Latino Sexuality Holiday Gift Guide

It's been a while since I've done a Holiday Guide! Perhaps in sharing this I'm ruining the surprise for those who are receiving gifts from me this year! Oh well. As someone on a budget and who really loves to give gifts (homemade and otherwise) I love to share budget-friendly gifts.

Now, when I say "budget friendly" I mean for budgets like me, for folks who make under 20k a year (I make about 19k a year, but this year made less because of not having many speaking gigs. If you want to know how to get me to  your organization, school, or space drop me a comment or note!). As a result, my gift giving is very modest yet fabulous! I've given myself a budget of $20 for family and close friend with $10 wiggly room depending on the gift and if I can give one gift for a group of people/couple vs. individual gifts.

There are a TON of lists on the interwebs with some great ideas. I want to be clear that this list is NOT going to center donating to certain charities. That's because my family and friends are often the recipients of those charitible services and if I have the ability I'm going to give them something I know they want and will make them feel seen. Some may not agree with this approach, but for me and my working class homies, it means something when your homie remembers that one thing you said you loved passing by earlier this summer and  you made sure you got them it because you love them.

Here are some of my favorites I'm giving this year:

ELF Nail Polish Cube $10
Now, $10 for 14 nail polishes is my kind of gift! Either give this as one gift to one person, or split them up and get some small baskets or gift bags and give 2 or more colors to a group of people who are into painting their nails! I've done both of these in the past when it comes to gift packs like this and it's worked great! I can also go to the dollar stores and find fun baskets, foot soaks, cotton balls, and the like to include for a fun and festive basket. ELF is also sold at Target for the same cost as online ($1-$3 for most items). I really dig their brushes and fun nail care gift sets too! Use code CS1030 to get $5 off your order.

Corkcicle $25
I'm getting this for almost all the adults in my life who drink wine! It's a great gift for dinner parties or folks who are wine afficinados. I'm getting one for my cornpops and his wife, my homegirl, and aunt and uncle and that's all they are getting (my cornpops will get a few other items). I like that this company is small and offers one cent shipping on orders over $50.

Stamps
I've often said writing letters is a dying art form. I enjoy sending love letters in the mail.  But, even if I don't have time for that, there's always something I have to mail: a payment, postcard, birthday or other card. And with the cost of stamps increasing, gifting a book of stamps is a great option. The Latin Legends are forever stamps (meaning no longer how much more the cost of stamps increases they will still be good). This year's new images I think are beautiful are Earthscapes, Major League Baseball All Stars, Innovative Choreographers, and Love stamps.

Candy!
Now, this is one of the ONLY reasons I even leave my home to go to the Rite Aid or CVS in my community on "Black Friday": to get name brand candy. I'm talking ghiradelli and Ferrero Rocher candy which is usually around $6-$10 depending on the item. On Black Friday they are at least 50% off.

Gloves

These Old Navy Tech-Tip Gloves are everything! I got a pricey name brand pair last year from family, but these from Old Navy are less than $20.  They also have them in Black in men's sizes too.

Movies
Best Buy has one of the best selections for movies under $4. For example, Do The Right Thing is always a good buy. They also have packs of 3 or 4 films based on themes like this Romantic Comedy bundle (which I have one homegirl who would appreciate all of these) for $2 and all the Harry Potter films under $4 each. Others under $4 include Colombiana, The Boondock Saints, and the Twilight series. They also have seasons for various TV shows for under $8 such as Nurse Jackie and Bones.




Kitschy Finds
Like this capsule pill container which I have one of my own and carry with me all the time for under $5. Rubik's Cubes are always good for the person who loves games, brainteasers, and the like. Temporary Lip Tattoos look like so much fun and now that they are half off at Sephora I'm getting one for myself and the femmes in my life and are on sale for $7! The Jack Black Comfort & Joy Shave & Lip Duo has been a hit with my boy cousins each year and is on sale for $10 (originally $15). Finally, my nephew is getting this mustchifier!

