Gift ideas for a nature-loving homebody with no hobbies?
May 24, 2019 10:58 PM Subscribe
What do I get for a person who loves nature, but seldom leaves his house? He already has a ton of books, and he has no significant hobbies.
"T" is my online friend who means a lot to me. It is his birthday and I'd like to give him a gift. But I don't know what to get.
T has a master's degree in forestry science, and works from home writing reports about environmental topics, which he finds rather exhausting. He has some interest in Buddhism, but no real hobbies to speak of aside from a casual interest in photography. He already has a nice camera. He has a lot of books that he doesn't get around to reading. He does like to take walks in nature, but he's not athletic enough for hiking or most other outdoor physical activities. He has a tiny garden, but already has enough gardening stuff for it.
When he was younger, he wrote poetry, but he doesn't any more. He has traveled to many countries in the past and had many adventures, but now hardly leaves home. He is now middle-aged and has struggled with mental health and addiction, and it has damaged his brain, so he has some problems with concentration and memory.
He is also very sweet and kind, and I would like to make him happy. I don't have a lot of money to spend.
Any and all ideas appreciated!
"T" is my online friend who means a lot to me. It is his birthday and I'd like to give him a gift. But I don't know what to get.
T has a master's degree in forestry science, and works from home writing reports about environmental topics, which he finds rather exhausting. He has some interest in Buddhism, but no real hobbies to speak of aside from a casual interest in photography. He already has a nice camera. He has a lot of books that he doesn't get around to reading. He does like to take walks in nature, but he's not athletic enough for hiking or most other outdoor physical activities. He has a tiny garden, but already has enough gardening stuff for it.
When he was younger, he wrote poetry, but he doesn't any more. He has traveled to many countries in the past and had many adventures, but now hardly leaves home. He is now middle-aged and has struggled with mental health and addiction, and it has damaged his brain, so he has some problems with concentration and memory.
He is also very sweet and kind, and I would like to make him happy. I don't have a lot of money to spend.
Any and all ideas appreciated!
I'd send something delicious that he'd likely not be inclined to make or buy just for himself.
posted by OnefortheLast at 11:13 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by OnefortheLast at 11:13 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
A really nice photography book. The Oxbow Archive by Joel Sternfeld is great. Robert Adams has tons of good books.
Upgrade his photography? A new lense? Software? Or lessons on how to use good free software like GIMP? If he has a photo you like, perhaps you could buy a print? I don't know how much money you have to spend but sometimes you can get really great deals on digital cameras on Amazon or Craig's List, eBay, etc.
Another thought is a meditation stool. There are a number of good meditation apps you could purchase.
Look up places in his area and get him something for himself he won't. A massage? A nice dinner? Tickets to a local show? If he's home a lot or watches movies maybe a subscription to an online movie streaming service like Criterion?
posted by xammerboy at 11:17 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Upgrade his photography? A new lense? Software? Or lessons on how to use good free software like GIMP? If he has a photo you like, perhaps you could buy a print? I don't know how much money you have to spend but sometimes you can get really great deals on digital cameras on Amazon or Craig's List, eBay, etc.
Another thought is a meditation stool. There are a number of good meditation apps you could purchase.
Look up places in his area and get him something for himself he won't. A massage? A nice dinner? Tickets to a local show? If he's home a lot or watches movies maybe a subscription to an online movie streaming service like Criterion?
posted by xammerboy at 11:17 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Seriously people who have a lot of books they have not got around to reading very often like to have even more books. That's why they have such a big To Read pile in the first place. I know this from personal experience and observation.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:35 PM on May 24, 2019 [18 favorites]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:35 PM on May 24, 2019 [18 favorites]
I would send T a handwritten card telling him how much your value his friendship and appreciate them for who they are. To me, there is no greater gift than being told you have value as a person and a friend. Maybe have an indoor plant delivered too so that they think of the card every time they see it.
