Uncle Mark’s 2008 Christmas Gift Guide

Your loving Uncle Mark spends many hours pursuing his passion for gadgets, good food, and great finds! Already this year, I’ve suggested the gifts on this list to co-workers and friends who were looking for “that perfect gift” for someone special. More than one of these people — unable to wait until Christmas to pass the gifts along — have come back to me and said, “Wow! My partner/friend/parent said this was one of the best gifts he/she has ever received!”

So, gentle reader, if you’re on the prowl for great presents … here’s a list of gifts in a variety of price ranges. Who knows? You might find something great for yourself, too!

FREE – $20.00

A Favorite Ornament. Clyde has a good idea this year, so I thought I would share it: he wants friends and family to give him a Christmas ornament — but instead of something purchased at a Hallmark store, he would like an ornament that has a history … an ornament that actually means something to the person who gives it.

A few folks have done this for us already, and, each year, as we decorate the tree, we get a big kick out of recalling the people and stories associated with the gift. So: pick out an ornament, write a short note documenting its story, and box it up for one of your friends or family members! (FREE, and likely already stashed in your closet somewhere.)

Under Armor Men’s Boxerjocks. At twenty bucks a pair, these are some expensive undies, but once you slide into a pair of Under Armour Boxerjocks, every other pair of underwear you own will soon be skooched back to the nether regions of the underwear drawer, never to be seen again.

Note: there are three stride lengths: 3″, 6″, and 9″, so before you order them for someone special, ask yourself, “Short, medium, or tall?” to get the best fit.

I kid you not: if each member of my family bought me nothing else for Christmas but one pair of Under Armour Men’s HeatGear Boxerjocks (black, with six-inch inseam), I would be a very happy Christmas camper. ($20.00, available at most sporting goods stores, or online from underarmour.com [WEBSITE].)

Mighty Bright XtraFlex2 Clip Light. Know someone with an Amazon Kindle? This clip-on booklight makes reading in low-light conditions — in the car, in the bed — a breeze. ($14.00 from Amazon.com [PRODUCT LINK].)

Sandisk MicroMate 8GB SD Card. This tiny card (with its highly portable USB reader) packs a whopping 8 GB into a space smaller than a postage stamp. It’s fast too — so fast, in fact, I can record HD movies of unlimited length on my Lumix camera, because the card gobbles up video as fast as the camera can supply it. ($14.00 from Amazon.com [AMAZON LINK]).

iRingPro Zen Ringtones. Professionally mixed ring tones are audible, but ultra-cool, inducing calm and balance instead of scrambling panic when your iPhone clamors for attention. Save us all from having to hear “Achy Breaky Heart” or those xylophonic notes each time the iPhone rings! ($9.95 from iRingPro [WEBSITE].)

iPhone and iPod Touch Games. You can’t buy iPhone or iPod apps for other people, but you can buy an iTunes gift certificate and pass along a hand-decorated list really cool games games your friends can use for inspiration while shopping. I’m playing a lot of Fuzzle, Wurdle, Frenzic, Word Freak, Word Warp, Bejeweled 2, and Trism these days. (From 99 cents to $9.00, with iTunes gift cards widely available. Don’t buy these from Amazon.com, where charlatans are selling $25.00 gift cards for $28.00 each!)

Atlanta Magazine. One of the most thoughtful gifts my family has ever given was a subscription to Atlanta Magazine. Each month is packed with tips on Atlanta’s best — from restaurants to hospitals. ($12.00/year from Amazon.com, with $5.00 discount if ordered during December ’08. [AMAZON LINK])

$20.00-$50.00

Skeledog T-Shirts. Atlanta artist Jason Palmer is a new friend of mine, and, along with his wife, Hannah and their friend Shawn, they’ve created Skeledog tees — fine t-shirts featuring “the imagined skeletons of iconic dog breeds.” The resulting apparel manages to be both heart-warming and edgy at the same time … and is printed and packed by hand in the Palmer’s back yard! ($25.00, direct from Skeledog.com [WEBSITE]).

Kensington DomeHub USB. I love, love, love my elegant, functional, heavy (keyword – heavy!) Kensington USB hub. In addition to adding seven (!) ports to my laptop, it’s heavy enough to stay in place on my desktop, so it doesn’t slide around or get dragged off by the cables plugged into it. All others pale by comparison — and it comes with a nifty free goose-neck LED lamp, to boot! ($36.94 from Amazon.com [PRODUCT LINK].)

Knife and Fork. One of Atlanta’s best-kept secrets, Knife and Fork is “The Insider’s Guide to Atlanta Restaurants.” A charmingly retro editorial policy makes this gem very difficult to find — because there’s no website and no commercial distribution.

In fact, the only way to get it, pretty much, is to call the publisher, Christine Lauterbach at 404.378-2775 and ask for it outright. Snail mail ’em your subscription check, and soon you’ll start receiving (also by snail mail) the eight-page issues, printed on — I kid you not — three-hole punch paper. ($26/year).

Chocolates from Lexington Chocolatier. People flock to Lexington Chocolatier for the exquisite handmade candy. (Okay, the gay folk also go to gawk at James Chalifoux, Atlanta’s most handsome chocolatier!)

But whether you’re there for the candy or the eye candy, you’ll get lots of bang for your buck at Lexington, where the baskets, wrapped packages, and boxed candies exude a playful, hip, urban charm all their own. (Varied pricing, from LexingtonChocolatier.com [WEBSITE]).

Over $100

Amazon.com Kindle. Thanks to Oprah, you won’t be getting one of these delivered by Christmas … but if someone on your list is an avid reader, there’s no better gift. Being able to carry hundreds of books in the palm of your hand — and being able to summon thousands more in seconds — is life-changing technology. Order it now, give your loved one a print-out of the Amazon.com Kindle page in a 8.5×11 frame, and come February, you’re guaranteed to be someone’s valentine! ($359 from Amazon.com [PRODUCT LINK].)

Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Digital Camera. I’ve done the exhaustive research for you — hands down, this digital camera gives you the most bang (including an amazing 10x zoom, sharp images, intelligent assistance, and a huge, bright LCD display) for your digital camera buck — plus it makes HD movies, too! Just get one. ($225 from Amazon.com [AMAZON LINK].)

Aerogarden. This space-age hydroponic “garden appliance” grows everything from fresh herbs to plum tomatoes … and this space-saving model will fit in virtually any unused kitchen corner. As of today, Clyde and I are about three weeks from drinking mojitos made with home-grown fresh mint! ($110 from Amazon.com [AMAZON LINK].)

Tivo HD Digital Video Recorder. There’s a reason folks like me — who have had a Tivo — won’t use any other DVR. Simply put: if you don’t have a Tivo, you don’t have any idea how convenient and simple finding, recording, and viewing great television can be.

This HD version is the perfect compliment for your new flat-screen, and it’s compatible (through CableCards) with the clunkiest of cable systems, including Comcast. No HD? Buy a Series Two for less than $150. ($248 at Amazon.com [AMAZON LINK])