(photo by Justin Mekjean)

One Christmas, in the mid-1970s, I gave everyone in my family books as gifts. I found the books on bookshelves in the house, so many were quite familiar to the recipients. In fact, I gave my elder brother a copy of a Spanish-language Peanuts book that’s he’d first received in 1967, when he was 10. It said so right on the inside front cover: “For David, Merry Christmas 1967.” The year after that, my sister and I gave everyone a pet rock, in deference to a fad that had already passed but which we had just heard of. They were just rocks.

The duds and debacles are legion. Choosing good holiday presents has never been easy for me. (Ask anyone who knows me well enough to get a gift.) As such, I am the perfect target for guides like this one: I desperately need the advice. I think I’m not alone.

So here you are, dear readers: All the information you need to get your present shopping done in one hard-charging weekend, without setting foot in a mall or a chain store, without wracking your brain for ideas. Records, books, movies; gewgaws, knickknacks, and decorations; food, drink, and gadgets. There is something for everyone, as they say, guaranteed or your money back. Good luck out there—and you’re welcome.

Gift Guide 2013 Intro This Will Work: 45 Gift Ideas Buy Nothing This Christmas • Shopping Challenge: Downtown Buffalo, Lunchtime • One-Stop Shopping • Everything's On Elmwood • Main Street, East Aurora • Go North for Christmas
Literature: For Everyone, A Book • Film: A World of Cinema • You Auto Know: Stocking Stuffers