Do you have a friend or relative with an appreciation for the darker things? If your not clued up finding that perfect Christmas gift can be a total nightmare. So here i give some ideas and tips on finding the perfect gift for your alternative familiar. This will be my final blog post for the Great Goth Gift Guide due to Christmas approaching far to quickly, there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything ready. As the other two posts have been mainly targeted towards women i thought i would make this more of a non gender specific guide. This is a really tricky one for me, i live in a small village so goth guys are pretty much non existent but i will do my best.
1. Books~ Doesn't everyone love to get their teeth into a good book, 50 shades of gray is a big hit but we are more interested in 50 shades of blood and gore. This isn't true of everyone though, romantic tragedy's or classic novels are also favoured. Barnes and Noble have a collection of beautiful leather bound books perfect for your literacy lover. I own a copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and it is one of my favourites, every detail from the cover to the artwork is perfection making a beautiful addition to any book collection. I would recommend Dracula, Frankenstein, The Edgar Allan Poe Collection or Wuthering Heights for a great gift. Most of these books are available on Amazon but i have also seen some of them in Waterstones.
2. Candles~ They are relaxing, smell great and create a romantic eerie atmosphere, in the short if you don't like candles you probably have no soul. My all time favourite candles are black and opium scented, they are elegant, mysterious and make inexpensive gifts. Another sought after brand is the weeping rose candle, these are black and have a red wax center which drips like blood down the candle. I have found both of these on Ebay and amazon for low prices. For something a little more mysterious why not pick up a skull shaped candle, these are a little more expensive but look beautiful. Gothic candle holders paired with black tea lights or tapered candles would make a perfect gift.
3. Music~ O.K so buying music for Goths is a tricky business, there's a wide range of music listened to in the gothic subculture. Some like metal, while others are more inclined to classical or other genres, unless you know your recipients taste its best not to buy anything too specific.When looking for music i use a website called
getmetal, they have a big list of new album releases including Gothic metal. If you still have no idea what to buy Itunes has an extensive library of all genre's of music. I personally prefer to use Spotify, a music streaming subscription which i can use on my PC and iPhone. By using spotify i can listen to any song without purchasing it individually. This would be more suited to someone who spends a lot of time online or has a smart phone. Itunes and Spotify gift cards are both attainable in most supermarket but you can also buy e-cards online.
4. Goth Boots~ Goth boots are one of our big fashion staple pieces, they go with jeans they go with dresses we love them! Before you go browsing for some bad ass boots you need to know that while they are built to last they don't come cheap so if your looking to save the pennies buy something else. Popular brands are New Rock and Demonia, i have owned both brands and would say from experience that New Rocks last longer but Demonia are better looking.
Luna's Top Tip: Is your Goth friend vegetarian?, they might appreciate some animal friendly boots from Madfish. Keep hold of your receipt just in case the fit isn't quite right
5. Food~ Everyone loves to eat, and you don't necessarily need to find some kind of goth foods, although Halloween sweets will probably go down well. What kind of foods does your recipient like? I am a big foodie and love to cook, one of my favourite gift ideas is food subscription services. These are boxes of food that are sent out weekly or monthly depending on the subscription. Some of my favourites are the cake club which sends you a delicious slice of cake a month and the curry club, a box of fresh spices that comes with a curry recipe card. If your friend isn't the cooking type perhaps you could get them a gift certificate to there favourite restaurant.
6. Jewellery~ There's plenty of unisex Gothic jewellery out there, Alchemy Gothic is the first brand that springs to mind. They sell a gorgeous collection of both masculine, feminine and unisex pieces featuring dragons, fairies, skulls and other characters. A wide range of pieces are available for any budget, perhaps a belt buckle for your goth guy or a nice pendant if that's more his thing. Alchemy Gothic also have some gorgeous rings for someone special
Luna's Top Tip: If buying rings always find out the recipients size, guessing is never going to work!
I hope my little guide has helped you with your tricky Christmas recipients, Once again i want to thank all of you for reading my ramblings. My next post may be after Christmas so i take this time to wish you all a happy holiday (full of doom and gloom of course), See you in the New Year
Luna X
Image links books:http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8f/6d/c7/8f6dc7e083f2fbe59866621529c43990.jpg candle:http://www.mensfashionmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/memento-mori-wax-skull-candle.jpg bass:http://stylefavor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Bass-Guitar-Wallpaper.jpg
boots:http://www.sinistersoles.com/v/vspfiles/templates/Sinister3/images/Right-2.gif bracelet: http://blackriverrock.co.uk/store/images/brr/alchemygothic/bracelets/A78.jpg food: http://gothiccakes.daenerys.co.uk/files/2012/04/Black-rose-cupcakes.jpg
1.Anatomically Correct Heart Cookies- I have always hated those cheesy heart shaped chocolates and lollipops they just look so tacky. I found these delicious looking hand made anatomical heart cookies on the wonderful world of etsy. Personally i would bake these myself but i know there are few others who would take the time to make these. It's romantic to let your lover to know your heart belongs to them even if you didn't bake them yourself.
2. Wuthering Heights- Nothing says be my gothic valentine like a romantic tragedy. Barnes and Noble leather bound books would make a beautiful addition to anyone's book collection. Each book contains beautiful illustrations and each book is covered in beautiful embossed leather. The leather bound classics collection also includes Dracula, Frankenstein and the Complete Tales of Edgar Allen Poe
3. Luv Bunnies- Many people like to give stuffed animals to their lover on valentines day, personally i think it's a little cheesy but here is my goth friendly alternative. Love bunnies come in different colours and styles, some have bandages on their ears too (so you feel sorry for them and take them home). I would also suggest looking at some cute stuffed bats or a skelanimals plushies if that's her thing.
4. Alchemy Gothic Jewellery~ There are so many beautiful pendants from bats to skeletons and just about anything gothic you could think of. One of my favourite pieces is the Reliquary Heart locket, it is the perfect piece of valentines jewellery for someone with dark taste. The inside contains a mirror and an engraved quote although you could fit a good sized picture inside as well.
5. Goth Gift Basket for Her- This gifts takes a lot more thought to prepare than the other's but your other half is likely to appreciate it much more. Find out what her favourite makeup products are, other small items such as skull shaped 
