Holiday Gift Guide: Great geeky ideas from The PDX Broadsides
Photo credit: The PDX Broadsides
The holiday season has arrived! At GeekFold, we want to help you navigate the world of geek fashion as you try to choose the best gift. We're publishing a series of gift guides starting today to help you with your holiday shopping. To help us with this endeavor, we’ve enlisted some fellow geeks in the community to share their picks for what they think would make great gifts this year.
Our first guest gift guide is from the talented nerdy band The PDX Broadsides. Christian Lipski, Jessica Hebert, and Hollyanna McCollom share their geek fashion choices as well as some non-fashion items you should consider! Here’s what they recommend.
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Written by The PDX Broadsides:
Looking for that perfect gift for the great big nerd in your life? The PDX Broadsides, a musical trio of nerd-enthusiasts from Portland are here to help! Here is a list of some of the things they are hoping to find under their holiday tree.
Geek Fashion Picks
Holly:
Vanilla Sandalwood Millennium Falcon Bath Bomb from Frakking Bombs
Why is it so satisfying to watch the Millennium Falcon melt in a tubful of water? We are not really sure, but it feels great, smells great and leaves our skin super soft. We’ll take three, please.
Pro Choice, Pro Feminism, Pro Cats enamel pin from Punky Pins
We like a lot of things. It’s not often that so many of them show up on one pin. We are in full support of all of these things.
Christian:
Enamel Collar Pins from Yoshi Yoshitani
If you have a collar, you need these collar pins. Joined by a chain, these Japanese-influenced pins represent the pro and con sides of the "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" coin. A unique accent for your friends' boring old shirts.
For your friends who are a fan of the DeConnick/Delandro comic, or who just want to express their noncompliance. Officially licensed by the creators, and designed to scare the patriarchy!
Rogue One Button Trio from LanternPins
"I Rebel" may not have made it to the theater in Rogue One, but Jyn Erso's declaration still rings true for us. This quote and the combined "I am one with The Force/The Force is with me" are crafted into simple but gorgeous enamel pins that you can share among your list. Unless you keep "I Rebel" for yourself. We would.
Jessica:
Makeup Retro Cartridges preorder from Espionage Cosmetics
Nail wrap superheroines over at Espionage Cosmetics in Tacoma, WA have recently released some excellent pressed powder collections, and now they’re leveling up yet again with these adorable little retro-themed cartridges, holding your choice of a single new color. Preorders and sharing help unlock new colors and styles during the campaign, with your choices shipping in May. Like a late Christmas surprise!
Handbag of Holding from ThinkGeek
This bag isn’t playing around: with 15 pockets, there’s a place for everything. It will even hold a tablet or laptop up to 13” wide, and big enough to stash a change of clothes for overnight trips where you don’t want to bring a lot of luggage. For the geek on the go!
A beautiful piece in silver for the molecular biologist in your life, this DNA pendant is even in the right B-form conformation, though we can’t verify the size of the major and minor grooves: anyone got a micrometer?
Fibonacci Sequence Gala Dress from Shenova
Proving that yes, you can put the Fibonacci spiral on literally anything you want to, this gorgeous floor length maxi dress comes in black or pink with perfect drape and stretch. Just like the spiral, it’ll stay perfectly smooth for travel.
Blue Mitosis Silk Scarf from Artologica
Michele Banks, a.k.a Artologica, is a writer and artist from Washington D.C. inspired by the microscopic world. In soft blue silk, this representation of cell division reminds us that, on the smallest level, we all grow the same way.
Other Geeky Picks
Holly:
Beowulf, Adapted and Illustrated by Melissa Neimann
Teach the classics to your little one (or read them yourself) with Melissa Neimann’s adorable adaptations of classic literature. Aw, Poor Grendel!
The Queens Collection, an 11 book set from Chad Sell
If you are a super-fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race like we are, you are going to love this collection of art from Chicago artist Chad Sell. The books feature many of our favorites such as Katya, Sasha Velour, Alyssa Edwards, Bianca Del Rio. Alaska and Bob the Drag Queen. Come through!
The Wizarding Collection Gift Box of Teas from Friday Afternoon
These Hogwarts-inspired tea blends are a great way to share your love of wizardry. The collection contains a jar of each house blend, including Badger Blend (the best), Lion’s Blend, Serpent Blend, and Raven’s Blend.
Tea & Empathy cards from Kate McCombs
Kate McCombs is a sex and relationships educator who designed a set of cards each with a primary and adjacent feeling listed on the front. They are designed to help you (and your friends) build an emotional vocabulary. They can be used with partners, in groups or even solo as an exercise in self-care. Says McCombs, “When we can be present with others’ emotions – without immediately offering unsolicited advice – it transforms relationships...Empathy is the antidote to burnout. We often feel overwhelmed when we don’t feel seen, heard, and understood about the challenges we face.”
Christian:
Shakespeare's Lost Comedie by The Firesign Theatre
Young Prince Edmund fears that something's rotten in his beloved Pflegmland. In 1982, the comedy troupe created what may be the densest audioplay ever put on vinyl. This parody of The Bard packs in wordplay that may take repeated listenings to fully unpack. For your nerdy pun-loving friends!
It Devours! from Welcome to Night Vale
The second novel from the mega-popular podcast returns to the sleepy little desert town where everything *is* as it seems, if it seems really weird. Authors Cranor and Fink always find just the right balance between the surreal, the hilarious, and the truly touching. No previous Night Vale experience needed to enjoy devouring this book.
Banned Book Coffee Mug from The Unemployed Philosophers' Guild
For the free-willed readers on your holiday list, this mug displays the titles of books that have been banned at one point or another: Animal Farm, Ulysses, Les Misérables, and more. Drink beverages while proudly showing support for "dangerous" literature.
We've all had those late-night conversations about what would happen if you put your toaster in your freezer. Randall Munroe of webcomic xkcd has devoted actual scientific thought to them and put them in a book. Entertaining and accessible enough for everyone, but especially your nerdy science friends!
Jessica:
Northern Hemisphere Night Sky stemless wine glasses from Cognitive Surplus
This set represents the wonder of the Summer and Winter Northern Hemisphere constellations, but they also have a Southern Hemisphere set! Fill with your favorite wine and enjoy on a starry night.
Eureka Coloring Book by Monkey Minion Press
A companion to the wildly successful Eureka book on Kickstarter, color your way through some of the most influential scientists in history, with help from lyrics from the song “Eureka” by The PDX Broadsides!
Keep up with The PDX Broadsides by following them on Twitter and Facebook! You can find more of GeekFold’s holiday gift guides here. Don't forget to also sign up for GeekFold so you can receive the week's essential geek fashion news every Friday.