From Black Friday to the night before Christmas, you have no doubt been wondering what to give the ones you loved for the holiday gift giving season. Yes, this kind of post comes up every year from almost every website out there. You’ve probably seen plenty suggesting you Buy neon lights, personalized gift mugs, and the occasional specific gift basket. Perfect for when you’re really out of ideas.
But we’ve got an extra special twist on the annual gift guide tradition. More specifically, what to give someone in your LGBT circle – your partner, spouse, significant other, child, parent, grandparent, or a good friend – for their automotive lifestyle.
“Automotive lifestyle” may seem a bit PC, but it fits a lot of us well. We travel by a vehicle, right? We may have just bought a new-to-us ride that might need a little extra to make it their own.
All these gift ideas are either a click away or just a short run to the store.
Besides, you’re the Santa.
FUEL GIFT CARDS: Sometimes, it would be easier if your bank account or credit card can do without charges from your local fill-up station. Giving the gift of a prepaid card from your favorite brand of gasoline (or diesel) will help offset the cost at the pump. If your recipient has no loyalty to any brand, any bank or retailer may have some generic VISA, MasterCard or American Express prepaid gift card you can put down a month’s worth of fuel on.
Of course, knowing how much they pay for gas in a month does help to know how much to put on the prepaid card.
DETAILING KIT: Someone you love may love their car, truck, or SUV equally – or more (we apologize if it ends up being more than you). Why not give their ride more love? There is nothing like taking some time to give their vehicle a little once over twice. A trip to the automotive section of a big box retailer or auto parts store will help you pick the right items to clean their vehicles further than an automated car wash can.
You might be confused as to which brand of products to choose from and which items to get. There may be forums that would help to choose what items to put in that kit. Your friends could help, too. Think of it as selecting the right product to zhush up their hair.
Get a good polish or wax, tire treatment, interior cleaner, chrome cleaner, bug and tar cleaner, assorted towels, brushes, and hose extensions – that’s just for starters!
SWAG: There is such a thing as brand loyalty in the automotive world. Now that every automaker loves us at work, as well as loyal customers, you can raid their online stores to become fans of their rides. We found that Chevrolet, Ford, all of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover/Range Rover, and Porsche have extensive gift collections online (and at your local brand retailer).
You might just get that Martini & Rossi Porsche tribute t-shirt or the 911 fan in your life. There’s is that cool Supra t-shirt for the one who loves the “Fast and Furious” movie franchise. How about a Cadillac golf umbrella? The ideas are extensive, and so is their catalog online.
SCALE MODEL VEHICLES: As LGBT folks, we have a little fun side to our lives. We geek out on comic books, game consoles, fantasy fiction, cartoons, and other assorted toys. Keeping it PG-13, the toys we’re thinking of scale models of your favorite automobiles.
If the one you are gifting loves automobiles or has a special ride they own that they love very much. You can go from a Hot Wheels to a 1/18 scale die-cast model of practically every vehicle you can think of. They would look great in an office or on the mantlepiece – that is, if you have a mantlepiece.
CELL PHONE HOLDER: Across this country, there is a crackdown on cell phone users. Law enforcement agencies are asking you to leave the phone alone and use them hands-free. If you do not have a handy place to leave your phone alone, there is a solution.
You can get a cell phone holder that clips onto your vents or mounts to the windshield that is sturdy and complies with the law. They also start from under $10.00. In case your gift recepient happens to be a driver for a delivery service or support a ride-hailing app, it is pretty mandatory to have one for their job. If you want to give one of those Unique Personalized Gifts along with the cell phone holder, get them a phone case with the photo of their pet or beloved. They are sure to appreciate the gesture.
A NEW CAR? It seems like it’s the ultimate gift, right? Imagine you being the one to hide a new car with a big bow on top. But, where would you hide it?
It is a big ticket purchase. It also takes negotiation and transfer of insurance policies, and other legal items to make the gifting of a new automobile work. And, if you think it’s going to work, take a video of the reaction and put it on YouTube!
From all of us at GayWheels.com, Happy Holiday Gift Giving Season!