Big Ticket 12.4 // Gift Guide: The Department Store

Every Wednesday for the last 30 years or so, the Fort Worth Weekly has published a print product with informative articles on eight main topics and more, including news, music, food, sports, and art. Here are some gift ideas from each department.

Night & Day: Calendars for the New Year. Literally.

While many of you use your smartphone for everything these days, not unlike reading this fabulous publication in print each week, nothing replaces the experience of using an actual, physical, honest-to-God calendar.

One excellent resource for this is Half Price Books (several area locations). Along with artsy, clever pop culture-oriented calendars (Batman, Bob Ross, Friends, Seinfeld, and more), local manufacturer Daybook Publishing stocks their Fort Worth City Date Book there for $19.95. These 6-by-7-inch size booklets fit nicely into a messenger bag or purse and include handy local info in the front, lots of pages for notes in the back, and a very recognizable red metallic longhorn embossed on the black cover (#classy). They are also available at Datebook.com.

Anderson Design Group out of Nashville specializes in “continuing the grand tradition of the Golden Age of Poster Art for a whole new generation” by making epic annual calendars. Their bestseller is Legends of the National Parks with imagery and info on Sasquatch, Bruja, Cave Sloth, Grassman, Hushtaka, Mo’o, and more for $34.99 at AndersonDesignGroupStore.com.

Oh, was this not what you were expecting? For leads on actual events, some ticketed and therefore great as gifts, check out our expanded Night & Day section a few pages over.

Eats & Drinks: Foodie Finds

From food-themed art to actual food and booze, we have some creative gifts to choose from.

With the corporate offices and main manufacturing plant for Best Maid Pickles located right here in Fort Worth, we are also one of the lucky cities to have a Best Maid Pickle Emporium (829 W Vickery Av, 817-876-1980). For all things pickle-oriented, make a stop here.

From breakfast to late-night food, Ol’ South Pancake House (two locations) is an annual Best Of favorite with our critics and readers alike. For an at-home experience, you can give the gift of coffee, coffee cups, pancakes, syrup, or all of the above. Pop into the locations in Fort Worth (1509 S University Dr, 817-336-0311) or Burleson (225 E Renfro St, 817-989-9090) in person or at OlSouthPancakeHouse.com/Store.

Mmm, what a burger! Even though the Texas chain was sold to a company outside the state a while back, Texans still love this fast-food mecca and flock there after shutting down bars all over town. Local folk artist Jack Daw is clearly a fan. He uses his what-a-garbage to create art. You can find his online shop at Etsy.com/shop/JackDawFolkArt and the man himself at various pop-up markets around town.

Music: Gifts of Sound & Vision

While we’re on the subject of Whataburger, let’s talk about this incredible album project they’ve done with a local radio station.

Throughout October, KXT 91.7-FM gave away copies of Homegrown Bites at a series of live remotes at the burger joint’s area locations. The album features many Music Awards favorites, including The Toadies, Phantomelo, Robert Ellis, the Squeezebox Bandits, and more on orange vinyl. Those events were fire! If you missed out on the freebies, you can purchase a copy on Discogs.com starting at $57.88.

While Robert Ellis has a more recent album to his name, 2023’s Yesterday’s News, it’s two tracks from 2019’s Texas Piano Man — “Topo Chico” and “When You’re Away” — that are in heavy rotation. You can purchase a signed copy of Yesterday’s News on black vinyl with 12-inch insert artwork at https://RobertEllis.website. He does also have a 2024 single called “Here We Are,” which you can see live this month at Gruene Hall. (Read more in this week’s Music section.)

And if you didn’t buy tickets to The Toadies’ upcoming annual show at Billy Bob’s Texas on Sat, Dec 28, for the hardcore fan in your life, you still have time. Or, you could get them the new limited edition “I Burn” candle that just dropped at … oh, crap. It’s sold out. A potential substitute provided by Metallica might suffice. The guys want you to “catch a fire and burn all the misery” with a custom, special edition “You Must Burn” candle for $34.99 at Metallica.com.

(UPDATE: We just heard from the Toadies camp and the I burn candles are now back in stock. Find them here.)

Arts & Culture: Creepy Books for a Long Winter’s Night

Besides tickets to any number of exhibits and productions put on by various arts organizations around town (see: Stage this week), this category includes many gift choice items, including some exciting books.

