Christmas Gifts 2020

I was born on Christmas, a very long time ago, three years to the day after my sister’s birthday. What are the odds, eh?

It made for some interesting holidays around the house but there was always a tree, with packages under it, even after my parents split up. Maybe not as many packages but still there were brightly-wrapped boxes or soft bundles.
As I’ve grown older, giving has become more important than receiving, even if it is my birthday which, in the past, was often lost in the season. I learned to spend a little time on my own each Christmas, reflecting where my life had been and what might be over the horizon.

During those childhood years, I learned a lesson about Christmas gifts. Make it something the recipient can actually use, not some silly thing likely to gather dust in a drawer or the corner of a closet. In my case, it might be a pair of jeans or some socks; maybe a new shirt or a winter coat. My dad would always buy my hunting license for the following year. If I received any money, it would go for ammunition, or maybe a new belt.

Christmas can be a magic time, even if one had to make his own magic out of the simplest of things.

In my teens, when my friends’ interests shifted hard toward cars they couldn’t afford, I read outdoor magazines and gun periodicals. It taught me something else — always keep money for the monthly magazine purchases.

Christmas is days away and now would be a good time to finish your shopping. For those who cannot decide what to give a shooter or hunter on the gift list, here’s a few suggestions …

Holsters:

Every handgunner needs a holster and most wind up with more than one. Some of the top names include Mernickle Custom (mernickleholsters.com), Diamond D Leather (DiamondDLeather.com), Kirkpatrick (Kirkpatrickleather.com), Simply Rugged (simplyrugged.com), N8 Tactical (N8Tactical.com), Bravo Concealment (BravoConcealment.com) or Versa Carry (versacarry.com). There are also car holsters available from American Leathersmith (AmericanLeathersmith.com).

The thing about holsters is ‘one never seems to be enough.’ I’ve managed to accumulate two or three for most of the handguns I own. I prefer leather, but Kydex and nylon are popular as well with today’s generation of handgunners.

Likewise, every rifle or shotgun can use a new case, whether a hard-sided model or a padded nylon case with pockets for ammunition and cleaning accessories.

Firearms:

With all the regulations and red tape involved in purchasing firearms, why not give someone a gift certificate instead? Check with your local gun shop about this. Considering the effect the pandemic has had on small businesses, patronizing a local firearms retailer would be the right thing to do.

When I was in my mid-teens, my aunt gifted my uncle with a Smith & Wesson revolver for Christmas. My dad helped her buy it. This one was a gem, a Model 53, the K-frame with two cylinders, one chambered for the .22 Remington Jet and the other for .22 Long Rifle. It had an 8 3/8” barrel and was remarkably accurate. He passed away earlier this year, having lived to age 90. His birthday was Dec. 20, a month for birthdays that seems to run in the family. Alas, the Model 53 is long gone.

There’s one other thing worth sticking under the tree — an envelope containing a gift subscription to GUNS magazine and/or American Handgunner (or both). They provide year-around reading for shooters and cover all the bases with some of the very best authors in the business.

Subscribe to GUNS and American Handgunner now