The holiday season is here, and regardless of the exact holiday that you plan on celebrating this year, we know that you’re just in it for the presents (well, and the family/friends, and the food, and some other things too, but mostly the presents).

Instead of doing a traditional gift guide (if your giftee likes x, get them y, etc), we thought we’d take another route:  tell you what we‘d want for our holiday gifts. You know our writers, so chances are that if you need to pick up a gift for someone similar, they’ll probably be into the same stuff.

Here goes! Enjoy, and be sure to let us know what gifts you’re hoping for in the comments below!

SJ Borger

I LOVE giving gifts to people, and I think online shopping is just the best thing ever (plus, no need to feel guilty about leaving items in your cart and virtually walking away). Christmas is like the ultimate combination of those two things!

My top five geek gifts this year are:

R2-D2 USB Car Charger

It bleeps and bloops and charges two phones/tablets while it’s at it. You can pretend you’re Luke, charging between tie-fighters as R2-D2 bleeps at you. His heads rotates, his eyes light up, and yes, he bleeps and bloops. – $49.99 at Thinkgeek.

Journal of Impossible Things

This gift is for the Doctor Who fan who may want to show their love for the Doctor without dressing up like a TARDIS. An embossed leather journal (a replica of the one the 10th Doctor used when he was John Smith to record his ‘impossible dreams.’ It also comes with a mini-sonic screwdriver pen. – $22.99 at Thinkgeek.

A Jayne Hat

Despite the hullabaloo earlier this year over who had the rights to sell these, a Jayne hat is still a must-have for the Firefly/Serenity fan in your life. You can by the mass produced one at Thinkgeek, or get a handmade one on eBay. – $24.99-$25.00

Electro Snap Circuits Lights

An ingenious so-fun-you-can’t-tell-its-educational toy, this set has over 175 projects, including one that lets you hook up your iPod and have it light up in rhythm to your favorite songs. For ages 8-108 (our niece LOVED it, and so did her Dad, so the box doesn’t lie). $79.98 at Amazon.

PS3 ‘The Last of Us’ Bundle

I know, I know, there’s a PS4 out—but for that friend of yours that never bought a PS3, they’re on super sale now, with a ton of games and titles (like The Last of Us). It’s still a solid platform and the deep discounts make them an ideal gift for the ‘likes to game but not hardcore’ dude or dude-ette on your list! – Available from multiple retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, etc.) with a price range from $225-$279.

Shane ‘Rarity’ O’Hare

I have weird tastes for a geek. What I want for Christmas really goes all over the place. Here are some of the things that Shane O’Hare would love to see under the tree:

Raspberry Pi

If you aren’t in the know let me bring you up to speed. The Raspberry Pi is a single board computer not much bigger than a deck of cards. It is super small and fairly high powered for something its size. It has USB ports, audio, Ethernet and HDMI on it making it an amazing little machine. Toss in a memory card and fire up the linux and you have yourself a proper machine for pretty much anything you can imagine. People run web and email servers on them, but I want one for game emulation! These things can run NES, SNES, N64 and all the other consoles in between. Perfect for carrying your entire game catalog over to Grandmas house for Christmas brunch! – $74.99 at Amazon.

Nintendo 64 USB Controller

This is the most essential accessory to go with your Raspberry Pi emulation machine. A 1 to 1 N64 controller allows you to play every game imaginable from the Nintendo 64 all the way back to the Magnavox Odyssey. Must have for the Pi! – $24.99 at Thinkgeek.

BenQ 144hz Pro Gaming Monitor

I just finished up my brand new computer build a few weeks ago. I haven’t upgraded my rig in over 5 years and it is amazing to see games like Bioshock Infinite and Battlefield 4 in all their high-def glory! Well… sorta. The weakest link in my setup right now is my monitor. A super old Gateway LCD monitor with the same old 60hz resfresh rate. That’s where the BenQ 144hz monitor comes into play. Designed with the help from Professional Counter-Strike players, BenQ’s pro line of panels is the best you can get. This particular model is a good 24hz higher than what is recommended for Professional FPS players. It will keep your games from tearing and will give you an edge. – $299.99 at Amazon.

Traktor Kontrol S4 mk 2

This is the peak of DJ controllers. Native Instruments revolutionized the market for portable DJ controllers with the release of the Kontrol S4 a few years ago, and this year they refreshed the model to reflect the changes in their software. Hook this up to your laptop and you will have full 4 Deck (4 songs) independent control over the gig. The update brings full RGB lights and a sturdier set of Jog Wheels for controlling the tunes. New outputs and a nicer finish means you will be using this baby for years to come. This is the ultimate tool for the mobile DJ who wants to have the usability of almost 10k worth of CD players and mixers all in one little package. – $799.99 at DJTechTools.

3D Printed Rocketeer Cufflinks

The Rocketeer is my favorite movie and comic series of all time. The story portrays the era perfectly, and in the movie the music and sets are the closest I’ve felt to being around Hollywood in the 1930’s. So, when I found this set of 3D printed Rocketeer Cufflinks I flipped. Shapeways is Etsy for 3D printed items, you can find pretty much anything on here. These particular cufflinks can be made in a couple dozen materials and I bet they would look amazing in the polished brass. – $18.30 at Shapeways.

