It is that time of year again, my annual list of present ideas for that geeky relation, friend or significant other. Completely gender irrelevant, the only requirement is a certain level of cult obsessiveness, geekiness or nerdism. (I am pretty sure some of those words are made up! ed.)
I held out until November 1 to publish this list, even though some shops have had their Christmas stock on the shelves and some television channels have been playing Christmas movies since the beginning of September! I hope you enjoy it. Even if you do not get the exact thing from our list, maybe it will inspire you to your own geek gift idea—if it does, let me know.
No affiliate links here – it is just for fun.
Clive
Choose Your Star
The opening offer for Christmas 2024 is a “toofer”. You choose the best Star franchise for your particular Geek – or choose both!
Star Trek Next Generation Ships of Trek T-Shirt
Sonic screwdriver
Tools are always a popular choice for that geek who cannot resist “fixing” things. This screwdriver has hidden bits and comes in Christmas red.
Bluetooth keyboard
This suggestion came from a friend of mine. He uses his with both his iPhone and a Samsung tablet.
Harry Potter
I have received some complaints (mainly from our children) that Harry Potter does not get enough representation in my lists. Let’s fix that with another toofer.
This is a big mouse mat, big enough to protect your desk and show you the secrets of Hogwarts.
Here is another idea – a friend of mine uses one of these big mouse mats to protect a coffee table.
The Marauder’s Map Mouse Mat and Desk Pad
And if you need a little more light on the situation…
Lumos Nox Light Switch Sticker
Lap desk
This entry was suggested by one of our support team members. It is so close to IT support and sensible that it almost got disqualified.
However, Ben raised a good point, this would be a great gift for the people in those trendy adverts where you see them using their laptops in bed, with all the ventilation blocked! That is good IT advice – lap desks are essential so you do not block the ventilation on your expensive laptop when using it on a soft surface or on your lap. At that point I was about to delete this gift for being too sensible, when Diana pointed out that this would make a better gift than the piece of hardboard I am using at this moment as a lap desk.
It can also be used with a tablet and the Bluetooth keyboard above.
Not a James Bond pen
I could not find a new James Bond pen this year, but I did find this pen. I cannot describe it – you need to go and have a look. A gift for those creative geeks.
The beverage of your choice – for the really fussy.
For the geek who has very exacting standards when it comes to tea and coffee – yes another toofer. If you get constant complaints you cannot make the beverage of their choice as they like it, now you can get the exact specification you need to meet.
My Cuppa Colour Guide for Your Tea
My Cuppa Colour Guide for Your Coffee
For the record, Diana does not need one of these, her tea and coffee are perfect every time.
Spork
In the last couple of Geek Gift articles I have listed some reusable cutlery, a green option when your geeky other is travelling. The previous entries had been sets of individual utensils, here is a one piece option. Get the titanium version not the plastic version.
I originally bought one of these for backpacking and camping. I now carry it when travelling as well, as it is useful for eating my pancakes and sausage at McDonalds compared to the eco-friendly, but completely useless, cardboard cutlery they provide.
The Third Law of Geekdom
“Geeks cannot have enough pouches and bags to keep all their cables, chargers and accessories organised.” (Anon, 1687. The Third Law of Geekdom. The Laws of Geekdom. Often credited to Isaac Newton.)
Here are a couple of pouches I liked this year.
The smaller smartphone pouch is on my Christmas list. (For those it may concern, that is a hint.) This is another gift with options – although it is made for tech stuff, there are no laws as to what is actually packed in it – let your imagination go wild.
Travel Charger
A charger plug with folding prongs is a useful addition to any Geek travel gear – see the pouches above. The issue is there are dozens of options out there and which of those are of good enough quality, that your Geek would be happy plugging their expensive equipment into them?
I recommend this one to our clients – I also have one.
Not the cheapest but Anker have a solid reputation for functionality and reliability.
Boom Box
For my last gift, I am going outside the box. (Cheap pun! ed.)
Made for packed lunches but like other things on this year’s list, your geeky others could store anything they like in it.
54 Shopping Days Left
As is tradition with these Christmas Geek present blogs – there will be no seasonal greetings – it is far too early for that. But not too early to get inspiration for shopping for those geeks.
Clive
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
…and for the crafty people among our readers!
For completeness here is my homemade lap desk, which includes a lip to lift the hot laptop up from the board. I also use it with my iPad and a Bluetooth keyboard when out and about.
Dell laptop photo by Clive’s Blog
Featured Photo by Ylanite Koppens
Product images from Amazon fair use
