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Billy Binion, Eric Boehm, Andrea O'Sullivan, Bess Byers, JD Tuccille, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Brian Doherty, Regan Taylor, Jason Russell, Christian Britschgi, Peter Suderman, Ian Keyser, Noor Greene, Kurt Loder and Liz Wolfe | 12.10 .2021 1:31 PM

What's that sound? hear! I heard the buzzing of the holiday reception, the fearless jingle of the Salvation Army bells, the groaning of "Last Christmas" every time it was played, and the sweet tones of carols everywhere. They threw their masks in the wind. In, after a long time, dust off those ropes. Winter (and then some) naps.

Music gives me deprived ears. Last Christmas was something many people might want to forget, almost as if we all wanted to forget this song. We may not get any wish. This means that this Christmas needs to be more memorable. Double laugh, double joy, double feast, double cheers.

You are new to gift giving. Who can blame you? Some of us are forced to spread the joy of Christmas through Amazon Prime in 2020, unable to travel far to see the grandma of the world. (Or, if you are like me, you forgot to send a lot of things.) Then, this year you are more likely to see your grandma, mother, your aunts, uncles, and cousins. You need to deliver. So let us help.

According to tradition, your favorite staff will be here to bring smiles, laughter or confusion to your friends and family, and provide wise wisdom for the perfect holiday communication.

Some Reasoners have some personal suggestions this year: John Stossel, the head of Stossel TV and a writer for this site, suggested sending an ever-relevant reminder in the form of this cute T-shirt that capitalism really trumps socialism. Senior editor Robby Soave has published a new book: Technology Panic: Why We Shouldn't Be Fearful of Facebook and the Future. Reason provides all kinds of swag-shirts! phone case! Baby onesies! Cup! bib! hat! Dog headscarf! ——Suitable for those who want to look liberal and fashionable. (This is a daunting task.) And, as always, we sell print and digital gift subscriptions at a low price of $14.97 per year. (For an extra $5, you can have both at the same time.)

But we know that your loved one may want to leave the political realm and enter anywhere else. We are doing it! ——Billy Binion, Associate Editor

For the grudge and impatient players:

Quarto is the simplest board game you can imagine. It will drive you crazy for hours.

The goal is simple. Place four matching pieces in a row, column or diagonal before your opponent. The complete suit can be tall or short, black or white, round or square, solid or hollow. Each of the 16 game pieces has a unique combination of these four characteristics. Think of it as a four-dimensional tic-tac-toe game compressed into a two-dimensional space. This is the problem: your opponent chooses the pawn you want to play next, and then you choose their pawn.

The game is that simple-and it is endlessly complex. It is faster than chess and more interesting than checkers. Add a few glasses of whiskey to the mixture and you have the perfect way to spend the cold winter night. ——Eric Bohm, reporter

For technicians who are tired of big technology:

This Christmas, the gift of computational freedom is more accessible than ever.

You may not need an entry-level hardware wallet for a friend who likes Bitcoin, but for those who want to get involved in Liquid network functions, Blockstream’s open source Jade wallet is affordable and designed to protect this growing class of numbers. assets.

For those who want to run a Bitcoin node but don't want to set it up by themselves, Umbrel's Bitcoin machine is a good choice for busy sovereign individuals who have a soft spot for old Apple aesthetics.

Not everything has to be pure productivity. Coinkite's BLOCKCLOCK mini is a Bitcoin data display, which is a gorgeous artwork in itself. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey demonstrated his BLOCKCLOCK at this year's congressional hearing, which caused quite a stir. The people you love will also like it.

Maybe your technician prefers atoms to bits. The Creality Ender-3 3D printer is a great choice for those who are ready to start exploring Thingiverse. It is also open source. Don't forget to add some extra filament.

