Jess's Holiday Gift Giving Guide Part 3

Having covered the fairer sex, now I move on to the err … not so fair sex? Dunno.

Stereotypical Guys

I was nosing around Red Envelope one day when this “digital sound bag” caught my eye. I had dreamed up a similar invention when I was little and it was amusing to see my kiddie dreams come to life. Anyhoo, that aside, this would make an excellent gift for any audiophile. You plug your MP3 player into the built-in speakers and you've got built in sound. The pocket lets you see and press the buttons on your MP3 player. It comes in 3 colors and has lots of great pockets for your other stuff. $70.

What guy doesn't love a gadget? And you don't get much more practical than Swiss Army Kinves. Victorinox makes a wide variety of styles. My favorite is the cybertool with many excellent computer related things and the all-important cork-screw. They also are making great travel knives complete with alarm clocks. WTG Victorinox.

Half the reason I added flask to the list was so I could add the classic line from Grease, “How about a little sneaky peek to get the party started.” Hehe. Seriously. Excellent gift. This is totally practical, and they'll think of you when they're having a little sip of Baileys on the ski slope. Red Envelope has classy leather and round ones. Amazon has the classics as well as one that looks like a gas can, one that has a soviet crest on it, and one that is Celtic(ish). They range from around $8 all the way up to $155 if you want to buy the travel bar from Red Envelope. Bottoms up.

One of the most beloved gifts we've ever given my dad was a photo calendar of my sister and I as kids. Every time I'd call my dad up, he'd tell me what was on the calendar and his memories from that time. He truly loved it month to month. Kodak Gallery makes the best ones in my opinion with nice options for borders and fonts. Snapfish and CafePress offer more basic options.

Bocce is a very entertaining (especially when you mix in a little vino tinto) game you can play right in your own back yard. All you need is a bocce ball set and a little space. This set from Target will run you $50, although they start around $20. If you want silver balls in a wodden box, Red Envelope is your place.

James Bond and Prince of Persia fall into a category I'd call “boy games.” My sis and I and some of our cousins (girls, I mean) like to play them as well, but most of the girls I grew up with weren't interested in games like this. Anyhoo, since I don't do sport games, I would like to point out some games the man in your life might really love. The Prince of Persia series is quintessential video game and has amazing graphics and character actions (walking on walls, swinging over poles, how tarzan!). 007 (there's a new one out, by the way) series is lots of shoot 'em up fun with great multi-player. For long epic games check out the Final Fantasy series. They're basically books you play on the screen with lots of cool little games on the side. Mad fun.

This is the second bag I'm including on my guy list, but I don't care. I really think that most guys need a purse type bag to carry around their array of gadgets and the fat wallets. This one is $90 on ebags and is made by Timbuk2, but of course you can get them from Gap or Target or Old Navy for much much less. I just liked the colors on this one. It'd be great to take to the office or school or even out on a weekend trip.

I haven't made a mistake. I think a Kitchenaid Mixer would be a great guy gift … for the right guy. Any guy who has the least interest in cooking would love this. It's a big powerful gadget for the kitchen. Food + powertool = happy guy. These are a bit spendy … around $250. But they make baking a snap and have the very cool pasta roller attachment. Easily available in lots of colors from Amazon.

Though Alias may have lost some of its flair, the first seasons were great and they're good fun to watch on DVD. Like a very long movie. I actually think they're prolly better watched on DVD. No cliffhangers. Guys are bound to like this. They get to watch a really hot girl and it's an action flick. Perfect. Seasons go for $40 – $55 on Amazon or at Best Buy. Other good boxed-set DVD choices for guys: 24, The Simpsons, Stargate, Malcolm in the Middle.

A watch is a great practical and yet personal gift for most any man. Fossil is my favorite watch brand. They make great looking, long lasting watches that aren't too spendy. They come in tons of colors and styles and are boxed in very cool tins. $40 – $120.