Hey everybody! It's December 2nd and wherever you are it's likely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Time for you to put on your thinking caps and come up with something clever and original for those hard-to-shop-for friends... or yourself.

As you know, I am inundated with emails from PR firms working with brands in every corner of entertainment, so I decided why not actually open some of those emails and pass the knowledge on to you? So here are some fun gift ideas for your 2025 shopping season.

For the Batman Fan:

I've already told you about Fanhome's fantastic Legends of Batman graphic novel collection, which seems to get better with each month, but what about that Batman fan/collector who wants something a bit more tangible and impressive. How about a 1:8 scale replica of Tim Burton's '89 Batmobile that measures over 2 feet when completed? Well, you're in luck.

The best gifts are those that extend well beyond the initial unwrapping, and this expansive set offers over two years of deliveries as your Secret Santa recipient builds the legendary Batmobile while learning about the ins and outs of classic Batmobiles throughout the franchise history. You can learn more about the Batmobile subscription set from Fanhome here.

If your Batman fan is a reader, you can keep the '89 Burton film theme and offer John Jackson Miller's latest novel, Batman: Revolution, the follow-up to last year's Batman: Resurrection. These non-canon novels extend Burton's '89 film lore as a bridge between Batman and Batman Returns, offering all the whimsy and grit of those formative films. In this latest installment, Bruce Wayne matches wits with Norman Pinkus, aka The Riddler, while learning more about Gotham City's literal and figurative underground. You can order the novel here.

For the Marvel Fan:

For your Marvel fan friends, I've come across several books that will put the Jingle in their Rock, from a fully-realized novel to some handy reference guides and a coffee table book that reads like a little Golden Book for adults.

Rebecca Podos is the fourth author to join the novelizations of Marvel's classic What If series with What If Kitty Pryde Stole the Phoenix Force? This novel finds Kitty Pryde growing up in a world wherein the X-Men have burned out before reaching their potential. Left to fight humanity rather than coexist, this meaner version of Kitty is made aware of what could have been by Betsy Braddock, who senses something is amiss. This gels with Kitty's own "slips" out of time and place, and the two travel to Latveria to hop a ride on one of Doctor Doom's Time Portals, garnering the ire of the despot as her pursues them across time.

As I mentioned, this is the fourth in an ongoing series, with a fifth scheduled for release next year, but readers can jump in without difficulty. Perhaps it'll extend interest into the three before and those to come, creating a gift with lasting influence. You can order your copy and read about the other installments here.

If your friend is tentatively looking to dip their toe in the Marvel Universe but overwhelmed by the enormity of its stories, maybe a Dummies guide is the right gift. The Dummies have had their scholars hard at work all year demystifying Marvel's roster of superheroes, offering companion books to such characters as Captain America, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and recently Spider-Man and the X-Men. The X-Men for Dummies is actually releasing the 16th of this month, but the other mentioned titles are currently available. You can order those here.

For those friends that are bit more irreverent but could still use some direction and motivation, humorist Rob Kutner has brought us Deadpool's Affirmations, a thin volume of advice on living from the undying Merc with a Mouth. This is a delightful addition to any library that embraces self-hope, self-help, and even self-sabotage. You can order your very own copy here.

For the Kids (and Adult Kids):

In keeping with the book theme, I got another email about a book that, I must admit, intrigued me. It's called The Talented Farter, and it's written by none other than Lex Luthor himself, Michael Rosenbaum. Touted as a "sound book," it features all original sounds from Michael Rosenbaum, himself. Personally, I think that is rad. You can check it out here.

And finally, for the partiers, we've got Ugly Christmas Sweaters and other Holiday costumes from Fun.com and HalloweenCostumes.com. In fact, the delightful elves over there have already compiled a list of 200 Christmas Gift Ideas. Be sure to check that out if you've hit a wall.

And that's it for now. If something else flabbergasting comes my way I'll be sure to let you all know but I hope that this gave you some fresh ideas. Much love to you and yours this holiday season! Take care!

-McEric, aka Eric McClanahan-