Sunday, December 10, 2023

Holiday Post 2023: Gifts, Strange Things, and Other Shopping

Welcome to the second post in my series of Holiday Posts here at The Itinerant Librarian. This week we are looking at gifts, strange things, and other shopping. One of the reasons I write this post is to poke fun a bit at some of the ridiculous, at least in my opinion, items that certain folks think make good gifts for the holidays. Then there are those strange items that make me wonder what the heck are some people thinking. 

In addition, when possible, I try to share some tips and advice for the holiday season shopping for those of you who shop for gifts and other things. My best piece of advice may be too late for some of you, and that is to shop as early as you can. In my case, my holidays shopping for family is pretty much done. One thing I do is shop throughout the year when certain things may be on sale, and I save said things for the holidays. It makes for a lot less stress during this season. Also, here and there I shop online, and again I do so early and when the site has a sale. For example, if you are into cartomancy and on a budget, and you use mass market decks, subscribing to the newsletters of retailers like Llewellyn and Hay House means you get notified when they have a sale. Why pay $25 bucks for a deck when you can get it for $10 at the right moment? Just a suggestion. Many of your favorite retailers and brands I am sure do similar things, so consider getting their newsletters. Just be selective. It is very easy to get your email flooded with all kinds of promotions if you are not selective in terms of who you allow to email you. 

Tips and advice for holiday shopping

Don't live dangerously. Plan and do your online shopping with plenty of time.

 

  • If you are shopping online, and you want your items to arrive by Christmas, you need to be mindful of shipping deadlines. This article from CBS News sums up the deadlines for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and a few others. On a side note, at least for us Puerto Ricans and some folks in Latin America, if that gift does not arrive by Christmas, you can always save it for Three Kings Day on January 6.
  • The Denver Post has an article with some advice. Highlights include:
    • What I just said about starting early. I know, by the time you read this if you have not started, the window is getting tighter. At least set the intention to start early next year if nothing else. 
    • Avoid getting into debt. As much as possible, keep that credit card in your wallet, or if you must, use one with a lower interest rate and some perk you find valuable (cash back, airline miles, etc.) and do you best to pay it off as soon as possible. You don't want lingering balances increasing due to interest. 
    • They also mention cash back apps. I will say that I have used a cash back app or two, and over time they can add up to enough to get a good gift card to a variety of places. Just make sure you evaluate them before choosing one to use. 
    • Avoid holiday scams. The article includes a link on credit card scams to avoid. You may want to look over it. 
  • CNBC also offers some tips to help in your holidays shopping.  I don't use credit cards; we stopped years ago. What we do use is a debit card (but that is another story). But if you do have a credit card or two, and it has rewards, the article says to make sure you redeem them, especially for cash back. Apparently holding on to it does nothing really other than sit there, so use them. On a similar note, I will add if you have gift cards sitting around you have not used, this may well be time to use them. That is just money you already paid to the store or retailer of your choice, so put it to use. 
  • On a different track, the Chicago Sun-Times highlights the annual "Trouble in Toyland" report about dangerous toys to avoid.  The report emphasizes this year that parents and others "should be wary of smart toys and avoid buying water beads." The article includes a link to the full report (PDF link) if you wish to read further. 
  • The Atlantic has a series of articles on gift giving. These address more the stress of the activity and advice overall for gift giving. 
  • On an observation, The Daily Beast writes that "Celebrity Holiday Gift Guides Are Completely Out of Control." It seems these days every other celebrity is peddling a holiday gift guide mostly to brand themselves.
    • A celebrity list that may be of interest is Chuck Wendig's gift guide.
  • Overall, stay vigilant, read and be attentive, keep a budget, and stick to it. Personally I would say to many folks out there the advice I am taking this year: keep the spending modest. After all, it always goes back to it's the thought that counts. Maybe instead of spending on a gift you offer things like your time and effort. Example: got a friend with kids? Offer perhaps some sitter time so your friend can have some time off from the kids to relax. Another example: bake them some homemade goods, just don't go overboard but make them with what you already have. I am sure folks can get creative here. 

