Buying holiday gifts can be difficult. Often we have to buy gifts for family we aren’t that close to, or for friends or significant others whose tastes we aren’t sure of it. Though moments of inspiration can strike, sometimes it seems like it would be easier if we could just shop for ourselves. If you find yourself in a similar position this holiday season, look no further than this gift idea. There are many beautiful and comprehensive gift lists on blogs right now. Dedicated bloggers scour the internet to bring you the best ideas at the lowest prices. This is not one of those lists. This, in fact, is a single idea that has the potential of working for everyone on your list. This is the Seth Cohen Starter Pack.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, it comes from the episode of The O.C. called “The Best Chrismukkah Ever.” In the episode, Seth is unable to decide between Summer and Anna. He knows that he needs to get them both holiday gifts, and doesn’t want to favour one over the other, so he decides to get them both the same thing. This is when he conceives of The Seth Cohen Starter Pack. He includes his favourite albums by Bright Eyes, Death Cab for Cutie and The Shins, the graphic novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and of course, a copy of The Goonies. Not only does this gift pack allow Seth to give the same thing to both women, it allows him to share some of his favourite things with them. Maybe the gift didn’t go over very well with Summer or Anna, but that’s more to do with the fact that he was essentially dating the two girls at once and he bought them the same thing so he wouldn’t have to think of two ideas. That’s no reason why this gift can’t work for you.
The purpose of giving your family and friends a gift pack of all your favourite things is to let them know a little more about you. This could work especially well for family members you see infrequently, or for new relationships, if you aren’t quite at the point of buying each other jewellery or condos. (What, couples don’t buy each other condos?) My aunts and uncles often ask me what kind of music I’m listening to, and this would be a great way to share it. This could even work with your immediate family, if you want to share some of the books and albums you’ve discovered over your time living away from home.
For this gift to succeed, you need to know your audience. Unless your grandmother already listens to hip-hop, it’s probably best you don’t give her a copy of Good Kid, m.A.A.d City for Christmas. Then again, she may love it. I listen to Kendrick Lamar with my family, so maybe you can listen to it with yours. Similarly, if your friends hate reading, don’t give them all copies of War and Peace, even if it is your favourite book. A friend of mine once had my copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for over a year, and he only got through the first thirty pages. With this in mind, it’s best I don’t buy him a copy of Moby Dick any time soon.
Once you’ve decided on who to give this gift to, the next step is deciding what to include in your starter pack. Seth’s idea of giving a few albums, a book, and a movie is an easy place to start. Based on this model, the Courtney Heffernan Starter Pack would include the albums Reconstruction Site by The Weakerthans, Fantasies by Metric, and Blue Valentine by Tom Waits, my favourite book Catch-22, the movie I reference the most frequently The Big Lebowski, and a copy of The Goonies. (You can never have too many copies of The Goonies.) If you have a friend who really loved The O.C., you might want to give him or her the original Seth Cohen Starter Pack. If you decide to go with this starter pack model, consider the format you’re giving your gifts in. If you know that your mother loves using her iPad, consider giving her your gifts in digital form. Giving your gifts through iTunes also works if you know you won’t be able to see someone over the holidays.
If you aren’t really into music, books or movies, include other things that you like. If you’re really into video games and you know the person you’re making your pack for has a console, consider buying them a few of your favourite games used. If you love cooking and you know your friend needs a bit of help in the kitchen, make a starter pack that includes your favourite cookbook and a few of the spices you can’t make a meal without. The starter pack is also a great way of introducing a younger sibling or cousin to something you do that they’ve always been interested in. You could give them a few of the things they need to start playing basketball or rugby, and give them a few lessons. You could also buy your younger sister a few eyeshadows and lipsticks so she stops taking makeup from your mother.
There are always going to be the people in your life who know you really well, who have listened to your favourite albums and watched your favourite movies, and who know your favourite sport inside and out. This is when you graduate to the advanced pack. (Seth never got to the point of making the Seth Cohen Advanced Pack because the idea didn’t go over well the first time, and he was in a serious relationship with Summer by Valentine’s Day that required jewellery and condos.) This is when you can share your more obscure tastes and your better kept secrets with someone you know will be enthusiastic about them. Buy your father a copy of the Roland Barthes book you wrote an essay on, or buy your best friend all the ingredients needed to make your signature cocktail.
When it comes to gifts, it really is the thought that counts. If you buy someone a gift that you’re really excited about, they’ll appreciate the thought, especially if they get to share in something that matters to you. And if all else fails, most people like cookies.
Album of the Day: The O.C. Mix 3: Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah
