It’s that time of year again, when families gather and we remind ourselves of …why we really don’t want to do that very often. Some of you, after indulging in a staggering array food today (as we Americans do today on Thanksgiving), might even find yourselves out shopping, as the holiday season has now officially begun. With that in mind, we’ve put together the 2016 edition of our annual Holiday Gift Guide to help you out with your Game of Thrones shopping this year. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or the solstice, we hope you enjoy the gift guide and have a happy holiday season!
If you’re putting up a tree this year, the lovely Game of Thrones decorations in the photo above are all for sale. The Drogon Ornament is sold out in HBO’s store but is still available on Amazon for $11.26. Also from the officially licensed line of designs comes the Game of Thrones Crown Ornament, based on King Joffrey’s stag crown. The resin and acrylic creation is $14.00. As for the trio of helms belonging to Ser Loras, the Kingsguard, and the Hound in the center, you can snag the Game of Thrones Helmet Ornament 3-Pack from Think Geek for $24.99.
Craftier Game of Thrones fans will appreciate these Winter is Coming knitting yarn bowls, created by LennyMud (shown left). They keep your yarn tidy while knitting during the long winter months, and represent your love for House Stark at the same time. The direwolf-emblazoned bowls are $32.00.
If you’re less artistically inclined, LennyMud has a great handmade tea-for-one Game of Thrones teapot and teacup set declaring “Tea Is Coming.” ($34.00)
This one’s a no-brainer for 2016: every GoT nerd wants HBO’s Game of Thrones Coloring Book. ($10.42) Go the extra mile and throw in a 50-pack of fine quality colored pencils so they can get right to coloring the massacre at Hardhome or Arya and her Needle.
And what’s Christmas without an ugly Christmas sweater? The Ho Ho Hodor Ugly Christmas Sweater (actually, it’s a crewneck fleece sweatshirt, but close enough) celebrates the holiday season, the houses of Westeros and one of Game of Thrones‘ greatest heroes all in one. ($29.95)
For the fans who love to play, the puzzling world of Game of Thrones received a fantastic expansion this year. 4DCityscape’s Puzzle of Westeros was a hot holiday gift a few years ago, and this year they’re back with three new additions to the series.
The Game of Thrones Puzzle of Essos ($59.99) is a natural match for the first Westeros puzzle, depicting the eastern continent of the Thrones world. The 1500+ piece box will provide an enjoyable challenge for viewers who love poring over colorful locations like Braavos, Pentos, Meereen, and many more. With two layers of puzzlework and an added layer of 3D miniature replicas, the Essos Puzzle is a quality follow-up to its Westeros counterpart.
This year, we also have the option of the Mini Puzzle of Westeros, the petite version of the original Westeros puzzle. ($29.99) At 350+ pieces, this one is great for when you want to complete a puzzle in short order. The layer of mini replicas of famous Westeros locations such as Winterfell, King’s Landing and more adds that same 3D quality that Cityscape is noted for.
Lastly, we have the Game of Thrones Puzzle of King’s Landing, a unique paper puzzle composed of 260 pieces. ($29.99) The Red Keep dominates the walled city in this creation. This is actually my favorite of the new puzzles, providing a different sort of challenge for fans who have only tried traditional puzzles before.
Next in our holiday gift guide is an item I received recently and I’m just in love with. It’s not actually Game of Thrones merchandise but it fits perfectly in line with it. The ThinkGeek Dragon Cake Pan (on sale for $19.99) shows a dragon with her tail curled around three eggs. You don’t need to be a professional baker to create something extraordinary for your next Game of Thrones watch party if you have dragon cake.
Also vital at the parties: the alcohol to drown our plot-related sorrows, and the stuff to drink it in style. Ommegang‘s very nicely put-together new Valar Morghulis/Valar Dohaeris gift pack is available in stores across the USA just in time for the holidays. ($22.99 per gift pack) Check out Bex’s review here!
There have been quite a few additions to the official line of Game of Thrones drinkware over the past few year, contributing to the already strong selection. A few of my favorites that would make great gifts to your imbibing friends and family include the Targaryen Stemless Wine Glass Set of 2. ($11.99) Stemless glasses are easier to hold onto after you’ve had a few glasses a la Cersei and things are getting messy. If you are using stemmed wine glasses, how about these House Sigil Wine Charms to keep your drinks straight at the next shindig?
The Lannister Pub Glass (also comes in a set of 2 for $11.99) is a nice choice if your loved one prefers beer. In general, the new drinkware designs shown off the Great House spirit in a striking way, and it’s worth checking out the whole line in HBO’s store. Fun.com has a good selection as well, and carries the the popular Great House lidded steins we had a giveaway for, earlier this year. House Lannister, House Targaryen, and House Baratheon are all up for grabs- House Stark is sold out for now, but will be restocked in December.
If you’re a fan of the Three-Eyed Raven and Ommegang’s Dark Saison Ale, pick up their Three-Eyed Raven Glass ($9.00) and a bottle of ale to go with it. It makes a fine present, or a gift for yourself if the holidays are getting you down. Don’t forget to treat yourself, in the mad dash of seasonal shopping!
