Like everyone else, we can’t believe it’s the holidays already!  It seems we were clinking champagne glasses and twirling sparklers to welcome 2010 just moments ago….

Ah well, no point in lamenting.  I have a confession to make.  I am a terrible gift giver.  That is not to say that I don’t sometimes give great gifts, but they are almost always on my own timetable, which rarely coincides with actual holidays or birthdays.  My sister-in-law swears she loves “birthday in July” (her birthday is in February), but my goal is to stay a little more true to the calendar this holiday season.  So, in an attempt to organize my own gift-giving, and to help you through this over-harried season, we’ve put together our own actor-centric gift wish list.

Happy Holidays!
Sarah

Sarah’s picks:

Tea and paraphernalia

Perhaps the best thing about chilly weather is the chance to drink lots of tea.  From waking you up to calming pre-audition jitters, tea does it all.  I cannot sit down to do anything- read a script, learn lines, write this article – until I have a pot of tea brewing beside me.  I love these little Bee House pots, perfect for one with a strainer inside in sunny orange or this moody blue. Mountain Rose Herbs Firefly Chai has gotten Claire and I through many a meeting, and Jamie Oliver has come out with a line of teas so pretty they’re definitely gift worthy.  When empty (alack the day), the re-usable tins would be great for pens or make-up brushes.  Lastly, tea is also the best defense against unheated rehearsal rooms!  Be sure your loved ones won’t go without by sending them off with this cordless kettle.

Letters to a Young Poet and Letters to a Young Artist

These books, the first by Rainer Maria Rilke, and the second, a response of sorts by Anna Deavere Smith, are dear friends to turn to again and again.  Both written as a series of letters to a young artist, they are the guide and mentor through life and art that most of us can only dream of having.  Full of inspiration, these books are amazing additions to any actor’s library and they are available in the Minerva shop.

Headshots

This is a bit of a jump in price point, but if you are looking for a big ticket item, often nothing looms larger on the actor wish list than new headshots.  Great shots can re-energize an actor’s team and cause a leap forward in auditions, but setting aside the cash to not only shoot, but re-touch, print, and post to all the online sites can be extremely difficult.  Picking a photographer is probably too personal a decision for you to make for someone else (or have someone make for you), but a gift card or cash clearly earmarked for new photos would be a lovely gift indeed.

Appetite by Nigel Slater

If you want to eat well on an actor’s erratic income, cooking is a necessary skill.  I’ve just returned from my parents’ house for Thanksgiving, where cooking, baking, eating and all of the warmth and raucous conversation that attends such activities was in abundance.  Cooking with my mom is hilarious, as first she tells you that she “just follows the recipe” and then proceeds to stop you before you add each ingredient with, “I actually use,” or “you can put more of that” or “taste, taste, taste!”  Perhaps that’s why I like Appetite so much.  Nigel gives you the basic outline of a dish and then tells you all the ways you can change it.  The homey pictures make you ready to get your hands dirty and the words are a needed reminder to stop working for a minute to eat, drink and laugh with friends.

Tickets, Experiences, Time

I love experiential presents.  Claire recently took me for my birthday to see Jonathan Franzen talk at the Library Foundation of Los Angeles and it will stay with me far longer than a box of chocolates.  Take someone with you or give tickets to the theater.  A day at the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens with lunch at the Rose Garden Tea Room  might be perfect for your parents.  Museum memberships will let your friends skip the long lines.  At the end of the day, the irony of this busy time of year is often that we realize what we want is time with the people we love, far more than any thing, so don’t be afraid to give just that.

Claire’s picks:

Indie Filmmaker ‘Metal’ T-shirts and more…

Seldom do I find a film-related gift that might just be too pretentious for the likes of, well, me, but I daresay the fantabulous IFC Center in NY may have done it. For the aspiring auteur who wants to wear his love of Fassbinder on his chest, this series of t-shirts with notable filmmakers’ names given the 80s metal band graphic treatment does the trick. The Merchandise section of the IFC Center also offers up hard-to-find dvds and – yes, you’re reading this right – David Lynch’s specialty roast coffee beans (from which he claims to make his 10 daily cups…)

Simon Callow’s book Love Is Where It Falls

This book, written by actor/director/author (his Being an Actor is another must-read) is the story of Callow’s friendship with the late British agent Peggy Ramsay. It was given to me by a colleague and friend, actor/director and  Brian McManamon, who, casting me in my first project after acting school, made me feel there was a place for my work in the world even when much else indicated otherwise…I always think of this book as a great way to honor a friendship that’s made one’s life in art possible.

Wine of Substance’s 2009 Malbec

The Sound’s Jeffrey and I drained a bottle of this recently as we watched People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. Rest assured, though, Jeffrey’s taste in wine is more of the caliber of his music preferences than his reality TV picks…It’s smooth, full-bodied, goes with almost everything, and can help you savor the ‘you booked it’ phone call or console you after the ‘you almost booked it’ phone call.

Gift Certificate for Olympic Spa

This Koreatown spot features several of the standard spa treatments, but the $15 ‘Simple Soak’ is my go-to healthy indulgence. For $15 you can soak in the whirlpools, lie in the jade sauna, and thumb through back issues of Allure while laying on the heated floor of the lounge area.

Heath Ceramics

I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t like shopping. I also don’t like wearing H&M shirts eaten by moths or serving guests from the chipped Ikea mugs I got 6 years ago at Goodwill. Thus, I am vowing to invest in the good stuff that lasts. Heath Ceramics makes beautiful and simple housewares that can make an uber-fancy place look down-to-earth and a dump look like it’s inhabited by someone with serious potential.

Coupons for Union Dues

The pesky semi-annual bills have a terrible habit of coming a) all at the same time from the 3 entities (WTF?) and b) when I have no money and/or c) just when some financial emergency has sprung up. Hence, I’ve endured some slides into late fees and mad dashes to the AEA office to pay up when a can’t-miss EPA is on the horizon…If you have someone in your life who’s just relocated or is going through another financial transition, you can help them keep their career on track with a coupon for a cycle or two of SAG, AFTRA or AEA dues.

What’s on your wish list?  Do you have the perfect present that you can’t wait to give one of your actor friends?  Let us know your ideas in the comments!

Photo by Cláudia*~Assad