The Best Gear For the 2011 Holidays

It never fails when a gift giving occasion rolls around, you have no idea what to get that person.

You can rack your brain for weeks, and still not come up with a suitable gift. This hub is designed to assist you in your decision making process. The list is not entirely all-inclusive, which would be nearly impossible to create. And also, this is not exactly the most budget friendly hub either. This stuff is the best of the best, and we all know that quality costs money.

So let this be a jumping off point for you.  I hope this helps you get inspired to go out and tackle that birthday or holiday shopping and come home with some great gifts for your lucky recipients.  After checking the list out, let me know what you think.  Feel free to add any gifts I have left out!

You ever bought a brand new notebook with the intentions of organizing your life and keeping tasks and thoughts together?  You've probably done it more than once.  And now you have several half-used notebooks just laying around your house.  The Action Journal may help you out.  It offers the classic good looks of a Moleskine, but it is packed full of pages containing task boxes designed to keep you organized and hopefully on track.  It doesn't guarantee it'll make you more productive, but you'll at least feel that way.

Thanks to Al Gore and countless other tree huggers, we all are aware that drinking bottled water is terrible for the planet. But what other options do you have? You definitely don't want to use that old beat up Nalgene you've had since high school. First off, that thing is too old for you to be walking around public with. Secondly, every time you drink from it, you get that terrible plastic taste that no likes. This Takeya Modern Water Bottle solves this problem. It's made of leachproof tempered glass so it doesn't funk up your water. And it's protected by a translucent silicone jacket that makes it virtually unbreakable.

Since the economy has been crap for the last few years, most of us have been forced to lay off our in-house Swedish masseuse.  So now that we're all alone, how are we going to stay fit and our muscle limber on a budget?  With the Trigger Point Foam Roller, of course.  One of my close friends is a Physical Therapist and she first told me about it, explaining that her office utilizes on a daily basis and recommends it to their clients even after rehab. 

Its essentially a foam-encased piece of plastic pipe.  It can be used for modified push-ups and crunches.  But it's best use is to iron out the knots in your muscles in a way that static stretching never will.  You know those knots that you get in your neck and back after staring at your monitor all day long?  Besides a vacation, this is the next best thing to fix that.  Just lay it on the floor, and roll your neck and back over it a couple of time.  I promise it works.

The Y-Grinder makes you wonder why someone hasn't invented this before.  It combines the salt and pepper into one unit, freeing up some countertop space in your kitchen.  And if you are super concerned about time management, I guess technically this would save you some time during your lunch break.  Another great feature is the looks of this item.  Most grinders look like they belong in your great-great-uncle's house.  The Y-Grinder has a much more modern look to it.

I just discovered this game this football season while tailgating at the University of Tennessee home games.  And it is fun.  I've heard it called Ladder Ball, Hillbilly horseshoes, and a few more less-than-mature names, but it's officially called Ladder Golf. It will be great for tailgating, at the beach, or even in your backyard.  While it is a blast to play, I can't personally guarantee that it's fun while drinking, let's just say, Dr. Pepper.  You may want to choose a beverage on the more adult side of the drinks while playing this game.

How do you play?  Well I'll explain it real quick:

1. Find an open area that's relatively close to the cooler.
2. Set up the ladders fifteen feet apart, then you and your buddy stand beside them.
3. Hurl your balls and hope for a ringer.  Or hope to knock your buddy's balls off.  First one to 21 wins.
   

The ear buds that come with the iPod, well honestly, suck.  Most people have already made the leap to a decent set of headphones.  And what a lot of folks have ran into is that the wires that connect to the bud, wear out and come apart after lots of use (or getting caught in a car door).  Shure, the industry standard for high-end noise-cancelling headphones, has found a way to beat that.  The SE315 have detachable ear buds so that you don't ruin your expensive headphones.  They should last, well honestly, longer than your iPod, and sound darn good too.

This is simply the best and most beautiful iPod dock yet.  Sonically, the DS9000's tone and surprisingly tight bass put the other high-end speaker docks to shame.  Visually, there's nothing else like it.  The rounded wood cabinet blends seamlessly into any room and incorporates your iPod in a way that doesn't make it look like an eyesore.  Docks like these are all about convenience, but the curves on this one prove that you can have fidelity and style.

Just about everyone has an "Alcoholic-on-the-go" on their Christmas list.  Or maybe you just need a flask for yourself.  Sometimes there's a cold wind blowing through the stadium when your team is losing, and a quick swig could warm you up.  Or when you've been shopping at the mall with your wife all day (literally ALL day), and a pep talk from Mr. Daniels is the only way you'll survive the trip.  Any of these scenarios are likely to occur to you at some point in your life, so check out these flasks.  The Stanley model is a boozy take on the classic, indestructible vacuum bottle.  And the Snow Peak is just plain cool.  It weighs only 2 ounces and holds just over six in highly inert titanium that won't taint your favorite single malt.

This is not your average kitchen appliance, this thing is a machine.  The thing weighs as much as a small child, looks like a nuclear warhead, and when you hit the power button, sounds like you're gunning an Aston Martin.  Basically all the characteristics a man looks for in any new tool.  If you're in the market for a new juicer or blender, check this one out first.

This set is useful andreasonable priced.  It's perfect for water or wine, and anything in between.  The glass carafe will decant a Chateauneuf-du-Pape just as well as pricey crystal, and because the glasses stack inside the neck for easy carrying, there's no balancing act involved in getting it to the table.  And on top of that, the French-bistro glasses are a timeless design so they will not only last for many many years, it'll be in style the whole time.

Everybody wants a new TV, and this should be the next one you buy.  The LED screen is less than half an inch thick.  Yet it still delivers the sharp, leap-off-the-screen image that any serious home theater demands.  What it lacks in physical depth, is made up by converting 2-D dvds, video games, and HD television programs into 3-D.  Sadly though, you will have to wear those goofy glasses to experience this.  To really let its precision-machined aesthetic shine, just turn it off.  No other TV on the market is so elegantly discreet.