Holiday Post 2015: Gifts, Strange Items, and other Shopping Stuff

Welcome to the second of my series of posts for the holiday season. Today we look at gifts and other strange items. Whether we like it or not, the holidays are a massive consumer season. Gifts and presents can go from simple to seriously extravagant. So, in this post, I will be sharing some curious and interesting things I found while looking around the Internet. Who knows, you may find a last minute gift here. I mean, you should have gotten your Christmas shopping done by now, but if you need a last minute thing, and you are willing to pay premium for shipping, hey, go wild.

General Gifts and More

We all know what the big gift selections will probably be this season.

Mr. and Mrs. Perkins go Gift Shopping 2015. Found at TruthOut.

However, there are many other gift options this holiday season. Let's have a look.

• If you have to buy Star Wars stuff anyhow because you got a fan in your life, here are some gift ideas via Mental Floss.  My favorite is the Lego Millennium Falcon.
• Perhaps you like shopping local or shopping with some degree of conscience. Whatever the reason, you may want to shop from a co-op, and if you do, where are some ideas via Yes Magazine.
• Got an office worker or other office supply fetishist in your life? Here are some ideas from Office Supply Geek. And yes, he has at least one Star Wars item because you cannot get away from the stuff this season.
• College student in your life? Mental Floss has some quirky ideas for presents. Personally, I would suggest get them something practical they can use for college, or better yet, pay attention to what they may need. For example, our daughter is an art major, so art supplies are always welcomed.
• BuzzFeed calls this a list for the clean freak in your life. I think some of these are seriously ridiculous. Really? A robot to clean your iPad and smartphones screen? Just grab a rag and wipe it off yourself. You won't sprain anything.
• I had no idea there was such a thing as glamping. Apparently, camping is not much about roughing it anymore. You have to do it as cool and glamorous as possible. So, for people who do that stuff, here are some gift ideas via Wired magazine. Because apparently some people are too dainty to take a shit in the woods in a hole they dug, so they need a portable $70 toilet. Oh, and an accent rug.
• Want some more glamping stuff? Here is a list from Mental Floss. Really? Yes, you know you need that $130 camp stove that also charges your smartphones. Because even though you claim you want to get away, you feel the need to make sure the office can get a hold of you. 
• Know people who like making their own beer? their own terrariums? fancy pants artisan cheese? other stuff with yarn? Here is a list of gifts for DIY folks from Mental Floss. 
• Feeling like making something crafty? Here are some gifts you can make with Mason jars, via Wise Bread.  No, it is not just canning stuff.
• Need some small things to stuff the stockings? Incredible Things has a few ideas on that. And if you are interested in stationery, the Goulet Pens Blog has an idea or two also.
• It is a an election season in the U.S., so some of you may be interested in some swag from your favorite politicians or political party. Now, some gifts may be better than others, I will leave it up to you to decide which is which. Via Mother Jones.
• I had no idea Paltrow the actress peddled high end airplane catalog style expensive gifts, but she does so on her blog. So, if you have nothing better to do and some serious money to burn, check out this list of WTF items on Gwyneth Paltrow's gift guide. Via BuzzFeed. Hey, I collect playing card decks, but I am not paying $2300 for a deck just because it has a leather case. Ooh, they are gilded. Still not buying them. 
• And more from BuzzFeed, this time some plain ridiculous stuff that you wonder who the heck would buy this stuff? The better question is who the hell approved the production of this stuff? Yes, reindeer poo is a thing. No, I do not mean just that reindeer poo. That is a given. I mean you can buy a box with some reindeer poo in it to grow a Christmas tree, among other things.

Gifts for Men

Have a guy in your life? Maybe one of these gift ideas will be good for him. In this selection you will find some of the usual "macho" stuff, but there are also a few curious items he (or maybe some lady) may like. 

• The Art of Manliness has updated their list of DIY gift ideas for men this year. Some projects are more complicated than others. They also have a list of stocking stuffers. Who knew that rubber band guns were still a thing. I guess the classics indeed never go out of style.
• Incredible Things has a gift guide for guys. It is very manly because apparently we like stuff related to booze, cast iron manly cooking, pizza, and, once again, Star Wars.  
• Wise Bread has 50 ideas for men. There are some practical things here I like. For one, the tip of upgrading his essentials.  Things as simple as a new wallet, new watch, and I would personally add a nice set of handkerchiefs. Yea, I am old school that way, and I do carry a handkerchief. There are a lot of ideas here.

Gifts for Women

No, I am not forgetting the ladies. If you have a lady in your life, maybe one of these may do the trick. Or you may amused at some of the ridiculous stuff companies think are "oh for the ladies."

• Art of Manliness has a guide of gifts for women. I guess guys need to be told what their ladies like. Wine, chocolate, jewelry, and of course, since she is the lady of a manly guy, she needs a pocket knife too. And a cooking class? They make it sound like "ooh, it's something to do together." I am not so sure how your ladies will take it if you tell them they need to learn how to cook. Dudes, learn how to cook. Bonus if you cook for her.
• Incredible Things had a gift guide for guys, so of course they have one for women too. Apparently, as long as you get her gin, wine, planting stuff, some tights, and jewelry, you are good. 
• Here is something that may actually be inspiring to young ladies, a gift guide for women in STEM. It features things like dolls that show women in STEM fields (and no, not just Barbie) and of course, Legos. Via Scientific American.
• And for the feminist, Ms magazine has some ideas for gifts.

Adult and Risque

And as always, I always feature a gift or two for folks who like to get a bit frisky over the holidays or just like some sexy stuff. This is where I get to tell you some of this stuff is definitely NSFW. So if that is not your thing, that's cool. You can stop reading here. If that is your cup of tea (it certainly is mine), then check some of these out. 

• I certainly like a good calendar with sexy women in it. If you need ideas on what is out there for these, COED has a list of some swimsuit and sexy calendars. Revealing, but nothing nude or hardcore, just some nice women to keep you company all year long. Sure, you will find the usual Sports Illustrated, but there are some other options as well.
• If you are looking for some good sex toys, Good Vibes blog announces their 2015 guide.
• And Slutty Girl Problems offers an end of year review of the best and worst sex toys of 2015. She even breaks things down by categories, so you can get some good information before you go shopping for yourself or the special someone in your life.