Welcome, Beatles fans, to the First-Annual Everything Fab Four Holiday Gift Guide! I am delighted to report that I have pre-tested each and every item on the list.
Up first we have the irrepressible Happy Socks, which have gone viral just in time for the holiday season. The whimsical marketing campaign alone is worth a visit to the Happy Socks website. And the socks themselves—especially the Beatles Collector Box Set—are the perfect gifts for the Beatles fan in your life. For the record, the Apple Bonker and Yellow Submarine designs are my personal favorites. Remember: money can’t buy you love, but it can certainly buy plenty of socks.
And then there’s the new Tervis line of Beatles tumblers. As part of the “Lyrics by Lennon & McCartney” series, the drink ware is comprised of plastic, child-safe Beatles tumblers in two vintages, the nifty “Revolution” tumbler and the “All You Need Is Love” design, which comes in both mug and tumbler sizes. Go ahead, take a drink from Tervis’s special Beatles cup.
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? Or rather, would you read John Pring and Rob Thomas’s Visualizing the Beatles? The special Beatles person in your life will adore leafing through the pages of Pring and Thomas’ colorful, eye-popping book. In the tradition of the finest books devoted to the Fab Four, Visualizing the Beatles will inspire readers to gather up their mp3 players and cue up yet another timeless tune from those four Mop Tops of yore.
Up next, we have Scott Freiman’s fabulous and thought-provoking Deconstructing the Beatles lectures. Now available on DVD for the Beatles movie buff in your household, the first four films offer a master-class in the Act You’ve Known for All These Years. With Scott’s engaging lectures, you’ll go all helter-skelter as you discover the creative processes behind Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and The White Album.
And finally, the good folks at Apple Corps have helpfully reminded us that Christmas time is here again! To celebrate the season, the Beatles are releasing their beloved Christmas discs—and just in time for the holidays, no less. All seven of the Beatles’ Festive Fan Club Holiday Recordings—released to fan club members during the band’s 1960s heyday—will be distributed on December 15th, including the original artwork and colored vinyl.
Merry Crimble, everyone!