Mr. DAPs' 2014 Christmas Gift Guide

It’s that time of year again. The time of year where we eat too much, buy too much, watch too much TV, drink too much egg nog, and stress about what we will get for our loved ones as that big deadline of holiday looms in front of us. So I thought this year I would offer a gift guide that I personally have picked from…with the help of my awesome team. These are just ideas that we are passionate about and we were not paid or bribed to post any of the gift ideas. We just have geeked out about them and decided to share them with you. Here is a first look at what we have come up with. There will be more ideas as the holiday season progresses so stop by our GUIDES page to see future posts!

Please share your ideas as well in the comments!

Mr. DAPs 2014 Christmas Gift Guide

For Him:

• 

  Bow Ties by Hayley – Give the gift of a Bow Tie by Hayley for Christmas for those who are looking forward to Dapper Day or just like dressing dapper. These ties are fantastic and I can personally vouch for them. Every time I wear one, I get comments and questions of where to get them. Christmas is coming soon so order them before it is too late to get them before Christmas. The good news is, you can get them here: dapsmagic.com/shop/hayleythehatter

• Trilby Hat – My favorite style of hat, the Trilby Hat was once favored by in England and often was called the Brown Trilby. It could be seen at horse races back then but now you can see me, Mr. DAPs, wearing them quite frequently at Disneyland. I personally think that the Trilbys that are made of wool or felt are better than the straw or paper versions. Ideally if there is a band inside that helps for a more comfortable wearing experience as well. Oh, and did I mention it always adds to the dapper factor as you wear them in public? You can check out some Trilbys here and pick your favorite: Trilby Hat
• R2D2 Cuff Links – Combine being dapper with being a geek with these awesome Star Wars cuff links. These cuff links bring the universe’s favorite (sorry C3P0) droid to the world of the dapper as men wear their French cuff shirts. If you want, there are other Star Wars cuff links that can be found including Darth Vader, Tie Fighters, Storm Troopers, and Boba Fett to name a few. R2D2 cuff links and links to the others can be found here: Star Wars R2D2 Cufflinks Cuff Links

For Her:

• Necklace by Amanda Jane Designs – There is a bit of a time crunch on this but these necklaces are absolutely incredible. They will attract attention everywhere they are worn. Each necklace is personally designed and made by Amanda Jane Designs. Due to an incredibly high demand and her own wish to be able to get necklaces to her consumers before Christmas, orders are currently only being taken up until December 10th so order sooner rather than later!Amanda Jane Designs necklaces can be found and ordered at: byamandajane.etsy.com
• Disney Pandora Jewelry Line – This suggestion comes our very own Amanda who suggested adding a little treasure to the gift guide. This is a combination of the fine jewelry of Pandora and the magic of Disney. So… for those of you with a girlfriend, wife, daughter, or someone else who really likes this type of jewelry and also happens to be an avid Disney fan… this might be an easy option for you. They have quite a few different pieces to choose from on their website. You can check them all out here: http://www.pandora.net/en-us/explore/collections/disneycollection

For the Geek:

• GoPro Hero 4 – This is the perfect gift (albeit expensive) for the techno movie making geek. The quality is fantastic as are the bells and whistles. I personally own one of these and have continued to be blown away by what I get from it. I even took it to Haiti where I recorded some amazing footage that I’ve been having a great time working my way through and someday you will see it online. The sound is also pretty impressive. I have the Black one personally but the whole line is great. You can get the GoPro 4 easily enough on Amazon here:
  • GoPro HERO4 SILVER
  • GoPro HERO4 BLACK

• The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game – This came from our very own Merlin who says: Lord of the Rings: The Card Game has provided me and my friends countless hours of strategizing and entertainment. Deck building can be as much fun as the game itself, which is entirely co-op. It’s the perfect gift to give your geek friend so they can have something new to obsess over.  A link to the core set is provided below, and many expansions are available for more quests and a larger card pool.
  Link to The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game: http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=129&esem=2&esum=186
  