If your technicians are particularly good this year, then the Framework laptop is a must-have laptop for FOSS enthusiasts in your life. These non-large technology laptops are fully customizable and repairable, offering prefab and DIY options tailored to the required assembly level. They have excellent specifications and they look great. At least Linux is zero price! —Andrea O'Sullivan, contributing editor

For cannabis consumers who need to work:

Gone are the days of picking cannabis stems from butter. LEVO enhances herbal infusions of oil, butter, honey, etc. through its easy-to-use machine. With a few taps of the button, your herbs will dry, activate and inject minimal confusion. Whether you have a 420 friendly family member or just someone who likes to cook, LEVO II is a gift that keeps on giving. — Bess Byers, digital media expert

For environmental government skeptics:

A year later, the Texans were cut off due to a storm, and the Californians were cut off to prevent the state from catching fire. The 21st century looks more shaky than we originally expected. Household generators seem to be a good backup bet to sustain our self-reliance and extend a helping hand to our neighbors, but the heroic efforts of policymakers to curb the economy are causing the price of fuel needed to maintain generators to power soaring.

Fortunately, the government has not yet figured out a way to mess up the sun (give them time!). This makes solar generators-solar panels with battery pack power stations-a good choice for the uninterrupted lifeline of modern technology. Assuming you can see the fireball in the blazing sky at a glance, you can capture and store electricity to keep the lights on and the appliances running. Solar generators have multiple functions and price points. For example, Jackery provides a rough guide on how long you can power a range of devices, including laptops and air conditioners, from each of its fully-charged power plants. I found that Explorer 1500 can keep a 15.7 cubic feet refrigerator running for a whole day when fully charged. After connecting the solar panel, the device may run indefinitely, but Jackery warns that this kind of pass-through charging will eventually erode battery life.

Jackery is by no means the only company in this field. EcoFlow provides devices with expandable battery capacity, while Goal Zero sells a kit for integrating power stations into home circuits to keep some appliances buzzing without having to wind up a bunch of extension cords. No matter what option you choose, the solar generator will keep in touch with modern civilization so that you can post the latest disaster on Twitter while keeping your attitude as calm as drinking beer. — JD Tuccille, contributing editor

For Baby Elon (or Ilona) Musk:

If you are looking for a gift for the little future astronaut in your life, please consider this stylish SpaceX jumpsuit. Wearers wearing this little jumpsuit (size from 0-3 months to 5T) can practice when can they realize Elon Musk’s dream, that is, "born on Earth, died on Mars, I hope not in Impact point. "Branding is subtle-you don't need to make your baby a billboard-but the style is superb. NASA will never be possible. ——Catherine Mangu-Ward, Editor-in-Chief

For virtual reality survivors:

Reason's Peter Bagge originally wrote and drew "Other Life", a 2010 graphic novel based in part on a computer-generated virtual "Second World". Republished in 2020 with a new edition of Fantagraphics, it depicts the alternating tacky, boring, criminal, and people's obsession with this virtual world-how they will promote us to be braver and worse than in real life People’s desires, as well as private and government efforts to track our every action and thought more effectively-as Facebook tries to transform its massive social network users into a virtual “meta universe”, it’s more than ever Correlation. There, we will undoubtedly understand how correct Bagge's view has been, because we use technology to be ourselves digitally, even if we are in the meat space, we will be troubled. In some ways, as his story about guilty journalists and bewildered horror hunters shows, virtual reality will give all of us the opportunity to be worse than us, while also giving some people a chance. Experience the emergency situation we are in. The flesh (or our personality) may be far away from us. — Brian Doherty, Senior Editor

For lovers who brag about sleeping only four hours a night:

Do you have friends and family members who are not getting enough sleep? Tell them to put it together, sugarplum! Even better, give a gift: Bucky's plum bra eye mask!

If you know someone who is irresponsible for sleep sloppy, this is for them. It is suitable for your family, your zombie-like friends, and even your grumpy colleagues, because a good sleep is a constant gift.