posted by AugustWest at 11:37 PM on May 24, 2019 [13 favorites]
posted by AugustWest at 11:37 PM on May 24, 2019 [13 favorites]
A mossarium? A bird feeder? There are a lot of ways to love nature - what aspect of nature does he care about? Can you get him something from a place that has meaning? Money is an issue, but maybe a national park poster? (vintage examples, 59parks)
posted by Going To Maine at 11:38 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:38 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
O, and food is always delicious.
posted by Going To Maine at 11:39 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:39 PM on May 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I love Sheldrick Wildlife, which is super good at helping orphaned elephants and has some other savannah-related projects. Elephants are of course one of the more poetic animals around, not to mention avatars of memory, and a classic Buddhist symbol.
posted by rhizome at 11:42 PM on May 24, 2019
posted by rhizome at 11:42 PM on May 24, 2019
Juuuust considering... is there a chance that he is way at capacity on "stuff" and might prefer/enjoy something like a motor tour of a nature spot, or some other way he can use his camera on the stuff he loves? Or another service-type gift?
posted by amtho at 11:52 PM on May 24, 2019
posted by amtho at 11:52 PM on May 24, 2019
An alpenstock/walking stick so he can go OUT and walk in nature?
posted by Cranberry at 12:47 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by Cranberry at 12:47 AM on May 25, 2019
Binoculars and a local bird identification book.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 12:51 AM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 12:51 AM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
The nice thing about internet friends is that often they live in totally different places from you. I try to let this guide me when I am figuring out gifts for my online buddies - what is it about where I am physically located that makes it special or different from where my friend is?
Since I'm in Seattle I often send internet friends city-specific food treats because we have a lot of awesome food here - fancy smoked salmon, organic chocolate factories, unique produce in dried and pickled forms, seasonal honeys... But I also look for handmade art from local artists who my online friends wouldn't ever come across, or books about more obscure local history. There's music here, a band scene that friends won't have come across even in this age of social media, so I've been known to send CDs bought on the street from performers. There's a lot of nature, too, that can't be found anywhere else, so sometimes I've sent things like postcards with pictures of national parks or PNW-unique wildlife, botanical prints of native flora, even a pretty rock from the beach that I carefully painted with a label of location and date.
I'm sure that if you spend some time thinking about where you live in comparison to where he lives, there will be something that you alone can give him. Try to make it something that lets him know it's about the connection between the two of you, that you want a little bit of yourself to be with him in his space. I identify a lot with your description of him. The gifts I've valued most are things that illustrate that idea, that just because I'm in my house now doesn't mean I'm not also part of the world.
posted by Mizu at 12:58 AM on May 25, 2019 [8 favorites]
Since I'm in Seattle I often send internet friends city-specific food treats because we have a lot of awesome food here - fancy smoked salmon, organic chocolate factories, unique produce in dried and pickled forms, seasonal honeys... But I also look for handmade art from local artists who my online friends wouldn't ever come across, or books about more obscure local history. There's music here, a band scene that friends won't have come across even in this age of social media, so I've been known to send CDs bought on the street from performers. There's a lot of nature, too, that can't be found anywhere else, so sometimes I've sent things like postcards with pictures of national parks or PNW-unique wildlife, botanical prints of native flora, even a pretty rock from the beach that I carefully painted with a label of location and date.
I'm sure that if you spend some time thinking about where you live in comparison to where he lives, there will be something that you alone can give him. Try to make it something that lets him know it's about the connection between the two of you, that you want a little bit of yourself to be with him in his space. I identify a lot with your description of him. The gifts I've valued most are things that illustrate that idea, that just because I'm in my house now doesn't mean I'm not also part of the world.
posted by Mizu at 12:58 AM on May 25, 2019 [8 favorites]
A birdfeeder to go by the window, plus the seed stuff for filling it
posted by Morpeth at 2:01 AM on May 25, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Morpeth at 2:01 AM on May 25, 2019 [4 favorites]
Nature (or other interest) themed cozy couch blanket. Just think of the soft TV watching snuggly warmth.
