The Vine: December 9, 2009
The Ask The Readers Holiday Gift Jam continues!At a loss/not feeling it this year?Let the TN readers help!
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Hey Sars,
I need some help from the readership.I need some new nightgowns for Christmas and I’d like to point the hubby to the right spot.But I have a laundry list a mile deep on this one (no pun intended).They have to be nightgowns/sleepshirts, they have to be 100% cotton, they have to have short sleeves and a v-neckline….and cover my behind.I’m a curvy girl, which adds to the mix.They can’t have buttons or go past my knees — the way I sleep (like a crazy person) means I get tangled up in something too long, and the buttons just bug.
I used to buy them at Nordstrom’s but they seem to be out of the nightgown business.I do not want PJ top-bottoms.
I need some jammies, just not…actual jammies
Dear Jam,
I’d suggest Lands’ End or L.L. Bean; Lands’ End offers different body cuts on various types of clothing, which addresses the curvy issue, and if a given sleepshirt is knee-length, I believe you can order it in a petite and save some inches that way.
Beyond that, I defer to the readers, as I can’t tolerate a nightie of any kind (the whole thing will be in my armpits 20 minutes after I get in bed).
Hi Sars,
I’m suffering gift-giving block, so I was pretty happy to see The Vine tackling it!
The holidays are actually a pretty delightful time to be around my family, and I am super-excited to be coming home to spend four weeks with them (I’m studying overseas). We all really get a kick out of gift-shopping for each other; presents tend to be thoughtful or hilarious rather than extravagant, so the giving and receiving is warm and funny and sweet. However, this year I’m having a tough time shopping for my older brother.
Often, I buy him books; we’ve got similar if not identical tastes, and I can usually tell from skimming a synopsis and a few pages if it’s something he’ll like, and for the last few books I gave him or told our parents to give him, he expressed enthusiastic enjoyment.
However, he joined the Army Reserves this past fall, and he’ll be home for just two weeks before heading back to resume another three months of training. From our letters and conversations over these past three months, I know he can’t have many books there with him, and anyway, he doesn’t have much time to read, so the size of his reading pile is increasing faster than he can get through them.
Further notes: he’s also married, and they have a baby daughter. He misses both his wife and kid a hell of a lot. He digs science fiction and politics: before he left he was finishing up a Dresden Files book, and another by a journalist who’d been living in Pakistan. He doesn’t own an iPod, so audiobooks are out. I really don’t want to fall into the trap of buying gifts for my brother and sister-in-law that are actually just veiled gifts for my niece. (She’s getting her own presents from me anyway, after all.)
So I am completely stumped on something thoughtful to give him. Or rather, I’ve got part of a gift (some locally-brewed beers from the British town where I’m living), but I want something to round it off.
Maybe some of your readers have ideas on good gifts for sibs in the military, for whom time and personal effects are limited? Because our gift-giving tends to be modest and I’ve got part of his already, I’m looking for something that’s around $25 or less.
Army Guy’s Peacenik Sister
Dear Peace,
Would your whole family consider pitching in on a Kindle?Then he just has the one thing; he can download whatever he likes and it won’t take up any more room.I believe he can read magazines on it as well.
A phone card is not the most original gift, but he’ll use it.He could probably also use socks; it sounds like the stereotypical crappy present, but my understanding is that our men and women in uniform go through socks like Kleenex — so you might consider investing in some fancier, longer-lasting socks from a store like REI Outfitters.(Or just fill a giant box with regular sweatsocks…or make a jokey pedi-kit with a callus file, clippers, and some scented lotion.)
A box of food he likes but can’t get on the base would also work.My family is weird about institutional food, in that we all love it, so my dad ate like a king in basic training, but shit on a shingle is not everyone’s favorite, so you could hook your brother up with a bunch of candy, sunflower seeds, fancy mustards, whatever he craves and can’t get where he is.
When you look back at your emails or phone calls from him and remember what complaints or jokes kept coming up, you’ll find some gift ideas there (his issued toolkit/knife keeps breaking; he needs the fingerless gloves with the mitten “hatch” that pops over the fingers; decent UV-rated sunglasses or an eyeglass strap).
