Xmas gift quandaries . . . open to all

[MindsEye]

I need to get my brother in law a Christmas gift and I'm sort of at a loss. He loves computers and just finished building his own from scratch. He also likes reading fantasy books (I think Terry Pratchet is his fav author) and playing some online games (but of course I don't know which ones, just that they aren't World of Warcraft). The other thing is that he and my sister just found out that she's pregnant, and they don't have a ton of money, but I don't know if I should get him something "new father" oriented or just give him cash/gift card so they can use it on baby stuff if they would prefer that.

Does anybody have any good suggestions? I've budgeted up to $50 for his gift.

If he really likes computers and has a good sense of humor, then this book from Thinkgeek.com might be right up his alley - http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/b5e5/

I got it for my supergeeky BIL and his wife a few years ago they were expecting, and they loved it.

(Thinkgeek is a fave place of mine for finding oddball gifts.)

[Slartibartfast]

I need to get my brother in law a Christmas gift and I'm sort of at a loss. He loves computers and just finished building his own from scratch. He also likes reading fantasy books (I think Terry Pratchet is his fav author) and playing some online games (but of course I don't know which ones, just that they aren't World of Warcraft). The other thing is that he and my sister just found out that she's pregnant, and they don't have a ton of money, but I don't know if I should get him something "new father" oriented or just give him cash/gift card so they can use it on baby stuff if they would prefer that.

Does anybody have any good suggestions? I've budgeted up to $50 for his gift.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/newborn-infant/

ThinkGeek has a ton of geeky kids stuff, including gamer-related baby gear :-P

[mandycorn]

What an excellent idea! I'm looking at everything at think geek now and thinking I may be able to finish all of my shopping there

[Slartibartfast]

What an excellent idea! I'm looking at everything at think geek now and thinking I may be able to finish all of my shopping there

I will admit to having done that in the past    Babybartfast is getting this for Christmas - she loves messing around with Portal, so a plush turret is going to make her flip    (Right now one of her favorite games is to play Santa - she's Santa Claus, her purse is Santa's bag of toys, the exercise bike is the sleigh, and a paper towel tube is the portal gun Santa uses to send presents into kids' houses.)

[shadowfox79]

Does he already have editing software he likes?  If not, could you get him Lightroom or Photoshop?

He does - I've suggested Photoshop before but he doesn't think he'll ever learn to use it fully.

Have you tried http://photojojo.com/store/?  They are awesome and finding and offering wacky and off-beat camera stuff. 

No, but I will.

Is he into vintage basketball photography?  You might be able to find something really interesting on Ebay, or in a sports museum (if there's one in your city, or you live in an NBA city).  A friend of mine collects vintage Yankees photos, but of course that's the wrong sport  .  Still, finding a great print and having it framed would be cool!

I wonder if that show Finding Bigfoot is out on DVD yet.  One episode was filmed partly in my brother's Oregon back yard .

I'll give that a shot too. We're in the UK (if we were in an NBA city he'd be thrilled) but eBay is my friend.

[GreenHall]

Does he already have editing software he likes?  If not, could you get him Lightroom or Photoshop?

He does - I've suggested Photoshop before but he doesn't think he'll ever learn to use it fully.

1) hopefully I did not just murder the quote tree
2) depending on your budget, and his interest, (and I guess your location) would Photoshop + a Photoshop class be an idea?  My dad has been using Photoshop for a while, and takes classes sometimes still.  He's in a fairly large city, so I don't know how common the classes are elsewhere.

[shadowfox79]

Does he already have editing software he likes?  If not, could you get him Lightroom or Photoshop?

He does - I've suggested Photoshop before but he doesn't think he'll ever learn to use it fully.

1) hopefully I did not just murder the quote tree
2) depending on your budget, and his interest, (and I guess your location) would Photoshop + a Photoshop class be an idea?  My dad has been using Photoshop for a while, and takes classes sometimes still.  He's in a fairly large city, so I don't know how common the classes are elsewhere.

I'll run that by him before I fork out. I've offered him photography classes before and he's turned them down because he doesn't want to "deal with people" (he's really not as miserable as that makes him sound, honest!)

[Piratelvr1121]

Just an open thread for everybody to post their thoughts or questions, looking for advice or suggestions of what would be the best gift to give.

Getting gifts for DH is a nightmare, since when he wants something he just buys it, so I have to try and come up with something he either can't afford or doesn't know he wants.

My husband is the same way.  And when he does ask for things, it's always stuff that's hard to get, and/or tells me too late to save up for it, or it's something that hasn't come out yet.  I've taken to giving him "IOU" for Christmas but I don't like doing that cause everyone likes having something to open on Christmas morning.  That and it's hard to know what to tell MIL to get him. This year I told her he needs new t-shirts cause he'll wear 'em till they wear out.

I know what he likes, but half the time I buy it and he already has gotten it for himself. Like one year I bought him the soundtrack of Riverdance for his birthday only to find out he got it for himself, first. 

