How do I get him a great Christmas gift?

November 1, 2007 11:29 AM

I'm Christmas shopping for my SO. Help me out...I'm out of ideas.

My wonderful darling, lovely SO is probably the most difficult person to shop for. I'm out of ideas and I just need some suggestions for a great, unique gift to give him. The problem is that if he wants something, he usually just gets it.

I'm open to anything either home made or store bought.

He likes:
filmmaking (he owns a couple of digital video cameras), GTD, lifehacking, psychedelia, indie rock (he is really really picky about music), Modern Art (Bridget Riley etc.), Apple Computers (he's pretty covered when it comes to all Apple gadgets though), amazing food, and quirky toys (kidrobot etc.)

He does not like it when I buy him clothing and he's not a fan of bric a brac that clutters up the house.

I can try and answer some questions as they are asked.

posted by dearest to human relations (29 comments total)

A night school/weekend away course in film making?
posted by biffa at 11:38 AM on November 1, 2007

Does he like chocolate? My husband and I like to give each other fancy chocolates because we're much like your SO: we kind of have everything we need and if we want something we just go ahead and get it.

We've liked John and Kira's, Burdick, and XOX Truffles were AMAZING (so much so that we ate the gift that was supposed to go to my mother for watching the kids, while we were flying home)

If I think of any more I'll come back.
posted by cooker girl at 11:41 AM on November 1, 2007

A vintage Apple ][e computer and a selection of classic games which include a copy of Karateka. That'd be a great present. Even I'd love that. Now I just need to get my wife to read Mefi.

[ ] Filmmaking
[x] Modern Art
[x] Apple Computers
[ ] Amazing Food
[x] Quirky Toys
posted by empyrean at 11:49 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

The gift for someone who "has everything" is something intangible: a service, a trip/outing, event tickets, a subscription, lessons (whether practical or in something crazy), etc., etc.
posted by winston at 11:50 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

If he likes to grill, maybe he'd like a personalized mini branding iron for use on his steaks. I've had one made for my husband and one for my uncle. Both love their branding irons. They are unusual and provide entertainment when the guys are branding the steaks for guests. I ordered from Blanton. The website blows, but the irons and service were great.
posted by onhazier at 11:59 AM on November 1, 2007

- kick ass leatherman
- kick ass watch
- gps
- iPhone
- vintage map of his hometown / your meeting place
- vacation with you to a cooking class
- awesome headset / custom fitting for personal in-ear buds (very nice for audiophile)
- vintage camera and film and developing
posted by barnone at 12:02 PM on November 1, 2007

If he doesn't seem to dig material possessions, I suggest you give him new and novel experiences.

So I second the film school. As for psychedelia: salvia divinorum? It's not illegal yet, right?
posted by laughinglikemad at 12:03 PM on November 1, 2007

Some borderline ridiculous and some cool ideas on Uncrate.
posted by barnone at 12:05 PM on November 1, 2007

Quirky toys + amazing food? I just got my wife an Aerogarden, and she loves it.
posted by Skot at 12:05 PM on November 1, 2007

American honey flight. For your honey.
posted by barnone at 12:07 PM on November 1, 2007

a Wii
posted by BobbyDigital at 12:22 PM on November 1, 2007

Definitely an experience of kind, that you completely project manage, so all he has to do is get dressed and go. I once gave my fussy husband a weekend to go see one of this favorite bands in another town - all he had to do was pack a couple of days of clothes and be ready to go to airport friday afternoon.

I like something of the month clubs, since they're a cheerful delight long after xmas. Bacon, beer, scotch, plants, whatever.

Audiolunchbox.com is a monthly download service that will give him something like 70 songs for under $20 - they're very heavy on indie music.

