damn christmas

November 20, 2006 8:20 PM

Help! Gift suggestion for the couple that has everything. Find us a gift so my girlfriend and I don't get disowned.

My brother and his soon to be fiance are a tough duo to shop for. They are loaded, and they aren't really into the "it's the thought that matters" side of gifts. That pretty much leaves something they don't know they want yet, or something cool in general.

The couple in question is all about running, triathalons, gadgets, and other young, urban pasttimes. They're in their 30's. The target price is about $100, but can change upward if the gift is perfect. Go, people of the internets, find us a gift!

posted by wuzandfuzz to shopping (15 comments total)

Do they have TiVo?
posted by k8t at 8:24 PM on November 20, 2006

Any reason why the past 174 posts don't help?

Has a wave of gift-giving madness suddenly descended upon the world? There has been 47 such threads today.
posted by oxford blue at 8:26 PM on November 20, 2006

Get them books/vids about Feng Shui.

Because even if they really DO have everything, it's probably not all pointed in the right directions.
posted by Jos Bleau at 8:35 PM on November 20, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Suicide: the gift for that special someone who has everything. Just kidding, don't take offense to that. It was a joke a friend and I came up with when writing an article about this very subject.

Here's a list to hopefully help you out:

1. Stay away from the latest crazes (No Chias!).
2. Don't buy gifts for their irony. The snarky slogan t-shirt will lose its irony soon enough.
3. Spend some time thinking about the person you are buying for.
4. Don't buy anything that is an odd color. If you haven't ever seen the person wear bright red, what makes you think they want something that is bright red?
5. Stay within your budget.
6. Be creative.
7. Do some research!
8. Listen to what the person has asked for.
9. Keep it simple.
10. Always, always, always include a gift receipt. Your goal is to get the perfect gift, but you want to let the person decide if they want to keep it!
posted by premiumpolar at 8:39 PM on November 20, 2006

If they watch TV, boxed sets of DVDs they're likely to like. (eg: Alton Brown's cooking show? an endurance athletics show? Monty Python? You probably have some idea here)

If they're into gourmet food, Zingerman's Deli (just google it) does great food-of-the-month clubs and other gourmet mail order stuff.

Check Cool Tools for good gadgets. Check the return policy on things you get, since it sounds like they might already have whatever you get them.

Magazine subscriptions -- The Week magazine is like a much better version of Newsweek; Cook's Illustrated is the best cooking mag (IMO); ... go to a store with a great magazine selection and find a few that look good.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:41 PM on November 20, 2006

For people who have everything?
Don't get them anything.
Give them an experience:
Massage/spa gift certificates
Tickets to a theatre show
Gourmet cooking classes
Ski Lift tickets
Maid service to dust all their things
House/closet organizer consultation
Ballroom dance classes
Weekend away
Helicopter tour of the city
Some part of their wedding ie. paying for invitations
Gift certificate to local sex toys shop

Anyway, 'local sex toys shop' seems a good way to end my post!
posted by typewriter at 9:07 PM on November 20, 2006

How about some snazzy wine glasses & a nice bottle of wine?
posted by tastybrains at 9:09 PM on November 20, 2006

-Lomo cameras if they were ever artistic and funky
-Wine
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:18 PM on November 20, 2006

Gadgets, hey? Leatherman have some nice stuff, like these pruners these locking pliers (I have these, they rock) and this knife looks interesting.

My other technique for xmas gifts is xmas decorations.

Anything else I might suggest needs more info about the couple.
posted by krisjohn at 9:21 PM on November 20, 2006

Art made from their DNA?
posted by greatgefilte at 9:22 PM on November 20, 2006

Do you have a wonderful picture of them? Make it into a canvas at canvasondemand.com or (a little more risky) into a painting -- for example a watercolor -- at canvasartists.com. I have used both of these services and highly recommend each -- though for me the latter produced exceptional results for pics of children as opposed to adults. I just used canvasondemand this year to reproduce a polaroid into an 11" by 11" canvas, and am really really pleased with the results. They do digital photos, too. I also have a 20% discount code for canvasondemand; let me know if you're interested.

This is a pretty cool gift that I haven't seen in many people's homes yet, but I bet will really be catching on in the next few years. It basically turns your own photo into a very official looking work of art. There are samples shown on the websites I linked.
posted by onlyconnect at 9:31 PM on November 20, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

People I know who believe the thought isn't what counts -- they would like a $100+ bottle of champagne.

Gadget lovers really go for fancy LED flashlights like those made by Surefire. If you get a flashlight, it should be beautiful, small, and have a price over 50 bucks. Maybe a his-and hers pair: one brushed aluminum and one black.

There are some knives that are status-y and gorgeous. Shun knives are super-in right now, and the 6" chef's knife and the 6" utility knife are within your budget (one of them, not both). If the couple don't really cook, they probably buy plenty of baguettes -- a bread knife is a very good thing to have, and there are loads of overpriced ones. See cookingenthusiast.com for a start.

Do they drink? They'd appreciate a $50+ bottle of Armagnac -- the name has so much more cachet than cognac.

If they like shellfish, you might consider this mussel pot. It's well-made, heavy, and very nice-looking. There's a smaller verson, as well.

I'm sorry to be so snide. The things I've suggested are very nice gifts, but I'm sneering at the people I know who feel they are all 'must haves.'
posted by wryly at 10:15 PM on November 20, 2006

Get them a romantic Martini Glass set and a stylish bottle of Lichido Liqueur. It's like $25 but looks like at least $50.




posted by Fotofixer at 3:53 AM on November 21, 2006

Really Raw Honey. Maybe complement that with some fancy pastries, english muffins, or tea.
posted by Sassyfras at 7:08 AM on November 21, 2006

Something with like food and alcohol and such. Consumables.
posted by dagnyscott at 9:04 AM on November 21, 2006