Chicagoist's 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

By Staff in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 13, 2013 8:30PM

We're entering crunch time in the holiday shopping season and as we have this time every December the Chicagoist staff has rounded up some choice gift recommendations for the person who is either hard to buy a gift for or doesn't show his or her hand as to what gift to buy.

For the aviation buff in the family: NOMO Runway Series Screenprints
Local design studio NOMO’s Runway Series screenprints might be the perfect gift. Printed with white ink on steel gray Dur-O-Tone paper, the sleek, minimalist posters feature a blueprint outline of the airport with the IATA code and some identifying stats below. Of course they’ve got ORD and MDW, but also many other international airports ready to go for $30 each. Don’t see your favorite destination? NOMO will produce a custom print for $250. Order them here. —Michelle Meywes

For the meat lover: A Paulina Meat Market Gift Box
Skip the Omaha Steaks and order a local meat gift box from Paulina Meat Market. If you want to put something together yourself take a trip to the North Lincoln Avenue location and pick out some quality cuts of steak, sausage and an assortment of sauces and condiments to go along with. Or trust the butchers and place an order online. For a hostess gift, I recommend the Appetizer Pack with two smoked pork tenderloin and a jar of honey mustard for $35. Or if you're trying to find something for the brother-in-law who seems to have everything, tell him to fire up his grill for the $52.50 Bratwurst pack with turducken, chicken, tomato basil, andouille and smoked Italian brats. If your gift recipient is already a fan of Paulina, make sure they're grilling in style with a Paulina Meat Market apron and hoodie. —Jennifer A. Freeman

Paulina Meat Market is located at 3501 N. Lincoln Ave.

For the voracious reader: A Matter of Life by Jeffery Brown
Although local graphic artist Jeffrey Brown has most recently earned accolades for his seriously cute Star Wars books, Vader's Little Princess and Darth Vader and Son, I still prefer his more personal work. A Matter of Life is rendered in beautiful color drawings and carries the subtitle "An Autobiographical Meditation of Fatherhood and Faith." He weaves together multiple vignettes about growing up, questioning his beliefs, and raising his son Oscar. As in Brown's previous books, many parts are laugh out loud funny (especially a sequence of panels about Oscar's obsession with the Smurfs), and there's also a genuine tenderness that's quite moving. This would make the perfect gift for young parents, or really anyone who enjoys quality storytelling. Order the book online here. —Rob Christopher

For the chocolate lover and insomniac in all of us: Cocoa blends from Mindy's Hot Chocolate
One taste of Mindy Segal's proprietary cocoa blends and you'll never want to drink Swiss Miss again. Segal's sweets prowess is renowned and the James Beard Award winner doesn't disappoint with a variety of blends including dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, malted milk and espresso, butterscotch or my favorite of the lot, Mexican hot chocolate. If you follow the instructions on the packaging you will be rewarded with the richest cocoa experiences in your life and a sugar coma. —Chuck Sudo

Mindy's Hot Chocolate is located at 1747 N. Damen Ave. You may also purchase Hot Chocolate's cocoa blends online.

For the Blackhawks fan: 17 Seconds Blackhawks Championship DVD
While injuries have derailed promising seasons for the Bears and Bulls, the Blackhawks have dominated. Last year's team won their second Stanley Cup in four seasons and this DVD chronicles the team's magical season celebration afterward. HIghlights of the DVD include the post-game locker room party, the flight home, victory parade through the city, and showing how the players' spent their day with the Cup. —Benjy Lipsman

Purchase "17 Seconds" online.

For the person who can't get through the holidays sober: A DIY Booze Basket
I've found over the years that a gift both locals and faraway friends and family alike enjoy is a variety of local booze offerings from the Chicago area to share during the festive season. This tradition started after heading home to visit my parents with some winter brew from Goose Island long ago. It became a yearly thing, schlepping a six pack home on the Amtrak so everyone could enjoy a Christmas Eve pint. I like to throw in more variety these days, carting home a growler from Revolution Brewery and a bottle of whiskey from Koval. Who knows, maybe this year I'll introduce the family members stuck on the naughty list to a taste of Letherbee's spin on malort. You really can't go wrong, just choose local and choose a nice variety. A few beers, something brown and something clear. Tote it home in a big basket, stick a red bow on top and you are done. Even better, holiday shopping in your local liquor store sure beats the mall crowd. —Lisa White

For drinking that DIY booze basket with class and some civic pride: Chicago map rocks glasses
Got a bourbon or Scotch-lover on your shopping list? These rocks glasses are etched with a street map of Chicago so they can show off their local pride while enjoying their drink. Between the weather, Ventra and sports teams' injuries we all need a drink. —Benjy Lipsman

Purchase your Chicago map rocks glasses here.