Titan Books just published a new Winter Solstice anthology called Christmas and Other Horrors. Edited by Ellen Datlow, these tales from 17 authors were inspired by the long winter nights that summon a dark tradition of ghouls, ghost tales, and horror. It’s available on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble for $18.99.

If crime fiction is your thing, pick up a copy of Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir. Curated by New York Times bestselling author Tod Goldberg, this collection of 11 delightful and twisted capers will entertain you through all eight nights of the Festival of Lights. This hardbound title is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or on Bookshop.org for $ 27.95.

Local adventurer/author/musician/podcaster Lyle Blackburn has an online store called MonstroBizarro.com, where you can purchase his cryptology books, including his recent Lake Worth Monster: The True Story of the Greer Island Goatman ($18), or his hot sauce ($8) and music on CD from his band, Ghoultown ($10).

Metropolis: In Other News

There are several metaphysical shops in our area, including Aura, Emboddi, Enchanted Forest, Hearth Wisdom, and the new Hemlock, but Higher Purpose Emporium (505 W Northside Dr, Fort Worth, 682-207-5351) has been in our news section a lot. That’s because not only was owner Ivy Aranaught possibly discriminated against by her insurance carrier, but she also has been the target of right-wing protests since opening three years ago. Starting at $13, you can help her ward off all the evil eyes upon her with an evil-eye tray that would make a great, witchy stocking stuffer. Or you can go bigger and spend $36 at a wreath-making class and come away with a hand-made gift this Saturday — more info at HigherPurposeEmporium.com.

Local creators Andrew Calvert and Scott Prather have recently published a YA comic book aimed at helping readers navigate the stages of grief. Physical copies of the first issue of Hiraeth, the Untimely Adventures of Bevel and Logan are now available via Kickstarter.com with options starting at $10. For $70, you will receive two physical copies (one with a cover by Scott Prather, the other by Martin Simmonds), a three-sticker pack, one enamel pin, and copies of each version of the variant art in play. Heavy content? For sure. But for the right person, this would be a highly collectible and deeply appreciated gift.

Screen: Ghouls on Film

For those on a budget, area discount stores and thrift shops have great stuff you can use to DIY some gift bags and baskets with movie themes.

Taking inspiration from last year’s Holidays Issue with its Christmas Vacation homage cover, how about a holiday movie basket? Use a popcorn bucket as a base ($3 at Michaels) and stuff it with holiday movies (four for $20 at Movie Trading Company), popcorn, and other movie-night snacks from Town Talk Foods, and then bundle in a cello basket bag and tie up with a ribbon ($1.25 apiece at Dollar Tree). You can keep it under $20, we swear, but it will look like you went all out.

With this being the 30th anniversary of The Nightmare Before Christmas, the stuff is everywhere, including discount retail locations. If there’s a cinephile in your realm, grab some Nightmare gift bags from the new goods section of your local Goodwill ($1.50) and stuff them with themed items from Temu, Walgreens, or Walmart. You could also pick up a mystery bag of DVDs at Movie Trading Company for $12. A true fan, like one of our staffers, might even decorate for the holidays with all of the above.

Stuff: Go, Sports!

Sports contributor Rush Olson has a lot to say this week about sports tickets as gifts, but did he find a fabulous TCU bracelet? No. He did not.

But we did. Along with the Horned Frogs, fans can wear higher-end fashion jewelry on game day to cheer on the Razorbacks, Tarheels, Volunteers, and more, thanks to Steele Sloan Designs. This TCU bangle bracelet, for example, is tarnish-resistant stainless steel that comes in a gold or silver color for $48. See it all at SteeleSloanDesigns.com.

Professional and college sports teams, beer brands, national bands, and novelty designs all grace the fronts of the T-shirts in your closet and on the racks of thrift stores, retail outlets, and band merch tables, and Zombie Killer Designs is here to upcycle every stitch of it. During the warmer months, you’ll find a lot of cropped shirts embellished and bejeweled and sleeves replaced with ruffles. Right now, it’s all about the flannels with the rescued images gracing the backs as large patches. Shop from the stock of already completed projects at any number of local pop-up markets, or bring owner Sarah something of your own to customize. Get updates on where she’ll be next by following her at Facebook.com/ZombieKillerDesigns.