Current/former military folk, please weigh in on necessities — or luxuries — that you’d have used and had room for.
Hi, Sars.
I’m trying to find a birthday/Christmas present for my boyfriend (his birthday is December 19th), and I’m stumped.
Some facts about him:
- 51 years old
- 4 kids, all boys, from 18-27 years old
- HUGE sports nut, particularly regarding the Baltimore Orioles, the Baltimore Ravens, and the University of Maryland Terrapins (we live near Baltimore, in case you couldn’t tell)
- LOVES the space program, NASA, etc.
- mild geek: he’s currently an IT manager and used to be a computer programmer, enjoys Star Trek and other sci-fi, yet denies being a geek
- enjoys the History channel and the various Discovery channels
- does NOT watch DVDs, despite the above-mentioned TV viewing habits; any DVD I’ve ever gotten him is still in its original plastic wrapping, all these years later
- does NOT enjoy reading, which kills me, but…I’m probably not going to make him a book lover at this point
I think I’ve done okay in the past, but I’m lost this year.The best gift I ever got him was last year — a boating and baseball doubleheader from Excitations, which included a two-hour sail on the Potomac and then tickets to a Washington Nationals game.Even though neither one of us is a Nationals fan, both of us are huge baseball fans (though I like the Yankees), and it was just a wonderful, romantic day.
I’ve checked out the offerings on www.excitations.com, www.xperiencedays.com, and www.cloud9living.com looking for another “experience” gift like that, but haven’t really found anything.All he tells me is, “Oh, you don’t need to get me anything,” which…not helpful, dude.
Any suggestions?
Stumped
Dear Stumped,
Dang, I was all set to suggest The Encyclopedia Shatnerica until you said he doesn’t like to read…but that still might make a good “leave it on the toilet tank” gift.
Pajama pants or a watch featuring his favorite sports team; a gift package or season-ticket mini-plan with a local minor-league team (less expensive, more customizable to include his kids or friends); ballpark tours or sports museums…you could go bonkers and plan a combo-Christmas-and-birthday trip package to Cooperstown, with B&B and travel all taken care of. Or go really bonkers and send him to space camp — or at least put together a trip to the Space Coast in Florida for late winter.
Readers, any other thoughts?
Tags: Ask The Readers boys (and girls) retail the fam
Re: Stumped
If one of the sci-fi shows Boyfriend of Stumped likes is Firefly, how about a “cunning hat” like the one Jayne receives? I know I’ve seen those on etsy before nor are they hard to make.
Jam, your sleeping attire sounds exactly like what my mom prefers. A few years ago, I got her a sleep shirt from American Eagle because it was cute and on sale. She loved it so much that she has a standing order for all gift-giving occasions. It’s one of the last places you would expect, but their night gowns are very soft and comfortable.
Stumped, may I say that I love you for thinking of his birthday as SEPARATE from Christmas. On behalf of my sister (Dec 6) and Aunt (Dec 24, God help her) and December babies everywhere, thank you.
As for the gift itself, I like the idea of a big outing gift, since it’s been such a hit in the past–maybe for his birthday, take him to his favorite sports bar (if he’s into that), and during the meal present special tickets to a hard-to-see game or some such. If he’s social, perhaps a party planned around a pay-per-view game, if the dates match up.
Since he likes watching his TV live rather than DVDd, an offer to expand his cable package (wow, that sounds dirty!) to include some special channels he’s wanted may not go amiss.
Peace, the Kindle sounds like a great gift (my mother travels a lot and adores hers) but make sure it can stand up to the rigors of army life/mideastern sand, and get a warranty.
Jam, I have a nightshirt that meets your qualifications exactly that I picked up from Target a year or two ago. Unfortunately, I think I bought it in the summer and Target’s pajamas seem to have kind of a seasonal rotation, but it might be worth a look.
Stumped, is your boyfriend into board games? If his sons are going to be around for the holiday it could be fun to give him a game you can all play together — there’s lots of sports and sci-fi themed games, both trivia based and not, out there. The males in my family have always been particularly into Risk, too, but YMMV.
