 | For the co-worker you don’t know that well
Bill Edmunds takes the simple beauties of Maine and creates his annual Ocean Park Photography Calendar ($10). His work excludes the clichéd representations of our state (lighthouses and lobsters) and highlights beach fences, classic flower boxes, and ever-so-lovely sunsets. (It’s also a nice gift for the out-of-state friend you’re trying to lure back.) This year the calendar comes in a convenient desk size and can be found at various coastal shops such as Gallery One or the Nestling Duck, as well as online at www.billedmunds.com. Gallery One | 12 Old Orchard Rd, Old Orchard Beach | 207.934.6240
Nestling Duck | 350 Pine Point Rd, Scarborough | 207.883.6705 |
 | For the friend who always has you to dinner
Remember the ’80s trend of making everything into a fondue? It’s still in style. Gather around and turn chocolate or cheese into tonight’s feast with a fondue set ($19.99). It’s a great idea for hosting a dinner party, and a wonderful supplement for when you have run out of wines to buy for that friend who always invites you over. Fondue is quick and easy for an appetizer or a 30-minute-meal that requires next to no effort. Simply melt down your favorite cheddar or Gruyere, add a little white wine, and the fun has begun.LeRoux Kitchen | 161 Commercial St, Portland | 207.553.7665 |
 | For your fur-covered pal
Maine-Made Dog Toys ($13.99) can be perfect for the animal lover who always shows up wearing dog hair, or to give back to your furry friend who greats you at the door. These are made from Diesel fabrics and other materials from recycled trail-running shoes — no wonder the droolers love them. My Good Dog in Biddeford also makes a floating toy for a day at the beach, and a tug-of-war rope with a ball, easy tossing or pulling. And don’t forget your friend who loves to watch the cat get high, with organic catnip ($2.99-$4.95) from Dr. Pussums in West Sumner Village. Fetch | 195 Commercial St, Portland | 207.773.5450 |
 | For the potty trainee
The series of My Body Science books ($12.95-$14.95) help readers of any age understand just what happens inside our digestive systems. Everybody Poops! by Taro Gomi follows different animals around to watch their action, and The Gas We Pass by Shinta Cho holds nothing back, so you might need some incense. While these can be fun for teaching the little folks in your life about their nastier functions, they’re also a perfect gag gift for your Secret Santa swap.Pandemonium | 2 Exchange St, Portland | 207.761.3733 |
 | For your teenage video-gamer cousin
For more grown-up readers (just barely), check out Hellstorm: Son of Satan ($3.99), the Maine-flavored elements of the Marvel Comics universe. The first two in the five-part series are out now, written by Maine author (and former Phoenix scribe) Alex Irvine. It’s the perfect way to break your cousin away from the video games and get him reading — even just a bit. It will be especially interesting when your cousin’s mom finds out you’ve given him a book involving a search through a demon-infested New Orleans for the testicles of an ancient Egyptian god. CasablancaComics | 151 Middle St, Portland | 207.780.1676 |
 | For the Dad in need of a fresh look
Men need some fashion love — often more than women, because they don’t actually know it. Jazzing up a man’s everyday attire can be hard, but Tymbalart does it with hand-printed ties ($24). They appear to be old thrift-shop material that most office folks would not be caught dead in. The artists, Melissa Colosi and Ryan Kozar, take these regular old ties that are as good as garbage and print creative colorful designs of all kinds right on there, making the old tie better than before. It’s quite the artsy-looking apparel that most men don’t think they can pull off, but if it comes from Santa it’s irresistible, just like the pink shirt that’s his new favorite. Ties are always a great gift for dad, and perfect for the boyfriend who can’t go on a “dress-up” date for lack of duds.Edith & Edna | 51 Exchange St, Portland | 207.761.2800 |
 | For the strumming crooner
Made from probably the strongest and most comfortable material available, seatbelts, these guitar straps ($40) are hand-sewn in Los Angeles. Durable enough for long practice hours and even a break-dancing routine, the straps can even be customized with screen-printed designs. Edith & Edna | 51 Exchange St, Portland | 207.761.2800 |
 | For the Nana who sits on the porch all day
You gotta love those ladies who park themselves outside for hours staring at nature. What better way to attract the birds than a handmade birdhouse ($15)? Though they come from Holland, and therefore aren’t technically local, they attract the local feathered flocks, so we’ll give them a pass. When you’re buying for the grandparents, they really just want your company, so this gift adds that possibility — you can pull up a chair right beside them, enjoy the scenery, and even have something to talk about.Fiachre | 426 Fore St, Portland | 207.879.2570 |
