeth — I saw these at Leroy’s Place and loved them — and even if teeth aren’t your bag, I highly recommend you browse Leroy’s Place for unique gifts made by artists, like these Pee-wee Herman cufflinks and this hand puppet that looks like a sandwich.
New York Herald Tribune shirt — I have this shirt, so as long as you don’t wear it to the same event, we’re cool. It came from the New York Times store, which has lots of gift ideas including a jigsaw puzzle of the NYT front page from the day you were born. (P.S. This shirt runs a little small; I got a medium.)
Banned Books 4ever — Grab some banned books-themed stuff from the ACLU and top it off by giving someone a stack of the most-challenged books in American schools and libraries.
Ron Swanson action figure — He comes with a plate of bacon and eggs. I might pair it with some Smithfield ham and biscuits.
YETI mug with handle — I have some to-go cups, but none of them have handles (huge mistake), and they’re all enormous, which makes no sense for a girl with a small bladder and a low caffeine tolerance. This one also comes in limited-edition red, which is right up my alley.
I hope these help — whatever you do, just don’t give anything beige this holiday season. Life is too short for that.
Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
I see you when you’re sleeping,
whit