@Peace – If he’s away at training, then things that would make home seem closer would be the best thing, imo – maybe a digital photo frame that he can put pictures in? Not sure how much those run. A phone card would be great for someone overseas (not so much a necessity for someone with unlimited long-distance here in the States). Maybe a webcam and a few months of Skype?
Stumped,
If your boyfriend liked the boating expedition, you could look into the Martha Lewis – it’s a working skipjack operating out of Havre de Grace, though they don’t always sail from that point on the Chesapeake Bay; often they will do trips from Baltimore or closer to Annapolis. As far as tickets go, how about tickets to the Aberdeen Ironbirds? They’re a lot of fun, and I’m not into baseball myself, to be honest. And tickets aren’t too hard to get, being as that they’re a minor-league team.
Jam, I’ve grown very fond of the basic nightgowns from Gilligan and O’Malley at Target. They’re stretchy cotton-blend, just above the knee, and they come in long, short, and no-sleeve options…plus they are cheap as hell (though perhaps that is not very seasonally or romantically inspired, heh). The stores often stock them in a two-pack deal, so I have summer and winter sets, and even a camisole style that’s vaguely sexy.
Stumped, I wanted to thank *you* for all the experience-gift links! I’m trying to get away from Wrapped Object-gifting this year, so that is a help to me, at least.
And Peace, I’m sure folks will have better suggestions than I can think up (a steady supply of homemade cookies?)…but please do thank your brother. I’m a peacenik from a military family too, so grateful to and for the folks that make the decision to enlist.
Jam, I second what Sars said RE: Land’s End. Their nightgowns are 100% cotton, come in V-neck/knee-length/short-sleeve, and are incredibly, amazingly soft and comfortable: http://tinyurl.com/y8vhw9x.
You mentioned being curvy, which may work with the sizes above. If you are plus-sized, like me, the V-neck option drops out for some reason, but the scoop-necks are comfy too.
I was looking at Leatherman tools on Amazon the other day and someone mentioned in the reviews that they are really popular with members of the military – and they seem to come in a wide range of sizes and prices.
Peace, if a Kindle is too much, you might check to see how much an E-book app costs for a cell phone. My brother bought one, for that exact purpose–to read books while on deployment. I doubt it was as much as a Kindle, but works just as well. If your brother has a cell phone that allows apps, of course.
Army Guy, kind of stating the obvious here from your email, but if you like the family pitching in for a gift suggestion, why not the iPod?
As much as I love the Kindle idea (my family is “buying” me one this year and I ordered it early so it would get here by Christmas and I am just itching to play with it) an iPod would be smaller and less of a carriage or storage issue. Also if it’s an iPod Touch he can use is as an eBook of sorts and if he has wireless internet access he can just download songs, podcasts and check emails.
If there’s any change, I’m sure you can buy him some audiobooks from some place like this website a podcast I listen to is forver pimping, I think it’s called Audible Books or something.
Not that I am comparing my situation to his but, to quote TV commercials, AsABusyMum I barely have the time to read these days, but I love the fact that while walking or driving to work or cooking dinner I can just turn on a podcast and feel instantly like I am both getting some me time and nurturing my brain once in a while.
I have no idea how the army works beyond the movie Biloxi Blues, but if everyone in the barracks is asleep he can listen to a book or podcast without disturbing anyone.
Shit, this is a way long post just to say “iPod”
Jam,
I’m with you on the nightgown issue (although I like them long, so I can tuck my feet underneath). I’d rather have one hem to ride up during the night than two legs and a waistband and a shirt. I can second the Lands’ End recommendation, and also suggest the PajamaGram site. They have a large selection of nightgowns, and most are 100% cotton. They arrive in a nice gift package, so it would be an easy gift for him to choose. I’ve sent them for friends who were recovering from surgery, and they were very happy.
As for Stumped, have you thought of a hot-air balloon ride? We’ve given gift certificates for those on a number of occasions for people who don’t need any more “stuff.” They aren’t as intimidating as skydiving, but are a remarkable experience. It’s also a lot of fun to be on the ground and driving around with the recovery crew to pick them up when they land.
