As depressing (or not) as it sounds, it’s that time of year again when we show our love for other people by buying them gifts. You may know this time of year as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, or what-have-you. but you know what it’s really about. 😉 Depending on your personal level of organization, now is the time to start planning and shopping. Especially if you’re a professor, because we all know now is the calm before the storm of finals, final essays, and grade submissions that will keep you busy until at least December 22nd. However, online gift guides for historians, history-buffs, or even academics tend to be limited almost exclusively to books. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want more work for the holidays, not to mention random history books by questionable authors from well-meaning gift-givers. (However, if you do want some book suggestions, check out my previous blog posts on upcoming publications in Canadian history).
So with that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of gift suggestions at roughly six different price points. Now, Gwyneth Paltrow I am not, (though this goop guide, The Thinker, actually has some reasonable suggestions), so I tried to pick things that I would be happy to receive at any time of the year. While the title says that this list is for historians, and my price points have cheeky academic labels, this list has great suggestions for anyone with an interest in history, including archaeology and anthropology. Also, since most gift guides are American in focus, and the only Canadian one I could find was exclusively coins (seriously???), I’ve tried to include specific recommendations that would appeal to Canadians or are available in Canada, as well as more universal gifts.