Hit up a charity shop, flea market, estate sale, thrift store or vintage shop for planet-friendly, affordable gifts.
2026 est merde but there are small ways to show your loved ones some love and support your local community, band, label, bookshop, record store, chocolatier, venue, and letterpress genius on this most corporate and silly of holidays. It has never been more important to vote with every dollar you spend, so consider putting it back into your local community to keep the lights on for musicians, artists, photographers, designers, writers, and other small businesses. Rescue a pup, go birdwatching, build a hummingbird sanctuary or adopt an endangered animal!
You could give them experiences (photography class! a lesson in making fresh pasta! a private karaoke party!), handmade or homemade gifts (how about some protest sign-making materials), incredible edibles, original artwork from an artist you may know, or something that gives a chunk to charity. Skip the red roses (give them living plants or a tree instead!) or the mainstream chocolates! World peace begins with having each other’s backs. We have to right the ship, and it starts with LOVE.
Consider every dollar you spend a vote for the world you want to live in: a better world is possible and we must keep pushing for it. That means avoiding corporations (or spending very little this year for many on a budget) and awful retail giants who pay no taxes and pay their employees so little they can’t make a living. Our guide focuses on community, creativity, mutual aid, supporting artists, musicians and writers, and encouraging gratitude, kindness, empathy and giving back.
GIVE THEM EXPERIENCES: Sign your friend up for kickboxing classes, give them season tickets to a women’s futbol team, a spa day, or take them out to dinner, a play, an art-house movie, time in a recording studio, ceramic lessons, or pasta-making classes. Book a treehouse getaway!
NATURE IS HEALING: There are many ways to support animal welfare, bird safety and wildlife thriving, along with giving humanswhat they need to survive in this stupid world: Head to Audubon, Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Manatee, Oceana, the A C L U, and other do-gooders and buy things that benefit them! Also consider adopting a real-life rescue pup or a black cat or buying things that benefit animal sanctuaries, hummingbirds, bees, bats, and wildlife. Without pollinators, our species will not survive. Give seeds to grow food, make bat boxes, hummingbird feeders and give someone beekeeper classes! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t need a massage right now.
KEEP THE LIGHTS ON: Support your fave radio station like WFMU by grabbing a bucket hat, a hoodie from top labels, or even buy your loved one a public media subscription. Commission an artist or buy something they’ve already created or a photographer to take a portrait. Shop museum and gallery shops, independent book shops, small businesses, and of course record shops! (We like Jigsaw, Monorail, and Dusty Groove a lot, along with our wonderful stockists Atomic Books, Grimey’s, K Recs, Record Grouch, Sonic Boom, and Peel).
MUTUAL AID: If you want to buy nothing, that makes a statement but consider ways to invest in our communities, support artists, writers, musicians, photographers, makers, ceramic artists, record labels, small publishers, camera shops, food co-ops, farmers markets, help people eat, get the care or services they need, and donate to food banks near you if you can.
IT GIRL: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin The real queen of England finally gets a proper bio from an author who once wrote about chickfactor and other zines in the New York Times:
The first comprehensive biography of Jane Birkin—actress, singer, and legendary style icon—and her profound cultural impact, from the “acerbic, culturally astute, and genuine” (The New York Times) author of the instant New York Times bestseller Glossy. (Simon & Schuster)
“The first full-length history of the Shangri-Las, one of the most significant—and most misunderstood—pop groups of the 1960s.
