10 Unusual Gifts for Editors

Got a word nerd on your Christmas list and don’t know what to get them? Well, most of us already have enough dictionaries, style guides, etc. (Actually, that isn’t true, but who wants a job-related book for Christmas?) Wouldn’t it be grand to give something truly unexpected, to see your editor’s little eyes light up when your gift is revealed? Try one of these:

1. Badger Balm. No, it’s not made from badgers. These organic balms are wonderful for soothing your mind, perking you up, or sending you to sleep. Try the Mind Balm Duet Set for your editor.
2. Juggling bags (or, for the more adventurous editor, juggling knives). When I need a quick break from editing, I stand up, grab my trusty beanbags, and juggle for five minutes. It’s a great change of pace.
3. Dr. Andrew Weil’s Healthy Brain Kit. Because you want your editor’s brain to be healthy for a long, long time. Available from Amazon.com.
4. A lavender eye pillow. Ah, sweet lavender… A great way to relax after a hard day’s editing.
5. A “There’s No Crying in Editing” t-shirt. Just a reminder that editing is not for sissies.
6. English Majors with Garrison Keillor. Many of us enjoy A Prairie Home Companion, and even those of us who weren’t English majors can appreciate “Lives of the English Majors.”
7. Harry Potter Quidditch Goggles. Because some of us want to be Harry Potter, and even those who don’t would look cool in these babies (and you just never know when you might need goggles for a particularly tough editing job).
8. The Reduced Shakespeare Company, Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) . Hilarious. I saw the show live last year and laughed so much I was actually in pain the following day.
9. Make a donation to help build a library in Morocco. For the editor who doesn’t need or want more “stuff.” All word nerds know the importance of education and literacy.
10. A one-week vacation to a tropical paradise. If you truly love your editor. (And if you send me, I would like to go someplace that’s fairly quiet and has great birding!)