(Part 3) Best products from r/Gifts

I like to give fountain pens as gifts. They are uncommon enough to be novel, but interesting enough to show value beyond what they actually cost. Bonus if you get a vintage pen, since the associated history adds an extra bit of interest. Italic or flexible nibs are great for writing chinese characters, from what I understand. If you can find an american made vintage pen, that is even better as a cultural gift. Also, you can easily find a nice one within your budget.

One good resource for buying professionally restored vintage pens is Pen Agora. The owner, Will does great work and is super friendly and helpful.

If you want to buy ink/paper to go with it, or would rather buy a modern pen Goulet Pens is a great vendor. Excellent customer service and product selection.

Lastly, if I am giving a special gift and want to add to the presentation, sometimes I buy an inexpensive wooden box off of amazon to package it in (something like this). If you are feeling crafty, you can even stain it or finish it with supplies from a hardware store like home depot. I usually shred some brown butcher's paper as filler.

Hopefully that helps, feel free to PM me if you need advice or suggestions :)

Your girlfriend sounds a lot like me, in that I love tea, books, and cozy things so hopefully I can help!

For tea: DavidsTea makes my favorite tea accessories. I LOVE their travel mugs (they have a removable infuser for loose leaf teas and are super spillproof and sturdy). I also really like their Nordic infuser mugs that have a removable infuser and a lid. For tea, if you don't know what flavors she likes, they have tea samplers, including a really cute tea advent calendar.

For actual tea, my personal favorite brand is Celestial Seasonings. They have some nice samplers as well.

Like someone else mentioned, Teavana has a large selection of teas and tea accessories. Some other brands of tea I like are Numi, Republic of Tea, and Stash.

For soft things: Sherpa throw style blankets are great (something like this). Some other things she might like are a soft robe or comfy slippers, depending on what she already has.

For books, gift cards to a bookstore are probably best. A nice bookmark or some cute bookends are also options for book-related gifts.

So depending on your budget any combo of a mug+some nice tea+a giftcard for a book or a bookmark+a blanket or robe to curl up in and drink some tea and read would make a really sweet and thoughtful gift I think. Hope this helps!

Sounds like she would like things I like so I will give you a couple links to places I like gifts from haha.

Squishables
Sailor Moon on Etsy
Anime/video game Shirts and such on LookHuman
[Some Popin Cookin!](Popin' Cookin' Happy Sushi House https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N8LMFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Uz8CybM50WDQS)
Jewelry inspired by something she likes

Good luck! I think a lot of girls appreciate the thought of something off a site like Etsy because the items are so unique. Type in one of her interests and something she wants/needs, like "Sailor Moon Blanket" and chances are you will find some super special item just for her. It is also nice to buy your significant other experiences rather than a physical object. Depending on how much you are looking to spend and how far in advance you are willing to plan, why not reserve tickets to a nearby con? What about a cute day trip to a little town she might like where you can let her pick out an item or you can buy a nice dinner or unique experience (boat ride? Etc.)

Have fun gift picking and enjoy! :)

I meant to say vitamix not vitamin - but just to add, for traveling, I think those travel sweatshirts look awesome (with all the pockets) but I don’t actually know if they are any good - my two favorite real travel purchases are a phone case with a strap and a travel safe. Two things that I think any traveler will hugely appreciate.

The strap is awesome bc I can hand my phone to a stranger (for directions etc) with no risk of them running away. I can also walk freely down a crowded street without worrying that someone will grab it. PLUS I can hold it out over a high ledge to take a photo.

The safe is awesome bc I can fit my laptop in it and know that it hasn’t been tampered with. Most hotel crimes are crimes of opportunity. Lock things up in your own safe attached to a water pipe and it’s VERY unlikely a staff member will walk away with your things.

Here’s are links:

Pacsafe Travelsafe 12L GII Portable Safe, Charcoal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E8BK6KQ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_s1reAbDEWNP60


iPhone 7 Case Clear TPU, ACO-UINT Ultra Slim Reinforced Frame Crystal Clear Shock-Ab... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXWEPR9/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_F0reAbC2V0X9E

There are reasonably priced original Star Wars movie posters, or even good reprints available online. Another option is a nice framed piece of artwork from one of his favourite games. Vintage Disney cels are another option and can fit pretty much any budget depending on what you want. Other options include monogrammed stationary (if you want to go the fancy old school route) or a well appointed wall map of the world, there are some seriously nice ones online. You could look for a reasonably priced autograph by someone he likes, or an autographed/first edition comic or book that he likes. There are kits for making your own paper clock that are cheap and can even be a fun activity to do together.

Another cool idea to pair with something is a copy of a newspaper from your wedding day! Book or paper sculptures can be interesting and can be found across a huge span of cost, from cheap to exorbitant! You could buy tickets to a concert or event, maybe. Any kind of wall art/print would qualify, I'd imagine. As would gift certificates, which don't have to be impersonal. They can be for an activity you would both enjoy doing together (lessons, massages, etc) or something he would enjoy on his own, like an intro flying lesson or something like that! Depending on the cost in your area, obviously.

Book/comic/graphic novel box sets are also good. Something my parents have always done (and they've been married 34 years!) is reading a book together. They take turns reading out loud to each other leisurely or when the other is doing some mindless activity and read books together this way. You could buy a book or book series and give it to your husband to begin this practice yourselves! A subscription to a magazine is also paper. Another idea is to buy paper packets of seeds and some planting materials to start a little garden, or just some potted plants if you don't have green space! It's a really nice and rewarding thing to do alone or together and watching them grow is wonderful! Bonus points if it's something that will live a long time and be around for years to come (like some kind of tree if you have a yard).

