Camera Crowd Holiday Gift Guide

Christmas is only two weeks away and if you still don't know what to get your friends or what to do with that $10 bucks you have left, don't panic. Here at the Camera Crowd, we've come up with some neat gift ideas, ones that won't burn your wallet, a couple that will, and several that will go towards a good cause. Also just because we link to one store, does not mean you can't shop around. So if you let out a humbug at the price, shop around before that perfect gift is officially off your list.

Finally, sometimes the best gift you can give to someone isn't something tangible that you can get with a swipe of a credit card. Spend some money here and there, but most importantly spend time with the people you love. Cheesy yes, but this part is easily forgotten when people are agonizing over finding that "perfect gift".

Let's start off with some picks and a few random things we thought were cool.

Charlie's Picks:

CD's:

Voxtrot : Raised By Wolves
Your Biggest Fan just came out but Voxtrot's first EP, Raised By Wolves is by far my favourite out of all them. All five tracks are just loveable. If you're planning a 25 minute party for yourself anytime in the future, then this CD that started it all is a must.

Raised By Wolves - Voxtrot

Buy Me

Phoenix : It's Never Been Like That
This Parisian quartet can easily explode and be the next "it" band. I got a first taste of Phoenix two years ago after seeing Lost in Translation. They have a "perfect for radio" sound, so get to know Phoenix before the teeny boppers take over.

Long Distance Call - Phoenix

Buy Me


Oh No! Oh My! : Oh No! Oh My!
Another band from good ol' Austin. Oh No! Oh My! will have you singing, whistling, and head bobbing. Seriously! A bird outside my room tweeted along with the the tunes of "Walk In The Park." I had to stop the song cause it was just getting creepy.

I Have No Sister - Oh No! Oh My!

Buy Me



Dvd:

Amelie
You know I love my French flicks, and this is just one of them. Played by my favourite actress, Audrey Tautou, Amelie goes on a quirky mission to make everyone happy and at the same time chasing true love.
Buy Me



Jeux d'enfants ( Love me if you dare) English Title
It's another French movie, starring the beautiful Marion Cotillard. It started out as a harmless game between a boy and a girl, as time passed by, the dares get tougher and began torturing their lives. It's a crazy adventure from beginning to the twisty end.
Buy Me


The Simpsons on DVD (any season available right now; 1-9)
The Simpsons is by far my favourite sitcom out there. It's one of the longest sitcom still running up to this day, I remember seeing the first episodes of The Simpsons when I was around 8. Classic man, classic.
Buy Me



Anne's Picks

CD's:

Beirut: Gulag Orkestra
Hearing this, makes me feel like I'm walking down the cobblestone paths of Europe and a group of troubadours are playing on the sidewalk with every possible instrument you could imagine. You can't help but to have fun to sing, dance and clap along to.

Postcards From Italy | Beirut

Buy Me

Sparrow House: Falls [EP]
Sit back and take a breather this holiday to Sparrow House's soothing debut EP, you deserve it. To the lone guitar on "When I am Gone" and "Last Fall" to the a fuller lush sound of "You Sang Along" and "Blindfold Waltz", this is the cure to those bad days. Curious? Read our lengthier post on Sparrow House and Falls.

Foxes (sighing like a Furnace) | Sparrow House

Buy Me

Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas [box set]

I hope you've heard about Sufjan's box set by now, if not you probably either live under a rock or just woke up from a coma. Aside from all of that, don't feel embarassed, but do treat yourself to the Christmas covers and new Christmas favorites that Sufjan Stevens presents in five volumes. Stream the whole thing here!

{We will have a post soon with more downloads and information on to learn how to win one!}

Put The Lights On The Tree | Sufjan Stevens

Buy Me

DVD's:

The Office: Season Two
Michael Scott, the "best boss in the world", is in charge of Dunder Mifflin, a paper company based in Scranton, PA. Although, this already sounds too dull to be a TV show, it really isn't, thanks to the power-hungry, though harmless Dwight and down-to-earth Jim who pulls pranks on him. Pam is the receptionist who assists Jim in the mischief of annoying Dwight to his wits. Through all that we have Michael Scott and his antics trying to make his employees think he is funny and a good boss. This is shot documentary style or some call it mockumentary and there are parts where you have a character who just talks to the camera. This is not slapstick humor, where someone gets hit with a wrench, this is subtle humor that lasts in the long run.

Buy Me


A Charlie Brown Christmas
There is nothing that beats this Christmas classic. It offers something to all ages. When I was younger I'd enjoy it for the animated characters and songs and now I also discover the subjects they touch on too: the question of whether consumerism has "consumed" us with the tin-colored Christmas trees. The lonely neglected tree that Charlie Brown brought to his friends. Make some hot chocolate and feel like a kid again.




Buy Me


Almost Famous
Possibly my favorite movie of all time. William Miller is a 15 year old outcast growing up under the wings of a protective mother gets thrust into the world of rock 'n' roll writing for Creem magazine and soon Rolling Stone magazine. The movie was based on the director, Cameron Crowe's own life as a teenager writing for Rolling Stone. This coming of age story will make you feel every emotion possible and will shuttle William and the viewer through the '70s when rock 'n' roll was on the edge of falling into the jaws of money machines.


Buy Me

Camera Crowd's Picks:



Holga
The cool thing about the Holga is that you don't have to be a great photographer and the pictures that will come out will look pretty amazing. This is for casual photographers and also a lot of seasoned photographers love it too. It's plastic and is easy to carry around, each with a neat color wheel to tint the photo if you'd like! Every Holga is different; light leaks and scratches enhance the individuality of every Holga. Learn more about Holga and just look at some of these!



Buy Me


Yellow Bird Project Tee Shirt
Get a name crossed off your list and help out, cool huh? Not only that but these tee shirts are designed by some of our favorite bands: Rilo Kiley, Stars, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Devendra Banhart and more! It's called the Yellow Bird Project and it's a nonprofit organization working to raise awareness of the charities and the bands that design the tees. The bands themselves choose which charity the money goes towards and all the shirts are printed on American Apparel.

Buy Me



Filter Magazine Subscription
The gift that keeps on giving, well at least for one year. Give a magazine gift subscription, they may not be "wowed" on Christmas Day, but they will thank you for the rest of the 364 days when they don't have to go out and buy it themselves. Instead, it will just arrive in their mailbox all ready to read with the morning cereal. Also the Filter magazines that are bought in Barnes & Nobles and any other bookstores don't have the sampler that is included every issue for the subscribers and who does not want a nice mix CD once in awhile? For the people who like to keep up with music, movies and all good stuff like that.

Buy Me



Poketo Wallet
Durable vinyl wallets that has unique designs on them that can fit in your pocket! They hold coins, bills and credit cards, the usual stuff is now organized in a neat two-fold wallet that the owner just can't stop showing it off.


Buy Me/more designs

Flickr Pro account
For the avid photographers and also to the ones who don't want to resize every single photo they take to fit the 100mb limit. Unlike the limit of having only 200 photos uploaded onto a free Flickr account, people with pro-account has unlimited storage and no monthly limit. Also unlimited photosets, ad-free browsing, permanent archiving of all the photos you upload and the ability to replace a photo. Convinced yet?

Buy Me

~Charlie and Anne (team cameracrowd)