Peace, you might look for a used iPod on eBay. They don’t have to have the latest features or a huge memory to play audiobooks or music, so you may be able to find a good deal on one that would work fine for him.
Peace, I work with mainly military guys, and something I’ve heard universally that’s appreciated is DVD box sets, especially comedies. My current boss said the only thing that got him through the last portion of his tour was Family Guy DVDs. The short length means you’re not committed for too long, and the comedy is a nice break from everything. I’m sure that even if he doesn’t have a laptop, there will be guys around him who will let him use theirs, and once he’s watched them he could pass them around and swap.
@ Peace — what about a digital photo keychain? I keep seeing those and thinking how cool they are. They can hold a lot of photos and are relatively small. And cheap.
Hey, Stumped! Stop dating my husband!
Kidding, obv., but my hubby is much like your boyfriend in age and preferences. Does he already have a video game console (XBox, PlayStation, whatever)? Hubs is vocally jonesing for one, while I sit here praying for an extra few hundred bucks to show up in my bank account…
Piggybacking from Jen S, if your BF is a big sports fan he might enjoy one of the “season pass” packages available on cable TV. My husband is a rabid Montreal Canadiens supporter and he buys the “NHL Center Ice” package from Cox Cable every year. It’s Hockey Night in Canada at least once a week at my house from October to March! (That by way of saying “Don’t go for this option unless you like sports too!”)
Stumped, a friend of mine is also a NASA lover and recently someone gave her a coffee table book about NASA’s first 50 years. She loves it. It’s pictures, so very little reading required! (This comes from another reader who can’t believe she ended up with a non-reader, but it’s not so bad, really).
http://tinyurl.com/y9pyj74
I know an Army man and a Navy man who swear DVDs are like currency when they’re stationed overseas. My friend in the Navy was the most popular guy on the ship because he had a complete series set of Buffy DVDs. Apparently action-adventure shows and comedies are much in demand. Portable DVD players aren’t too expensive anymore (if he won’t have access to a laptop or other player), and you can find some great deals on DVD box sets.
Stumped – How close is close to Baltimore? If you are close enough to visit the city, check out ticket packages from the Orioles. They do great multi-game packages which usually include Yankee and Red Sox games, and you can’t beat the ballpark. If you are too far to get to Baltimore that often, then maybe a weekend game where they are playing the Yankees and you guys can go and cheer for your favorite teams.
Or, if you are outside the normal viewing area for Baltimore/MASN, how about a pass to MLB TV or whatever it is called on cable?
My birthday is December 23. My partner’s is December 19. Second the “bless you for knowing it’s not part of Christmas” sentiment.
Does your boyfriend commute? Would he enjoy audiobooks to listen to while driving? Maybe some of the excellent sports books lately, like Blindside, Fantasyland, or even the bios of various basketball legends of the 20th century (the Dr. J one is better than the Magic+Bird one).
For the Army guy, you can read Kindle books on iPod Touch. I prefer my actual Kindle, but when traveling, the iPod option is dandy. You can also load the IPod with his favorite DVDs or a few movies from iTunes. It’s not the glitziest screen ever, but it’s portable and easy to use. The other thing that is great about the iPod is that his wife can take videos of his daughter and load them up for him. (Okay, I’ve pretty much convinced myself that if it were I, I’d be campaigning for my family to pool resources and buy him an iPod with a few books, a few movies, and some video of his kid pre-loaded, along with some of this favorite music.)
Stumped – I second Sars rec on the ballpark tour! I haven’t been on the one at Camden Yards, but I have been to PacBell (my team is the SF Giants) and Wrigley Field (my grandpa’s been a fan for 90 years!) and they were amazing! You get to go places, see and touch things that you can’t do just going to a game. It’s not totally cheap, but you can make a day of it and it’s just a really great experience :)
@Jam – I found some very soft cotton V neck night shirts at V Secret a couple months ago. They were $26 so not too expensive for VS… Very thin material though so not as great for lounging in…
I think folks may have overlooked the fact that Peace wants to spend around $25 on this gift – while the Kindle or iPod Touch would each make a great gift, she specifically said their family tends to do things more modestly. To that end, I think a season or two of a TV show is an awesome idea. Does he like South Park? Earlier seasons run around $15 each; more recent seasons tend to be between $20 and $25 each (we, um, may own the entire opus). 14 eps in a season.
