Last-Minute Mac Stocking Stuffers

You decided to give the gift of Mac. But with only a handful of days till Santa comes to town, you realize that you spent more money on Billy’s gift than you did on Steve’s. That’s not fair. That’s not the way Santa would want it. Fortunately, there’s no need to anger Santa. I have a few quick ideas for last-minute stocking stuffers for your beloved Mac devotee.

If you’re a procrastinator and lucky enough to live near an Apple Store, you might find this chart of Apple Store Holiday Hours helpful. The majority of them are open until midnight on the 23rd and until 6pm on the 24th. Go. The Apple Store has lots of very expensive gifts, but there are a few inexpensive stocking stuffers to be found in the mix.

While you’re there, pick up some iPod socks for $29. You can give them to a friend with an iPod, or use them as mini stockings to hang from your mantel. If you, like most sane people, believe that $29 is too much money for a set of short-sheeted socks, then simply stop by your local clothing store, pick up some regular socks, some scissors, needle, and some thread, and hack your own makeshift iPod socks. You can find the iPod’s rough dimensions on Apple’s iPod Tech spec page. If someone’s on the naughty list this year, consider using dirty socks, preferably stinky ones.

Also, consider all the little things that a person might need, but which might not always be thought of as a gift.  Blank DVDs and CDs for a Superdrive are always useful. Printable labels for the media, or even for the iPod, could prove useful. Ink cartridges for an inkjet printer. Paper. Cords and hubs and screen-cleaners, oh my!

What about games? If you look around in the Apple Store, they have a nice collection of games in the $20 price range. Get your beloved control-freak a game like Tropico or an expansion pack for the Sims, so he/she can stop nagging you and enjoy bossing around some virtual people for a change.  No need to check the game’s small print.  They only sell Mac-compatible games in the Apple Store.

Another not-often-thought-of-option for a stocking stuffer is a book. Not some recipe book or thriller that your loved one will never find the time to read or use, but a nice Mac-related book that can prove both useful and fun. [Warning: Shameless self-promotion of books with which I have been involved in three . . . two . . . one . . .] Something like iPod & iTunes Hacks by Hadley Stern or Mac OS X Panther Hacks by Rael Dornfest and James Duncan Davidson.

Not the non-internet-shopping type? Don’t have enough time or money left to deal with expedited super-shipping? iTunes Music Store Gift Certificates can be printed out at home and can be purchased in nearly any amount. Also, consider that there are a multitude of useful and fun shareware programs available for download online and made for the Mac by the wonderful community of Mac-developers. Drop $15 on a favorite piece of shareware that you know the person you are shopping for doesn’t have and say thanks to one of your favorite developers in the process.

You may also consider giving your friend some blogs for Christmas. Better yet, set your gabby friend up with a free blog of his/her own through Blogger.

The point is: there’s still hope. Don’t give up on those stockings!