Sisters Mary and Betty Weiss, together with twins Mary Ann and Marguerite Ganser, were schoolgirls when they formed the Shangri-Las in 1963, and had a meteoric rise to fame with songs like “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” Their career was cut short for reasons largely beyond their control, derailed by the machinations of Mafia-linked record executives, and heartbreak and tragedy followed. Historian Lisa MacKinney marshals an impressive array of new evidence to tell the Shangri-Las’ story, dispelling many myths and long-standing mysteries along the way.” (Verse Chorus Press)
“John Davis understands that revolutions start at home. His reverent analysis of DC punk zine history, “Keep Your Ear to the Ground, is a sobering call of support for local, DIY culture. John’s book is definitive, well researched, and highly recommended.” —Bruce Pavitt, author of Sub Pop USA, cofounder of Sub Pop Records
“Art is a weapon and as deadly as steel cannons or exploding bombs. Art should not be pacifist nor mystic, but should send fighting people to the field of battle filled with the clear knowledge of what the real enemy is,” according to Woody Guthrie, a great American. The Guerrilla Girls have been busting down doors for decades doing the work required to highlight gender discrimination and income inequality in the art world. Now your kiddo can learn how to be a superfeminist and an artist!
This stamp set is great for anyone looking to get a feel for letterpress. Hatch Show Print has been a working letterpress studio since 1879! I wish I lived closer, I would be there all the time.
Snoopy Boombox Retrospekt just keeps refurbing and making things everyone would totally want. Via Moma Shop:
Features of the Retrospekt Snoopy Boombox include:
Powered by the included traditional plug-in power cord or by four D batteries (not included)
AM/FM/SW radio
Cassette play and record
Bass and treble adjustment knobs
Two built-in X-bass speakers
Headphone out 3.5mm audio jack
Bluetooth® connectivity to phone or wireless device
Track to track and play/pause controls for Bluetooth® connected device
With handle up: 7h x 14w x 6”d and Handle down: 5h x 14w x 6”d
The red telephone is not just a classic banger from Arthur Lee and Love, it’s also a product that I would love to hold up to my ear when I chat on the phone like an old person! From Moma:
Features of the Native Union Retro Pop Phone include:
Fun, retro phone handset design.
USB-C compatible with smartphones, laptops and tablets.
High-quality microphone and speaker for clear calls.
“This how-to guide for electric guitar beginners covers all the basics: tuning, chords, scales, solos, and all the other fancy-pants stuff you need to become the next Joan Jett, Jimmy Page, or Mary Timony. No ‘tech talk’ here, just good old-fashioned tricks of the trade and easy to follow diagrams.” (buyolympia)
Risotto Studio Calendar at Little Otsu We love Risograph prints and this limited edition hanging wall calendar from Glasgow’s Risotto looks smashing! Twelve months of fun colors, lunar phases, and this year’s featured language is Dutch so you can also learn the days of the week and how to phonetically pronounce the months. Risograph printed in Scotland on recycled paper. White wire binding with a hanging loop, comes in a plastic sleeve.
Late stage capitalism is the worst but you can still give gifts to your loved ones when you follow our gift guide! There is no need to make purchases that will ultimately only benefit, like, three billionaires! may we suggest these gifts:
• Take your friend out to ice-skate, watch futbol, see Stuart Murdoch reading from his new book, sip boba tea, slurp noodles, or give experiential gifts like road trips, spa days, roller derby matches, or of course guitar pop festivals (but not the one in California owned by a creep!).
• Think about nature: Head to Audubon, Wildlife Conservation Society, Save the Manatee, Oceana, the A C L U, and other do-gooders and buy things that benefit them! Also consider adopting a real-life rescue pup or a black cat or buying things that benefit animal sanctuaries, hummingbirds, bees, bats, and wildlife. Give seeds to grow food, make bat boxes, hummingbird feeders and give someone beekeeper classes!
• Support the greatest radio station around like WFMU by grabbing a cute T-shirt. Consider commissioning a photographer or artist to make something for you or buy something they’ve already created. Also shop at museum and gallery shops, independent book shops, small businesses and of course record shops! (We love Courtesy Desk, Jigsaw, Monorail, and Dusty Groove a lot!)
Read on for some more ideas but remember, giving more money to billionaires (and the online retail giants they own) is bad for the entire world. They are drunk on power and need to be reined in.
Capitalism is evil! But you can still support artists, musicians, photographers, and small businesses by using our handy holiday (or anytime) gift guide! We want everything here and you will too.