Peace: I’ve never been in the armed forces, but my job occasionally puts me in situations where I’m both sharing living quarters (and short on space) and away from my family/friends. It’s great to be able to listen to an audiobook while falling asleep.
I’d go with a cheap mp3 player. You can get a 4mb one for under $30, which would hold a couple of books. Audiobooks are free on librivox.com and available at the library too, so he wouldn’t have to spend anything on it himself. Plus, you could get his whole family to record messages to him that you save as mp3s and load on the player.
Stumped,
I would echo the suggestion of minor league baseball tickets. Aberdeen Ironbirds, Frederick Keys, Harrisburg Senators, Potomac Nationals, Hagerstown Suns, Bowie Baysox, and Wilmington Blue Rocks are a pretty short drive from Baltimore, and could either be good day trips, or an excuse for a nice weekend out, visiting the sights in those towns. (Insert your own joke about the local Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles playing like minor league teams here.) Frederick, Bowie, and I think Aberdeen are all Orioles affiliates, so it’s a good opportunity for your boyfriend to see future Orioles today. One of the Keys pitchers I saw earlier in the summer was starting for the Orioles by August.
Anji, it’s been a few years, but I actually remember the Aberdeen Ironbirds to be a tough ticket to get. However, that was in their first year of existence. For a weekend home game, I’d definitely suggest advance purchase – it’s a small stadium.
@ Peace- I second the socks recommendation. Don’t know why, but that’s all my brother asks for at Christmas/birthday time and he’s heading out for his fourth tour in Afghanistan in January. My mom usually goes the bulk route and gets him 20 pairs of white tube socks, and I usually get him a couple pairs of UnderArmour. Always appreciated.
Stumped: Until you said he doesn’t read, I was going to suggest the Bill Simmons basketball book.
If it’s easy for you to get down to Washington, maybe you could hit up the giftshop at the Air and Space Museum. They have some interesting stuff. Or buy him gift cards to go to the planetarium shows there if he’s into that.
Stumped – for a “mild” geek, xkcd is a “Webcomic of romance,
sarcasm, math, and language”. Every full-on geek programmer I know (including myself) loves it:
http://store.xkcd.com/
They have a book, posters and other merchandise.
@Kate: His fourth tour, dang. I’LL buy him some socks. Or a beer.
This is an old list but I think it has a LOT of good ideas in the $30 and under category for @Peace.
@Kate – I’m with Sars, I’m in for a beer for him too.
@Jam
If you are curvy and plus-sized like me, let me recommend a website: http://www.junonia.com – they are wonderful, their clothing fits well, is 100% cotton for sleepwear, and comes in a variety of styles and cololrs.
They are a little pricey, but I’ve got t-shirts from them that I bought 10 years ago, that are still going strong.
For Stumped, you might want to try looking at http://www.thinkgeek.com for smaller gift ideas… lots of clever geeky things. All sorts of tee shirts, gadgets, tools for computer people, games, etc. I know he doesn’t consider himself a geek, but I bet that you can find stuff there that would interest him. You can also buy “astronaut food” online, including tang, freezedried icecream, and space sticks. It might make a cool novelty stocking stuffer for a NASA fan. An example sampler is http://tinyurl.com/ylqm3n2, though the ice cream alone is available from other websites and in museum gift shops everywhere.
@Peace- I noticed you said your brother is going to training for 3 mo. and not overseas…if that’s the case he’ll probably be on a base and able to easily obtain snacks, dvds, fast food, etc, because he’ll still be in the US?
