We understand that not every great gift can be tied up with a bow. And while some people are reluctant to give gift certificates because it feels a bit like giving up, we are here to tell you that is NOT THE CASE. The freedom of the gift certificate is unparalleled. They are putting their ultimate trust in you and who better to shop for you than you! If you’re tired of the standard gift certificate ideas we reached far and wide into the BYT universe to find the most interesting, non-traditional gift certificates for all your holiday card needs. Enjoy!
SIDE GIFTING NOTES: check out our holiday market and pop-up guide too. and our BEST GIFT GUIDE EVER 2014 (All locally shoppable, natch)


For The Anti-Social In Your Life
Netflix –I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before– what better way to show someone you care than indirectly sucking up precious hours of their lives with a year-long Netflix subscription? Every time they accidentally spend 24 hours straight watching what only amounts to one season of Grey’s Anatomy, they’ll be sure to think of you fondly. And it doesn’t just benefit your loved one– it also benefits their one friend who refuses to get their own subscription and mooches off of the one that you paid for. Netflix: the gift that keeps on giving*
*destroying your social life
Emily Books – Emily Gould was once the voice of the Gawker generation. I assume this generation still exists, and we are happy to report, so does Emily. Now a novelist, she also has an online book club and subscribers get a curated book list delivered to them to their kindles OR doorsteps throughout the year. This is kind of like having that best friend who always has a great book you can borrow, but you just don’t have to give it back.
Hulu Plus -If the recipient of your gift is more a TV type, a Hulu Plus subscription might be more of interest to them. We all know that the experience of watching Hulu without Plus is the bane of human existence (it involves an almost 50-50 ratio of commercials to content which totally sucks when the video you’re watching is only 2 minutes long). But you can improve somebody’s quality of life. That power lies within your hands.
Fandor -Is your recipient too alt for Netflix? For around the same price as Netflix, get them a subscription to Fandor, which features a fuckton of indie movies no one has ever heard of except your alt friend. It will give them plenty of material for them to namedrop and act surprised when no one has any idea what they’re talking about.
Ann Friedman Weekly -This is free (FREE are the best kind of gifts, right?). Everyone should just be subscribed to it, because it is THE BEST.
Amazon Prime -Get them this because it’s the only platform that you can access all of Drunk History on. AND TRANSPARENT! Have you not seen Transparent? YOU HAVE TO SEE TRANSPARENT. Plus, toilet paper delivered to your home, no shipping costs. Life is all about hidden bonuses, isn’t it.










For The Music Lover In Your Life
Atomic Music -Fuck shrink-wrap. Used things are awesome. For the holidays, show your loved ones you’re hip to the greater glory of used musical equipment, and get them a gift card to a used music equipment store, as you should probably not get them a real, tangible musical instrument. Because (1) it’s expensive (2) you’re neither Apollonia nor are you going to find a purple guitar the shape of the female symbol in some thrift store window. That’s just not how real life works. But it is within your power to drive out to Beltsville and head to Atomic music where you’ll find a great deal of the most righteous of old gear and possible run into a group of elderly African-American gentlemen jamming out to old soul standards, if you’re lucky.
Joe’s Record Paradise – Vinyl -First there was reel-to-reel, then came vinyl, 8-track, cassettes and finally CDs. While physical media maybe dying out these days, vinyl itself has had an incredible resurgence. It is the physical music media for music people, seemingly. But buying records for someone can be tricky business, especially if they haven’t archived their entire collection into discogs, how then are you suppose to know what they’ve already got? And because no one needs two copies of Catch A Fire, a gift certificate is a viable solution, and Joe’s Record Paradise is the place to get one. Though it is located out of the district in Silver Spring, they’re collection of jazz, soul, and old-school house can not be beat, pitchfork concurs.
9:30 Club -Sadly you cannot buy the entire 9:30 Club but you can get get some sweet gift certificates good for ANY show there! And I’m assuming their cupcakes. AND CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS SHAPED LIKE 9:30 CLUB CUPCAKES.
LEAVE US YOUR SUGGESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS!