FOR THE BIBLIOPHILE
Love classics? Get the 100 Essential Novels Scratch-off poster from Pop Chart Labs. Coming in at $35, it offers a reading list of literary classics that everyone should tackle. After you read it, scratch it off and read another.
Does that bibliophile have an extensive collection they are always lending out? Get the Knock Knock Personal Library Kit on Amazon for $11. With pockets, checkout cards and a date stamp, they can start their own library.
Magnetic bookmarks are a great inexpensive ides for any book lover. BeedooTo bookmarks found on Etsy average only $3. The choices, ranging from Star Wars to food, seem endless.
FOR THE ENVIRONMENTALIST
Making a yard or garden a welcome place for critters isn’t just for the birds. Consider gifting the WoodLink Audubon bat house, priced at $25. Though bats may not sound like creatures you would want hanging around your property, providing a space for them offers a natural way to help reduce insect irritations — and an environmentally friendly source of fertilizer.
If the person you’re buying for doesn’t have the outdoor space for a garden, you can help them stay tapped in to that green thumb by gifting a wall planter. As an added benefit of saving valuable space, these planters also serve to decorate the wall with natural greenery. Beyond decoration, the planters can be used to house herb gardens, which could come in handy the next time a homemade dish calls for fresh ingredients. Prudance sells seven-pocket vertical planters for $11.
For the eco-warrior who already has it all, reusable bags are a gift that keeps on giving. Companies such as Baggu provide bags, $9 for a standard size, with vibrant designs and colors that allow carriers to express themselves while helping to reduce the repercussions of plastic bag use. Additionally, Baggu totes come with convenient storage pouches to keep them neatly folded and out of the way until they’re needed.
FOR THE FITNESS FIEND
For that runner on your list who is always on the go, the Nathan Quickshot Plus Insulated Flask will keep them hydrated and safe. The 10-ounce, insulated bottle also features a reflective print to keep them safe. Available for $30 at nathansports.com.
No matter what the workout is, a good pair of socks is a must for the weekend warriors on your list. These Balega Merino Hidden Comfort Socks come in a variety of colors and sizes and are made with Ultrafine Hi-Tech performance yarns, which makes for a very light sock that still protects the foot as well. You can find them for $12 per pair at balega.com.
The fitness nut on your list will enjoy a set of resistance bands — one light, one heavy — that help make workouts fun. The Tone It Up Resistance Bands are only $12.99 at www.toneitup.com/
FOR THE FOODIE
Try shaking things up in the kitchen with the Foodie Dice Seasonal Dinners. These laser-engraved wooden food dice can be purchased in a pouch for $24, or in a glass tumbler for $34, at FoodieDice.com. Each roll of the dice gives cooks different meal combinations to try for dinner. A booster set with additional options is also available for $12.
Ever tried making noodles from vegetables? For $14.99, the Microplane Spiral Cutter from Bed Bath and Beyond lets foodies slice up vegetables in noodle-like shapes. The noodles can be used in everything from spaghetti to soup.
Get creative and try the recipes from Joe Isiodori’s “Craft Burgers and Crazy Shakes from Black Tap,” which is available on Amazon in hardcover and Kindle versions. The recipes are from the popular New York City restaurant, Black Tap, and they include various burgers, shakes and side dishes. The hardcover version is $25 and the Kindle version is $12.99.
FOR THE IMBIBER
What better way to carry your craft beer than with a hand-crafted tote. Made from redwood beams reclaimed from salvage yards in the San Francisco area, this Wooden Beer Caddy, that sells for $45 can be found at uncommongoods.com.
Countryside Personalized Natural Wood Corkscrew is the perfect way to show who’s the wine lover in the family. The corkscrew features an acacia wood handle and durable stainless steel screw, and more importantly, the name of the person you are buying it for. It sells for $17.95 at homewetbar.com.
The coffee lover on your list will love the great flavor and uniqueness of the local CoffeeM brand. Owner Mark Palatchi is in the coffee roasting business, and his coffee is served at local places such as Local Republic and the Aurora Theatre. But you can buy beans, retailing for $12 per bag, at Exhibit A(le), a growler shop located at 202 W. Crogan St. in Lawrenceville.
