Gift Ideas

Gifts for Guitarists

20th November, 2025

Remember: your beloved guitarist is an enthusiast. This means your gift recipient has strong brand preferences and can discern details you can’t. Thus: ask them what they want! And they might not want anything! Making music is not a hobby that requires constant purchases.

Some things are almost always bad gifts:

1. A new instrument. You should definitely discuss this first. They probably like their current guitar, and a cheap guitar is generally crap. Even if their current guitar’s crap they probably have an emotional bond with it.

A Gluggle Jug

20th November, 2025

This is not a gift for everybody. As a jug, it’s impractical: it doesn’t hold a lot of liquid, and is tricky to clean. As a vase, it’s usable but not great. Not many people need a jug in their lives. And some people would look at this jug and think it’s hideous.

But listen: the jug gluggles. It makes a glugging sound as you pour water in and out. It’s delightful and unexpected.

A towel

23rd November, 2023

Beware: This is advanced gift-giving. Everybody owns a towel already, and nobody is excited to unwrap a towel on Christmas Day.

But an unusual day got me thinking. The day had two showers, with two towels. The first was with an Ikea towel, and it was fine. Utilitarian. The second, though, was fluffy and soft: fluffy and soft enough for me to notice the contrast.

That fluffy and soft towel was a gift for my first Christmas in Canada, received from a wing of my partner’s family. We’d just moved in together. I didn’t realise it at the time, but in retrospect this was talented gifting. They barely knew me and they didn’t know much about our life. But they could give cosiness, and warmth, and a little luxury.

A PS4 Controller

12th March, 2023

This gift suggestion is for the casual gamer, not a console owner. Someone who likes to play a game occasionally on their laptop, phone, or iPad.

You can use a PS4 controller with a PlayStation, of course, but it’s also a bog standard Bluetooth device. They’re robustly built and have decent battery life. They charge via micro USB, so you probably have a suitable cable already. They’re officially supported in the Apple ecosystem - so you can game on your Mac, iPad, iPhone, or Apple TV. They’re often on sale. They have all the buttons necessary for emulated SNES/Megadrive games. They work great with Steam, and Steam Link is surprisingly viable. They don’t take up a lot of space. All of these aspects make them a good gift.

Chopstick Rests

17th January, 2022

Many things in life fall on a continuum, and crockery is no exception. Consider the axis of “required” to “unnecessary”. Do you need plates? Yes, absolutely, you need to own plates. If you eat off paper plates every day you’re a monster or a student. Do you need to own champagne flutes? Hmm; not necessarily, but they’re nice. If an occasion calls for champagne, the correct glassware would not go amiss. Do you need to own fish forks? No, absolutely not, a regular fork or cake fork will be fine.

Incense

3rd January, 2022

Incense is a perfect token gift: inexpensive, consumable, and it smells nice. What’s not to like?

Well, “smells nice” is subjective. It’s definitely bad for your air quality and potentially your brain. But so’s alcohol, so: live a little.

Incense is a good housewarming gift. It’s a way to make a space feel like your own without altering the space itself. Perfect for renters.

Hanabi

30th December, 2021

Hanabi is one of my favourite card games. It’s got a lot of good points:

• It’s a cooperative game - all the humans versus the game itself - which removes the stress of player-versus-player competitiveness.
• The game owner will not dominate the other players, both because it’s co-operative and involves some chance.
• There’s little setup required and the rules are easy to understand.
• The game feels different depending on the size of the group playing.
• There are suggested game variations, so it has longevity.

Writing about games is a bit like writing about sex - I can describe the mechanics, but you won’t understand why it’s fun until you participate. With that said: in Hanabi you see everyone’s cards but your own, and must work as a group to arrange them in order by colour. Each turn you can give people a little information about their cards, but there are limitations; not everyone will have enough information to always play 100% safe. You’ll have to make some educated guesses about what to play.

Cat Wine

13th December, 2021

Reisling in a cat-shaped bottle. It’s wrapped in plastic, but the bottle is glass underneath. And the reviews say it’s surprisingly drinkable, though make no mistake: this wine trades on its container, not its quality. It’s also not vegan friendly.

You can find better wines for $13, but its an unusual gift at a reasonable price. Available from the LCBO.

Brutal London

13th December, 2021

I wouldn’t describe myself as a fan of brutalist architecture, but I’ve always appreciated its intent. It’s straightforward and functional. It wanted low-cost housing to be available to everyone. And when a building focuses entirely on functionality, the emotional warmth comes entirely from the family and the community.

The utopian shine hasn’t stuck to the buildings, but the style still has some fans. Maybe your gift recipient is one of them? Brutal London is a history and case study of nine brutalist projects in London, as well as press-out-and-build paper models. It’s published by Zupagrafika, who also make editions for other locations. They also sell some cool notebooks.

A Jigsaw Jigsaw

7th December, 2021

I’m not convinced that jigsaws are good gifts. A jigsaw seems like something that’s better when borrowed, rather than owned. I can’t imagine they have a lot of repeat value.

And this won’t click with everyone: a jigsaw fan friend of mine says she hates ones with repetitive patterns, gradients, or solid colours. She uses jigsaws as a way to spend time immersed in artwork, studying the details rather than just looking at the whole. “You’d have to pay me to do this one,” she said.