For the serious film buff: A Gene Siskel Film Center membership
I may sound like a broken record recommending this as a gift each year, but the fact remains that a membership at the Siskel is not only a great investment (members get $6 tickets to most screenings) but also a boatload of fun. The Siskel is easy to get to, shows several hundred movies each year, and screens both digital and film. They also have a liquor license in addition to selling popcorn (and many's the night I've opted for the "Siskel dinner theater" combo of Hamm's and popcorn). Plus, if you purchase a yearly membership now, you'll get an extra month for free. —Rob Christopher

Purchase memberships to the Gene Siskel Film Center online or at the Film Center box office, 164 N. State St.

For peace, tranquility and some limber muscles: A yoga package from Moshka Yoga
If you want to bring a true sense of peace on earth to yourself and others this holiday season, racking up some good karma with classes at Moksha Yoga Center is a great start. Focusing on both the body and spirit, Moksha offers a variety of classes for every level. They even offer some classes that focus on a deeper sense of meditation if you really want to clear your mind of the holiday hustle and bustle. Rather than just going through the motions, I've found all the teachers I've encountered at Moksha to be passionate about their craft, warm and inviting and, above all else, willing to work with students of all levels. They truly care about your practice and and making sure to help adjust so everything is balanced right, both body and mind, for you. —Lisa White

Visit Moshka Yoga's website here.

For the person who forgets the time of day, week or month: "That's All She Wrote" calendars and cards
Jessica "JH" Palmer, one of the co-hosts of the storytelling series "That's All She Wrote" at Swim Café, has a habit of drawing pen and ink doodles of all the guest readers she and co-host Angela Bernander line up for their shows. Palmer has now taken those drawings and created a series of cards and a 2014 calendar that is the quirkiest calendar I've seen since Heather McAdams stopped making her "Lil' Country Calendar" last year. Palmer's doodles capture the readers in moments of naked emotional exposure and the listing of over 40 live lit events in Chicago every month is as integral to the calendar as the art. —Chuck Sudo

Order JH Palmer's "That's All She Wrote" calendar here or the set of greeting cards here. Shipping (for an additional $3) is available via PayPal here.

For the Frank Lloyd Wright Nut: the "All Wright Housewalk"
Each spring, the Frank Lloyd Preservation Trust (the group that runs the Home & Studio and Robie House) holds its annual Wright Plus Tour. This tour usually gives access to a couple of Wright-designed homes, the two FLWPT properties, Unity Temple, as well as about half a dozen historic homes designed by Wright's comtemporaries. However, for 2014 the tour will focus entirely on Wright's work. Tickets to the event, on Saturday, May 17, 2014 cost $125 for non-members or $100 if you are a member of the FLWPT. —Benjy Lipsman

For the person who already mastered "Cards Against Humanity:" "That's So Gay!" Trivia game
Windy City Times publisher Tracy Baim has created this game of LGBTQ discovery as a way to take the often vilifying phrase "that's so gay" into a positive opportunity to educate LGBTQs and allies, and even those people who use the phrase as an attack. Featuring more than 2,400 questions of LGBTQ history and current events, the game can be played by two or more people and is ideal for parties and social events. —Chuck Sudo

"That's so Gay!" is available online and in limited quantities at Women & Children First Bookstore and Gaymart.

For the "Calgon, Take Me Away" person in your life: a visit to 1,000 Waves Spa.
Everyone needs a little relaxation after the sometimes stressful double whammy holiday season of Thanksgiving and Christmas. One of my favorite gifts is something to unwrap under the Christmas tree that I can use at a later date, in this case a massage from my local favorite, Thousand Waves. I already spoke of my love of them before on the site but they truly are my favorite holiday gift of relaxation to give or receive. Reminder, they are women only so sorry guys, you’ll just have to purchase this for a special female in your life instead. If you really want to indulge, they offer multiple packages as well so it truly is the gift that can keep on giving all year. —Lisa White

1,000 Waves Spa is located at 1212 W. Belmont Ave.

For Bears fans who blindly idolize Mike Ditka and can read: Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football by Rich Cohen
No city loved a single championship team as much as Chicago loves its '85 Bears. Author Rich Cohen tracked down the players and coaches from that team to ask them everything he'd wondered about as a Bears fan, giving readers insights into the players past, time with the Bears and time since their magical '85 run. Because in spite of their three decades of media oversaturation, there may still be new things to learn about Ditka, Jim McMahon, the Fridge, Mike Singletary and the rest of the Monsters of the Midway. —Benjy Lipsman

Order Monsters here.

For the people receiving Sodastreams this holiday season: Jo Snow Syrups
Sure, you can give your mixologist-in-training friend any nice quality bottle of booze and they’ll graciously accept it this holiday season. But why not get a more creative? One of my favorite cocktail (and food related) gifts to give is syrups from Jo Snow Syrups. Not just for adding to your cocktails or coffee, these flavorful syrups are wonderful for baking and cooking as well. It's a nice touch of flavor that might be unexpected with flavors like fig vanilla black pepper, cherry thyme and hibiscus basil orange blossom. You can choose from a variety of bottles (even some seasonal options) or a few smaller size gift sets for those wanting to dabble in more than one flavor. And they even have flavored lip balm, a perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite foodie friend. —Lisa White

Order Jo Snow Syrups online or at any of these fine retail establishments.