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Dec 08, 2015 By Mark Redfern Web Exclusive

Welcome to part four of Under the Radar’s Holiday Gift Guide 2015. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Festivus (for the rest of us) are all on the way. Whichever holiday you celebrate, chances are you’ll have an occasion to give some gifts in the coming weeks and we’re here to help you make some smart purchases. This fourth gift guide post concerns technology, apparel, and more. Included are a record player for kids, some great speakers and headphones, slasher holiday sweaters, and vintage T-shirts.

Also read our first Holiday Gift Guide post on graphic novels and books, part two, which concerned DVDs and Blu-rays, and part three, which featured 2015’s best music reissues and box sets. And later we’ll be posting one last Holiday Gift Guide, for collectibles and toys, before hopefully collecting all the guides into one big post.

Technology:

Third Man Records Kids Mini Record Player and Various Artists: This Record Belongs To __________ Vinyl Compilation (Light in the Attic)

SRP: $89.95 (Record Player + LP), $17.00 (LP Alone)

Vinyl has been making a big comeback in the last few years and now it’s time for kids to get in on it. Back in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and early ‘80s kids and teenagers would have portable turntables and they’d play 7-inches with read along storybooks, along with spinning the latest hits. Then boom boxes and Walkmans took over in the ‘80s, followed by Discmans, iPods, and now phones. But Jack White’s Third Man Records are here to help get the young ones back into vinyl with their delightful kids mini record player. It’s a yellow portable 3-speed stereo player with good built in speakers that folds up into a nice leatherette carrying case. But this isn’t your daddy’s record player, it comes with a USB port and software for converting vinyl content to the MP3 format and also has an auxiliary input jack for connecting iPods and other MP3 players. And while the built-in speakers are quite good, there are also RCA line-out jacks to connect it to higher end external speakers. You can plug it in via the power cord or it can be powered by batteries. Third Man has also teamed up with Light in the Attic, who are known for their fantastic reissues, for the vinyl compilation This Record Belongs To __________, which comes with the record player or can be bought separately (and is also available on CD and digitally). It’s a great kids music collection that includes songs by Harry Nilsson, Nina Simone, Shel Silverstein, Van Dyke Parks, Woody Guthrie, Carol King, Jerry Garcia, The Pointer Sisters, Vashti Bunyan, Roger Miller, Bobby Bare, Ella Jenkins, Miss Abrams & The Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class, and, of course, Kermit the Frog. The record comes with an original storybook illustrated by Jess Rotter and is recommended for “ages 0 to infinity.” Personally, I’ll be giving the record player and compilation to my soon-to-be-three-year-old daughter. Start ‘em young! By Mark Redfern (Buy the record player plus This Record Belongs To __________ on vinyl here. Buy This Record Belongs To __________ LP only here.)

JBL Everest ELITE 700 Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

SRP: $299.95

The JBL Everest flagship model, the ELITE 700, is the top of the line in noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones. The beauty of these wireless headphones is the NXTGen Active Noise Cancelling Technology which allows you the ability to balance the outside ambient sound and music, giving you the power to control your experience. The comfortable around the ear design and built-in microphone makes these headphones perfect for work and play. And don’t worry, you won’t have to plug in too often, as the JBL Everest ELITE 700 also includes a 15-hour rechargeable battery. By Wendy Lynch Redfern (Buy it here.)

JBL Flip 3 Speaker

SRP: $99.95

This surprisingly compact, powerful, and weatherproof portable Bluetooth speaker is perfect for anyone on the go who is ready to enjoy their favorite tunes just about anywhere. This gem offers 10 hours of continuous high-quality stereo audio as well as a built-in noise and echo cancelling speakerphone for when you need to conference call on the run. Available in eight vibrant colors, and able to connect with other JBL speakers to amplify as much as you like, this would be the perfect gift for the active music lover. By Wendy Lynch Redfern (Buy it here.)

Chromecast and Google Play Gift Card

SRP: $35.00 (for Chromecast)

Chromecast is a good gift for those cord-cutters whose TV isn’t smart yet, meaning that they don’t have cable/satellite and their TV can’t already connect to the Internet. A Chromecast plugs into an HDTV and gives the viewer access to Hulu Plus, Netflix, YouTube, HBO GO, Pandora, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Music, and more. You can also throw in a Google Play gift card at an amount of your choosing to help them download movies, TV shows, and music to access on the Chromecast. Let the binge watching begin! By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

Apparel and More:

Mondo Slasher Sweaters

SRP: $85.00 (sweaters), $75.00 (cardigan), $40.00 (scarves)

The good folks over at Mondo continue their tradition of movie-inspired holiday sweaters. Last year there were the great Fargo and Gremlins Christmas sweaters. This year they’ve got a range of Slasher Sweaters, which are inspired by classic horror films from the ‘70s and ‘80s. There’s a Halloween sweater that features the face of Michael Myers on it and is a bit more suited to, well, Halloween of course (there’s also a matching scarf). Then Friday the 13th gets a look in with a sweater that features Jason Voorhees’ iconic hockey mask with a bloody knife sticking out of the right eye, which is over top of a “Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake” sign. As it features pine trees it’s a bit more Christmas-y than the Halloween one. There’s also an 8-bit glow-in-the-dark variant of the Friday the 13th sweater and a matching scarf. The subtlest of sweaters is the A Nightmare on Elm Street one, which is simply a replica of the sweater Freddy Krueger wears in the films. Since the sweater is red and green striped it’s also the most Christmas-y of the series and it comes in two versions, one with striped arms and one with no stripes on the arms. Our favorite might be the A Nightmare on Elm Street cardigan variant. All the sweaters and the cardigan are designed by Middle of Beyond, are 100% acrylic heavy knit (in other words, they are warm), and run from sizes XS through to 3XL. Any one of them will help you have a killer Christmas! By Mark Redfern (Buy it here.)

R.E.M. Throwback Tees

SRP: $25.00

Missed out on the Pageantry Tour in 1986? Well, you can likely view a show on YouTube, and when you do, you can pick up one of these cool throwback tees, spanning not just Lifes Rich Pageant, but R.E.M.‘s entire fabled career. The “Monkey on a Bicycle” has long been an Ebay favorite, and you can get it now at a reasonable price, in impeccable condition. (Buy it here.)

Ticket Stub Diary (Chronicle Books)

SRP: $12.00

Do you ever wish you could remember that show you went to five years ago, when you met that girl who changed your life? Do you ever wish you could show off the time you saw that band before they made it big in that tiny venue? Well, here’s a way to stay organized. This sweet ticket stub diary will help you preserve all of the music, movie, theatre, museum, and sports experiences of your life. This affordable keepsake would be a perfect and thoughtful gift for the one you love, who loves to remember. (Buy it here.)