Amidst the chaos of decorating the house, booking flights, or planning a holiday feast, deciding on gifts for friends and family is liable to be the last thing on your mind this December. Fanbase Press is here to help with the best recommendations for gifts to give the geek in your life as suggested by our staff and contributors. Not everything falls into the categories of graphic novels, movies, or games. Geeks also like gifts that help them to decorate their home or office or to entertain the geeklings in their lives. To close out our 2018 Holiday Gift Guides, we present to you our “geeky extras.” Happy Holidays!
Bubbles and Things Soaps
Recommended by Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief
At Fanbase Press, we support creators of all innovations and at all milestones in their creative journey. Of course, that includes businesses that are just beginning to make a name for themselves (and doing an incredible job at that)! Our first entry for this year’s Holiday Gift Guide (Geeky Extras) is the simply wonderful Bubbles and Things Soaps. Founded in 2018 by the supremely talented Chris Rubin, Bubbles and Things Soaps provides one-of-a-kind scented (and unscented) soaps that are perfect for the hard-to-shop-for geek on your holiday shopping list. Made in small batches and hand-designed with fun in mind, available soaps include the “Surprise ‘Blind Box’ Soap” which allow customers to peel off a layer of sap to reveal a fun toy inside, the “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel Soap!,” the beautifully colorful “Candy Cane Soap” scented with peppermint essential oil, and even the “Rainbow My Little Pony Soap” which can be custom-made for the Brony in your life!
For details on ordering, be sure to contact Bubbles and Things Soaps via their Facebook or Instagram (@bubblesandthingssoaps) pages. You’ll be so glad that you did, and so will those on your holiday shopping list!
House of Tabu
Recommended by Michele Brittany, Fanbase Press Editorials Manager
Palm trees, totem statues, and a-frame structures all epitomized a Polynesian-style that gained in popularity in the United States starting in the 1930s. Early examples of Tiki culture included Don’s Beachcomber, a Hollywood bar and restaurant, as well as being showcased at the Golden Gate International Exposition, California’s World Fair of 1939 held in San Francisco. Interest became more widespread as veterans returned from the South Pacific, but eventually waned by the late 1960s; however, with the “retro” resurgence, Tiki has been making a comeback. Mid-century futurism infused with post-modern sensibilities and splashes of bold, friendly colors have redefined Tiki. House of Tabu, which offers limited edition collectable Tiki mugs, glasses, t-shirts, pins, and Tiki magazine Exotica Moderne (an informative and fun publication, by the way), are exquisitely designed by Ken Holewczynski (American Flag, Mister X). As an Egyptophile and a collector, I’m a fan of Holewczynski’s blending of Polynesian and ancient Egypt cultures into the Tut Tut Drink Up and Nefertiki Tiki mugs. While these are rather unique designs, House of Tabu typically offers more traditional designs that will make any fan’s paradise-inspired cocktail look chic.
Cost: Prices varies, depending on product
Click here to visit the website.
Calliope Candleworks
Recommended by Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief
It is often said that one’s sense of smell carries with it the strongest link memory. Perhaps this is why certain aromatic fragrances conjure such delightful recollections of holidays gone by, of cherished time with family and friends. As the holidays fast approach, there can be no better gift for your loved one than a Calliope Candleworks candle, capable of evoking the most wonderful of holiday memories (combined with a bit of geek-themed merriment).
Led by the very talented Lauren Rock, Calliope Candleworks is an LA-based company that makes hand-poured soy candles with geeky, bookish, pop-culture-y themes! From Twin Peaks, The Princess Bride, and Little Shop of Horrors to Ghostbusters, Elf, and Stranger Things, Calliope’s candles pack a powerful aroma while adding elegant geek style to your home or office.
This year, Calliope Candleworks is adding a new geek-themed line of candles to their catalog with the Buffy Candle Set! Containing four 2 oz. candles in a festive holiday bundle, this set includes candles with the themes of “Slayer,” “Let Me Rest in Peace,” “Watcher,” and “Hellmouth.”
Be sure to visit the Boonzy Arts Candle website to peruse the various “Coins of the Forge” candles available, and check out all of the additional geek-ified candles that are available for sale through the online store.
Cost: Starting at $17
Click here to visit the Calliope Candleworks website.
The Truffle Cottage
Recommended by Phillip Kelly, Fanbase Press Contributor
Confounded as to which DVD, comic book, or video game to buy your geek and nerd lover this year? Do they have everything you think they could possibly want? How about something a little different? How about intricately handcrafted nerd/chocolates? At The Truffle Cottage, creator Jennie handcrafts these incredible confections around much-loved fandoms.