 

General Gift Ideas

How I feel when I finish Christmas shopping. Frodo from LOTR after he is done tossing the ring in the volcano.
You will feel so much better once the shopping is done.

 

  • I don't consider $100 dollars to be the line for gifts. I do not have a caviar budget, what can I say. I can buy quite a few gifts for $100, but if your budget is more lavish than mine, Wallet Hacks has a list of 50 best gifts for $100 and under. The items on the list range from about $15 to $20 to the $100 mark. Still, there are some items that seem a good idea. If your budget is a bit like mine, i.e. modest, they also have a list of gifts under $50.
    • A nice pair of Merino wool socks for the folks who want to keep their feet warm. This is something I could appreciate when I go running in the mornings, and I need to keep the feet warm as the temperatures get colder.
    • On the other hand, the heated vest may be a bit much. 
    • On a different track, this may be good for folks who travel in the United States and enjoy the outdoors: a pass to the National Parks for $80. For that price, you can enjoy any National Park for a year. There may be other discounts for special categories, say military members, so check the website for details.
    • Card games are always popular with all ages. For children, they suggest Taco vs. Burrito, which you can find online, but I would say any variety of card games can work from classic playing cards to UNO to Cards Against Humanity.
  • Cosmopolitan swears they have the most popular gifts of 2023. They say it is based on data from their readers plus they swear their editors know about shopping. I am sure they do. Their idea of popular is probably not my idea, but then again, I am not a regular Cosmo reader. They say they got the perfect gift for folks such as "a beauty lover, a jet-setter, or a beer fan." That may be the first issue right there: I may love beauty but not beauty products; I am not a jet-setter, and I am certainly not a beer fan. Still, let's see some of the highlights:
    • A Stanley drinking cup for $45. I get hydration is important, but there may be some more affordable options for your water consumption. 
    • I am not sure about the instaprints camera. To be honest, how many people use any kind of digital camera, aside from photography professionals? 
    • A phone charge cable with a keychain and a bottle opener. I guess for the alcoholics who need to open their bottles while texting. Hopefully not while they are driving. 
    • Squishmallows made their list, the popular squish toys. I can attest a few of my college students do like them. 
    • The watch roll I was not sure either because, to be honest, how many people aside from some old timers still wear a wristwatch? These days, the only kind of watch I see some people wear are the smartwatches often connected to a fitness tracker. 
  • Esquire also has their list of best gifts for 2023 where they swear that "no one knows gifting better than our Esquire editors." That is a tall claim, but I am probably just not sophisticated enough (nor wealthy enough). Some selections: 
    • That Theraface mask at $599 (yea, that is almost $600). It honestly looks like something Hannibal Lecter would be forced to wear. 
    • A $750 coffee maker, one of those fancy machines to make espresso and such. I will stick with my drip coffee maker, thank you much. 
    • A $240 tie. I have quite a collection of ties, from back in the day when I was a school teacher, and believe me not a single one of them cost anywhere close to their tie.
  • Rolling Stone has their "Rockin' Holiday Gift Guide."  From their list, the bidet attachment caught my eye. How well do you need to know a person before you get them a bidet attachment?

 

Specific niche gifts

Because these days there is a list for just about any interest. Let's have a look at a few examples.  

