Just when the stress of finals is piling up, on comes another mid-December source of pressure.
Holiday gift shopping. Sure, when you're running on an average of three hours of sleep and four cups of coffee a day, it's tempting to dash into the snazzy new school store and pick up Hopkins hoodies and coffee mugs for all of your favorite people.
This year, resist the temptation to be unimaginative and try out some unique gift ideas for all those special someones this holiday season. We'll even give you a few ideas of what to get. C'mon, that's almost too easy, so you better get shopping.
Books
David Sedaris: Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris is the kind of author whose wit you would envy, if only you didn't enjoy it so damn much. Though all of his books are fantastic, this one, which is a collection of short stories about his life, covering everything from awkward classroom moments to his hijinks when he moves to France, is beyond amazing. It's the perfect holiday break read, since a fair amount of the stories are about Sedaris' crazy family, so give it as a gift to someone who can empathize with some wildly off-kilter kin.
Megan Nicolay Generation T: 108 Ways to transform a T-shirt
The title pretty much says it all -- this is a cute how-to book about cutting up old T-shirts and turning them into anything from a halter top to a frilly skirt.
The best gifting plan for this one is to get the book, and then add a Salvation Army purchased T-shirt or two, so that your friend can explore her inner Project Runway immediately.
Tom Wolfe: Anything
Plain and simple: if you have any friends who haven't already read something by one of the best modern writers, do them a major life favor and wrap one of Wolfe's books in that Santa-covered wrapping paper.
Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a good choice for someone who loves the 1960s, or I Am Charlotte Simmons (one of Wolfe's forays into fiction writing) gives an interesting perspective of Wolfe's immersion into our generation's college experience, so hit up the new Barnes & Noble.
Games
True Colors
Why not indulge someone's inner child with a good ol' board game for big kids? True Colors is basically a game of "what do my friends think of me, really?" Without going into the rules too much, the point of this game is to anonymously select which of your fellow game players would be the most likely to do certain things, like snoop on naked sunbathing neighbors, or be the weirdest child. Then you tally up the votes and reveal who "won." It sounds a little mean-spirited, but it actually turns out to be funny. It's a little obscure, so you might have to do an internet search for this one, instead of just walking into a toy store.
The Sims 2
This is the gift to give to someone who loves to procrastinate because it's the ultimate time-waster. Plus, its roots stem back to SimCity, the most coveted game of elementary school computer class. If you aren't already familiar with it, in this computer game, you create little virtual people called Sims, and then you control every aspect of their lives, ranging from decorating their house, to making out, to working towards job promotions and everything in between. It might sound like a weird concept, but anyone who tries this game becomes an instant fan, so this gift is a guaranteed success.
Clothing
For boys: anything from http://www.dirtyoldshirt.com
It seems like T-shirts with ironic sayings or puns are never going to fade into fashion obscurity, so you might as well embrace it -- for better or worse -- and help add to one of your friend's collections.
Aside from having an awesome company name, Dirty Old Shirt has a bunch of T-shirts with slogans that allude to vintage pop culture (like "Never trust a big butt and a smile," from Bel Biv Devoe lyrics) and a few politically-oriented ones (like "Blue state proud," in a baseball jersey font).
For girls: A thermal shirt from http://www.delias.com
Funkier than a sweater, and more wallet-friendly than a boutique purchase, the Delia's thermal shirts are just offbeat enough to be cool. They are available in a variety of patterns, including owls, skulls or hearts -- one of the choices is bound to be adored by your gift recipient. If you buy two or more of `em online, you get a discount, so stock up for a few of the girls on your gift list.
Holiday Themed
Edible Candy Cane Shotglasses (available at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com)
They cost less than $10, are universally enjoyable, and are just little bit kitschy. In other words, it's the perfect Secret Santa or Hanukkah Helper gift. Oh, and you get bonus friend points if you stick a little bottle of somethin' somethin' to keep the candy cane shot glasses company.
Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas
Ok, so maybe a Christmas music CD is not particularly a unique gift idea, but one by Sufjan Stevens sure is. The three volume collection contains familiar classics with Sufjan's own twist, like "Silent Night" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" and fantastic original songs like "Come on! Let's Boogie to the Elf Dance!" or "That was the Worst Christmas Ever."
The songs are so beautiful that you're bound to hear the lucky recipient of this gift still humming "O Holy Night" in June.
No matter the recipient, you can find an appropriate and unique gift. Don't settle for less.
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