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Gift Ideas for Libertarians

by Ken Gaillot and Tom Isenberg

Ah, gingerbread, a wee bit of cider, and twenty versions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" ... it must be Christmas again! If you're looking for a special gift for a special libertarian, or perhaps you want to give a freedom-oriented gift this year, a few practical ideas can help make this a happy holiday for the good boys and girls on your list.


Happy HolidaysYoung Children

Books are a traditional libertarian gift. A wide variety of stories geared at younger readers have libertarian themes, such as the Little House on the Prairie series (set of nine paperback volumes from Laissez Faire Books). Other crowd pleasers include Dr. Seuss' The Butter Battle Book and Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, and traditional fables and stories such as "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and "The Little Red Hen."

Another gift popular with children is cold, hard cash. Put it in a Statue of Liberty piggy bank for greater effect!

Speaking of the Statue, perhaps a Lady Liberty jigsaw puzzle is just right (500-piece puzzle from Liberty Tree). Or an American history themed deck of cards featuring biographies of Jefferson, Twain and the like (from Liberty Tree).

Happy HolidaysOlder Children and Teens

Avid readers will enjoy George Orwell's Animal Farm, The Diary of Anne Frank, or science fiction like Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy and Podkayne of Mars. The eyes of budding entrepreneurs will glimmer when they see the moneymaking ideas in Karl Hess' Capitalism for Kids (softback from [WWW]Bluestocking Press).

How about a starter coin collection? An instructive combination is near-worthless Confederate paper money side-by-side with silver coin from the same time period.

Happy HolidaysAdults

Give the gift of laughter -- keep them rolling with anything by Dave Barry (such as Dave Barry Slept Here, 178pp. paperback, from Liberty Tree) or P.J. O'Rourke (such as Republican Party Reptile, 250pp. paperback from Liberty Tree).

Browse the fiction section of your favorite bookstore for Dean Koontz' masterpiece novel Dark Rivers of the Heart, or the self-help section for Objectivist Nathaniel Branden's How to Improve Your Self-Esteem.

The Libertarian Party of Dallas, Texas, has an attractive white-on-blue Libertarian Party T-shirt. The shirt has the LP name and Lady Liberty logo on both sides with the national 1-800 number on the back.

Surprise that historian this year with an authentic Gadsden "Don't Tread On Me" flag (3'x5' cotton from Fuffin Flags, 241 Alexander St NW, Crawfordville, GA 30631).

The heart of the most Grinchian Objectivist will be warmed by a copy of the 1942 Italian film version of Ayn Rand's We the Living (two VHS tapes from Laissez Faire Books). The Cincinnati Enquirer called this film "compelling" and gave its highest rating of five stars.

Who doesn't want to improve their communication skills? Michael Emerling Cloud's The Essence of Political Persuasion (set of three audiotapes from the Advocates for Self-Government) will teach your favorite libertarian "intellectual judo."

Are you a Gold Card or a Blue Card? If you know someone who obsessively fills out magazine surveys, try giving Sandra Hirsh and Jean Kummerow's Life Types (278 pp. paperback from the Advocates for Self-Government). It uses the famous Myers-Briggs personality types to address love, leisure and work.

The businessman on your list will appreciate silk neckties with Thomas Jefferson or the Statue of Liberty (from Liberty Tree) or Ludwig von Mises (from the Ludwig von Mises Institute).

Two words: coffee mug! Caffeine addicts can satisfy their urges with a Ludwig von Mises mug (from the Ludwig von Mises Institute).

Happy HolidaysFurther Shopping

To stay in the holiday spirit, be sure to visit the [WWW]Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Page!