There are precious few days left to get gifts for the geek in your life. If you’re running out of time, and the holiday slush fund is running dry, these inexpensive-but-nerdy gifts can pad out the space under the tree.
For other (less geeky) stocking stuffer ideas, check out our roundup.
Zelda Drink Coasters
If the latter half of Ocarina of Time taught me anything, it’s that small discs with ornate symbols on them can save the world. At the very least, these metal Zelda drink coasters can save your coffee table from water stains. The designs on the four pack of coasters are all based on the latest entry in the series, Breath of the Wild, and they won’t set you back too many rupees.
Super Mario Fridge Magnets
Nintendo gave users the ability to design their own levels with Super Mario Maker. It proved wildly popular, if predictably sadistic. With these fridge magnets, you can arrange your own levels right on your fridge. The kit comes with 80 individual magnets including backgrounds, enemies, warp pipes, and more.
Light Saber Chop Sticks
It’s not generally a good idea to hold a light saber by the glowy end, but with these light saber chop sticks, you can make an exception. Each chopstick has a small LED inside, so you can have a tiny light saber fight with yourself after you’re done eating.
Keen observers might notice that while Think Geek’s now-discontinued light saber sticks have plastic molded ends, these from ChopSabers have squared ends with a sticker on them to provide the detailing, meaning they’re more comfortable to hold, but not quite as fancy. We did say these were stocking stuffers, after all. If you’d rather get the nice ones, you can still find those online from some third-party retailers, but they’re decidedly more expensive.
Rick and Morty Projector Gun
Rick and Morty is an excellent show with some awful fans and a host of iconic sci-fi gear. But the most notable, merchandise-friendly gizmo has to be Rick’s portal gun. This surprisingly cheap version from Funko even projects a portal onto the wall (if you’re in a fairly dark room...it costs $12 after all).
Harry Potter Scarves
Alright, we’ll be honest, at about $26, these Hogwarts house scarves aren’t quite cheap enough to give as stocking stuffers for everyone on your shopping list. Just the special ones. However, as Harry Potter merchandise goes, it’s still closer to the cheap end without turning into complete garbage. The scarves are available in all four of the Hogwarts houses, so make sure you get the right one. Nothing ruins Christmas quite like getting a Hufflepuff scarf for a self-identified Slytherin.
Escape Room In a Book
Real-life escape rooms are tons of fun to complete with friends, but they can also be expensive, since each person has to pay to get in. This puzzle game book from Journey29 is like an escape room in a book (minus, you know, being physically locked in a room) that costs less than a single ticket to most escape rooms. Drop this in a loved one’s stocking and you can all enjoy the game before heading back home after the holidays.
Physical Bitcoin Trinkets
It doesn’t seem like a good idea to buy someone Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency, for the holidays. But if you want something that will hold its value better, these physical Bitcoin commemorative tokens might do the trick.
Sure, you can’t spend it quite as many places as you can a real Bitcoin (i.e. nowhere), but at about $5, they’re cheap enough to make a good gag gift for that one guy in your office who won’t stop talking about them. We all know a crypto guy.