Working with that assumption, I would put my vote in for the digital picture frame/keychain, full of pictures of family and friends. My husband is in the reserve and had to spend a yr in Ft. Hood doing recertification stuff, and, while he could pretty readily obtain things he wanted for entertainment, he was most appreciative of us sending him things that reminded him of home, like pictures, local magazines/newspapers, silly tourist things that said “Arizona”, etc. He said it made him feel more connected to the “real world” while he was isolated on a base.
Jammies, but not jammies…
i find that extra long men’s 100 percent cotton t-shirts work perfectly. there is usually a good color choice. V-neck and short sleeves are , if not the norm, at least 50 percent of what is out there.
@Peace: The Kindle is a great idea, or an iPod with audiobooks on it. What I was actually going to suggest though was a photobook with pics of his family. If you or anyone in your family is in any way inclined towards photography, it will be the easiest thing in the world to make (there are loads of companies providing the service online). I’m giving a few with my own photos this year! (Hoping they’ll go down well…)
@Stumped: Are there no experience gifts that are related to NASA or space? Surely there must be… Or create your own, with a visit to a space-related place followed by some star-gazing in the night during a romantic night-time picnic (in a warmer season, obv.).
Tacking onto to the digital photo/keychain idea for the military man, this could be a fun family project for all of you if you are computer savvy and have a scanner (and time). You could all get together and scan old family photos of childhood through his adult life and his baby girl, so he has his whole life with him. Or put them on a CD.
@Jammie: your preferences may be specific enough that you might want to get your own sleepshirts, rather than having your hubby get them. That said, I have several that I got from newportnews.com that seem to match your requirements exactly: 100% cotton, V-neck, short sleeves – I opted for the ankle-length ones, but a knee-length version is also offered. I have them in red, black, and olive; the kicker? I got mine from the beach cover-up section, where they are available in several colours.
*sigh* My apologies, it’s newport-news.com; it needs that hyphen.
*grumble* *grumble*
Hi, all. Stumped here.
@Jen S and @SorchaRei — my mother’s birthday is December 22, and my brother’s birthday is December 26, so I learned that lesson early. Which didn’t stop me from complaining about having to buy two separate stacks of birthday presents at Christmas (wrapped in birthday paper to distinguish it, of course), so when they found out that Boyfriend’s birthday is the 19th they laughed and laughed and laughed.
The only NASA/space “experience” gifts I’ve been able to find are WAY out of my budget. He does have the gaming consoles already, as well as the full DirectTV package with the NFL Sunday Ticket. He’s making this impossible, as you can see. hehe
I will definitely look into the minor league tickets, though. I live 5-10 minutes north of Baltimore city proper, he lives 35-45 minutes north (but actually works in the city), so we go to 12 – 15 Orioles games every year (including when the Yankees come down), but we’ve never been to see any of the minor league teams in the area.
@Peace, I’m with a lot of people here with a digital photo frame or how about a Portrait session so he can have a lovely family picture?
@Jam–I can’t find them online, so I’m not sure they carry them any more, but I used to buy nightshirts at Nordstrom that fit your exact description. They used to come in two sizes at first–a one-size-fits-all, and a plus-size-one-size-fits-all. The only reason I stopped buying them is that they dropped the plus-size. Worth making a trip if you are near a Nordstrom, tho’–they were under $25 and perfect. They were a Nordstrom house-brand, they changed up the color-ways and prints twice a year and always displayed them folded on a table. Good luck!
Jam’s request sounded just like what my mom has from Lands End… They are super soft, and looks like it fits the full bill… Here’s the link!
http://www.landsend.com/pp/ShortSleeveSolidSleepTNightgown~200353_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::CHH&CM_MERCH=IDX_00002__0000000201&origin=index
My mother’s birthday is Dec. 1 (and her brother’s is the 8th), my brother’s is Dec. 22. I have a nephew and cousins with birthdays on the 21st, 25th, and 27th (my poor grandparents!). I’m cheering for all of you who hold the line on keeping birthdays and Christmas separate. I like ferretrick’s digital photo idea a whole lot.
