How to win at Christmas – Handmade holiday gifts

I don’t celebrate Christmas. This means I don’t really feel the stress of the holiday shopping season (and judging by the looks on other people’s faces, it’s really stressful). That being said, I still do like giving gifts. I don’t reserve my gift-giving just to Christmas. If I see something I know a friend will like, I have a tendency to buy it and send it along, regardless of season or occasion. But since the rest of you are probably making lists (and checking them the requisite number of times), I thought I’d write up a few gift-giving guides.

Maybe “guide” is a bit of a strong word. More like, a few curated lists of awesome stuff.

This first collection comes from the hallowed handmade halls of Etsy. If you don’t know how to properly navigate it, Etsy can be a nightmare tidal wave of WTF. But if you have a little bit of search know-how, there are some awesome treasures to be found.

This shop has been knocking it out of the park for years. I love her mugs (and mugs and mugs), but I especially love this plate. I would eat the heck out of cheese off this plate. It combines the power of pun with the majesty of Lionel Ritchie’s hair, with the added bonus of it being a serving platter for delicious dairy products.

If you have a friend who loves both pop culture and slick typography, this shop makes art to hang on the walls of a grownup who is still in touch with his inner child. There’s a lot of Harry Potter images, including some really cool propaganda-style posters and vintage-looking ads. Obviously, this honey badger print is my favorite, because they are badass little weirdos. (Although, my spirit animal is the mantis shrimp.)

For a stocking stuffer, I love the stylized cartoon magnets made by this wacky illustrator. He has some classic video game characters done in a modern style, plenty of blockbuster movie characters (both past and present), and a lot of galactic goodies. If you’re not a fan of The Mighty Boosh, the magnet featured above might seem to be in the WTF category. If you are a fan, then we are friends and you understand why it’s awesome.

Last on this list, you’ll need a card to go with your perfectly chosen present. The first item I ever bought on Etsy was a magnet of this print, and it’s still one of my favorite possessions. He now offers a few cards through the same shop, as well as a wide variety of cards through his second shop.

For my next post, I’ll be putting together a collection of the finest geek gifts for that special nerd in your life. If you have any requests for items or categories you’d like help finding, let me know in the comments!