Due to its unique shape, this eye mask provides the best non-suffocation eyelid coverage on the market. Trust me, I tried them all. I have attractive silk eye masks, fragile but usable airplane eye masks, weighted and even scented eye masks (yes, they are the same thing, no, they are not better than eye masks). However, this blindfold took away the cake. It won't let any light spread from the bottom, it won't cause puffiness or mask marks on the eyelids, but it does relieve those eye bags. If you just get this for yourself, and write your better, well-rested personality as a gift to your loved one, that’s also very important. Stop being a sleepless weirdo, go and score eight points, okay? Peace, love and quality Zs. Happy holidays, sweet dreams, my sugar plum. — Reagan Taylor, video editor

For gourmets with "complex" tastes:

The federal government doesn't want you to import Haggis directly from Scottish sources, so buy a can or two on Amazon to get the next best thing. It's easy to prepare (just heat it in a pan over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes), it goes well with mashed potatoes and premium Scotch whiskey, or sprinkle it on a piece of toast with melted cheese. If you are squeamish, don't worry about the ingredients, just book a flight to Scotland so you can try the real thing. ——Jason Russell, Deputy Editor-in-Chief

For those who are really hard to buy:

It is very light, like liquid. This is a gift that is constantly given. When the weather outside is terrible, this small number can still rain. If you want to show some warmth to your loved ones this Christmas season, there is no better way than using cold cash.

Most traditional gifts — whether it's a pair of socks, a bottle of brandy, or a heartfelt letter — require the giver to have incredible insight into the recipient's subjective tastes and preferences. (It is estimated that the annual cost of a wrong guess is as high as 12 billion U.S. dollars.)

The newly bundled fiat currency does not have this risk. That pile of bills can be converted into any goods or services that the most special person in your life wants most, and at the time they choose to maximize the utility.

Our current economic woes can only ensure that Fed bills become an indispensable holiday gift in 2021.

Supply chain issues mean that anything you order online will be late. Continued inflation is quickly eroding the sentimental purchasing power of any dollar you don’t shower with friends and family.

So, if you’re scratching your head over what to buy for Dad this Christmas, run, don’t walk, and go to the nearest ATM. Let him spend his money on things he will cherish forever—no matter what it is. ——Christian Britschgi, Associate Editor

For the anti-warner science nerd:

What if mankind does not solve global warming, but directly solves it? This is the premise of Neal Stephenson's latest novel "Termination Shock", which is a roaring doorstop about our dangerous climate future and the measures we might take. Stephenson’s book considers climate change to be both real and a serious problem as a matter of course, and then proposes various political alternatives as useful solutions, despite their own consequences. Along the way, he bypassed a series of pleasant digression commentators. So this is a book about geoengineering, yes, but it is also a book about supply chain, fire ants, falcons, Texas oil billionaires, Dutch royal family, wild boar hunting, RV culture, pull, no Human-computer surveillance, Sino-Indian confrontation, social media warfare, and obscure forms of fighting. It is funny and ingenious, occasionally scary, and very funny, in one go, that is to say, this is a Neal Stephenson novel, very much like what we expected. ——Peter Sudeman, feature editor

For gun lovers who feel safe in his (or her!) masculinity:

Loading pistol magazines may be a bitch, so buy one of these Maglula UpLULA universal pistol magazine quick loader for your uncle who likes firearms, they will think you are not the one. This sock filler is very convenient for shooters who have weak grip, who suffer from arthritis, or who want to really load 33 rounds of Glock magazines with exactly the right capacity, ensuring that your loved ones are more effective than ever Land turns money into noise. Of course, some people will say that "real men" don't need help, they are free to pay for range time, and they will spend loading instead of shooting. —Ian Keyser, Audio Engineer

For those who only want practical gifts:

Starting with this amazing Leatherman multi-tool MUT, it can do everything from hammering nails to cutting very rough surfaces to opening delicious cold beer. However, if the handyman in your life already has all the tools she needs, then I recommend Aqua Flosser, because who likes flossing in the old-fashioned way? About no one. I admit that this purchase was a mistake after the first use, but after some practice, this is definitely my favorite purchase for pandemic depression. My suggestion is to use it in the shower. Clean the body, clean the teeth! ——Nur Green, assistant producer

For losers who claim to need a kick:

This Christmas, give the losers on your list the only book they need: How To Make Sh*t Happen by Sean Whalen. Now, I haven’t read this fashionable tome myself, and I’m pretty sure I’ll have breakfast on frosted glass before reading, but its slogan is an exciting explosion of "Don’t mess with me" .

