Looking for the perfect gift for the history lover in your life, but feeling overwhelmed? Is this book any good, and does it contain new information they haven’t read yet? How historically accurate is this series on BluRay? Should I just buy novelty socks instead? Don’t fret: TRG is here to help with our annual holiday gift guide!
For book lovers…
History books are always a good gift for avid readers. The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss takes readers on a journey from Ben Franklin’s first bookshop to modern online booksellers like Amazon. Consider this gift an excuse to visit your neighborhood bookstore and explore local history!
For the architectural historian…
Popular Instagram account Cheap Old Houses showcases beautiful old homes in need of TLC. If you can’t afford to gift your loved one a historic property, Cheap Old Houses’ merch shop is the next best thing. They can wear their love of old homes on their sleeve (or rather chest) with a t-shirt or give a subtle architectural nod with these enamel pins of classic American homes.
For foodies…
Winter is the perfect time for warm beverages. Tea drinkers and colonial history lovers will enjoy sipping the Teas of the Boston Tea Party from Oliver Pluff & Co. These high-quality teas are based on popular colonial imports, including the varieties thrown into Boston Harbor in 1773.
If they prefer something sweet, we recommend Gourmet Hot Cocoa by American Heritage Chocolate. This beverage is a replica of an 18th century recipe, and is blended with vanilla, cinnamon, and orange spices.
American Heritage Chocolate also produces baking chocolate and shares recipes on their website, which you can try all year long.
For geography lovers…
Historic Map Works is a digital map database, with over one million historic maps of North America and the world. Their shop provides high quality reproductions of antique maps from their collection. A map of your loved one’s home state, or a city they love to visit makes for a unique and thoughtful gift.
For young history buffs…
The I Survived series tells stories of major historical events and disasters from a kid’s perspective. From the destruction of Pompeii to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, these books show resiliency during difficult times. Stories of recent disasters like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or the Joplin tornadoes in 2011 can spark conversations between children and parents who remember these events. This book series is for ages 7 and up.
For a gift that gives back…
If you’ve ever looked at a museum artifact and thought “wow, I wish I could own that,” now you can…sort of! Museums and historical societies around the country offer Adopt an Artifact program, which allow you to symbolically adopt a historical treasure for yourself or someone else. A yearly donation supports the preservation and upkeep of a museum object and often comes with an adoption certificate and high-quality photo.
For example, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center you can adopt a share of a decommissioned rocket. We suggest searching for your recipient’s state or area of interest and “adopt an artifact” (ex: “Ohio Adopt An Artifact” or “Civil War Adopt An Artifact”).
Need more inspiration? Check out our 2023 and 2022 guides.
Note: TRG is not affiliated with any of the institutions or companies above and we have not received payment or commission for the products linked in this post.