FOR THE OUTDOORSY
The Eagles Nest Outfitter’s DoubleNest Hammock, clocking in at $70, is not your father’s hammock. Made out of durable ripstop nylon, the hammock packs down light, sets up quickly and is great for a relaxing day in nature.
Petzl has been manufactoring headlamps since 1973 and the all-LED Tikke is byfar its most popular product. Thirty dollars gets you a well-built, long-lasting source of light for even the darkest nights.
The stainless steel Gerber Paraframe Mini Knife, available with either a fine or serrated edge, is a great lightweight companion, both in the woods and as an everyday carry. Including the lifetime warranty, it’s a deal at the list price of $16 (but often found cheaper).
FOR THE SPORTS FAN
For the Atlanta Braves or baseball fan in your life, consider a stylish wool beanie is knit from 130 yards of usable wool yarn strands that are found inside an MLB Authenticated Game Used Atlanta Braves baseball (and other teams). The inside is lined with alpaca to keep you cozy for extra innings. Each hat has a hologram number indicating the exact game the ball was used in. It’s knit by hand in America by a single craftsman, and each hat comes gift boxed with a story card. It’s $225 from UncommonGoods.com.
StadiumGraph.com sells premium hardwood relief sculptures of baseball stadiums for $85. They also sell “throwback” stadiums like Ebbets Field and, now, Turner Field alongside Shea Stadium and Oakland Coliseum. Each piece is laser cut from a single grain of solid cherry into three tiers. The black walnut frame and stadium are then hand assembled and arrive ready to hang.
For the basketball fan, Wilson X and wilson.com offers the ball and App that tracks makes and misses. It’s $199.99 and the Wilson X Connected basketball has four training games that allow the ball and app to track your field goal accuracy, range, and train you to shoot at game speed. They are free range, free throw, buzzer beater and gametime. It never needs charging. Its battery runs for more than 100,000 shots, and it connects wirelessly with the Wilson X app through Bluetooth. It also simulates game time situations including crowd noise, clock countdowns, horns and real-time audio.
FOR THE TECHIE
Video games haven’t been just a hobby for kids for a long time, if ever. Microsoft’s Xbox One S, a recently retooled version of the three-year-old Xbox One, packs a lot of power into a 40 percent smaller box. It plays 4K/Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs and will streak 4K/UHD video. Bundles will differ in price based on hard drive size and which game(s) are packaged in. A 500GB console with an included game such as Battlefield 1, Minecraft, FIFA 17 or Madden 17 will run about $299 with sales dropping the price as low as $249.
Another bright idea is a Philips Hue starter kit for as little as $70 at Amazon. The kit includes two 800-lumen A19 LED soft white light bulbs — comparable to a standard 60 watt bulb — and a bridge for communicating with the bulbs from your smartphone or tablet over Wi-Fi. The bulbs can be controlled from anywhere your smartphone goes and can be programmed to turn on or off at scheduled times. Hue also works with Amazon’s Alexa.
For a techie on a budget, Target has a Sharper Image coin-counting jar for about $6. This product is an 8-inch-tall, 4-inch-diameter jar with small LCD on top that keeps track of how much change you have saved based on which coins are inserted.
FOR THE HOME
Entertain a tight-knit group of friends with the indoor/outdoor Tabletop Glass Fireplace from Etsy starting at $29. Light up the patio or roast campfire treats with the mini fireplace that’s about 6 1/2 square inches and stands about 9 inches tall.
The Swan Vintage Teasmade and Alarm Clock from Amazon.com is $80 and perfect for when waking up isn’t exactly a sleeper’s cup of tea. Place the iconic all-in-one alarm clock and ea maker at the bedside, and the alarm will sound once the 20-ounces have boiled.
Cheer up a child with the sniffles with the cuddly Rilakkuma Tissue Cover from Amazon.com for $22. The little one can snuggle with the stuffed bear that wraps around the corners of a box of facial tissues.
