Outdoors with Don Q: Some suggestions for 2012 Christmas gifts

With all of the crazy “Black Friday” shopping madness now safely behind us, we can begin, once again, to think rationally about ideas for Christmas gifts for that special person(s) in our lives.
So, if you were not part of that frenzied mob scene on the day after Thanksgiving, or if you are still scratching your head about what to get for that person, here are some “Don Q” suggestions for Christmas gifts:

Alaska Magazine
This is my all-time favorite suggestion for an out-of-the-ordinary Christmas gift, which I have given to a number of relatives and close friends. 
The magazine subscription rate is only $18.00 a year which includes 10 monthly issues plus a very attractive Alaska calendar.

Call Alaska Magazine customer services at 1-800-288-5892, or go to their website at www.alaskamagazine.com, click on "Subscribe," and then just fill in the required information. You won’t go wrong…I guarantee it.
It's a great way to visit Alaska, all year long, from your easy chair.

Chocolate candy bar:
If they are a chocolate lover, what better way to make them smile, when they open their 2012 Christmas gift, than to give them the ultimate chocolate bar.
It is “The world’s largest Hershey’s milk chocolate bar."
It weighs five pounds and costs $44.99.
Wow, five pounds of chocolate!
Go to www.hersheystore.com, click on "Gifts $25 and up" under "Gifts By Price" and have fun.
Heck, why not buy one for me, too. I love anything with chocolate!

Clip light
Here’s a small, inexpensive stocking stuffer.
A little clip light that fits on the bill of his/her baseball cap.
You can get them with lens in different colors and the lights operate for up to 30 hours on two tiny lithium batteries.
The clip lights are very bright and can be used for a variety of reasons such as when that persons is out camping, nature calls in the middle of the night and he/she has to get out of their toasty-warm sleeping bag.
You might even want to get clip lights for everyone in the family.

Cordless mouse for their computer
Another great stocking stuffer and it is not that expensive.
I’ve got one for our main computer at home plus one for my notebook computer that I carry when traveling.
Yahoo! No wires to contend with!
I’ve also learned (the hard way) that you need to have some backup AA batteries for the mouse, because when the batteries lose their power, your cursor stops moving, no matter how many times you click it. I know!
And, don't forget to also get them a new mouse pad for that cordless mouse.

Fishing trip at Lake Tahoe
For one to four anglers, I highly recommend our good friend, Gene St. Denis of Blue Ribbon Charters of South Lake Tahoe (1-530-544-6552) (www.blueribbonfishing.com) for unforgettable Mackinaw Trout fishing.
“Gino” is one of the top, if not the top, sport fishing guides at Lake Tahoe and in his fishing boat (“The PT-109”), he fishes anywhere on the lake, depending on where the fish are currently biting.
He launches at Cave Rock Landing, and unlike some other Tahoe charters of short duration, Gino will stay out for hours to produce trout for you.

Gift certificate for an overnight stay away from home
There are some very nice choices for comfortable places to stay away from home during the summer fishing months or the fall color months.

You might want to consider checking out the following locations:
Bishop Creek Lodge (www.bishopcreekresort.com) (760-873-4484).
Caples Lake Resort (www.capleslakeresort.com) (209-258-8888).
Convict Lake Resort (www.convictlake.com) (800-992-2260).
Parchers Resort (www.parchersresort.net) (760-873-4177).
Virginia Lakes Resort: (www.virginialakesresort.com) (760-647-6484).

Gift certificate to his/her favorite dinner restaurant
This is a very nice gift for the recipient.
It can be used at any time during the year, plus as a bonus, you can also benefit from that gift by accompanying them to their favorite place to eat dinner. It’s a “win-win” situation for you.
Our favorite eating-out location is Garibaldi’s in Carson City and a gift certificate to that great Italian restaurant is always a pleasant treat for us.

If you get the chance to dine there, be sure to order the “Won Ton Shrimp” appetizer. It’s a great way to start an evening of fine food and drinks.

Gift certificate for the outdoor enthusiast
A gift certificate at their favorite sporting goods store.
With that precious gift certificate, clutched in their sweaty hands, they can do as I did this year with mine: Go crazy trying to figure out what to buy because the choices are overwhelming and someone else is paying for them!

I spent hours wandering around Scheels Sporting Goods Store in Sparks with a gift certificate. I had a "Ton of Fun" doing it and bought a “Ton of Stuff.” It is amazing how many different kinds of fishing lures you can buy with someone else’s money!

Global Positioning System
A portable Global Positioning System (GPS system) for their vehicle.
It's an invaluable tool as a portable navigator and reference device, and especially for getting around in unfamiliar locations or cities. 
Our Garmin is always accurate and always takes us exactly to where we want to go as a final destination.

However, I love to fake it out by ignoring its advice on where to turn at an intersection. I diabolically and deliberately drive past the turn, just to hear it say, "Recalculating, Recalculating."

Skype:
If that special person in your life has a computer at home, and he/she has friends or relatives who live far away, what better surprise Christmas gift than to install Skype on their computer.
Skype is free, that's the best part of this gift.

All they need is a computer with a webcam and a microphone, and they can see and talk to others no matter where they live.
On almost a daily basis, we use Skype to communicate with our good friends, Barry and Susan Drury, who live in Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada.

Wildlife figurines:
These are great stocking stuffers that can be found on the Internet at www.bigskycarversatchristmastreasures.com (800-820-8189).
Big Sky Carvers’ whimsical, woodsy creatures bring humor to any stressful day with their playful charm! From Bearfoot Bears to Mountain Mooses, with figurines to home décor, these popular friends delight and inspire!
Over the years, we have collected a number of their bearfoot bear figurines at the Quilici Cabin near Davis Lake, California, and they make great decorations in the cabin's kitchen, front room and bedroom.

Finally
There you have it: Some Don Q suggestions for Christmas 2012.
No matter what you give that special person, remind him/her that it is not the gift that counts; it is the thought behind it. It is a gift from the heart.
Have fun shopping this Christmas season.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon he can't tell you what Don Q wants for Christmas.
If he grins and says, “Don would like a 2013 California Non-Resident fishing license,” he has been peeking at my Christmas wish list.

— Writer Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now and www.SouthTahoeNow.com. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.