Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Holiday Gift Guide – Part One

Photo montage from The Fest For Beatles Fans Facebook page.

I didn’t have time to create the annual Broken Hearted Toy Holiday Shopping Guide on Thanksgiving, but I’m still hoping to scatter some gift-giving suggestions throughout the season. As in the past, the emphasis will be on entertainment-related items.

You can purchase t-shirts, buttons, magnets, holiday songs, tour books, or other items from the websites of many recording artists. The official Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame website has assorted treasures based on artists who have been inducted, as well as exhibitions that have been held there. Sadly, the inductee t-shirt series seems to have sputtered to a stop. I was hoping to see a new batch of five or six every year.

The Fest For Beatles Fans annual holiday catalog has 32 pages of Fab Four-inspired memorabilia, that includes t-shirts, cufflinks, bottle openers, lamps, socks, pens, dice, dart boards, jigsaw puzzles, plush dolls, lunch boxes, pajamas, watches, and umbrellas. Plus CDs, wall decor, and loads of books. If you’re not on the mailing list for the catalog, you can check out the Fest For Beatles Fans official website. In a perfect world, every band and solo artist would be able to offer such a wide range of swag to its fans.

Concert tickets are always a nice surprise as a holiday gift, but don’t neglect the local clubs. Here in Chicago, we have an especially active music community that encompasses rock, jazz, blues, hip hop, house, soul, country, and classical. Just about every group has a website where you can buy its music in various formats. Support your local bands. The same goes for Chicago’s theatre scene, which ranges from Broadway-bound productions to the in-your-face work of storefront venues.

This holiday season, give thoughtfully, and give creatively.

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