Jonathan London

Image Comics Books

Image Comics is on fire. Well, not literally. That’d be awful! But as far as running on all cylinders as an indie comics publisher is concerned, they’re hitting it out of the park. Yes, you know to give your loved ones copies of The Walking Dead and Saga (or Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Criminal), but there was a whole slew of great Image books launched in 2013 that deserve a place on any gift list. Lazarus, by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, has hit 5 issues and every one of them is a fantastic blend of futuristic, social commentary sci-fi, action and intrigue. Sidekick by J. Michael Straczynski and Tom Mandrake is great for anyone who loves both mysteries and superhero books. And Velvet by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting takes the whole Miss Moneypenny concept from James Bond and puts her front and center as the world’s top super spy turned secretary is now on the run from her former agency. Also, don’t forget Todd The Ugliest Kid on Earth if you’re looking to put some laughs alongside those Holiday smiles! Writer Ken Kristensen told you about the book first… right here on Geekscape!

Ni No Kuni

This might be my favorite game of the year… and is definitely the top JRPG of the year (sorry Pokémon… whatever the heck you are). The perfect blend of roleplaying, Studio Ghibli animation and Level-5 puzzle solving make this a no miss for any gamer who has even flirted with any of those three elements. Plus, sites like Amazon regularly have the game on sale (for ridiculously cheap too considering the game’s 70+ hour playtime) so there’s no excuse not to give this as a gift this year.

The Cornetto Trilogy Box Set

Let’s get real. This is worth it if only for Shawn of the Dead, but now that The World’s End is out on Blu-Ray… do you really have a reason not to combine them with Hot Fuzz and put this handsome collection on your shelf? No. You don’t. What’s more, when you have company over for the holidays, this gives everyone something great to put on TV in lieu of Christmas Story and Rankin/Bass Christmas movies (yeah… what if you’re company is Jewish? You don’t wanna make them watch that stuff, you insensitive jerk!). – Just $34.59 on Amazon.

Derek Kraneveldt

Pacific Rim Blu-Ray / Graphic Novel

I loved Pacific Rim. It was one of the most enjoyable theatregoing experiences that I’ve had this year, and it’s definitely a film that I’ll want to rematch again and again (it’s just so much fun). What I would really love this holiday season would be the official greenlighting of a sequel, but since that’s likely not going to happen anytime soon, let’s all pick up the Blu-Ray (bettering the chances for a sequel in the future).

Seriously, the movie is awesome, and so is its prequel graphic novel, Tales From Year Zero. – Blu-Ray $12.99 on Amazon. Graphic novel $19.19 on Amazon.

Game of Thrones Beer

I’m not really a beer drinker (or a drinker at all), but the Iron Throne Blonde Ale that I sampled (extensively) at this year’s SDCC was incredibly delicious. Just in time for the holidays, Brewery Ommegang Brewery and HBO have launched a second flavour: Take The Black Stout.

Game of Thrones is bound to be a topic of conversation at many-a dinner table this season, so how cool would it be to serve Game of Thrones beer at the same time?

Head to Brewery Ommegang’s official website for more info!

Nintendo Wii U

Of of the first things that I realized when I picked up a Playstation 4 last month was that there is virtually no reason (at this point anyways) to own a second controller. I then thought of the countless times over the course of the Wii U’s year of existence where I (and four friends) spent hours playing multiplayer New Super Mario Bros. U, all in the same room.

The Wii U has struggled since its release last November, but a phenomenal catalog of games (Super Mario 3D Land, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker HD, and The Wonderful 101 are all acclaimed titles that have released in just the last few months), and the console’s first price drop have things looking up for the system, which so far has been celebrated by its owners and seemingly ignored by everyone else. Console sales surged 340% in November (from October, which also saw a 75% increase), which leaves me very hopeful for the units future!

The Wii U has some great holiday bundles available (one including both New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U, and another including The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, and many great launch titles can be had on the cheap), so there has really never been a better time to buy!

Apple TV

I’ve given a few of these as gifts over the past few years, and they always, always become one of (if not the) the most used items in the house. The Apple TV currently features content from the following sources, and more are being added all the time:

You can also, of course, use Plex from an iOS device, and simply AirPlay it to your television (along with music, video, photos, and anything else that may be on your iPhone or iPad).

The best feature of the Apple TV? Its simplicity! Its elegant interface is so easy to understand that even my grandparents can use it without issue (unlike their computers or cell phones). – $89.99 at Amazon.

Pebble Smart Watch

I’ve had one of these babies for months now, and I’d recommend it to anyone who spends too much time on their phone.

In my review, I said that the Pebble was “an indispensable part of my daily life” after just one week of using it. It’s sleek, it’s useful, it’s waterproof, and it costs a lot less than you may expect it to. Seriously, this thing is awesome, and with the upcoming 2.0 Firmware, the Pebble is about to get even more useful. -$119.99 at Amazon.

That’s it for us! Again, be sure to let us know what you’re hoping for (or planning to give) this holiday season!