Scope out etsy and thinkgeek for great quirky toys.
posted by beezy at 12:23 PM on November 1, 2007

Check out STRANGEco for quirky toys. I recommend the Moofia, though I haven't picked them up yet. If the Moofia is too cutesy for him, look around. They have all sorts of oddities that they link to.
posted by cashman at 12:25 PM on November 1, 2007

guitar.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:48 PM on November 1, 2007

Food.
Put together a really great hamper of luxury/exotic/new foods. Once they're eaten - no taking up room in the house.
posted by missmagenta at 12:52 PM on November 1, 2007

I'm getting my fiancee:
-an ice cream maker
-a replica of the Time Bandits Map
-a Bacon Scarf (also a fundraiser for a friend of ours w/ cancer)

I also got him a mimobot USB key which seems to get him all kinds of nerd cred.

One of those may spark your SO's interest.
posted by lannanh at 12:53 PM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

Looks like you're in Oklahoma City. Does he like Italian? What about a cooking class at Trattoria il Centro?

For the indie rock thing, a subscription to eMusic is a pretty good deal for the money.
posted by Atom12 at 1:05 PM on November 1, 2007

Get him a shaving kit with a badger hair brush and stand. If he knows about these he'll be psyched, and if he doesnt after he uses it he'll love it... and then he'll think fondly of you every time he has a nice pleasant shave.

Here's a great one. Good weight and not too expensive.
posted by muscat at 1:22 PM on November 1, 2007

You didn't give us a budget. I think the Bose in ear phones (buds) are a great gift. That'll run you $99
posted by chickaboo at 1:41 PM on November 1, 2007

Whenever I run out of ideas, I always go to Uncommon Goods. They're my non-stop shop for the ridiculously hard to buy for.
posted by Ugh at 1:56 PM on November 1, 2007

Get what I'm getting my husband. Bacon of the month club.
posted by zorrine at 2:31 PM on November 1, 2007

original art
posted by francesca too at 3:17 PM on November 1, 2007

Combining two ideas from above, Vosges makes bacon chocolate bars. I've heard they're... interesting. They also make a number of other exotic flavored chocolate bars.

Does he do any photography? Eye-Fi just came out with a 2GB wireless SD card today. Properly configured it can directly upload photos to the computer and websites like Flickr wirelessly.
posted by junesix at 3:19 PM on November 1, 2007

Psychedelic + indie + art + OKC: track down some old Flaming Lips posters and get them signed, then frame them. Of course that would go over less well if he's not a fan of the Lips, so check that detail first. Of course if he is a fan, you'll get bonus points if you get posters for shows he actually saw.

Other than that I second the shaving brush idea.
posted by fedward at 3:21 PM on November 1, 2007

does he have either of alex grey's books? they are beautiful coffee table books of gorgeous complex psychedelic art.
posted by lgyre at 4:13 PM on November 1, 2007

Does he like any current artists? Maybe you could find a piece of art he loves or ask an artist he admires whether they'd be willing to be commissioned for artwork...

Gigposters of bands he likes perhaps? There's some beautiful art coming out from screenprinters doing indie rock show posters, plus the music connection... they're usually a good size (19x25 i think) and nicely framed that would make a neat impression on a guy I bet.

Does he like to learn? I know you mentioned awesome food-- I know I've seen really neat cooking classes in places like Chicago, maybe there's something nearby you that you both could learn how to cook exotic ingredients together or something.

Homemade's also fun and meaningful-- depends on your skill set though I suppose. Etsy's a great place to find homemade (if not homemade by you though) neat toys and gifts-- maybe a journal/planner?

I guess I would get an interesting container and fill it with a lot of little things as well as something like a cooking class or something. Hope you find something good for him!
posted by actionpact at 4:57 PM on November 1, 2007

Meta
posted by IndigoRain at 5:03 PM on November 1, 2007

GTD? Maybe he'd like something from Levenger. They are coming out with more and more products that have a GTD feel to them, although they're fine for non-GTD'ers too. (One of their guys is active on various productivity forums and takes feedback/provides info. Very cool). I've got some of their stuff that I really like - send me a MeFi mail if you're interested in more details.
posted by altcountryman at 5:37 PM on November 1, 2007

If he's into poster art, you should really check out The Art of Modern Rock, which is a coffee table book with loads of concert posters from all the big artists and plenty of smaller ones. Absolutely stunning.
posted by Atom12 at 6:51 AM on November 2, 2007