Some suggestions for out-of-the-ordinary Christmas gifts

By Don Quilici

Red Alert! Red Alert! Red Alert! Believe it or not, Christmas will be here in only 23 more days!

And, if that special outdoor person in your life has at least one of every toy ever made, and it is extremely difficult to purchase a present for him/her, Don Q is going to come to your rescue.

I have some suggestions for out-of-the-ordinary Christmas gifts.

Pick one (or more!) and then dazzle that special person on either Christmas Eve or Christmas morning when they open their gifts.

Here are those suggestions for possible Christmas presents:

A 2005 California Non-Resident Annual Fishing License, complete with a Second Rod Stamp:

This will be a fairly large expense of about $100, but it is well worth the effort and cost for a whole year of sport fishing in the Golden State.

You can buy those California licenses at any number of different locations in this general area.

I purchase mine at Dave Kirby's Woodfords General Store in Woodfords, Calif. (35 miles south of Carson City).

Then, as a bonus, I can also leisurely enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a piece of homemade pie, while swapping stories with my good friend, Dave.

A disposable camera:

How many times has that special person returned from an outdoor trip with fascinating tales but with no photos of their memorable outing?

I bet that it has happened more times than you can count.

Well, you can solve that problem by giving them a disposable camera (or give him/her several!) and then making sure that they carry the camera in their glove compartment, tackle box, fanny pack, day pack, backpack, etc.

Film is cheap but photos of those special events are priceless.

A large container of your very own, homemade trail mix:

This is a mouth-watering, tempting treat that anyone can enjoy, anywhere, at anytime, whether they are an outdoor person or just a "couch potato."

I gave up, a long, long time ago, on buying store-bought trail mix, because it is always heavily loaded with peanuts, which I don't like.

My Don Q homemade trail mix is made up of lots of: Cashews, Walnuts (broken into small pieces), chocolate M&M's, raisins and Mango-flavored Pineapple slices (diced into very small pieces), all mixed together very well.

Yummy, irresistible and you can't stop with only one handful.

A Personalized, Holiday, five-pound Hershey's chocolate candy bar:

That monster-sized Hershey candy bar weighs five pounds (5 pounds of chocolate!), measures 18 inches long and cost $34.95 plus shipping.

Go to www.hersheys.com.

If that special person is a chocolate lover (Heck, who isn't!), he/she will think that they died and went to Heaven!

It's not every day that someone gets a 5-pound Hershey candy bar as a gift!

And, the best part is that they just might also share it with you.

Or you can buy the non-personalized giant bar ($29.99) at stores in this area and be able to save on the shipping costs.

One or both of two, mind-boggling, trophy buck mule deer prints:

Those prints are available at a large number of different locations, but you can also go directly to the source at www.kingsoutdoorworld.com, where you will also find many other gift items.

Both of the prints are each 36 by 11 3/4 inches, cost $19.95 (plus shipping) and are suitable for framing.

One is called "The Dirty Dozen" and the other is "The Magnificent Seven."

If that special person is a deer hunter, I would bet that he/she will not be able to resist either one or both.

Both of them are absolutely breathtaking, whether or not you are a deer hunter.

A Jim Snook book calendar or poster:

Any one of those is a hilarious work of art (I have a Jim Snook-signed cartoon hanging on one of my walls), which will attract instant attention.

I guarantee that one of Snook's works will be the centerpiece of any conversation whether it is located in your den, office, front room, etc.

As Snook so accurately says at his website: "Great gift ideas for sportsmen who have bought everything else"

I'll vouch for that!

You can go to website www.jimsnookstudio.com or call (800) 232-0210.

A one-year subscription to Alaska magazine:

This is a great gift for either those folks who have already been to that great location in the Far North or for those folks who daydream about visiting Alaska, some day in the future.

Go to www.alaskamagazine.com.

You can get a one-year subscription for $18, plus a free copy of the fabulous 2005 Alaska calendar.

Heck, who knows, it just might prompt someone into visiting that state this coming summer as a tourist or as a fisherman or as both!

Rolls of nickels for playing video poker machines:

Everyone, at one time or another, plays those darn gambling machines, either at the grocery store or a restaurant or at a slot arcade or some casino.

Everyone (including me!) is always hoping that they will be the one who hits that magical Royal Flush.

And, every once in the while, they do!

With those rolls of nickels, that special person in your life might just have the chance to do so. And, hopefully, as a bonus, they might even share part of their winnings with you.

Note: Last year, one of my gifts for my Mother-in-law, Mary Bottoms of Greeley, Colorado, was some rolls of nickels.

I had great expectations of her getting rich and sharing the wealth!

But, sigh...she is a worse poker player than me. She lost all of her nickels.

There you have it:

Some suggestions for out-of-the-ordinary Christmas gifts for that special outdoor person who has everything.

Choose one or more, purchase and gift wrap it, and I guarantee a big smile on someone's face when they unwrap their Christmas gift(s).

• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you which of all of these gift suggestions, I have already gotten.

If he grins, and says, "Shucks, that's easy. Don has already received every one of those suggestions," he is either a close friend of mine or a relative.