The boys are easy though.  My oldest adores Ellen DeGeneres and likes card games so I'm going to get him a set of the cards she has in her online shop for a stocking stuffer.  Maybe a t-shirt too.  He also wants a guitar, which I'm going to have to price.  The middle one says he wants an Etch-A-Sketch, which should be easy enough to get, along with anything he can build with (aspiring engineer)  And the baby just more toys and clothes.

[Bookgirl]

I need to get my brother in law a Christmas gift and I'm sort of at a loss. He loves computers and just finished building his own from scratch. He also likes reading fantasy books (I think Terry Pratchet is his fav author) and playing some online games (but of course I don't know which ones, just that they aren't World of Warcraft). The other thing is that he and my sister just found out that she's pregnant, and they don't have a ton of money, but I don't know if I should get him something "new father" oriented or just give him cash/gift card so they can use it on baby stuff if they would prefer that.

Does anybody have any good suggestions? I've budgeted up to $50 for his gift.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/newborn-infant/

ThinkGeek has a ton of geeky kids stuff, including gamer-related baby gear :-P

Just to give the other side, when I was pregnant with my DS, someone gave me a blanket for him as *my* Christmas present.  I know it sounds petty but it kind of hurt.  I still had 5 months to go so it wasn't like I needed a blanket for him right then.  Maybe it was my hormones but it made me feel bad, like they couldn't be bothered to find something that I would like so they just bought for the baby.  Maybe it would be different for a guy, just wanted to offer my 2 cents.

[Seven Ate Nine]

I need to get my brother in law a Christmas gift and I'm sort of at a loss. He loves computers and just finished building his own from scratch. He also likes reading fantasy books (I think Terry Pratchet is his fav author) and playing some online games (but of course I don't know which ones, just that they aren't World of Warcraft). The other thing is that he and my sister just found out that she's pregnant, and they don't have a ton of money, but I don't know if I should get him something "new father" oriented or just give him cash/gift card so they can use it on baby stuff if they would prefer that.

Does anybody have any good suggestions? I've budgeted up to $50 for his gift.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geek-kids/newborn-infant/

ThinkGeek has a ton of geeky kids stuff, including gamer-related baby gear :-P

Just to give the other side, when I was pregnant with my DS, someone gave me a blanket for him as *my* Christmas present.  I know it sounds petty but it kind of hurt.  I still had 5 months to go so it wasn't like I needed a blanket for him right then.  Maybe it was my hormones but it made me feel bad, like they couldn't be bothered to find something that I would like so they just bought for the baby.  Maybe it would be different for a guy, just wanted to offer my 2 cents.

I was going to suggest this as well.  If you really don't know a whole lot else about him, maybe check out the shirts for the one that spells "dad" in binary.  Yes, it's a bit of a "baby gift" but it is still for him.

[Amara]

I'll run that by him before I fork out. I've offered him photography classes before and he's turned them down because he doesn't want to "deal with people" (he's really not as miserable as that makes him sound, honest!)

How about Photoshop Elements and a few hours of private tutoring?

[Seven Ate Nine]

Just an open thread for everybody to post their thoughts or questions, looking for advice or suggestions of what would be the best gift to give.

Getting gifts for DH is a nightmare, since when he wants something he just buys it, so I have to try and come up with something he either can't afford or doesn't know he wants.

So far he has a new camera (which he knows about, since he picked it out). Last year he got a monopod and also has a gorillapod - something photography-related would be great, but I don't know much about it. He's into basketball, cryptozoology, watches (sadly, very expensive watches), shoes of all kinds especially trainers, and loves his chocolate. All areas I know little about so am reluctant to come back with something that looks dumb to a connoisseur.

Anyone got any ideas?

What kind of camera?  If it's not a strictly professional one, the grip on it may not be big enough for him.  Maybe check out a battery grip for him?

[Slartibartfast]

I need to get my brother in law a Christmas gift and I'm sort of at a loss. He loves computers and just finished building his own from scratch. He also likes reading fantasy books (I think Terry Pratchet is his fav author) and playing some online games (but of course I don't know which ones, just that they aren't World of Warcraft). The other thing is that he and my sister just found out that she's pregnant, and they don't have a ton of money, but I don't know if I should get him something "new father" oriented or just give him cash/gift card so they can use it on baby stuff if they would prefer that.

Does anybody have any good suggestions?

Forgot one other suggestion, which I got for DH and Babybartfast: http://store.penny-arcade.com/products/player-1-player-2-onesie-combo

The shirts come in any combination of adult, child, and onesie sizes, so you could easily do a matching father/baby set :-)

[mbbored]

How about something for a 10 year old boy? My nephew is super into Legos, Super Mario Galaxy and anything else Wii. However my budget is in the $20 to $25 range and I generally prefer not to give electronics.

[Slartibartfast]

How about something for a 10 year old boy? My nephew is super into Legos, Super Mario Galaxy and anything else Wii. However my budget is in the $20 to $25 range and I generally prefer not to give electronics.

Legos are a major enterprise now - they make board games, funny t-shirts, electronics kits, video games, etc.  You could probably find something Lego-themed without it actually being Legos.