This holiday season, we have the unexpected pleasure of actually being able to buy the latest season, long before the new year! Pick up Game of Thrones: The Complete Sixth Season in stores or online, and enjoy all the Histories & Lore, audio commentaries, and behind-the-scene extras we’ve come to expect from HBO’s top-notch home releases. Season 6 is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download, so take your pick, for you and your loved ones this season. BestBuy currently has the Limited Edition Steelbook Blu-ray with the Braavos cover, if you or the fan in your life enjoy a variation.
You may have heard the season 6 soundtrack already- but have you heard it on vinyl? ($34.98)
For more unique Game of Thrones gifts, I always recommend visiting Etsy to see what the artists and craftsmen of the site have to offer. The handmade Game of Thrones Vintage Playing Cards ($30.00) are a gorgeous stocking stuffer for any fan, as is the carved wooden Mother of Dragons Barrette/Hair Holder. ($48.00) Etsy is also home to infinite variations of the Hodor Doorstop, for those with a twisted sense of humor- I like this one the best. ($19.00)
The Game of Thrones selection of toys and action figures continued to grow in 2016, with Dark Horse Comics and Funko‘s lines expanding throughout the year. You’ll find a lot of options there, but my favorite of the new Pop! toys is the Margaery Tyrell Pop! Vinyl doll ($9.99). Margaery will be missed on Game of Thrones, but her Pop! figure captures her style at her peak.
Dark Horse’s line of official Game of Thrones action figures are always highly detailed and well made, but The Night King might be their finest work yet in the series. ($24.99) The menacing 8-inch figure shows the White Walker king as he appeared at Hardhome, as he rocked the Game of Thrones world.
And yes, yes that is a George R.R. Martin doll. A talking stuffed GRRM doll to be precise. For $24.99, a person can shout at it, demand explanations for delays and hope for answers. The doll utters phrases about and from Game of Thrones, but probably won’t provide a TWOW arrival date. Still, it’s cute and a fun keepsake.
For Game of Thrones apparel, the t-shirt selection in the HBO Shop has been updated a lot this year with more variety to keep things fresh. The Northern selection is particularly good, as season 6 was strong in the North. If you’re a fan of the fiercest ten-year-old around and her choice for King in the North, opt for the t-shirt featuring Lyanna Mormont’s “Bear Island Knows No King” Quote. ($17.49)
Sansa Stark got her needle on in season 6, and came up with this pretty direwolf-themed House Stark homage. The emerald green t-shirt displays the new sigil variation nicely, for $17.49. For the same price this week you can purchase the “Winter is Here” t-shirt, celebrating the change of seasons and the fact that the Starks can no longer fill awkward silences by saying “Winter is Coming.”
For a more unusual look, check out this crossover look for people who love Thrones and The Walking Dead both- the Tyrion and Daryl’s Crossbow Academy slouchy shirt. ($25.00)
If you’re shopping for someone who’s not so much into shirts, check out ThinkGeek’s Game of Thrones Map Print Infinity Scarf. ($24.99) The looped scarf is a map of the GoT world, but subtly so, for the fan who likes to show off their fandom in a less obvious way.
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the GRRMBox here. This is a stack of presents in one package. The GRRMBox is packed with products themed for fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones series, and comes in 3 variations. The Ultra Limited Edition is already sold out, but the Special Edition ($75.00) and Limited Edition boxes ($200.00) are still available. (The Limited Edition box contents are shown above.) Every version of the GRRMBox contains the 20th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of A Game of Thrones, a lovely new edition of the classic book that can also be purchased separately from the GRRMBox.
That completes our wish list and recommendations- make your own in comments, and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!
A happy Thanksgiving to U.S. Watchers, and sorry Canadian Watchers for missing yours last month, again. 😉
And thanks Sue for linking to the groovy neato dragon cake pan!
Hold the door!
Speaking of the coloring book, the publisher, Bantam, has donated many copies to the non-profit bookstore I volunteer at, the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (126 Crosby St, New York, NY), and they’ve been selling like hotcakes, especially online. All proceeds go to fighting the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness.
If you’re ever in NYC, do stop by. They don’t make cool old skool bookshops like this anymore, especially in Manhattan. (Pro tip: the Movie section – my personal favorite – has many hard to find titles.)
http://www.housingworks.org/bookstore/
That cake pan is amazing ?
That cake would be one high-level decorating challenge! Beautiful.
Hope all US Watchers had lots of moist, delicious turkey and enough gravy to float a boat yesterday. I am thankful for this global community with which to share my geeky obsession. Happiness and peace to all!
Eyeing that deck of cards. Really cool. Only Game of Thrones would have more characters than the 54 cards in a standard deck!
The Ho Ho Hodor t-shirt that Kristian Nairn Tweeted (and WoTW retweeted) was even better than the one pictured here!