2006 Houstonist Holiday Gift Guide

Home run: Sure, you and your honey may head to the Juice Box a few times a year for to sit in the cheap seats and eat game dawgs, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you want to make your special friend feel really special, why not shell out some bread and do it up right with some killer seats (behind the dugout in Section 126) to a great game — say against the Cards on April 6? The $99 Astros gift pack includes $100 in gift certificates for game tickets, tickets to a pre-season game and an Astros ornament. (Check out the 'Stros schedule here.) — Jason Bargas

Behind the names: If you're anything like Houstonist — admit it, you are — you've sat in traffic at some point and wondered how some of our city's streets got their names. Who was Caroline? What's a Dunlavy? And how come there aren't any buffalo along Buffalo Speedway? Now you can find out: Historic Houston Streets: The Stories Behind the Names ($20) tells how a lot of streets in the city came to be called what they're called. Not only is it a cool guide to local history, but it could make someone a master at Houston trivia — if, you know, that would ever come in handy. (Available at the River Oaks and Brazos bookstores.) — Jim Parsons

Champ City all over again: Relive all seven games of the NBA finals in 1994 when the Rockets kicked the Knicks' ass for the championship title with the Rockets 1994 Championship DVD set. There are eight (yes, eight) discs in this set, which includes the games in their entirety and behind-the-scenes recap (which probably means watching a lot of players sprayed with champagne). While we enjoyed watching the Rockets win the title back in the day, the main reason we would think of purchasing this $37 set is to finally see the game that was constantly interrupted by a slow-speed police chase involving a white bronco in L.A. — Eric Wilson

Awwwww: Seriously, picking out a puppy or kitten for a loved one isn't such a spectacular idea — you just never know how they'll get along. So do everyone a favor and go for pets on paper: the Players and Pets 2007 calendar, a joint venture between the Astros and the city Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care benefiting the Saving Animals Pet Adoption Center and the Astros in Action Foundation. The calendar is a reasonable $15 and is available online or at your neighborhood Petco store. — Mary Jane Poorman

Cool it: What better gift is there than helping someone you know keep from scalding the skin right off the inside of their mouth? For the coffee lover in your life, check out the Brugo, a nifty travel mug that keeps coffee really hot but lets you cool each individual mouthful to a comfortable level before you drink it (the explanation is too scientific for us — who knew there was such a thing as the "Perfect Temperature Zone?"). It's an elegant solution to an old problem, and at just $20, you might wanna pick one up for yourself, too. — Jim Parsons

Bid for your own damn gift: Nothing says "holidays" like the highly versatile, yet impersonal, eBay/PayPal gift certificate. You can have it e-mailed or printed to give in person. Plus, there's no better holiday feeling than swiping an auction from another bidder at the last second! — Lauren Meyers

Astro-tuff: Here's a gift that will stand up to the rigors of oil changes, wet tee shirt contests and four wheelin' — a wallet made of duct tape. For only $15, the tough guy or gal on your list can own a one-of-a-kind, so-trashy-it's-cool money holder made of the same material used to keep cars, furniture and the space shuttle together. — Crystal Jackson

Rollin': It feels like it's been forever since we were last at a Houston Roller Derby bout. If you've been delinquent, too, don't worry: Just get the 2007 HRD calendar for all your friends! The calendar has all the bouts and derby girls' birthdays listed, along with "hundreds" of photographs. For the low, low price of $12.99, it’s a great way to support Houston’s newest and fastest sport. — Mary Jane Poorman

The gift of science: Everyone can use a little more culture in their lives, and the Houston Museum of Natural Science is a great place to start — try yearly memberships ($30 for students and $50 for individuals). According to Wikipedia (and Houstonist isn't one to argue with Wikipedia), "the museum is one of the most popular in the United States and ranks second only to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in attendance." Whoa. Looks like HMNS needs a new slogan: HMNS: We’re a lot more than butterflies. — Monica Danna

Ring the alarm: For less than $6, you too can own your own Beyoncé CD clock with stand! It's perfect for your preteen daughter (or single middle-aged man, whichever) that can't get enough of Houston's most popular musical export. Yes, it's basically a CD with Beyonce's photo and black plastic clock hands (or leftover plastic from a child's board game, we're not sure) attached to it — but we have the feeling it might be worth $8 one day. — Eric Wilson

Embrace your inner groupie: Houstonist knows that "some people" are borderline groupies when it comes to their favorite local band. If you're one, why not buy as many of that band's albums to give to your friends and family? Our suggestion is the El Orbits holiday album, which we're using to replace the Michael Bolton one somebody gave Mother Houstonist — it accidentally got broken into a bunch of tiny pieces. — Mary Jane Poorman

Dynamo-ite: Not only are we fortunate enough to have a championship MLS team among us, we are also lucky soccer is so new to Houston. Why are we lucky? Because it means cheapo tickets prices to see the MLS champs once a week at Robertson Stadium. Season ticket packages start at $300 for the entire season. Over 30 games. Do the math. That's cheap ... nearly the price of a beer at Minute Maid Park. A great feature of the Dynamo season tickets is the Ticket Exchange Program. If you can't make every game (and who can?), you can trade your tickets in for another game and get the same amount of seats. So what's your excuse now? — Monica Danna

Blender-a-go-go: Remember that time you and your special friend ran out of gas while evacuating Houston? It wouldn't have sucked so hard if you had a Vortex Hand Crank Blender ($69.95) to blend up some margaritas while you waited for T-Craig to come tow you to the gas station. The Vortex features a two-gear system allowing for ice crushing and pureeing. Nice. Just what you need for next hurricane season. Oh, and don't forget the glasses. — Jason Bargas

A little space: Maybe we're alone in thinking so, but wouldn't it be a power trip to have your very own downtown parallel parking space? Now you can give somebody that ego boost: a reserved metered parking space, a steal at just $11.50 for 24 whole hours. Of course, having your very own space isn't worthwhile unless everyone else knows about it, so we recommend a personalized parking sign ($16.95) to round out the package. Sure, you can park downtown for less, but it's not nearly as much fun. — Jim Parsons