It’s that time of year again–time to start thinking about giving gifts to your friends and relatives.

Just in case you’d like a few gift ideas, below I’ve pulled together a few items that I think you might enjoy giving (or receiving!).

1. MIR Weighted Vest

Since I travel a lot and can’t easily carry around my kettlebells (see #5 below), I’ve been doing a lot of bodyweight exercises. After working through a pullup routine, I wanted to increase the resistance in order to help build more strength. This MIR Weighted Vest was the perfect solution.

MIR sells many different kinds of weighted vests in a variety of weights. The one I bought, however, does not come with weights already inside it, but has strong velcro pockets in which you can put your own weights. This makes the weight vest much more flexible and customizable, since I can vary the weights in it, increasing the weights as my strength levels suggest. You can also use the pockets to hold your wallet and car keys in case you want to go for a run in your weight vest.

The weight is well distributed across my shoulders and the vest securely straps around my chest. In addition to using the vest for pullups, I’ve also used it for short sprints, pushups, and squats. I even sometimes use it when taking my dog for a walk, just to get a little workout from even a mundane activity.

So, I’ve been really happy with this vest.

2. Kindle book reader

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I’ve reviewed these kindle book readers previously, but the price has dropped so much in these models and Amazon has consistently improved their offerings and book/magazine selections as well as support for the Kindle over the years that this is really a good time to try a Kindle.

The name of the reading game these days is ebooks, or electronic books. So even if you don’t want to gift someone a Kindle, you can at least gift them an ebook. Amazon offers free applications to read ebooks on iPhones, PCs, Macs, BlackBerrys, iPads, Android devices, and Windows Phones, so you don’t actually need the Kindle device to read kindle ebooks… The selection is great and they can be enjoyed anywhere, especially on travel.

This also might be a way to see if you like reading ebooks without having to first purchase a kindle — just buy an ebook and see if you like reading it on your iPad or computer or wherever. I’ve found reading ebooks on the kindle to be a better experience, because the kindle screen doesn’t cause as much eye strain, but still, it is nice being able to read ebooks on all these other devices as well.

This page on Amazon shows you how to give an ebook as a gift, but it’s really easy: just click the new “give as gift” button during checkout.

4. Apple iPad

The Apple iPad is the great tablet everyone has been talking about. The larger screen allows for a better experience when watching movies and using the various applications. I’ve also found it to be a useful note taker and document reader when I am away from my main computer, and magazines tend to work much better on the iPad than on the Kindle. In fact many magazines like the New Yorker and The Economist allow you to read editions on your iPad if you have a print subscription. And because it is an Apple device, the iPad works well with all your other Apple products, creating a nice entertainment, computing, and productivity ecosystem.

5. Kettlebells

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These are one of my favorite pieces of exercise equipment–hands down the best way to build strength and increase your cardiovascular performance levels. Here’s a short guide on how to get started with kettlebells.

6. Wireless Internet Surveillance Camera

Just what does your cat do at home when you are away at work? Probably not much, but you can easily find out with this handy Wireless Internet Surveillance Camera.

I’ve used it with my Mac and I’ve found it to be a good camera for a decent price. Since the camera has its own webserver, you can easily access the camera’s images remotely using your web browser. There are several ways you can configure the frequency of the image updates as well as brightness, zoom, etc. The camera supports MJPEG video recording with up to 30 frames per second as well as TCP/IP networking and SMTP email. You can even set the camera up to only take pictures when triggered by movement. Also, you can have the camera email you the pictures it takes. The camera comes with software that works on a PC, but with my Mac I’ve not missed it.

7. Moleskine Notebook

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love the Moleskine Notebooks. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with lined, unlined, and gridded paper. Perfect for artists, writers, notetakers, doodlers, and dreamers.

8. Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker

Okay, I was skeptical of the Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker at first. But after trying it, I have to admit that it makes really great frozen drinks. Better yet, it makes the drinks consistently of high quality. Also, the unit is easy to clean.

So whether you want a quick banana smoothie, a protein drink, or even a margarita, this frozen drink maker will keep you happy. Cheers!

9. Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling Headphones,

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Your own personal cone of silence–

I’ve reviewed these noise canceling headphones previously, and I still use them all the time. Great for when you need to focus on getting some work done, want to tune out the world for a few moments, or want to listen to music without outside noise.

10. Sakura Micron Pen Set

Need a great pen set to use with your Moleskine notebooks? Then you might like the Sakura Micron Pen Set. This set comes with pens in six colors: Black, Red, Blue, Green, Brown, and Purple. I like them because they have a small diameter tip that doesn’t bleed on my paper and makes consistently smooth lines. Also, the ink is archival quality and is neutral in pH.

11. Nathan Gel Pack Holder

So you might be wondering why you would want a Nathan Gel Pack Holder. Well, it should be obvious if you run a lot–it holds your car keys and gel packs and iPhones, etc. I don’t run a lot yet I’ve found this waist pack to be very handy when traveling. Especially since going through airports is such a bad experience these days, I’ve found that being able to put all my loose items into this waist pack to be very helpful. Also, since the waist pouch can easily sit comfortably under your shirt, you don’t have to worry as much about pickpockets when traveling around town.

12. Neiko LED Compact Aluminum Flashlight

I’ve found these compact aluminum LED flashlights to be very handy. They provide a bright light and are small enough to carry around easily in glove compartment, backpack, or even coat pocket. Also, because it’s an LED flashlight, I’ve found I don’t have to change batteries near as often as with the older bulb flashlights.

Anyway, that’s it for this year’s list of gift items–I hope you’ve been able to find at least something of interest. Consider shopping for yourself or someone else using this link to Amazon.com.

Happy Holidays!