![\"Santa](\"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/santaskulls-150x150.jpg\" "\\"Santa")
The holidays are coming! Everybody duck!<\/p>\nThe holidays are coming! Everybody duck!<\/p>\n
If you’ve got someone with morbid tendencies on your gift list and would like to branch out beyond “it’s got a bat on it, wrap it up” approach to gift-giving, here are a few ideas for dark yet tasteful items.<\/p>\n
Absinthe and its related paraphernalia is always welcome, if only for the ambiance. I previously blogged about purchasing the real deal here<\/a>, although since restrictions in the U.S. have recently been relaxed it might now be possible to buy it from domestic vendors. Spoons, glasses, and accessory “starter kits<\/a>” are all pretty easy to find, and there’s even a brewing kit<\/a> for making your own. You could also give a framed vintage poster<\/a>, one of the many history books<\/a>, or Absinthe-scented shaving cream<\/a> or perfume<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jewelry is another good option. Over at Coffin Gems<\/a>, artist Mordaunte offers semiprecious stones cut like toe-pincher coffins. She has a wide variety of items for both men and women, and I like the subtlety of the designs; you don’t really notice that they’re coffins until you look closely. Pushin’ Daisies also has some nice-quality items, including skull cufflinks<\/a> and crossbone buttons<\/a>. A particularly nice item, especially for those interested in Victoriana, is jewelry made of Whitby jet. The Whitby Jet Heritage Center<\/a> and Whitby Jet Jewellery<\/a> (sic) both have some lovely pieces.<\/p>\n If you know your goth’s clothing size, consider vintage clothing. Check local resale shops or e-Bay for unique items, from 1920s party dresses to retro concert T-shirts. Also consider pretty hats: East Angel Harbour<\/a> offers a wide selection, and 2Dark Sisters<\/a> has some attractive top hats decorated with lace and flowers. For men, Baron Hats<\/a> and Uniformal Wearhouse<\/a> have a nice variety of top hats and bowlers. Given the ubiquity of skulls in pop culture right now, skull-print items are extremely easy to find. These skull-print pajamas<\/a> and calavera slippers<\/a> would be cute together, and this skull and rose corset<\/a> or these skull socks<\/a> would make appealing gifts.<\/p>\n Other accessories might include handbags, such as this skull and crossbones bag<\/a> or this coffin purse<\/a>. For men, Gothic Punk<\/a> has a nice variety of custom-made death rock neckties, and Nino 925<\/a> offers unique wristwatches<\/a>, wallets<\/a> made of stingray leather, and other unusual items.<\/p>\n For the home, items from Dark Candles<\/a> are always welcome. They’ve even got a special holiday selection featuring scents like “Forbidden Fruit” and “Naughty or Nice.” Also consider framed film cells from movies like Nightmare Before Christmas<\/a> or Dracula<\/a>. Day of the Dead merchandise is a possibility, including this<\/a> lovely sculpture or these<\/a> art prints. Men might like miniatures or replicas, like this attractive Model T hearse<\/a> or this Cadillac hearse<\/a>. CafePress also has a lens devoted to goth home and gifts<\/a>, where you can browse a wide variety of images on things like wall clocks<\/a> and framed tiles<\/a>.<\/p>\n More offbeat items to consider might include a vintage ouija board, a Graveyard Garden<\/a>, or a bottle of Crystal Head Vodka<\/a>. You can also have a vampire romance novel personalized with a “hero” and “heroine” of your choice at Book By You<\/a>.<\/p>\n For the crafter or seamstress, a selection of supplies makes a thoughtful gift: Ribbon, pewter beads, black leather cording, yards of luxe fabric (velvet, brocade, tulle), lace trim, and unusual buttons are all welcome. Supplies and instructions for learning a new craft is also a good choice: A jewelry-maker’s kit<\/a> and some unusual beads, a Mr. Beer<\/a> and Oktoberfest beer pack<\/a>, or an aromatherapy starter set<\/a> would be appreciated.<\/p>\n Finally, there’s the “a little of everything” approach: Get a cardboard coffin<\/a> and fill it with many small gifts: CDs, black nail polish, Living Dead Doll<\/a> miniatures, Death Mints<\/a>, lace chokers, hair dye, or whatever else catches your fancy.<\/p>\n With a bit of ingenuity, a pleasantly sinister holiday is easy to achieve. What’s your top pick for the season?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The holidays are coming! Everybody duck! If you’ve got someone with morbid tendencies on your gift list and would like to branch out beyond “it’s got a bat on it, wrap it up” approach to gift-giving, here are a few ideas for dark yet tasteful items. Absinthe and its related paraphernalia is always welcome, if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-resources"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1870"}],"version-history":[{"count":42,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14010,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1870\/revisions\/14010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}