A Travel Mug

25th November, 2021

A travel mug is a very practical gift, as long as the recipient doesn’t own one already. Sure, you reduce waste when grabbing a takeaway coffee (and save 10-25¢ each time), but that’s an entry-level move. The real power: take a hot drink with you at other times. Going on an autumn walk or hike? Attending a parade, a fireworks display, or wandering around the shops? Going ice skating? If you’re outside for a couple of hours in chilly weather, a hot drink is a godsend. There’s two reasons those naff middle-aged outdoorsy people are relentlessly cheerful in the cold weather: they’re wearing more layers than you, and they have a nice cup of tea with them.

A Buff

18th November, 2021

This is a boring, unexciting gift. There is no universe where a buff produces an ooh. I love my buff, and even I wouldn’t be excited to receive it.

But I love my buff. It’s small and light, so lives in my bag permanently. It’s surprisingly warm when worn as a neckscarf: ideal to slip on when the temperature drops after sunset, whether you’re sitting on a bar patio or around the campfire. In winter it’s a second layer under a thick scarf, and pulls up to cover your face. I also wear mine a lot while cycling, covering the top of my head & ears under my helmet. It keeps the wind off, which makes a big difference in comfort. It’s easy to clean & dries quickly. Mine’s about 10 years old and still going strong. In summary: you’re giving a reliable, easy, warm friend.

Gifts for Photographers

16th November, 2021

Photography is an eye-wateringly expensive hobby, so you’re unlikely to buy your photographer a new camera or lens. Fortunately, there are a handful of affordable options.

Photographers can be an opinionated group; brand preferences are often closer to a tribal identity. I’ll share my suggestions, but double-check their relevance before you buy. Duplicate items aren’t useful to photographers, so also make sure they don’t own a similar thing already.

A Cuddly Mushroom

14th November, 2021

Cuddly toys are often poor gifts. Children have loads already; the line between “cute” and “horrifying” can be surprisingly blurry; there’s no way to tell whether a given cuddly toy will sing to their hearts. For adults, they take up space, and generally don’t double as cushions or pillows. They’re just large cute lumps.

Still, for the right recipient, this sleepy little mushroom is adorable. $49 from Urban Outfitters.

S

10th November, 2021

I’ve never read S, but I’ve always thought the concept was fun. It’s a story within a story: there’s the book itself, but it also includes letters, inserts, margin notes, and others which tell a larger story about two readers of the book and the mysteries around the author. It was written by Doug Dorst, but originally pitched by JJ Abrams - so it has a solid storytelling pedigree. This New York Times interview gives a good taste of it, along with a couple of photos. It’s well-received on Goodreads.

Vintage Adult Magazines

8th November, 2021

This definitely isn’t a universal gift and is tough to find, but a vintage Playboy magazine is an excellent gift for the right person. For a start, there’s no way they own it already.

But mostly it’s a time capsule: the topics, the photography, the design, the adverts. The adverts! Reel-to-reel tape players, cigarettes, clock radios. And the quality of the writing might surprise you - the canard “I buy it for the articles” is rooted in truth. Just look at the list of contributors: Truman Capote, Philip K Dick, Dick Gregory, and Henry Miller. When you think “Playboy”, you probably don’t think “First person accounts of life in Iran”… but here we are.

A Yard of Popcorn

31st October, 2021

Popcorn’s easy to make on the stove. Get some oil as hot as possible¹. Add enough kernels to cover the bottom of the pan, then put the lid on. Now keep the pan moving - shake it in circles². It’ll start popping in a few minutes; when it stops popping, remove from the heat. Done! Great as-is, with a dusting of salt, or a dusting of icing sugar.

A UV Torch

30th October, 2021

If you’ve never played the “What’s UV-reactive in your wallet?” game, you’re missing out. Banknotes are a good place to start, sure - but ID cards, credit cards, and other things often light up too. Canadian passports are a full-on light show. Walk around the house in the dark, and discover what fluoresces. All for less than $5 including shipping (but not batteries).

Throw in a UV marker too. A permanent marker is good for adults, but there are cheaper versions for kids out there. (DealExtreme will sell you a 7-pack for $11; Amazon sells them for a little more.) For adults, this is now a security-conscious gift: you can postcode your expensive items. For kids, it’s a spy kit: invisible notes. Give the kid a magazine as well, and you’ve got a fun afternoon of “Guess how I defaced this celebrity”.

Chocolate

29th October, 2021

Chocolate is a great gift, for several reasons:

1. Everybody likes chocolate.
2. It’s an affordable luxury.
3. It’s easy to find a story.

You must spend more than you usually would. Most people would never spend £20 on a 150g bar of chocolate for themselves; that’s needlessly extravagant. Receiving a £20 bar is a treat: you can savour a few squares over several nights.

You could also pick up 2 kilos of chocolate for £20 in the supermarket. It wouldn’t be bad chocolate! But now your gift is a burden. It could take months to get through; the recipient’s palate will be bored by bar four. And it’s unremarkable: they could have bought it themselves. So focus on the luxury end: quality over quantity.

Peaches the Mouse

24th October, 2021

Peaches the mouse is a sewing pattern created by my-darling-boy. It’s an easy craft project: print out the booklet, visit a fabric store for the material, Michael’s for a bag of stuffing (remember: never go in without a voucher), and the dollar store for a bag of buttons and needle & thread.

It’s fun to make a mouse with your partner! Put on a good album, sit around the table, and make a cuddly toy each.