Are you a bit bummed because it doesn’t feel quite like the holiday season has even started, yet alone almost over? I bet I can pinpoint the cause: lack of snow. Now, unless you live in the tundra (aka Minnesota), you probably haven’t seen that much snowfall this year. For some people that’s a blessing – no driveways to shovel, treacherous roads to travel, or ice patches to slip on. For the rest of us, it’s kinda a downer. I mean, Christmas without any snow? That’s unheard of!
The Light Flurries Instant Snowflakes Machine (Things You Never Knew Existed, $79.98) is guaranteed to make your Christmas a White Christmas. Alright, so it won’t actually make it snow, but it will create the illusion of snow, and that’s all that really matters. Using a patented rotating ball light system, the device mimics the look of thousands of snowflakes. You can control the speed and intensity of the snowflakes, so you can decide if you want a light sprinkle of snowflakes or a flurry frenzy. You can create snowflakes both indoors and outdoors, but seriously, who ever heard of it snowing indoors? That would just be weird (even weirder than snowflake light projections).
Gift givability factor: High. A lot us haven’t even seen a snowfall yet this year (yes, I’m even talking about northerners), so the odds are pretty good that you won’t be having a “White Christmas.” With this handy device, anyone can create a faux winter wonderland without the hassle of actual snow. I’m sure folks in Minnesota would trade their mountains of snow for this guy any day of the week.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 10″ x 11″ x 7″
-Patented light system mimics snowfall
-Rotating ball with random light patterns
-Projects realistic size snowflakes
-Select speed to control intensity
-Indoor or outdoor use
-Easy setup and storage
-AC powered
How many times have you been out and about when suddenly a kegger appeared before your eyes? Ok, so this isn’t a common scenario, but have you ever really needed a cup and didn’t have one? That’s something I think we can all attest to. Seriously, who’s going to carry around a cup just in case you might need it? Even the smallest of cups is surely too big to fit in your pocket – I’ll bet that ladies wouldn’t have room to carry a cup in their purses either.
Ah, but what if the cup had the ability to transform into a small disc, a la the Port-A-Pint Collapsible Beer Glass (Perpetual Kid, $7.99)? Then you could carry it with you everywhere and never have to miss out on free drinks poured from the heavens. Or, more likely, when you’re at a house party and the host runs out of cups.
Gift givability factor: Medium. Apparently, not everyone needs to carry around a beer glass. While it’s not necessary to use this product exclusively for alcoholic beverages, what are the odds that someone will use it for anything else? Pretty slim.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Magically extending portable cup
-Comes in its own storage case
-For adult use
-Made of plastic
There are just some people on your gift list that are never going to be easy to shop for, no matter who they are. A lot of times, these people aren’t of the “they have everything” variety, but simply finicky gift recipients. The best way to deal with this type of person is find a typically banal gift and turn it into something personal. It’s actually pretty straightforward.
Think about how many people have photo albums – basically everyone you know, right? The reason people love photo albums so much is because they’re a way to visually recall memories. What if you added another memory layer to the mix, such as audio? The Talking Photo Album (Vat19, $29.95) does just that by allowing you to record 10 seconds of audio for each of the 24 photos in the album. With a playback button on every page, you can personalize the moment captured in your own voice. Because the album is meant for long-term use, the audio is eternally rerecordable. If your batteries happen to die, not a big deal – the audio recordings are saved with flash memory so they won’t be erased until you decide.
Gift givability factor: Mega high. This gift is great for pretty much anyone because you can personalize it with photos and audio, which can later be changed by the recipient. It’s an incredibly easy way to look like you put a lot of thought into a gift that takes hardly any time to put together. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Record 10 seconds of audio for every photo in the album
-Holds 24 4×6 photos
-Built in microphone
-Playback button on each page
-Rerecord as many times as you like
-Flash memory saves messages if batteries expire
-Used 2 AAA batteries (included)
If you’ve ever had a really rough day at work, you’ve probably found yourself wondering if it was time for Happy Hour yet. The only good thing about a bad day at work is the awesome time at Happy Hour that immediately follows. Some days, it seems like Happy Hour just can’t get here soon enough.
If you’re going to be checking your watch every five minutes anyways, you might as well be looking at the Happy Hour Watch with Bottle Opener (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $69.95). A fully functional analog watch, the surprisingly awesome thing about this gadget is the bottle opener built into the band. That’s right, I said it’s built right in, as in instrumental to the watch’s design. When it’s not holding the adjustable black band in place, this bottle opener is helping you open a few brews from the comfort of your own wrist. The issue of not being able to find a bottle opener is not likely to present itself at your next party. Neither is being too lazy to get up off the couch but also wanting some hoptastic liquid refreshment. This watch solves it all.
Gift givability factor: High. In fact, I’m expecting to receive one for Christmas this year. If I don’t, I think I might swear off beer in protest. Please don’t make me do that.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Stylized watch with built in bottle opener
-Adjustable band
-Opens variety of bottles
-Japanese quartz movement AL55b and Chinese LCD movement
-Watch band made of wide black leather
Is there anything in this world that’s better than pizza? I don’t think so and I’m pretty sure everyone out there agrees with me when I say that I could eat pizza every day. If you’re reading this and disagreeing (totally hypothetical, of course because no one would disagree with that), just think about all the different types of pizza there are to be had. The possibilities are endless!
One thing’s for certain, no matter what type of pizza you’re consuming, you’re going to need a quality pizza cutter. You could get a standard sized cutter, but why would you do that when there are so many different options out there? Some of the more gimmicky cutters are all talk, while the Pizza Pi Cutter (ThinkGeek, $17.99) has what it takes to get the job done. Let’s face facts: the best part about this cutter is the pun, plain and simple. Do you really need a pizza cutter shaped like a Pi symbol? No. Do you want one? Yes. Here’s how you rationalize it though – it’s two pizza cutters in one. Twice the blades means twice the cutting power so you won’t have double back to make sure your slices are in fact sliced. And that’s what you say when someone laughs at your pizza cutter choice. Then you kick them out of your house and don’t let them have any pizza. Seriously, what yahoo doesn’t appreciate a good pun?
Gift givabilty factor: Medium. There are some humorless folks out there who won’t appreciate the genius of this pizza cutter’s design. I’m not friends with those folks.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4.5″ x 4.75″
-Two stainless steel blade
-Available in black, red, or lime
-Hand wash only