 | For your lonely female friend
The sex toy in disguise, I Rub My Penguin ($28) appears to be a friendly penguin to the naked eye. But really you enjoy it while you’re naked. It’s a soothing body massager with eight play modes, several speeds, and pulse patterns for the ultimate pleasure. The best part is, it’s waterproof — for use in the tub, complete with an iceberg display that suctions right onto the tub wall. The penguin is comfy in warm water, unlike its wilder counterparts, but is definitely happy staying South. Its beak and feet are also available for your pleasure. Nomia | 10 Exchange St, Portland | 207.773.4774 |
 | For your post-ironic, elitist, music-snob brother
If you, lowly hipster, thought your only salvation this holiday season would come from The OC’s annual Chrismukkah episode, have I got a surprise for you: five discs of holiday cheer from indie rock’s most devout anti-capitalist Christian. Sufjan Stevens has compiled five years of EPs he has recorded for friends and family into a collection called Songs for Christmas ($20.97). Not one to skimp on the frills, the package comes with everything but actual bells and whistles: the five EPs; a 40 page booklet with lyrics, chord progressions, three essays (two by the singer, one of which ought to convert any young Scrooge), and many cartoons; an animated video; a fold-out comic book; and, yes, stickers. The package comes as cheap as an album at FYE (the mall’s attempt at a music store), and the songs evolve from simple and somber ruminations to nicely arranged fits of holiday cheer, many written by Sufjan himself. As an earnest celebration of the true meaning of Christmas, this is A Charlie Brown Christmas for the MySpace generation.Bull Moose Music | 151 Middle St, Portland | 207.780.6424 |
 | For your drinking buddy
You may have no shortage of ideas for gifts for the person you party with most often, but Clay City says, “Booze is Back!” (When was it ever gone?) If you're looking for a stainless steel keychain flask ($8), it really exists. It holds about as much as an airplane shot, but at least it looks cool. If anything it should be a reminder not to drive drunk, because you have a flask on your car keys. (There are larger flasks for the ritzier, or more serious, drinker.) Don't forget the perfect bottle carrier ($8) for the traveling wine collector. ClayCity | 157 Middle St, Portland | 207.774.3892 |
 | For your country bumpkin mother-in-law
Heidi Leugers takes old sweaters and yarn scraps to create recycled wool Christmas ornaments ($15-$26). Classic angels, sheep, and original decorative Christmas trees weave together for fuzzy, itchy holiday cheer.Foundry Lane | 215 Commercial St, Portland | 207.773.2722 |
 | For your always-depressed hippie roommate
Bring your bummed-out lefty buddy into a state of unsurpassed holiday funk withLeft Out in America: The State of Homelessness in the United Statesby Pat LaMarche ($14.95). Yes, that Pat LaMarche. The one who did better than any Green Independent candidate for governor in Maine’s history, but still didn’t manage to beat anyone except Philip Morris NaPier, the guy who wore denim coveralls to a live televised debate broadcast statewide. Back in 2004, she ran for vice-president (think of her instead of Dick Cheney) on the Green ticket, behind David Cobb. As part of the campaign, she spent 14 nights in 14 homeless shelters from Augusta, Maine, to, well, the other Portland, ending in Ohio, not knowing it would be a battleground for who would win the White House, but hinting she knew she wouldn’t be in the final struggle. The book offers a combination of social commentary and anti-establishment rhetoric, with its clearest plan for a solution to “stare at the problem instead of looking away,” and then “look in the mirror” and understand most of us are a short trip from homelessness ourselves. (Just make sure the $14.95-plus-tax it’ll cost you won’t put you out on your doorstep.) Though she talks about Jacob Marley (Scrooge’s business partner) when she means reggae megastar Bob Marley, and the wiretapping National Security Agency when she wants the shoe-X-raying Transportation Security Administration, LaMarche is at her finest when she tells off a horrifyingly conservative radio talk-show host, in just a page and a half not only eloquently dashing stereotypes of homeless people as lazy good-for-nothings, but also exposing conservative commentators as exploited minions of a political machine, and raising liberal activists to triumph as people who Understand Everything. Books Etc | 38 Exchange St, Portland | 207.774.0626
Longfellow Books | 1 Monument Way, Portland | 207.772.4045 |