Stumped: There are several observatories in your area (here’s a list! http://www.astro.umd.edu/openhouse/amateur/clubs.html )
We have a great observatory about an hour drive from here that we recently visited with friends for one of their nightly observing programs. I’m not even a space geek and I thought it was an AMAZING experience. I’d bet at least one of these places has something like that you could get tickets for, no? The one we did included dinner (nothing fancy) but if yours doesn’t, maybe you could throw in an early (or late) dinner and make an evening of it…
@ Stumped
Have you thought about going down to KSC for one of the shuttle launches? There are 5 left, next one will be launching Feb 4th (or 5th, or 6th), plus it’ll be a night launch, which I hear are spectacular. Causeway passes are $56 a person (currently), but can be hard to get. However, if you’re just in the general area, you’ll still be able to see a Shuttle curve up into space on a pillar of flame.
Tickets available here:
http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/space-shuttle-launch-viewing-tickets.aspx
@Peace, I concur with the above suggestions, but specifically think a webcam might be nice if he’s really missing the fam. You can find them for cheap (I think the one I just ordered was $35), and sometimes 2 for 1, so he and the wife could each have one to chat over. Especially if he is going to be deployed, that’s a nice thought.
Jam, I fourth or fifth the Target suggestion. You n me, we’re jammie twins, and that’s where I get mine. I stock up in the summer when they’re abundant on the racks. Mostly they look like oversized sports jerseys, but they’re comfy!
The digital frame idea is wonderful – I absolutely love mine! And if you can put home movies on DVD, that’d be great too. Someone did that for my siblings & I, and some of it makes me bawl my eyes out, but in a good way. (My mom? STUNNING. I never realized…) I’m so glad to have that DVD, especially when I’m homesick for family & all.
Stumped, could you take him to the Air & Space part of the Smithsonian in DC? Totally amazing and fascinating. (Unless he’s been there a zillion times, and you mention the Potomac, so…probably a lame suggestion, but I loved the place.)
Kate – can I make that a six-pack? Tell him thanks, ok? Wow.
@Stumped – Have you tried looking into autographed memorabilia from his favorite teams? Signed helmets, jerseys or posters?
There are plenty of shops for space enthusiasts… a quick google search brought up the web site for the gift shop at the Kennedy Space Center: http://www.thespaceshop.com/. Lots of ideas there, depending on what he may like.
One thing I picked up for my husband a couple of years ago (we’re both geeks) is being featured in a web comic: http://www.pcweenies.com/guest-star/. Basically, you give the artist some ideas as to what kind of person your husband is (so the artist can make a comic that’s related to him) and send a picture. The artist then sends draws it up, publishes it, and depending on the price level you choose, sends you a signed print of the comic. I purchased the 50 dollar price plan, which came with the original sketch, as well as a lovely print of the comic on heavy backer board. They both look lovely in our office. Of course, it may be too late notice to get this done for his birthday this year, but for future reference, it’s a unique idea, and any geek is usually tickled at being featured in a comic.
Oh, and btw my brother’s birthday is the 19th, as well. :)
Jam, if you can’t find anything suitable in a nightshirt from all the suggestions above, you might consider going to a Tall Men’s store or site and buying a guy’s Tall t-shirt. Depending on your height, it should be the right length, and will probably be cheaper than something made specifically for sleepy women. Not that manufacturers set their pricing based on anything so sexist, of course…..
Jam — Schweitzer Linens has a large selection of cotton gowns, half a dozen or so of which fit your criteria. They’re pretty and feminine, but not cheap.
http://www.schweitzerlinen.com/store/htmlos/001271.10.5226387535715307344
Jam – I don’t know exactly how “curvy” you are, but I like my Lane Bryant night shirts. Most are knee length or above, v-necked, no buttons, and super comfy. They are either 100% cotton or cotton-plus-a-tiny-amount-of-spandex, but are soft and great for lounging. I actually bought most of mine at the Lane Bryant Outlet stores that you can find at outlet malls, but even at the regular mall Lane Bryant stores, they weren’t terribly expensive. (I wouldn’t have bought them if they had been.) http://www.lanebryant.com/cacique/4043/index.cat Hey, it looks like they are even having a sale today!