It can be hard to be nice to people. Especially if you have people in your life who you love听but who are impossible to shop for. Perhaps a brother who is deeply nonmaterialistic, incredibly picky about what he wears, and, somehow, frustratingly good at giving gifts. Perhaps. Not that we鈥檝e got anyone like that in our lives, but for those who do, we鈥檝e got some ideas.
Art with a Sense of Place
鈥檚 prints, like its听Seven Summits Register, are both beautiful and practical. They come with a stamp, so you can tick off your accomplishments. Climber and artist puts out a yearly calendar, which is a mash-up of elegant line drawings of places like Longs Peak in Colorado听and temporal reminders of events like National Polar Bear Day. For some throwback appeal, give Parks Projects National Park posters. And if you鈥檙e really nice, stick an annual parks pass in with them.
Things to Put on Their Walls
One of the reasons social media isn鈥檛 total trash is that it can expose you to artists you might not encounter otherwise听and give you a way to pay those artists for their work. Scroll Instagram to find art that aligns with your loved one鈥檚听taste, like from Portland, Oregon, or . Is that the gig economy? I鈥檓 not entirely clear.
Slow Jams
A Spotify link is a lame present. Instead听try Cat Power鈥檚 first album in six years, . Its spare, subtle storytelling is loungy and thoughtful at the same time. The baby blue vinyl version is worth giving for the visual alone.
Beautiful Coffee-Table听Books
Does anyone buy themselves coffee-table books? Hell no, that鈥檚 what holidays are for. And this year there are a lot of good ones to give. Like , Jane Kim鈥檚听smart, epic, and beautiful hand-drawn evolution of 375 million years of bird life. For travelers, Gestalten鈥檚 feels like the best of low-toned Insta-lifestyle shots distilled.听Polymath Jason Lee put together a book of large-format photos of his adopted home state of Texas, the result of which is called . It鈥檚听perfect for the skaters in your life who grew up to own coffee tables.
Books to Spark a Sense of 国产吃瓜黑料
Mountaineers might be fascinated by , Jon听Waterman鈥檚 account of one of Denali鈥檚 biggest controversies鈥攚hether or not four gold miners managed to climb the mountain in a single day in 1910. Anyone thinking about thru-hiking could probably use a dose of Beth Jusino鈥檚 hilarious ,听about her pilgrimage听on the Camino de Santiago. If your babies are already into bucket lists, Atlas Obscura just released a kids鈥 book. Its听 looks at bizarre sites in 47 different countries. For exploratory chefs, Sarah Glover鈥檚 about cooking outside in Australia, is a feast for every sense. Poet Tony Hoagland, who passed away this fall, had a beautiful, nonstuffy knack for showing how the human and natural worlds reflect each other. It鈥檚 not new, but his 2003 book,听, is clear and true.
A Mug to Go with All Those Books
They鈥檒l buy themselves a Yeti if they really want one. Give them beautiful, hand-thrown pottery that鈥檚 meant for sitting, reading and CTFO, like 鈥檚 subtle, layered mountain mugs.