From cookies and cream truffle-flavored ATATs ($10.00 – my first experience with the company), to Harry Potter butter beer-flavored house truffles ($8.00), to Star Trek Swiss chocolate bark communicators ($10.00), Sonic Screwdrivers designed after the 11th Doctor which is “a mouth-watering 6.5″ long soft caramel wrapped around a salted pretzel interior and milk chocolate on the outside” ($15.00), or maybe you want something even more special like a Game of Thrones Dragon Egg filled with dragon chocolates or Harry Potter Golden Egg with a mermaid inside (both $45.00), or an entire collection of Star Wars-themed chocolates know as the “survival pack” ($60.00), and many other delectable options, this is a true treat.
I recently bought the intricately designed (truly beautiful) chocolate dragon heads for my DnD group, and they went off without a hitch. It’s one thing to buy a box of chocolates made on a conveyer belt and packaged up, it’s another thing to buy something that is personally handcrafted with love and care and tastes absolutely amazing.
Cost: From $1.75 (Poop emoji cookies) to $60.00 (Star Wars survival pack).
Click here to visit the website.
Cantrip Candles
Recommended by Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief
Whether you are shopping for an avid tabletop gamer or someone who simply enjoys soothing scents wafting through their home or office, look no further than Cantrip Candles. Based in Los Angeles, CA, the company designs and manufactures homemade soy wax candles that foster an immersive environment for tabletop adventures. Creating a special ambiance for various gaming parties, Cantrip Candles are themed for specific settings, whether it be an inviting bakery with fresh bed baking in the oven, a walk through the woods that may hide thieves and elves, a pungent dungeon that may hold untold fortune (or impending doom!), or a dark and cozy tavern where you and your mates can enjoy a brew in between dragon battles.
All of Cantrip Candles’ creations are vegan and made with 100% natural soy wax, fine fragrance oil, and cotton-based wicks.
Be sure to visit the Cantrip Candles website (www.cantripcandles.com) to peruse the online selection of scented candles available for the gaming fan on your holiday shopping list.
Cost: Starting at
Click here to visit the Cantrip Candles website.
LED Space Fleece Blanket
Recommended by Claire Thorne, Fanbase Press Contributor
The best place space nerds can go during the gift-giving season is the “Starstuff” section of thinkgeek.com. If I were forced to pick just one item from this bonanza of interstellar collectibles, it would be the “LED Space Fleece Blanket.” How can you say no to wrapping yourself up in a super soft, twinkling star-scape complete with your own little astronaut friend?! The rest of Thinkgeek’s cosmic offering includes apparel (Twinkling Milky Way Skirt!), jewelry (Solar Orbit Necklace!), home decor (desktop Solar Radiometer!), and much more.
Be warned, if you’re like me, settling on just one thing might be as difficult as launching a Tesla convertible into orbit…oh wait, that might be a defunct analogy.
Cost: $40
LED Space Fleece Blanket
“Starstuff” @ ThinkGeek.com
Unexpected Hobby
Recommended by Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief
As a returning entry for Fanbase Press’ Holiday Gift Guide, this crafting company is sure to provide countless gift-giving options for the creatively inclined geek on your holiday shopping list. Founded by Fanbase Press’ very own Claire Thorne in early 2015, Unexpected Hobby is a crafting haven for those who love geek-themed sewing and embroidery. With original stitching patterns and do-it-yourself cross-stitch kits, Thorne has provided a creative outlet for those who want to display their geek pride and don’t mind putting in the needle work to do it!
The patterns and cross stitch kits currently available cover a wide variety of properties within geekdom, including Star Trek, The Walking Dead, Sherlock, Dark Tower, Doctor Who, Firefly, Lord of the Rings, Steven Universe, and Star Wars, just to name a few.
Plus, shoppers won’t want to miss Claire Thorne’s latest release, A Geek’s Guide to Cross-Stitch: Journeys in Space (released this year via Fanbase Press)! This geeky crafting book combines the art of cross-stitch with the science of space travel, including more than 25 original space-themed patterns for the science (and/or crafting) geek in your life! The book is now available through Fanbase Press and Amazon for only $19.99.
All of Unexpected Hobby’s crafty goodness may be found on the official Etsy store, and you can also stay up to date by following the Unexpected Hobby blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
‘Tis the season to be crafty!