posted by Crystalinne at 3:34 AM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Crystalinne at 3:34 AM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
we (somewhat accidentally) purchased this window bird feeder on Amazon this winter and loved it so much we've given it as a gift twice since.
posted by noloveforned at 4:59 AM on May 25, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by noloveforned at 4:59 AM on May 25, 2019 [4 favorites]
I absolutely love BBC quality nature documentaries on blu ray and dvd.
posted by smoke at 6:31 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by smoke at 6:31 AM on May 25, 2019
Plant or tree for the house, like a bonsai. As a homebody nature lover myself, my home is full of plants. We have a bonsai that was gifted via delivery and is still thriving many years later. Might be higher than you want to spend though.
posted by slipthought at 7:08 AM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by slipthought at 7:08 AM on May 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
I was going to say either binoculars or if you want to go for the Buddhist angle, a bell, such as thus. They are used to mark time at the beginning and end of meditation and just make a real pleasing, calming sound.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:53 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:53 AM on May 25, 2019
Can you schedule a birthday dinner with him? Have dinner delivered to his house and you can FaceTime/Skype o er dinner.
posted by defreckled at 9:02 AM on May 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by defreckled at 9:02 AM on May 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Tree porn! "Meetings with Remarkable Trees" by Thomas Pakenham is an absolutely gorgeous book of giant photographs of ancient, huge, and otherwise remarkable trees (mostly in the British Isles). My sister gave me a copy and I love it.
posted by heatherlogan at 9:24 AM on May 25, 2019
posted by heatherlogan at 9:24 AM on May 25, 2019
The Overstory by Richard Powers is supposed to be good and was sold out for awhile (specifically during the winter gift season) so he might not have gotten it yet.
He has a tiny garden, but already has enough gardening stuff for it.
Speaking as a gardener: Are you sure? Is this even possible?? :)
Since you talk about him not going outside much, you might look into indoor plants in a nice pot. There are some that are really beautiful.
The trick with plants is that half the joy is picking them, and people really have affinities to different kinds, so you'd want to find out what he likes.
posted by salvia at 4:44 PM on May 25, 2019
He has a tiny garden, but already has enough gardening stuff for it.
Speaking as a gardener: Are you sure? Is this even possible?? :)
Since you talk about him not going outside much, you might look into indoor plants in a nice pot. There are some that are really beautiful.
The trick with plants is that half the joy is picking them, and people really have affinities to different kinds, so you'd want to find out what he likes.
posted by salvia at 4:44 PM on May 25, 2019
Lots of great ideas! I like the idea of there being something you-specific (even if you get him other things). Like the nature around you is probably different; can you go out somewhere and tak pictures of your nature, if only on your phone? Make him a YT or Spotify playlist of things he'd like / things that remind you of him?
I don't know exactly what your budget is. My gift budget is often nonexistent to the point that it takes a while to be able to mail the things I have, so electronic stuff can come in handy that way.
One other suggestion I'll throw out for something tangible is some art supplies. If he had a little watercolor set and watercolor journal, it'd give him a little break from the nature stuff, but he could still paint what he sees in nature. Since you said it exhausts him to write about nature topics, maybe he'd enjoy the soothing mindfulness of watercolor. Or other mediums; I'm just partial to watercolors and they're extra portable if you use the crayons or pencils and a water brush.
posted by mermaidcafe at 9:14 PM on May 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
I don't know exactly what your budget is. My gift budget is often nonexistent to the point that it takes a while to be able to mail the things I have, so electronic stuff can come in handy that way.
One other suggestion I'll throw out for something tangible is some art supplies. If he had a little watercolor set and watercolor journal, it'd give him a little break from the nature stuff, but he could still paint what he sees in nature. Since you said it exhausts him to write about nature topics, maybe he'd enjoy the soothing mindfulness of watercolor. Or other mediums; I'm just partial to watercolors and they're extra portable if you use the crayons or pencils and a water brush.
posted by mermaidcafe at 9:14 PM on May 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
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posted by yhlee at 11:04 PM on May 24, 2019 [2 favorites]