• Doctor Who Pajama Pants – Do we even need to go into how awesome these are? These are a must have for any fan Doctor Who. Oh, and did we mention that they are also from thinkgeek.com? There are four options for these pajama pants: TARDIS, TARDIS print, Scarf print, or Weeping Angels if you really want to have nightmares? The Doctor Who pajama pants can be purchased here on thinkgeek.com:  http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/1cc8/?pfm=HP_ProdTab_2_10_Bestsellers_1cc8
• Ticket to Ride Board Game – This board game takes 2-5 players back in time to around 1900 during the golden age of railroading. The goal of the game? To win you must create the best railroad by connecting cities throughout North America. This done by collecting and matching train cards and then building the rail lines on the board. It is a fairly easy game to learn but there is definitely strategy involved in winning as well so it can be enjoyed by a wide variety of personality types. It says it takes 30-60 minutes to play on the box but this really comes down to how much talking and thinking happens. There also is an app available to play this game. One year Murray, Merlin and I definitely played this game for hours while waiting for the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland. Personally, I find the board game version to be the most fun though. You can get this board game here:  Ticket To Ride

• Sherlock Limited Edition Gift Set (The Complete Seasons 1-3 Blu-ray/DVD Combo) – Get seasons 1-3 of the hit BBC show Sherlock. This is a fantastic television show and a must have for fans of the show. This set includes the bonus features previously released with each seasons releases along with new bonus features that are exclusive to this set. Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It has a total runtime of 802 minutes. This gift set can be purchased here: Sherlock Limited Edition Gift Set (The Complete Seasons 1-3 Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
  

• Marvel 75th Anniversary Slipcase – This is the ultimate collection for the Marvel comic book fan and Murray came up with this one. As he says, get this because it includes “10 of Marvel’s mightiest Masterworks hardcovers – plus for the first time, the all-new, long in-demand NOT BRAND ECHH VOL. 1! Relive the iconic origins of the Marvel Universe with these deluxe hardcovers collecting the origin stories of some of the greatest super heroes in history!”
  This collection will will hit stores on December 10th, 2014 and will most likely sell out fairly quickly so get it fast if this is something you want under your Christmas tree!
• Star Wars Rebels – LEGO Ghost Ship – The Ghost is the heroic ship that carries the small band of rebels in the new animated series Star Wars Rebels. Now LEGO and Star Wars fans can build their own LEGO version of the ship for hours of enjoyment. This suggestion could easily have gone in the Geek category but let’s face it, LEGOS are for those that are a child at heart… no matter what the age. Let’s also face it, this is just pretty darned awesome and I’d love to see it on the set of Geeks Corner! This set includes the Ghost along with the LEGO figures of Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Zeb Orrelios and a new Storm trooper. Oh yea, the Ghost can also shoot stuff and open up which adds to the geek/cool factor (depending on how you look at it). The ship is about a foot long.  You can get this awesome toy here: LEGO Star Wars 75053 The Ghost Building Toy
• Star Wars The Complete Saga – Next year a new Star Wars movie will be hitting the big screens. For now, it’s time to see all of the current Star Wars movies in existence in the best formate that is available: Blu-Ray. This fantastic collection looks and sounds great. It also has a wonderful collection of bonus features that are included. It makes for an incredibly enjoyable viewing experience and fans will love all the extras. This is, to date, the most complete offering of Star Wars in one place. We can still hope that there is a release of the original movies in their original form (you know what I mean if you are a fan), but this is a fantastic collection to have in the movie library and I highly recommend it. This set can be purchased here: Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray]
• Guardians of the Galaxy – I Am Groot really says it all. Who wouldn’t want this Marvel hit from this year? This movie will be available to purchase on December 9 so pre-order it and have it arrive on the 9th to go straight under the tree. Join an unlikely group of heroes who come together to save the galaxy. This movie is fun, full of humor, and definitely worth having in the collection or giving as a gift. Guardians of the Galaxy can be purchased here: Guardians of the Galaxy (3D Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital Copy)
• R2-D2 Mug – Let’s face it, coffee is awesome. So is R2-D2. Some would argue that the Star Wars saga is really all about his journey and not these other guys like Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine, or Han Solo. That’s for another post though. This is about R2-D2 and coffee which you can put together with this fun R2-D2 mug. This is a sure fire hit for the coffee drinking Star Wars fan. You can get it here: R2-D2 Mug
• Star Wars: The Jedi Path – “Passed down from Master to apprentice, The Jedi Path is an ancient training manual that has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi. Within its pages, the Jedi-intraining will discover the history and lore of the Jedi Order, the ways of the Force and how to wield it, the subtle nuances of lightsaber combat, and the dangers of the Dark Side. The only remaining copy in existence, this hallowed tome features handwritten annotated notes by Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Count Dooku, and Darth Sidious, among many others. Created in collaboration with Lucasfilm along with an acclaimed Star Wars author and revered Star Wars illustrators this volume also introduces never-before-seen ships, creatures, characters, and details about the Star Wars galaxy.” This is a fun and unique book to add to the collection for Star Wars fans. It can be purchased here: Star Wars: The Jedi Path

• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga – This game is a favorite for my brother and me. We have played it from the beginning to the end a couple of times. It recreates all of Star Wars with LEGOS and then lets the player relive all of their favorite movie moments (and not so favorite as well?) as they play through all six movies. Use the force and gain more force strength throughout the game. Oh, it also has co-op mode which is always a huge selling point for us. While we have played it on the Wii and Xbox 360, it is also available for Wii DS, Playstation 3, Mac, and PC. It can be purchased here: Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga – Nintendo Wii
  

For Disney Fans:

• Disney Annual Passes – Whether it’s Disneyland or some other Disney Resort worldwide, the gift of a Disney Annual Passports (or as we like to call them, DAPs) are a wonderful gift for any Disney fans. With these passes the pressure to hit every attraction every visit is alleviated. Guests can find a new way to enjoy Disney magic at their leisure because… there is always another day to go! Here are the details for the various Annual Passports:
  • Disneyland Resort Annual Passports
    
  • Walt Disney World  Resort Annual Passports
  • Tokyo Disney Resort Annual Passports
  • Disneyland Paris
  • Hong Kong Disneyland
• Disney Tsum Tsum – They may seem cute and cuddly but that isn’t all there is to the Disney Tsum Tsum collection. These little fluffy characters are also a game/app! The little plush figures are based off of Disney characters and are part of a bigger puzzle game. The name Tsum Tsum means to stack and yes, these are stackable. They are also incredibly popular to collect and also for the puzzling game aspect.You can purchase characters for the Disney Tsum Tsum collection here: http://www.disneystore.com/disney-tsum-tsum/mn/1024503/
  
• Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes Video Game Starter Pack – Bring the worlds of Marvel and Disney Infinity together with this popular video game that is available for X-Box 360, Nintendo Wii U, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, and the Xbox One. Read Murray’s review on Disney Infinity and discover that this will give hours of fun for your Disney and Marvel loving video game fan. After all, Murray LOVED it and that is a pretty darned good endorsement. Start with this set and then for future gift ideas, there are expansion packs that continually are being released. You can purchase this gift here: Disney INFINITY: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition) Video Game Starter Pack – Xbox 360
• Frozen – This hit movie hasn’t thawed yet and the movie, toys, plush figures, games, and other novelties are more popular than ever. Because of this level of popularity, we could create an entire gift guide just related to Frozen. Instead, check out the following page and see what jumps out at you: Frozen Merchandise We would suggest starting with the DVD/Blu-Ray first if your child (or child at heart) doesn’t have it, and then move on from there. There are things that young, old, boy, or girl will enjoy.
• Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker – As if waffles weren’t good enough already, this is a way to make waffles in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Yes, I have one of these. Yes, I’ve made plenty of Mickey Mouse waffles. And while they may not taste any different than the traditional waffles… they definitely add elements of Disney magic and fun to them. It also makes the waffles way more interesting for the instagram posts. Fairly reasonably priced, this is a fun Christmas present for your Disney loving cook. This waffle maker can be purchased here: Disney DCM-1 Classic Mickey Waffle Maker, Brushed Stainless Steel
• Jack and Sally Salt & Pepper Shakers – Fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas will love these salt and pepper shakers. This set (under $20) really affirms that “salt and pepper go together” as Jack and Sally steal a smooch at the dinner table.  This is a present that will be a talking point and also worth collecting as you just won’t find it everywhere.  They could be used just for the holidays or all year round. This salt and pepper shaker set can be purchased here: Westland Giftware Ceramic Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, 4.25-Inch, Disney Jack and Sally Kiss, Set of 2

We will continue to add to this page and this section in GUIDES throughout the Christmas season so check back regularly. You can also check out more ideas at our Amazon shop here: 2014 DAPs Magic Christmas Gift Guide Shop