Gimundo Gift Guide: A Few of Our Favorite Picks

Do you have all your holiday shopping done? If not, here are a few of our favorite picks for everyone on your list.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on December 14 2007

Whether you’re celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwaanza, or Festivus, if you don’t have all your holiday shopping done by now, you’re cutting it pretty close.

No worries, though – shopping online makes it easy for you to find the perfect gifts for all your family, friends, and even the creepy co-worker you picked for office Secret Santa, even if you have just a few days left before the big event. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite presents that we guarantee won’t be accidentally re-gifted back to you next year.

We all have things we keep to ourselves. But what if, instead of keeping your dirty little secret concealed under lock-and-key inside your diary, you created an original postcard and shared it with the world? Well, that’s exactly what the amazing website PostSecret is about – for three years, anonymous confessors from around the world have been sending their secrets with Frank Warren, and he’s been sharing them on his site and in a series of PostSecret books. The newest one, A Lifetime of Secrets, reveals some of the juiciest yet. From sad to inspiring to just plain silly, this book will be a treasure trove for anyone with a secret or two of her own.

Does someone you know (most likely of the teenage persuasion) have trouble waking up when his alarm clock tells him it’s time to get out of bed? If you’re sick of driving your kid to school after he’s missed the bus for the hundredth time, we’ve got the perfect present for him: Clocky, the runaway alarm clock. Clocky starts beeping, just like a regular alarm clock – but when you press snooze, it hops into action, jumping off the nightstand to find a hiding place somewhere in the room. It’ll give you those few precious extra few minutes of sleep, but when the alarm starts up again, you’ll have to find Clocky to shut him up. Even the deepest sleepers will see daylight a little earlier with Clocky around.

Got a mother, sister, or daughter who’d love to spend a week getting pampered from head to toe at a luxury spa? Well, we realize that may be slightly beyond your budget, but for the next best thing, try one of the great gift packs from Lush. This online and retail shop offers hundreds of handmade, all-natural scented soaps, shampoos, powders, deodorants, and other great gifts for full-body pampering. Our pick? You can’t go wrong with any of their great products, but if you know a woman who loves bubble baths, she’ll be over the moon with the Art of Bathing Gift Set, which includes twelve luscious bath bombs.

As for the kids, if you’re not going to shell out for the Wii they’ve been begging for all year, we’ve got a few great alternatives that might be a little easier on your wallet.

How about a good old-fashioned board game, for one? Blokus is a classic strategy game that’s been awarded by Mensa for its brain cell-boosting power, and is great for kids from age five up, as well as adults. Forget about the Baby Einstein movies – if you want a gifted kid, get him a game like this.

Want to buy a great gift for the next J.K. Rowling? Pick up IlluStory, a kit that contains all the necessary ingredients for a child to create a beautiful, professional-looking hardcover book, complete with her own illustrations. The completed book can then be passed along as a present for grandparents or other loved ones – regifting at its best.

And finally, here’s one for young and old alike: If you know someone who’s missed out on all the supernatural happenings at Hogwarts over the years, now’s the time to get him up to speed. The complete set of all seven Harry Potter books is available at Amazon for 40 percent off the cover price. With a deal that tempting, you might just have to buy one as a special present for yourself, too.

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