I know we are just getting past Thanksgiving, and you, like me, probably spent some time having gratitude for all we have. But now that the turkey has been relegated to soups and you’re stuffed with some pumpkin pie, it is time to start thinking about getting the Christmas Tree set up (a Black Friday tradition in our house) and doing your holiday shopping. Now you couldn’t pay me enough to shop on Black Friday, and going to the actual stores between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a nightmare too. Hence, most of my shopping is done on-line, with Amazon being the primary beneficiary. This will drop on Cyber Monday, so consider these a few ideas as you are wasting time at work.
Here are a few things for yourself or others on your list that I think are either cool, or have personally used and recommend. Most route to Amazon, where I am affiliate. You don’t pay anything more, but I get a small slice of the pie to keep the lights on over here at AMD headquarters. So thanks!
If you don’t feel like shopping, at least check out my 8-year old kid’s list at the bottom, it’s pretty funny.
Underoos
Remember these as a kid? They make them for adults now. If your wife is a little skittish about role playing or dressing up or doesn’t take to your lingerie buying very well, you might try to hit all three by getting her some of these. Don’t forget the socks!
and for the guys, the men’s versions just look juvenile. You’re better off finding some fun boxers or boxer briefs than those briefs they sell with this stuff.
Robe
My wife and I went on a sexcation last December and when we weren’t having sex we were lounging in robes in the hotel room. That Christmas, with the recent fond memories still dancing in our heads, we each bought each other robes. They’ve been a good buy for us. The Amazon one has really good reviews, and we like it, but we also have one from Ikea that is terrycloth and thick that we like as well and is reasonably priced.
Soap
Even men need soap, this is the best soap ever and hardly has any scent (but clean). I love it and even my wife uses it if she needs a break from her foofoo liquid soap.
We used it years ago, sort of forgot about it, and found it again. This Nubian African Black Soap
has oatmeal, Vitamin E and Aloe and is pretty inexpensive.
Alternative Raglan Shirts
I LOVE these shirts and have three now and will be buying more. I love them for casual wear, sleep wear, and working out. Super comfortable and if you have some pecks and arms, look great. Material is a little thin, so be warned. Lots of different color and pattern options.
Quality Yoga Mat
If your wife is like mine and both wears yoga pants and goes to yoga, you likely know a quality mat is important. Even someone who doesn’t know much can tell if she’s using a thin, starter mat (cheap), or a nice, plush, thick mat that works well. When my wife started going more, she insisted on a better mat, and ended up with this $60 mat and loves it! Gaiam Athletic Yoga Series 2gripMAT Xtra-Large Mat, Black, 5mm
Essential Oil Diffuser
I think we’ve bought three of these Oil Diffusers so far for personal use and gifts. They essentially vaporize oils into the air sort of like a humidifier, and makes things smell nice. This is something I am completely neutral on, but my wife and seemingly all her friends love them.
Kid Stuff
Youth Digital’s Mod Design 1 may be a little pricey, but we found the following software a good introduction to coding (Java) for our kids, who are both Minecraft lovers. While there is a fair amount of copy and paste, they area also deciphering code and changing names in the code itself when they start to dig into the tutorials that this program walks through. You will need to buy Minecraft for the computer though (we had a PS3 version. For some reason we had CC issues with Mojang so had to buy a gift card at Gamestop to get it to pay properly, but I digress). Anyways, Birdsnest (10) has gotten the hang of this and even deals directly with tech support when she has issues. Knowing the importance of logic and computers as both a hobby, skillset, and career, we wanted to promote some of these ideas at a young age. I remember doing basic coding when I was in 4th or 5th grade, and while I’m not a programmer, it lead to other coding later on (Pascal and C) and is a good skill in logic, critical thinking, and problem solving.
If your kid wants to be an inventor, like mine (Loudboy has been talking for awhile about his inventions), then you may check out the $50 Makey Makey – An Invention Kit for Everyone
Looking for stocking stuffers? Our kids have loved Harry Potter Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.
For the Marijuana User in Your Life
It is late 2015 and medical marijuana is legal (for medical use) in 19 states, with another three states with legal recreational use. Odds are pretty good that even if you’re a regular married guy like me, you know someone in your life who uses. If so, check out the Pax 2 vaporizer. Vaping is supposedly “better” than smoking as it limits some of the bad stuff getting into your lungs. The Pax 2 is really slick, like if Apple made it, including the packaging which has everything you need. I’ve tried it on a number of occasions (a story for another day) and it is small, simple to use, and it is not intimidating for the novice user. I’ve also seen other vaporizers that look like a Rube Goldberg design and know simpler is better for most. By all accounts, the Pax 2 is simple, small and sleek and a great gift for someone who uses. Pax Labs currently has a Black Friday deal with a free $80 credit deal that ends Monday Nov. 30.
Pax 2 and Charging Dock
Fitbit
I inherited my wife’s Fitbit when she got a new one, not thinking I’d like it. But I wear it and log stuff everyday. I especially like tracking sleep, in this case, the device confirmed my sleeping is atrocious which led me to pursue a sleep study (a future post). Without that, I may have not gotten off the fence on whether to do this and try to improve another area of my life. They have fancier versions with watch and GPS and stuff, which is cool, but I just use the basic model like below:
Give the Gift of an Improved You
If you want to kickstart 2016 in a great way, find ways to improve yourself. Check out my Great Live Vision Coaching services to see what you can accomplish with a little kick in the ass!
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Just for fun, I thought I’d show you all Loudboy’s Christmas List this year. Anyone know where to get a Magic Cloak or where to rent out a Secret Lab? Not sure why he wants a diamond necklace, but I like how he’s aiming high this year, we don’t do enough of that! Happy shopping this holidaze season!
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