Sometimes the hardest task during the holidays is finding a gift for the ones you love the most. Here are a few suggestions, both splurges and steals, to help you check their names off your list. Your mom may be the photographer and your nephew the cook, but hopefully there’s something for everyone!
For Your Sweetheart
Fingerprint Cufflinks and Fingerprint Necklace ($175-210)
I can’t think of too many things that would be more romantic than your beloved wearing your fingerprints. Send British silversmith Chris Parry your fingerprint, and you’ll end up with a hand-engraved work of art. A splurge to be sure, but one that will last forever. (Order soon if you want these in time for Christmas!)
For Your Mom
Whimsy and Tea Hand-Woven Tea Towels ($30 and up)
I am lucky enough to have three gorgeous hand-woven tea towels from Marilyn of Whimsy and Tea. I have a bit of a tea towel fetish (vintage weaves and modern silk-screened prints mix together in my linen cabinet), but these are the workhorses of my kitchen. They are incredibly sturdy, soft, and absorbent, and the color combinations and patterns delight the eye. If you live in the North Bay of California, you can find Marilyn at various farmer’s markets, or you can contact her with your Mom’s favorite colors and get a surprise in your mailbox. (She also makes table runners, scarves and baby blankets.)
For Your Dad
Gakken Twin Lens Reflex Camera Kit ($39)
Does your Dad still talk longingly about the “good old days” of photography? With this gorgeous Japanese plastic kit camera, not only will he be able to indulge his nostalgia taking photos with film, but he can get his DIY fix while building the camera itself! (If you haven’t used one, twin lens reflex cameras are a portraitist’s delight: since there’s no mirror flopping around inside the camera, they’re light and quiet as can be, and since you look down into the top of the camera to see the image, you can be super stealthy when taking shots.)
For Your Sister
Tiny Toadstool Embroidered Beret and Gloves ($120 and up)
Remind your sister of the times you pretended there were fairies under the ferns in your backyard with these deliciously fantastical embroidered felt gloves and berets from Tiny Toadstool. Eccentric but sophisticated, they’ll keep her warm and cozy while thinking warm and cozy thoughts about you!
For Your Brother
Cooking for Geeks Cookbook ($25)
Convince your geeky little bro that cooking really is a science as well as an art with Cooking For Geeks. It covers the science behind the food you eat as well as having genuinely fabulous recipes galore. (If your brother’s already a cook, check out author Jeff Potter’s Cooking For Geeks Gift Guide over on the MAKE blog.)
For Your Niece
Wool and Water Articulated Paper Dolls ($12)
I don’t know about you, but I was obsessed with paper dolls when I was younger (ok, I still am), and I would have swooned over Amy Earle’s dreamy articulated paper dolls. The print that arrives in the mail is lovely enough to frame, but if she can bring herself to cut out the pieces, your young friend will have a blast with this doll that can actually move.
For Your Nephew
LED Sewing Kit ($15)
Show a little boy just how cool sewing can be with this LED sewing kit. The image on the right is just an example of what can be done–I can totally imagine a rad rocket ship or zippy race car with light-up headlights!
(For more ideas for the little ones, check out my earlier Gift Guide: For the Kids.)
In the Maker Shed:
Want more? Stop by the Make Shed. We’ve got all sorts of great holiday gift ideas: Arduino & Arduino accessories, electronic kits, science kits, smart stuff for kids, back issues of MAKE & CRAFT, box sets, books, robots, kits from Japan and more.
Holiday Shipping Deadlines in December:
15 (Wed) – Postal shipping deadline
14 (Mon) – Ground shipping deadline
18 (Sat) – 3-day shipping deadline
20 (Mon) – 2-day shipping deadline
21 (Tue) – Overnight shipping deadline
*Orders placed after these dates using these shipping methods may arrive on time; however, the dates listed are what we consider likely “safe dates.”
United States Postal Service (USPS):
Due to the high volume of mail that the postal service deals with around the holidays, please order by Dec 15 if you intend to select this method. However, we have had increased reports of packages sent via USPS lost or delayed in transit during this high-volume period. Since we do not replace or refund any order placed using this shipping method, we strongly encourage you not to use this method in December.
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