Thrift Store Finds

So far I've found a brand new in original packaging Pier 1 Imports candle set in a gorgeous red color for less than $4 and I'm gifting this to a homegirl of mine. I also found a perfect condition book of Women Who Run With Wolves to give to my mentee this year.  Also found was a new with tags 3 piece outfit of an orange vest, plaid shirt and khaki's for my nephew who looks so good in orange!

Sunglasses
I'm getting these sunglasses for one of my homegirls who is so fashion forward and can pull them off! They are less than $6 at Forever21.

Books!
If you have children in your life you may like to read over my list of books featuring same gender families and families of Color specifically. I've gotten many of these for my nephew but I'll probably get him another that I have yet to find. This year he's also getting La Historia De Los Colores/The Story of Colors by Subcommandante Marcos of the Zapatistas. It was on the list I wrote but I didn't get access to the book until after I joined PaperBackSwap.com in an attempt to get books for free that I know loved ones will want. This has saved a TON of money for me and is how I got La Historia De Los Colores for free too!

Wikipedia Pages!
I tried to set one up for my cornpops a while ago but didn't know how to do it properly or have citations so they were not confirmed. This year I'm knowing what I'm doing and I'm going to make a wikipedia entry for the folks I know and love who are doing amazing things! This is a free gift, however it does require knowledge of how to use and post on Wikipedia and internet connection and computer. If you have access to a public library you can get this done there too.

Websites
I've been updating my personal pages (go check them out and tell me what you think). If you don't know already, it's pretty affordable to purchase a web address. Often connecting these to a wordpress or other free theme can result in a great website for someone in your life who is doing amazing work or needs the publicity.

Some of my favorite discount websites to visit include:

• Overstock.com (where I get my cornpops favorite colonge in a gift set that lasts him each year)
• ShopExit9.com for kitschy items

Cheap (but Fabulous) Gifts!

Alright, there are tons of holidays coming up, and when my parents were together I not only had to get end of year gifts, but birthday gifts for both parents and anniversary gifts for them all within a 10 day period! Needless to say I was pretty broke.

Because I've stayed pretty broke, I've found some amazing gits for folks that are under $20, which is usually my budget for people in my life. Here are some of my favorite gifts to give that are within that $20 budget! (Dag, I'm sharing all my secrets with this post!)

Crafty Chica's Wooden Frame $5
You can decorate it yourself or give as a gift to the crafty person in your life! I also suggest the Mojito papers and consider the Love Shrine. I've got the Love Shrine and have shared what I created earlier this year.

Eyes Lips Face $1

This cosmetics line by Nordstroms has almost all of their items priced at $1. I'm a HUGE fan of their nail polish in plum, their blending eye brush, and have gifted these lip balms in fun tins to younger girls/people in my life. (For some of my homies reading this DON'T buy yourself some until AFTER I give you your holiday gift because you may get some of this!)

Socks $7.50

I LOVE socks and I love giving socks as well! I've found this spot Sock It To Me, and I've also given th0se socks that are the "softest socks ever" kind of feel. I have large calf's and a size 10 foot, but these socks in "portland" (because that's where I first purchased them) go up my calf without leaving a mark because they aren't tight and stretch easily.

Books! Discounted or FREE
I love books and I love giving books I know have helped me in the past with hearing a new story or helping me see things differently. One of the ways I've decided to go about this is to look on the sales racks at major bookstores, but also I've signed up at PaperBackSwap.com which you swap books with others, set up a wish list of books and it's all FREE. All you do is pay for shipping which is usually about $2.50 for standard paperbacks. 90% of the books are brand new or in excellent condition so they are in great gift giving condition. I've also visited the library and found great finds for only twenty five cents!

