What To Get The Person Who Has Everything (Without Breaking The Bank)
Do you know who has been naughty and who has been nice?
'Tis the season to fight for a parking space at your local mall to dealing with unruly people as they battle the aisles to find the perfect gift for those that they love. There are few people who love this part of the holiday season. If you're grappling with what to get that person who has everything, here are some suggestions that may be a little bit off of the beaten path:
Write. Get them a nice notebook (my preference would be a larger hard-covered Moleskine) with some Pilot Precise V5 pens. Let them know that this notebook is meant for inspirations, ideas, thoughts and other starters to help them build a better life. As cool as Evernote is, there's something about writing down one's thoughts in a great notebook with some fine ink.
Read. There are tons of great new books out there for you to buy (just check out Amazon or your local bookseller), so why not get them something that they probably wouldn't buy for themselves? A subscription to some magazines. Fast Company, Wired, The Economist, The New Yorker, The Atlantic or even The Paris Review (if they love to write and read). The idea here is to buy them a subscription (or many) to a magazine that they like, but that they would never subscribe to. Plus, they'll think about you every time a new issue arrives!
Mobile. If they use their smartphone all of the time, consider getting them a Mophie Juice Pack or some other kind of additional power pack. Most people complain about how bad the battery life is on their smartphone, but won't spend the bucks to buy one of these battery rechargers. I've enjoyed my Mophie, and it has been there for me when my battery was fleeting. If they already have an additional power pack, buy them a handful of cases for their smartphone. This way they can change up their look whenever they like. I'm also a big fan of the Belkin docks for iPhones and iPads. These docks are great for keeping by your bed or on your desk. They not only charge your smartphones and tablets but you can replace your traditional clock radio with these.
Computer. Whether their main computer is a laptop or a tablet, get them an extra charger (or two). Most of us bring our devices to work or we travel with them, but we only have one power supply. If you buy them a couple of these, they can leave one at home, one at the office and have an extra one to keep in their briefcase for travel. They'll love you for it. Trust me.
Travel. If your loved one travels, get them the ultimate carry-on bag (I stand by my Eagle Creek Tarmac 22), but if that's too steep of a gift, get them some of Eagle Creek's amazing Packing Folders and Pack-It Specter Sac Set. If you want to do something really loving, enroll them in either Nexus or Global Entry so that they can breeze through the security and custom lines at airports all over North America.
To go. Buy them another backpack for their computer. They can use it on the weekend or to take to the coffee shop instead of having to carry around their day-to-day briefcase (which is usually stuffed with a whole bunch of stuff they don't need for a quick jaunt on the weekend). Check out the incase line of backpacks or Ogio. The trick here is to keep it light, small and compact. It's just for running to the cafe with a laptop/tablet, notebook and not much else. Let them know that this is their weekend pack.
Give. Most people don't really need anything. Make a donation in their name to a cause that matters to them. Sometimes the best gift is the gift of helping those who need it more than most of us do. Not being preachy here, but it's true.
Any other ideas? Feel free to share some of your better/different ideas...
Tags:
amazon
backpack
battery life
battery recharger
belkin
belkin dock
bookstore
briefcase
business book
business travel
carry on bag
charity
computer charger
donation
eagle creek
eagle creek tarmac 22
evernote
fast company
gift
gift giving
global entry
incase
ipad
iphone
laptop
magazine
magazine subscription
moleskine
mophie
mophie juice pack
nexus
notebook
ogio
pack it specter sac set
packing folder
perfect gift
pilot pen
pilot precise v5
power pack
power supply
read
smartphone
tablet
the atlantic
the economist
the new yorker
the paris review
wired
write








Six Pixels of Separation
- Mitch Joel's profile
- 80 followers
