GeekGiftGuide: Last Minute Gift Guide
It’s a few days before Christmas; the malls are mobbed from open to close, and you really need to find a stellar gift or two for some geeks in your life.
Who you gonna call?!? I’m pretty sure the Ghostbusters won’t be able to help on this one…
Never fear! GeekGirlCon’s Last Minute Geek Gift Guide is here!
Kinda Last Minute
There’s always Amazon, but if I can, I like to think a little smaller. CafePress, ThinkGeek, Etsy, and HalfPrice Books have a wide variety of products guaranteed to appeal to the geek in your life: t-shirts, toys (both pop culture and scientific in nature), coffee mugs, movies, books, bumper stickers — and the list goes on!
Local comic and games shops may offer gift cards or gift certificates if you’re overwhelmed by the amount of geek one place. Find out what genre your geek loves the best, then ask an employee to point you in the right direction. It saves time, and gives your shopping experience a personal touch–as well as giving that employee the opportunity to show off their own geek cred.
Here are some sites of local comic, games, and geek-inspired shops:
Greenwood Space Travel Supply (Seattle)
Golden Age Collectables (Pike Place Market)
Comic Stop (locations in Lynnwood, Everett, Redmond, and the U District)
Mostly Last Minute
It’s definitely time to go local, people. If you’ve got a steampunker or a scientist in your midst, shops like UW Surplus, Second Use, and Hardwick’s are goldmines. New and used machine parts, tools, building materials, furniture, and stuff you never thought about using might be just what your geek is looking for.
There’s also a search option on Etsy for “shop local”. Find something you think your geek will like, and contact the artist. If that handmade awesomeness is available, it’s as easy as meeting the artist at a local coffee shop to exchange your money for the nifty gift.
TOTALLY Last Minute
Tickets to local events can be found on Brown Paper Tickets, a fair-trade ticket company; you can print them and hide them in a festive box for your geek to open. Brown Paper Tickets sells tickets to concerts, movies, author readings, and conventions. For instance, you can gift your geek with passes to GeekGirlCon ‘13! (shameless plug, I know…)
You can order tickets to other awesome Seattle geek events like Emerald City ComicCon and Sakura Con from other sites, as well.
I don’t know about you, but I love to poke around in museums and educational attractions. Don’t tell the kids about the educational part, though, or you might have a fight on your hands! Some suggestions for local places and events:
Pacific Science Center: The big one going on now through January 6, 2013 is the King Tut Exhibit. There are also rotating movies at the IMAX Theater, as well as camps and scientific exploration stuff for the kids.
Woodland Park Zoo: Memberships, which help support both the zoo and animals in the wild all over the world, start at just $42 for adults for an entire year.
Seattle Aquarium: Learn to make fish faces of all kinds at the Seattle Aquarium! Special exhibits and fun, on-going classes for kids make this a fantastic gift.
Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI): The grand opening celebration of the new MOHAI building at 860 Terry Ave N in Seattle promises to be a day to remember in the history of Seattle!
NO TIME WHATSOEVER
As an absolute last minute option, there is probably a gift card rack at your local supermarket or convenience store. Those racks have gotten bigger over the years, and sometimes that card is the gift your geek will value most. They get to pick what they want at their leisure, online or in a store, and you don’t have to worry about having your gift exchanged or returned. Some racks contain gift cards for iTunes, a favorite restaurant, or online gaming sites. Even a gift card to that Seattle coffee chain looks pretty in its little envelope, and geeks love their caffeine.
My favorite gift, for anyone looking, is a Barnes and Noble gift card. Any denomination welcome. *wink*
Happy holidays, and happy shopping!
–
Sarah “SG-1” Grant
GeekGirlCon Copywriter
sarahg@geekgirlcon.com