  • Advent calendars, because you need to get some gifts even before Christmas hits. These days Advent calendars are not just a little cardboard box with little doors containing a piece of candy or such. Nowadays Advent calendars are serious affairs and can be quite expensive gifts on their own.
    • The Washingtonian has a list of 23 Advent calendars for grown ups that illustrate my point about Advent calendars being high end spectacles. They got calendars with beer, chocolates, wine, as well as plenty of makeup and cosmetics.
    • Advent calendars for men. Via Esquire. Your man may have survived No Nut November (the stupidest idea in November in my opinion, but you do you), so now you can get him a "12 Days of Gourmet Nuts" advent calendar. The Harry and David advent calendar also has nuts and a few other treats; it was also featured in The Washingtonian's list above.
    • Cosmopolitan has a couple of options for women including perfume calendars and jewelry calendars. In the perfumes, the Carolina Herrera set will set you back $150. If your budget is a bit more modest, the Macy's perfume calendar is about $25. As for the jewelry, if you can't afford all 12 days, there is a 6 days Advent calendar at about $16, or if you feel lavish, you can go wild with the Nieman Marcus Advent calendar for $495. 
    • Personally, I could be happy with a LEGO Advent calendar, and Popular Mechanics has a list of 9. For me, this would appeal to my nostalgia as I loved LEGOs as a kid, and I still do. I do collect a few LEGO sets, mostly small ones given space at home is limited. I'd be happy with the 2023 Star Wars Advent calendar, but there are other options. 
  •  For the Pokemon fan, from Esquire. If you have a Pokemon fan in your life, you are likely to find a gift for them on this list. 
  • For the stationery fan, via The Well-Appointed Desk.
  • The Beat has a few gift lists for the geeks in your life: For example, here is the sci-fi fan. You can find their other guides in topics like horror, wrestling, and anime here.
  • A techie in your life? Some gift ideas via The Verge.
  • For folks who want to buy "Made in America," the Alliance for American Manufacturing has a holiday gift guide. A hat tip to Public News Service. 
  • For foodies. 
  • For the bookish people, other than books. Note I will have a post looking at books and book lists soon. 
  • For folks who enjoy puzzles, Vulture has a list of "the Best Puzzles to Give as Gifts in 2023." 
  • For kids and other gamers at the end of the day they could not care less for specific gifts. What they really want, according to Kotaku, are digital subscriptions and digital currency so they can buy games online.  
  • Calendars often make a popular gift. At home, since we celebrate Three Kings Day, that is usually when we give calendars for the New Year. 
    • The Reprobate has a list of "The Naked Charity Calendars for 2024." This is where I warn you some of them may be a little risque. However, if you have a sense of humor, want to support a charity, and don't mind a little cute nudity, these may be an option.
    • (Spanish language news, via El Periodico). This is the one calendar that is famous but hard to get if you are not connected or a customer of the company. We are talking about the annual Pirelli Tires calendar. This year, the calendar gives tribute to Black Power with a Black photographer and Black models. Models this time include Naomi Campbell, Idris Elba, Angela Bassett among others.

 

Alcohol and spirits

 

Leave Booze for Santa. He's making a list, checking it twice. The drunker he gets, the more you look nice.
 

 

Tarot and other cartomancy and esoteric

If you wonder how Santa Claus knows who is naughty or nice, he reads Tarot cards.

 

  •  Om Times has an article giving suggestions for ideal gifts for each Zodiac sign.
  • Healing Thru Tarot has a list of "2023 Stocking Stuffers and Gift Ideas for Tarot Enthusiasts." The list has various items from decks to accessories. From the list, I recently bought the pocket edition of the Light Seers Tarot, and I highly recommend it. Even if you already have the standard size, you may want the pocket edition, or you can give it as a gift to someone. 
  • Theresa Reed, the Tarot Lady, always puts out a very good esoteric items list. Here is her "2023 Tarot, Astrology, and Mystical Shopping Guide."

 

 Adult and/or sexy gift ideas

Elvgren pin up art, nude girl wrapping a present.

 

This is the part of the post that may be a little NSFW and/or risque. If that is not your cup, that is OK, you can stop reading here and thank you for stopping by. If it is your jam, then read on. This is a small sampling of what you might find out there.

Well, that does it for now. Stay tuned for the next post in the series where I look at books and some of the book lists for the year. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by and hope you have happy and safe holidays.



 







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