Now I think I am officially exhausted of ideas. My first wedding anniversary is coming up in two months as well, so I've been doing some serious brainstorming! I hope any of these can help!

He sounds like a younger version of myself! Technical and adventurous in equal measure. My girlfriend and I tend to organise surprise activities or adventures we can do together as gifts which I love - it doesn't have to be in any way extravegant but having someone put time and thought into something like that it amazing.

You could get something to do with nature and organise a trip or local walk that would suit his natural photography hobby. I love to learn about new things and how stuff works so if he's anything like me, something informative that fits his photography style like a guide to local wildflowers or bug guide. I don't know much about parkour but I do rock climb and a beginners bouldering or climbing session might also be fun and something you can do together.

For a more traditional gift Randall Munroe from the web comic XKCD has a couple of cool books that might be of interest - Thing Explainer and What If. Also the book CODE is a pretty good book for an inquisitive programmer and it isn't tied to any particular language, skillset or programming level.

Not sure if there's a way you can gift him a gift certificate to a local gym for a day pass or spa that has a sauna? My dads side of the family was Finnish and whenever we'd go visit we'd always take saunas together as a family. Part of that tradition was reading the "Finnish sauna rules" which I think were half joking, half real. Anyway here's a sign that he could maybe hang in his bathroom? Not sure if it's framed, so could get it framed and shipped. Timing may be trickier though..

Okay and this is a really weird gift and a little personal, but again popular with my dad (man with the Finnish blood who's in his mid-60s) and pretty much my whole family has one now. An attachable bidet for an existing toilet. It could honestly make his quality of life a little better. Installation is pretty simple too.

Also you could get him an immersion blender. Easy way to purée soups, smoothies, etc. and they're generally only $30.

Then there's this that could play into his mad scientist side. Again another popular gift that my Dad was into.

Hope this helps and you all have a great Christmas. So nice to hear that you're taking care of your father and keep in touch with him. I'm sure it means a lot to him.

Some of the random things I've found in my ventures have been this Hipster Bamboo Bluetooth Speaker - great for music lovers, hipster people with vintage things in their house or really anyone. Also Loaded Questions is by far one of the greatest games we added to our collection. This traveling silverware set complete with metal straw for your eco friendly pals who don't want to use plastic out in public. Really lovely and luxurious soap that you can customize yourself!! Taco holders because, why not? Solid oven mitts and pads for the cook/baker on your list.A wireless/bluetooth cellphone selfie thingamob that helps you take pictures on vacations without a giant selfie stick! This awesome starry night, Mario art that is begging to be gifted to the gamer on your list. This gardening/cocktail kit for the cocktail lovers that just need a small patio or porch to grow some small herbs.A cellphone holder that literally comes in handy all the time. This awesome variety of hot chocolate (kcup) for the sweet tooth lovers. This incredible stamped line that has a ton of super adorable kitchenware, my favorite is the coffee spoon rest- 'Instant Human Just add Coffee.' These beautifully hand painted wine glasses!

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Don't know your budget and I don't know if he's into jewelry (necklaces, watches, earrings, etc.), but here are a couple of ideas centered around space/astronomy.

6$ (shipping not included)- Night Sky Playing cards. They are playing cards but designed with different constellations on the front of the cards.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591932424
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17.90$ (shipping and design choices not included)- Tiny Moon Necklace. Hard to describe but it looks really cool.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/218077949/tiny-moon-necklace-pendant-solar-system?
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145$ (shipping not included)- A constellation styled watch.

https://www.amazon.com/ASTRO-Constellation-Watch-Planisphere-Astronomy/dp/B00N63UADA
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11.80$ (shipping not included)- A book titled "What's It Like In Space?". It's a bunch of stories from Astronauts that have actually been in space.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1452144761
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You could also go here and look at a list of space themed gifts. A couple of my gift ideas came from this site and stuff

https://www.geekwrapped.com/astronomy
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Hope this helps.

Have a lovely day/night!

oh really? Do you guy cook together often?

haha nothing wrong with some fried food every now and then! Fish and Chips is my favorite personally.

If you go a food route, check out this list of 28 gifts for foodies. I think #1, #6, and #18 could all be quite good options as general food-related gifts.

As far as cookbooks go, Thug Kitchen is really popular and great for fun healthy recipes

https://www.amazon.com/Thank-Being-Amazing-Love-Journal/dp/1540363767/ something like this would be meaningful and personal :)

I'm also 5'2"! If you're looking for a bag for utility and cheaper price, I found this backpack on Amazon and I love it!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DK78X9Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unfortunately, it looks like the one I bought is sold out now, but here's another one that is similar and has decent reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/IIYBC-Backpack-Business-Headphone-Interface/dp/B07F69C2QJ/ref=sr_1_31?keywords=backpack&qid=1556763803&s=apparel&sr=1-31

Update: I ended up getting one from National Geographic via amazon

https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00JDDQK9U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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They've a series and I hope NG will stay around for the years to come so I can expand the collection!

Dundee award:


https://www.amazon.com/MyPartyShirt-13120401a-Dundie-Award-Trophy/dp/B01MRSNTOU/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1535917348&sr=8-9&keywords=the+office+gifts

This is an extremely well rated vegan cookbook that I came across while browsing cookbooks for my SIL. It was so highly rated I considered picking it up, even though absolutely none of us are vegan. NSFW language within the book.

Well you can start now by removing all the referral stuff (ref= is unnecessary and so is everything after https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591932424/ ) from your links.

This book written by the guy from XKCD