Gift Buying Guide for the Whole Family
The year 2005 is drawing near to its end, which means that the
holiday season is approaching once again. And that means lots of
shopping-- at least for most people.
Regardless of whether one looks for the perfect gift for a
spouse, girl/boyfriend, mother, father, son, daughter, cat, et
cetera, every year has its trends, especially among children --
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Cabbage Patch Dolls,
Furbies, Tickle-Me Elmos, Giga Pets, Beanie Babies, the list
goes on and on. In times more recent, of course, and with the
older set, Apple iPods have been, and continue to be, quite
popular.
But whether you are the type to give your loved one a paper
clip, or an SUV, the following list is an attempt to sort of
ease the stress of Christmas time shopping for the typical
American. The suggestions are quite random, as a matter of fact;
some are popular, "trendy", even; others simply aren't. Either
way, happy holidays--and shop safely.
1. Shopping for a bookworm? Carter Beats the Devil by
Glen David Gold is certainly a worthy choice. It's a
critically-acclaimed piece of work--and for good reason. It's a
novel about the life and adventures of a vaudeville-era
magician, Charles Carter, otherwise known as Carter the Great. A
sizeable volume, it is full to the brim with an assortment of
three-dimensional characters, fictional as well as real; the
incorporation of historical figures into the prose (think Harry
Houdini and even President Warren G. Harding) serves only to
tighten the book's grip on the reader's attention-span. "One of
the best seasonal reads in the past decade...a single-read
wonder, closer in tone to an intellectualized Indiana Jones
adventure, but far more satisfying."--Austin Chronicle
2. Give Ali G a chance! Perhaps you are shopping for a
young one--one who happens to be over 18, preferably, just to be
safe. If that be the case, and you don't mind subjecting other
people to a bit of profanity, then you might at least want to
consider purchasing Da Ali G Show: The Complete Seasons, 1 and 2
on DVD. Arguably one of the funniest television programs to come
out of the United Kingdom and HBO in recent years, it involves
actor Sacha Baron Cohen and the trio of characters he portrays,
most especially the character Ali G--a Caucasian "gangsta"
wannabe type from England who travels to the U.S.A. in order to
conduct interviews with celebrities and politicians (among them:
Ralph Nader, Newt Gingrich, and Pat Buchanan). Ali G asks some
of the dumbest questions you will ever have heard coming from
anyone's mouth--and the DVD itself contains some hilarious
extras, like a "glossary of Ali G jargon" (Wot is yous banging
on about?= What are you talking about?). The whole thing has to
be seen to be believed.
3. One of the most popular, hence obvious, gift ideas for
any age group: an apple iPod. Unfortunately, though, iPods
tend to cost around $250, depending on where they are being
sold, and that can be unaffordable for some families. The good
news is that for half the cost you can purchase what is called
an iPod Shuffle. Sure, it doesn't hold as many songs as the
regular device (240 tracks for the Shuffle, 5,000 for the Apple
20 GB iPod M9282LL/A) but it's still a worthy investment or
gift, and you save a lot of money, too.
4. Give your grandmother the gift that keeps on giving...the
bad guys more than they bargained for. Especially during the
holidays, it isn't uncommon to hear of an increase in robberies,
muggings, purse snatchings, etc. Maybe you have a friend or
relative who might benefit from a gift that will come in handy
in the event of a criminal attack. There are many examples,
ranging from a Panther 100,000-volt stun gun for just under $20,
to the Advanced Taser with Laser available for about $600.
5. As for the kids, the much-anticipated film adaptation of
C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Which has
just arrived in theaters all over the country. And while it
won't be coming to DVD any time soon, the entire Narnia series
is available in audio book format-- unabridged. The Chronicles
of Narnia CD Box Set can be found in bookshops for around $75.
And for those of you who have a certain fondness for the actor
Kenneth Branagh, well, the entire set is narrated by Kenneth
Branagh. If your child enjoys this audio book, why not get an
audio book rental subscription from a service like JiggerBug.com. It's an easy
way to get your child away from the television and into some
books.
Random, indeed. Even if those suggestions really didn't tickle
your fancy at all, it is desired that they at least served as
inspiration for some gift ideas of your own. Shopping for
Christmas presents ought to be fun--and with a little
imagination it can be.