Nerd Christmas Gift Ideas

I thought, since I am such an enormous nerd, that I should share with my readers some fun Christmas gifts I have gotten from my friends in the past, just in case it helps anyone who might be having a hard time finding a great gift for one of their nerdy friends. These are great gift ideas if you are creative and artsy, but also there are some good ones even if you aren't. (They mostly surround Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but you may be able personalize them and tweak them to fit other things, too!)

TOMs shoes:

This year one of my friends bought each of us a pair of TOMs shoes in the color she thought would be best for us and then painted them to fit our favorite things! They turned out beautifully, and it's a great way to incorporate the receiver's personal favorites into what you give them. Plus it means more because of the effort and work you put into them. Not to mention that when you buy a pair of these shoes, one pair goes to a child in need. Can't get better than that.

Lord of the Rings on one foot, Harry Potter on the other!

The ocean and mountains on one shoe, the forest on the other.
Melissa is a nature lover.

Lace was added to Ashlie's shoes, as were these beads. 

JEWELRY:


For those of you who aren't great with painting, but you are slightly crafty and have the ability to string some beads together, you might look into making meaningful pieces of jewelry for your nerd. These next few pictures are examples of how to bring out important things from your nerd's favorite movie or book series.

This is a gorgeous "Snape" themed necklace Rocky made. It says "Always"
with a Lily and a doe in a frame. Any Snape fan would love this. 

Another Harry Potter themed necklace. It says "expelliarmus" with
Harry's lightning scar framed, the Deathly Hallows symbol, and a phoenix feather. 

And simpler still are singular charms that represent their favorite stories:

A few beads create tiny "snitch" earrings and necklaces for Harry Potter. 

A leaf charm and a tree for Return of the King.

Or, if you really want to do something special or unique, you could use actual excerpts from the books or real movie images to make the jewelry like so:

An old calendar with a screen cap from a movie...

...turns into a really special charm with words from the story.

RECREATE important moments:

Most nerds enjoy fantasy/sci-fi stories, but there are elements of those things that will never happen in real life. We get it, we're not crazy, but that doesn't mean we don't secretly wish that it could happen. So, this next one is a simple gesture that shows your nerd that you may not "get" it, but you know how important those things are to them. 'How sweet,' they'll say. Check out what one of my best friends did for me this year at Christmas:

What, did I open a box and find that a tiny owl is
delivering my very own Hogwarts acceptance letter?
With the correct childhood address and EVERYTHING? (Yes.)

And inside... a real letter with correct fantasy font? AND worded just like the book?
Don't forget there's a supply list.

It's even signed by Professor McGonagall!

This is just Rocky being adorable with her owl. 

Ashlie did this for all three of us this year (us = Rocky, Melissa, and I) and she did it all on her own. She didn't have to buy much, just special paper to print on and whatever it cost to get the envelopes stamped with the Hogwarts crest and addresses. She also downloaded some special fonts and then typed the letters herself, using the books as a reference. Simple but SUPER special! Something that is completely doable and will blow your nerd's mind.

VISIT:

If your nerd has dreams of visiting their fantasy worlds, for some books and movies that is a possibility. Surprise your nerd with a trip to Universal, Disney World, or ... if you're really nerdy and rich, New Zealand!

A nerd in her heaven.

Another nerd visiting his childhood.

CHILDHOOD DREAMS.

Or, if you aren't a bajillionaire (or have no desire to go into debt) and there is no way you can surprise your nerd with a trip for Christmas, you could do what my friends and I did. We have always wanted to visit New Zealand because we love Lord of the Rings and basically... NZ = Middle-Earth. However, that will cost approximately $05863957986724856, so instead of crying about the impossibility, we decorated jars to stash a "NZ-fund" in. That way, the idea is always out there and the hope that one day we will get to go isn't smashed. This could be a really cute way to bring a dream like this one more step into reality for a nerd yearning for a trip.

All the stuff on the outside of the jars are images that motivate us to save
because they make us WANT TO BE THERE.

Hopefully this list has been helpful in one or another. If it wasn't exactly what you had thought it would be, hopefully it had things you can tweak to fit your situation. And finally, if it wasn't helpful even in that last way, hopefully you got a great, big laugh out of just how ridiculous I am in all my nerdom. Merry Christmas!