Secret Santa for a guy who has everything.
November 10, 2014 2:18 PM Subscribe
For my Secret Santa exchange I actually know the person pretty well, as opposed to every other year. Unfortunately my person tends to buy pretty much everything they need. I would identify his primary interests as cigars, bourbon, gadgets, Baltimore history and being Irish. What are some things I could get him where it wouldn't matter if he already had one?
30 dollar gift limit.
My plan is to buy about 15 dollars worth of unique stuff (I have a few firm ideas for these), and then 15 dollars worth of stuff where it doesn't matter if he already has it, but would be nice to receive as a supplement to one of his hobbies. Any ideas? I would like to avoid gift cards or gift clubs this year.
30 dollar gift limit.
My plan is to buy about 15 dollars worth of unique stuff (I have a few firm ideas for these), and then 15 dollars worth of stuff where it doesn't matter if he already has it, but would be nice to receive as a supplement to one of his hobbies. Any ideas? I would like to avoid gift cards or gift clubs this year.
I was looking at this last night. It's pretty nifty.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:27 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:27 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: If you know he takes ice in his bourbon, get him a Tovolo King Cube ice cube tray. It's incredible. And on the off chance he has one already, well, you can never have too many ice cube trays. (Do not get him whiskey stones.)
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:35 PM on November 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:35 PM on November 10, 2014 [10 favorites]
Oh, in a previous thread someone recommended Glencairn whiskey glasses as a gift for whiskey drinkers. Endorsed by the Scotch Whiskey Association!
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:43 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:43 PM on November 10, 2014
The smaller Smith Island cake is listed at $37 on its webpage. Is that beyond your budget?
posted by brujita at 3:08 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by brujita at 3:08 PM on November 10, 2014
Response by poster: Yep. I'm willing to fudge 30 dollars +10 or so, but I'd really like to stay on budget. I also like getting a number of things instead of a single large gift, so 15 - 20 dollars on the "doesn't matter if he has two or five or twenty" is ideal.
posted by codacorolla at 3:36 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by codacorolla at 3:36 PM on November 10, 2014
Get him a Pigtown fire department patch. Cheap!
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:08 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:08 PM on November 10, 2014
I'm getting this as a stocking stuffer for everyone I buy for this year.
Searching eBay for Baltimore cigar brought up some interesting things. There's all sorts of cigar tins, boxes and labels and even old invoices. My favorites are this advertising card and this "Pride of Baltimore" label. Get a cheap frame somewhere, and you have a really neat, inexpensive gift. I like this kind of floating frame for ephemera so that you can easily see the edges and back of the item (if you go with a floating frame, get one that's a couple inches bigger than your item all the way around).
posted by OrangeDisk at 4:31 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Searching eBay for Baltimore cigar brought up some interesting things. There's all sorts of cigar tins, boxes and labels and even old invoices. My favorites are this advertising card and this "Pride of Baltimore" label. Get a cheap frame somewhere, and you have a really neat, inexpensive gift. I like this kind of floating frame for ephemera so that you can easily see the edges and back of the item (if you go with a floating frame, get one that's a couple inches bigger than your item all the way around).
posted by OrangeDisk at 4:31 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
Red Ryder BB Gun
posted by bricksNmortar at 6:28 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by bricksNmortar at 6:28 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
You could check estate sales near you for a beautiful cut crystal decanter. If he's a learned bourbon drinker, perhaps a branch water pitcher? Does he like an Old Fashioned? Good sugar cubes, a nice wood muddler, and bitters if he doesn't already have them.
posted by JackBurden at 6:41 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by JackBurden at 6:41 PM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: If you know he takes ice in his bourbon, get him a Tovolo King Cube ice cube tray.
I would highly advise against purchasing this ice cube tray. I bought a handful of these as Christmas presents for whiskey drinking friends and relatives a couple of years ago because I was initially so impressed with the one I bought for myself. This is before I realized that the tray leaches something into the cubes: you will get white residue in your drink along a chemical taste and smell. It seems my experience is similar to others... this doesn't happen immediately, but over time and with use.
The one- and two-star reviews here are correct: Amazon link. Buyer beware.
posted by Vek at 8:12 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
I would highly advise against purchasing this ice cube tray. I bought a handful of these as Christmas presents for whiskey drinking friends and relatives a couple of years ago because I was initially so impressed with the one I bought for myself. This is before I realized that the tray leaches something into the cubes: you will get white residue in your drink along a chemical taste and smell. It seems my experience is similar to others... this doesn't happen immediately, but over time and with use.
The one- and two-star reviews here are correct: Amazon link. Buyer beware.
posted by Vek at 8:12 AM on November 11, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I think this book sounds very interesting and at $19.99 would only put you a little over your limit: Man In The Street: From Dirt Roads to Blacktop: A History of Baltimore Street Names. It was only published a few months ago so it seems unlikely that he would have it already.
posted by maxg94 at 8:46 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by maxg94 at 8:46 AM on November 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I'm sorry to hear that about the ice cube trays, since that was what I was leaning towards. Can anyone recommend large cube trays that don't have that problem?
posted by codacorolla at 10:04 AM on November 11, 2014
posted by codacorolla at 10:04 AM on November 11, 2014
I've used those ice cube trays for two years and I've never had a problem. Mine are green. Not sure if that makes any difference, but most of the 1-star reviews that I saw were of the blue trays.
posted by robstercraw at 11:31 AM on November 11, 2014
posted by robstercraw at 11:31 AM on November 11, 2014
Response by poster: Ok, thanks for the help. I went to the local high end liquor store and asked about molds that won't leave funny tastes, and they directed me to one that they sold. I also picked up a bottle of fancy bitters. I'll probably round it all out with that Baltimore street name book. I think that should be a good set of gifts.
posted by codacorolla at 3:25 PM on November 11, 2014
posted by codacorolla at 3:25 PM on November 11, 2014
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posted by blurker at 2:25 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]