A Gift-Buying Guide For People In Your Life Who Are Kind of Like Me

How's that for a helpful title? I figured with the holiday season at hand (and me testing out my new Amazon Associates connection on my blog - *shrug* pretending I can monetize my writing is nice) I could post some awesome gift-buying suggestions for people who are... kind of like me. I admit, this started off just as a list of Cool Stuff I Own, but then I thought of a couple Cool Things I Don't Own But Should and figured they were worth including as well.

I have sorted them by category, so you can go right to what you want.

Theater Stuff

• Shrek the Musical. This is one of the ones I don't own, but fully intend to purchase it for myself in the near future. It's a filmed version of the Broadway musical starring the original cast.
• Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Because anyone who likes musicals, Joss Whedon, or awesome things in general should own it. But especially people who like musicals. If you get the DVD, you also get the musical commentary "Commentary!" which is nearly as enjoyable as the movie itself.
• Much Ado About Nothing. More Joss Whedony theater goodness. This is a solid production of one of Shakespeare's best-known comedies. It looks gorgeous, the language sounds gorgeous, and Nathan Fillion wins everything in his few short appearances.
• Last Five Years / 2013 O.B.C.R. I own this one but haven't listened to it much yet... but giving anyone songs by Jason Robert Brown Christmas is a good way to tell them you love them. Alternatively, you can get someone the original 2002 cast with Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott, which I do love, but I figured I'd showcase something a little newer here.
• A Digital Theatre gift certificate. Digital Theatre is an incredible website with several filmed theatrical productions for rent or purchase. I personally own the David Tennant/Catherine Tate Much Ado About Nothing and love it, but they also have for sale productions of shows like All My Sons, Into the Woods, Swan Lake, La Traviata, and more. 

Movie & TV Stuff

• The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. The most interesting movie-related book I've read in ages. If you have any friends who liked The Room and want to know more about how the heck it happened, they will LOVE this book. I read it in less than a day because it was so intriguing I almost literally could not put it down.
• Quickfire unknown movie recommendation round: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra for those who like parodies, Lars and the Real Girl for those who like inspirational movies, Sinbad of the Seven Seas for those who like their movies so awful they're hilarious, Wit for those who like dark philosophical tragedies, and Mozart & The Whale (Widescreen) for those who like rom coms.
• Community: The Complete First Season. And, ya know, every season after that. I've written plenty on this blog about how much I freaking love Community, so I won't elaborate here. Just... buy it for people. Make them watch it. They will love it.

Cool Books

• I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells. The sequel is a little disappointing, but this was possibly the best book I read last year. The main character is one of the most psychologically fascinating ones I've ever found, and the mystery is fun to follow along with.
• All My Friends Are Dead and its sequel, All My Friends Are Still Dead. These morbid board books make awesome conversation starters. Even if you don't read them often, they're still freaking cool just to have in your house. Also, while finding the links on Amazon, I discovered there is an All My Friends are Dead 2014 Wall Calendar, which is the best thing ever.
• Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir). I have never, ever, ever laughed out loud this often or this hard reading a book. Jenny Lawson's stories are touching and funny and far from boring. It's far from family friendly, so you probably don't want to buy it for, say, your pastor or a young child, but for my vote it's well worth the read.
• Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened. I don't yet own this, but it's another one I need to. Like Jenny Lawson, Allie Brosh just has the ability to make me giggle madly. If you're not sure if you should buy this, read a few of her blogs over at her site, also called Hyperbole and a Half, and that should convince you.
• Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller. An older one, but it's a book that changed the way I thought about God in quite a few significant ways. It's an easy, laidback read, with a lot of good points and poignant stories.

Games

• Fluxx. Just about any incarnation will do, but I've specifically played Star Fluxx and Cthulhu Fluxx, and they're both so much fun. It's a card game where the rules change frequently during gameplay, so you have to stay on your toes to win. It's also easy to play with just two people, so you don't have to gather a huge group to enjoy the game.
• Pandemic. A cooperative strategy game where you try to eliminate four contagious diseases before they spread and wipe out the world. Notoriously difficult, but if everyone works together you can save the world!
• Cards Against Humanity. I don't own this one yet either, but it's been on my list for awhile of "games I should probably get." It's kind of like a darker, less family-friendly (but much funnier) version of Apples to Apples.

Cool Clothes

As a final plug, I wanted to mention my good friend Erika's Etsy shop. She makes nerdy T-shirts, pillows, travel cups, and more. Lots of stuff from various fandoms such as Doctor Who, IT Crowd, Magic: The Gathering, Portal, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Big Bang Theory. The products are creative and good quality, so if you're looking for something a little off the beaten path, head over her way and buy some stuff!

So there. Good luck with all your holiday shopping. If you have friends who are kind of like me with their interests, you now have an idea of some cool things they might like! Of course, if they're too much like me, they might own all this already. And if that's the case I should probably be friends with them. Mostly so they'll let me borrow the stuff I don't own yet so I can read it/watch it/play it.