It’s that time of year again – time to feel the crunch of getting gifts for everyone on your list. This is easily the most stressful time of year for us as we look to keep everyone on our social networks happy. Really the best thing you can do for a loved one is not just buy them something but rather, make them something. Like they say, you can give your money, but giving your time is something else.

That said, here are some pretty cool gifts you may want to consider – for yourself or for whomever. Some of them are what I would consider big tickets, but they could be a gift for a family as opposed to just an individual.

• Flip Mino – ranging in price from $180 to $200, this tiny little gadget allows you to film whatever you like, up to 60 minutes of footage. It has a nifty little switchblade USB for easy uploading to your computer. It also comes loaded with software that make it a snap to upload to YouTube.
• Milwaukee M-Spector Digital Inspection Camera – wanna feel like a spy? Put the power of an over-budget action film into the palm of your hands as you use this nifty little device to look in between walls, under doors, and in car engines to diagnose problems. You can get really creative with the uses of this device – but I will leave that to you.
• Sorapot – This architectural beauty merges the art of tea with modern feeling. It can be an heirloom piece that could be passed down throughout your family – novel idea. Great gift for the sophisticated, health conscious and wise!
• Silver Sonic XL – Yeah, I just saw the infomercial on this one. I remember a similar product advertised last year and I thought it would be an excellent product for someone who is hard of hearing but also for someone who likes to watch TV when everyone else has gone to bed. Or maybe someone who wants to practice stalking. He, he, he.
• The Roku player for Netflix – Simply an amazing idea. What if I told you that you could watch any movie you wanted on your TV whenever you wanted? Well, that is what this little device can do for you and it is only $100 to buy. That’s it. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can use this little device in tandem with your membership and get access to Netflix’s total library. Never go to the movies again – or even the video rental store!
• Electronics Workshop 1 – This is a great way to get your kids interested in science and in tinkering with things. It is for all the techies in all of us – but this comes with a story. You read the story and as you read it, you recreate the experiments that go along with the story – a novel (I know, bad pun!) idea. I want one for myself!
• EasyBloom Plant Sensor – Give the gift of gardening! This is a pretty amazing little device that I think could have future applications that may take this to a new level. What it does is it analyzes your soil and environment and helps you estimate the optimum growing potential of your garden.
• Admetior Digital Spoon Scale – Tired of trying to figure out how much is a splash, a dash, or a touch? Well, this little spoon gives you measurements of your favorite herbs and spices by weight – to the nearest gram. This won’t get you an audition on Top Chef or anything, but it will help.
• Polar FT80 with GPS – This watch helps you collect data to optimize your work out and training sessions. It really helps with cardio training as it tracks your heartbeat. The watch also looks nice and you can wear it out. Plus, this model has a GPS feature which is helpful in measuring distance running, etc. There is also a cheaper model without the GPS.

If you find any other great gift ideas – please leave comments. As always, remember to check woot.com as they have great stuff on sale all the time – it is like Black Friday everyday!