Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please to put a penny in our Patreon Hat.
Holiday shopping season is upon us. Black Friday, the busiest, craziest shopping day of the year is November 23. Small Business Saturday, when shoppers are encouraged to buy from local, independent shopkeepers, is November 24. And of course, you can shop online any time.
Sturgeon’s Law says 90% of everything is crap. Soros’ Law says 95% of everything is available at Amazon: CDs, books, toys, memorabilia, Most of the music we play here is available through CDBaby.com.
Christmas falls on Tuesday, December 25, this year for most Americans. Eastern Orthodox churches and congregations celebrate Christmas on January 7, 2019. Kwanzaa is December 26 to January 1. Hanukkah runs from Sunday, December 2, at sundown to Monday, December 10.
Traditionally, Kwanzaa gifts are homemade or purchased from African-American owned businesses. If you’re not clever-handed and don’t feel comfortable making your own gifts but have a geek in the family, consider a DVD of Black Panther (Wakanda forever!) Another appropriate Kwanzaa Gift might be Hidden Figures. Watch the Oscar-winning movie about the human computers who got the Apollo mission to the Moon, and read the book. Get your kids the children’s book or the Legos set. These are also great for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Solstice gifts. Thaddeus Howze, our own Answer Man and comic book expert, is the author of Broken Glass and Hayward’s Reach. He has stories in he Future is Short and Visions II: Moons of Saturn., and other anthologies.
R is for REnaissance Faire
{image via Ebonstorm Media}
Have you ever tried to explain a RenFaire to someone who’s never been to one? You can make the task easier with R is for Renaissance Faire, by SCIFI.radio staff writer Susan Macdonald. Autographed copies of this ABC book (filled with beautiful color photographs are available through the Mid-South Renaissance Faire, or unautographed copies through Amazon.
Gifts that Give Back
Nearly every book published by B Cubed Press donates part of its profits to the ACLU. Alternative Truths isn’t for everyone. It’s a collection of speculative fiction that is less than respectful to the current occupant of the White House, with fantasy and SF stories ranging from silly to scary, with stories by Jim Wright of Stonekettle Station fame, Susan Macdonald, Adam Troy-Castro, K. G. Anderson, Rebecca Kyle McFarland, and Diana Hauser. Cat Tails: War Zone is a feline-themed science fiction/fantasy anthology with stories by Jody Lynn Nye, Susan Macdonald, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and Brenda Clough. The money raised by the book goes to the Shadow Cats Sanctuary. Sir Patrick Stewart’s Patrick Stewart’s Cowboy CLASSIC Sampler is a fundraiser for the International Rescue Committee to help Mideastern Refugees.
Alternative Truths, edited by Phyllis Irene Radford and Bob Brown
What Do You Put in a Browncoat’s Stocking?
The Man Dressed in Brown may be my favorite Serenity filksong, but it’s far from the only Serenity song. Eben Brooks’ Geek Mythology has two Firefly songs (as well as Dr. Who songs and songs inspired by other fictional universes). Marc Gunn has two albums of Firefly-inspired songs and is working on a third. In addition to music or DVDs of Firefly and Serenity, there’s a strategy game and graphic novels, or Nancy Holder’s novel Firefly: Big Damn Hero.
December 28th
Since December 28, 2018 would have been Stan Lee‘s 96th birthday, it’s bee suggested that people wear t-shirts bearing one of the characters he created on that day. December 28 is also Nichelle Nichols’ 86th birthday and Dame Maggie Smith’s 84th birthday, one could also wear a Star trek or Hogwarts t-shirt, whilst sipping tea out of a mug with a quotation from the Dowager Countess of Grantham
For the writer’s stocking
It was Dorothy Parker who said, “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.” We at SCIFI.radio do not advocate the shooting of would-be writers — you might deprive the world of a future Nebula Winner that way — but investing in The Elements of Style or Lynne Truss’ Eats, Shoots, and Leaves is a good thing for any next-of-kin of would-be writers.
What Do You Put in a Whovian’s Stocking?
One of the good things about being an SF fan is that most of us are overgrown kids, so we’re not too old for dolls/action figures, toys, and games, nor playing dress up. DVDs are always nice, too.
Nothing Says Loving Like Something from the Oven
Fantasy writer Irene Radford compiled a cookbook with recipes from her own kitchen and from friends.
Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, Yule, or Beauty and the Beast‘s Winterfest, there’s probably someone for whom you need to shop. Remember, books make great presents, as do music. Buy a CD of their favorite musician, or DVDs of their favorite show (season 4 of The Librarians is available on DVD now.
Happy Hunting!
Buying gifts for your favorite geek can be challenging, but we hope these holiday suggestions have lightened your annual gift-giving burden. Happy Holidays!
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SCIFI.radio is listener supported sci-fi geek culture radio, and operates almost exclusively via the generous contributions of our fans via our Patreon campaign. If you like, you can also use our tip jar and send us a little something to help support the many fine creatives that make this station possible.
Fantastic! Thank you so much for the mention. For those who want to know where to find my music, you can go to https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/EbenBrooks
Thank you again, Susan! 😀