Stamps $6-$13
I love to send mail, and I love to get mail too. One of the things I've done is give as a gift stamps that are fabulous and fun and can still be used to send snail mail! I love the Ella Fitzgerald stamp, Vintage Black Cinema stamps, Love: King & Queen of Hearts (although heterosexist super cute for the heteros in your life) UPDATE: I purchased the King & Queen of Hearts & they are NOT heterosexist as they are individual stamps per image so you can make them queer or poly!, Celebrate! stamp, and the Polar Bear.


Wine $10


I'm not a big drinker, many people know this about me already. However, I do like sweet flavored wines, such as Moscato, and I've been working my palette up with Sangria and Cosmopolitans. My favorite Moscato is Barentura and it is also Kosher! Beware, the three times I've gifted this wine I've been told people look at grapes in a whole new light!

Handmade Soap $5

I went to Rehobeth Beach one year for spring break and we stumbled upon the Soap Fairy. Handmade soaps by a queer couple. I can speak personally to the amazing scents of the Milk & Honey, Almond Oatmeal, and Sensuous Sandalwood.

Microfiber Screen Cloth $6
Many people I know have computers but rarely have the items that they need to make sure their computer is working properly. One of the things I've found to be extremely useful is this cleaning cloth to make sure your screen is clean. There is even a Plasma Screen cloth as well.

Capsule Pill Container $5
I carry one of these all the time. It fits over 30 ibuprofen's in a round shape in the container. I've had mine for over 5 years and it's still going strong. Although the color is coming off a bit, it gets the job done and it is compact.

SHAMELESS PLUGS
Here are gifts I've received and would definitely gift especially because they are created by some of my favorite people!

Super Hussy Shop Cards $2-$12
My homegirl Super Hussy has crafted some amazing and beautiful images of Black women on these post cards that are essential for any educator, or parent of a child. I've seen them for myself and they are of the HIGHEST quality!



Welfare Queen Bag
$20
I carry this everywhere I go if I don't have my backpack. Actually, even when I am carrying my backpack I have this too. Not only does it have a wide strap which is great for me because I have big arms, but that wide strap is great for colder weather when you layer on heavier coats. It also fits lots of stuff! I've packed this bag with 6 loaves of bread from the bakery, I've also carried 2 large cartons of orange juice along with a few lighter items. Seriously, you can fit 2 infant children in this bag, which is probably more appropriate than the groceries I carry.....

Girl Tuesday Jewelry $14 and up

I bought some barbed wire earrings from her, but she has amazing silver jewelry that she handcrafts. She's in NJ so you get your items fairly quickly if you are on the East coast!

Speak! CD & Zine $12-$17
From the Speak! Radical Women of Color Media Collective comes a CD and zine featuring and created by some of my favorite activists: La Mamita Mala, Black Amazon, and cripchick as well as baby bfp of spoken word, poetry, and song! I've used this album in my teaching on Women's Studies and they even created a curriculum with some guiding questions and ideas to encourage conversation among listeners. It is well worth the price and helps to support the ability for all Speak! members to go to the Allied Media Conference. These are going fast so I encourage you to contact them to see if supplies are available!

Adipositivity 2010 Calendar $19


Now, I've shared already that I've been photographed for the adipositivity project semi-NSFW (I'm December 3rd, September 3rd, April 2nd, January 1, and December 12, 2008)January 19th). Although none of my fotos are included in the calendar, they are still spectacular, and I'm included in the poster.

UPDATE
Musica $10-$14
My homegirl Sirena Riley is a jazz singer and you MUST buy her album. You see Sirena and I met in DC and then she moved to the UK to live her dream! What better gift to give than one that inspires in this way? You can purchase it on Itunes and at this music website. Here's her video



Handmade & Upcycled Accessories & Charms $10-15
My homegirl Li Bruno just left Chicago to head to the other side of the pond where all the Dutch culture is! However, she's still creating amazing and fun items that she's coined "from the sublime to the ridiculous." Here are a few examples. You can check out the rest of her store products here. Which one are you going to get?