Whalen is an impressive figure with white sidewalls and unpredictable tattoos. He himself was once a loser: divorce, on the one hand ("bad relationship will make you fat"), but also depression and "dare to speak". Now, he describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur" and "founder of many companies", and one of his clothing lines offers red, white and blue adult jumpsuits with the motto "Lion is not a sheep". He wants you to be strong, lest you become one of those leggings who are "afraid to talk about politics at the Thanksgiving dinner." Robert Bly, the writer of Steel John who died last month, could have beaten him a few times.

Whalen said he sold approximately 425,000 books on Amazon ($2.99 ​​per Kindle download). Its message seems to be far from the spirit of the lovely baby Jesus, but who cares about all this anyway? ——Kurt Lord, film critic

For health-conscious stone people or female friends who like to bring politics into the bedroom (or both!):

Suppose you happen to be a dirty stone man and recently started a healthy kick. Suppose you have quit smoking, left the rat-infested New York City, started drinking Soylent (because it looks like something a healthy person would drink), and want to know how to better treat your small lungs while retaining your favorite Entering MouthPeaces of Moose Labs, activated carbon filters can be installed on joints or smoke guns to remove some resin and tar, allowing you to suck more weeds than before, without causing this to your lungs Big damage. Avoid fancy Rastafarian color choices, choose stylish monochromatic accessories, and show this style to your smoking partner is not negotiable.

Now, this is a pretty practical gift, so choose a second option for your precious goomah: Red Scare podcast’s "Irina" thong merchandise, featuring Tony Soprano’s dramatic Russian lover, sweet hair, and crying supplier Named after. Red Scare, often referred to as the "dirty left" fare, does not seem to be suitable for liberals, but the host is a radical social critic who combines Paglian worship with Laschian insights, semi-ironically appreciating the toughness of the Italian mob masculinity. 

Despite what they say otherwise, you must squint to find any legal socialism in their hour-long episode. Prefer to criticize identity politics and media-level malfeasance. The hosts Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova can provide a lot if you can tolerate Slavoj Zizek's quotes and their vacation time with Alex Jones. In other words, neither the podcaster nor its host has met expectations, and this Irina thong will certainly be the same. However, for the sake of God, please give this nasty item to the lady you voluntarily pursue, not the random person you bought the Christmas thong for. ——Liz Wolfe, Associate Editor 

For stylish butts (pun intended):

Come back to me. I was inspired this season, and initially it got me into the dilemma of finding the perfect gun-shaped handbag-I am now convinced that this kind of thing does not exist. But I will make a better one for you: For the gun lovers in your home, I recommend that you check out the wide variety of Montana West hidden handbags so that you can protect yourself and your loved ones in a stylish way. Their range is very wide: from messenger bags to shoulder bags, from academic style to more traditional ones, in different sizes. Gun rights, but make it fashionable. Happy Holidays everyone! ——Billy Binion, Associate Editor

Next: Inflation rate reached the highest level since 1982

Billy Binion is Reason's associate editor.

Eric Boehm is a reporter for Reason.

Andrea O'Sullivan is the director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at the James Madison Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. Her work focuses on emerging technologies, cryptocurrencies, surveillance and open internet.

Bess Byers is a digital marketing expert for Reason Magazine.

JD Tuccille is Reason's contributing editor.

Katherine Mangu-Ward is the editor-in-chief of Reason.

Brian Doherty is Reason's senior editor and the author of Ron Paul's Revolution: The Man and the Movement He Inspired (Broadside Books).

Regan Taylor is Reason's assistant producer.

Jason Russell is Reason's deputy editor in chief.

Christian Britschgi is the associate editor of Reason.

Peter Suderman is Reason’s feature editor.

Ian Keyser is the producer of Reason.

Noor Greene is Reason's assistant producer.

Kurt Loder is a New York writer who also hosted the SiriusXM interview show True Stories.

Liz Wolfe is Reason's associate editor.

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