It's Time: Smart Gifts If You Need a Kick In The Pantalons

I've seen so many great gift suggestions this year, and almost none of them are fit for the folks I buy gifts for. Weird, but true. I have no babies nor hip young people nor just marrieds nor cool city dwellers on my list. There are lots of other demographics missing too, as we just buy for the immediate family these days and we keep that to a minimum. (Except for this year I'm going to Iowa, which will be minimum in no way, shape or forum--you'll hear more on that later.) Anyway, since I'm only buying practical and returnable things--which is the key word in our family--here are some more fun things I'd love to gift instead.
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A present for young and old geek alike, this Star Wars pen set will be the star of the show if you're related to boys. Or Star Wars fans. Or smart people. I've also seen the light chopsabers, for the foodie nerd.

Oh what, you're not into Star Wars? You prefer something more nerdy, eh. Got just the thing. This Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter will do just the trick on that thin crust, but you'll probably never take it out of the box.

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Another gift for young or old, city or savvy, just moving out or firmly established, is fun book ends. I am in love with these, which I suppose are more like book middles, than ends, but who cares--there are giraffes and pig tails.

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Well, as the description says, this next one will certainly keep them guessing.

Yep, get yourself, or an office mate always complaining of cold hands, some handerpants. Because, nothing says I enjoy your company in a fair-to-middling sort of way better than a weird gag gift. Just be extra cautious of skid marks.


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Do you have an office "spouse," or a mate you share eye rolls and snarky texts with each time someone suggests a committee be formed to consider the blah, blah, blah, or goes off about students using the faculty toilet, well then you need the full line of Knock Knock products. The crap stickies and the WTF stamp will step you up nice. Shove whatever those don't cover in a set of these.

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We all have that friend (or three) who think bacon is manna from heaven. They put bacon in all manner of savory items, and they put it in dessert as well. Now they can wash themselves in the sweet suds of bacon and smell of its essence all day the long. If anyone wants to know why they smell like bacon, just slap a couple of these bad boys on 'em and they're good to go.

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For the techno/energy nerds and new home owners among us this solar house number set is an awesome find--way cooler than one of those burnished wood slices with the address dremmeled in by a married couple at a kiosk in the mall.

And even nerd-craftier are the guys at Resource Revival who make these clocks and such made from recycled bike parts. I love repurposing!

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For that person in your life who needs a reminder to take oral hygiene a bit more seriously, this is such a clever idea, though maybe not such as an appreciated gift: quarterly toothbrushes. Genius in its simplicity, each brush is labeled with the three months during which it should be used.

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Speaking of which, I'm sure the bent bristles on that brush in the bathroom mean something...oh well, I best go use them anyway. It's that time again.