World peace gift ideas

December 20, 2010 7:23 PM

So my 15 year old daughter asked for world peace this year for Christmas. Any gift ideas? I would like to get her something silly - she is not really the activist type. Thanks!
posted by Ennui to Shopping (29 answers total)

perhaps some of the best cookies ever - World Peace Cookies
posted by caddis at 7:25 PM on December 20, 2010 [4 favorites]

Visualize whirled peas
posted by Maximian at 7:30 PM on December 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Ice cream? Ben and Jerry's has an "Imagine Whirled Peace" flavor, which you can locate via the flavor locator on this web site. But I can't link directly because their web site is dumb.
posted by Jahaza at 7:32 PM on December 20, 2010

Jewelry made from old nuclear missiles? I guess it's not so silly, but it does fit the theme.
posted by naoko at 7:33 PM on December 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

A camel, goat, or cow care of Heifer International?
posted by alms at 7:36 PM on December 20, 2010 [4 favorites]

A world map or globe jigsaw puzzle so she can have "world pieces"? Seems like there are some out there.
posted by orange swan at 7:36 PM on December 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Donation to Amnesty International, or Doctors Without Borders.
posted by matildaben at 7:37 PM on December 20, 2010 [4 favorites]

Hippie stuff? A beaded/bamboo curtain for her room, love beads, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane albums, a Woodstock poster...
posted by Sara C. at 7:44 PM on December 20, 2010

Why go the "silly" route about this?

I would be so proud of a 15 year old that expressed this, that I would do everything I could to encourage this kind of thinking...

I agree with those encouraging donations... and, find a super cool tie-dyed t-shirt with a peace symbol.... ☮
posted by HuronBob at 8:05 PM on December 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

My step-mom has put this on the top of her Christmas list every year. One year my dad got her a salad spinner and frozen peas. Another he gave her an ice tray and a card that said, "If you want peace, work for just-ice". Another year, I made her a thousand cranes, and said she could choose her wish. Most years, I get her an animal from heifer. To make that more awesome, I give her a small figurine of the animal, that would fit into her crèche scene. (I can often find those at a toy store, sometimes a farm set does well, so that I can give a cow one year, a flock of chickens another.) It's pretty neat now to see her crèche now, with all the years of animals in it. (Your daughter would probably enjoy getting the little animal out each year and remembering it.)
posted by Margalo Epps at 8:08 PM on December 20, 2010 [16 favorites]

Take her to a Quaker meeting.
posted by bardic at 8:22 PM on December 20, 2010

A DVD of the movie Sneakers.
posted by inigo2 at 8:51 PM on December 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

Naoko: Jewelry made from old nuclear missiles? I guess it's not so silly, but it does fit the theme.

This is fantastic, the only problem I have is the copy that says "at From War to Peace we literally turn swords into plowshares"
posted by aristan at 9:29 PM on December 20, 2010

A poster like this? I'm sure there are other varieties if you searched.
posted by birdsquared at 9:30 PM on December 20, 2010

I think that 15 is a good age to get a first nice jewelry gift, if she likes jewelry. Here are some examples of world peace related jewelry. I tried to get a nice sampling of different prices.

A little antique-looking
Simple
Chic
Colorful and closest to the theme
More youthful
Another variation
posted by delicate_dahlias at 10:11 PM on December 20, 2010

My girlfriend was asked for the same thing recently, she found a HUGE beach ball with a world atlas on it and then painted a peace sign on it. Instant world peace.
posted by Felex at 10:29 PM on December 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

Why don't you try and 'deliver' on this request by giving her something (or doing something) that demonstrates that the path to world peace starts small and local (i.e., the immediate world that the two of you inhabit) and spreads out from there? So, gifts, home projects, activities that you two can do together that make your world a better, more harmonious place. Even if it's just painting the walls a soothing blue, it's a start. And it's a bit silly, but in a good way.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:21 AM on December 21, 2010

Perhaps a gift voucher from Kiva?
posted by TheOtherGuy at 12:34 AM on December 21, 2010

Not to poo on delicate_dahlias' well-meaning idea, but I think that sort of thing sends the wrong message, like, "Oh, how cute, you're interested in issues...well...have some pretty jewelry!"
posted by threeants at 12:56 AM on December 21, 2010 [3 favorites]

A small olive tree?
posted by MuffinMan at 1:00 AM on December 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

Help her cultivate peas on earth- a pot, some soil and a young pea plant.
posted by metaBugs at 3:08 AM on December 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

Perhaps inspirational reading by Craig Kielburger, who began his activism at age twelve.
posted by saucysault at 4:35 AM on December 21, 2010

Loans to Kiva, which does micro-credit, similar to the Grameen Bank, which was founded by Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
posted by embrangled at 4:40 AM on December 21, 2010 [2 favorites]

Bake some World Peace Cookies?! (I tried the recipe, and they're really that good.)
posted by amf at 7:11 AM on December 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

Whoops, overlooked the very first comment. Mine is a different link though.
posted by amf at 7:14 AM on December 21, 2010

1 year subscription to the Good News Network. Goodnewsnetwork.org.

They post positive news articles.

I did this for my sister when she asked for world peace.
posted by vitabellosi at 9:11 AM on December 21, 2010

There is lively debate as to whether giving farm animals helps the villagers in the long run.

It's out of my personal price range for a silly gift, but there is the Circle of Peace from Yoyodyne Industries.
posted by thatdawnperson at 1:03 PM on December 21, 2010

Came in to recommend Sneakers. The ending is quite good, and pertains to this question. It's actually a fun movie with some great lines. Also, if you are a leftie, there's some subtle background commentary, and other goodies.
posted by theora55 at 3:00 PM on December 21, 2010

In addition to whatever else you do, I'd give a couple variations of bad puns on the words "world peace", which should be very cheap to make or get, and can be very silly. E.g.:

a rock, aka a "world piece", as in, a piece of the world.

different kinds of "peas" from all over the world, including wasabi peas (Japan), an IOU for mushy peas (England), etc. ("world peas")

the refrigerator magnet thing with all the different words ("Word piece(s)"). Etc.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 1:21 PM on December 22, 2010