Jane Austen Etsy Gift Guide 2010

Austenacious readers, today’s post is not for you. Today’s post is for your loved ones—those wishing/required to give you a gift this holiday season. Specifically, those hoping not to find themselves in a picked-over Walgreens on Christmas Eve (or, you know, Kwanzaa Eve; Hanukkah folks, it’s probably too late for you), weighing the costs and benefits of a pair of LED-lighted Babylon 5 socks. So just hand this on over to them, and you’re welcome.

To the friends and family of the reader at hand, it’s nice to meet you. We’re here to help—we’ve scouted the coolest, funniest, prettiest, and Jane-iest stuff at our beloved Etsy and laid it out here for all your gift-giving needs. We recommend shopping early, as shipping time is of the essence, but we hope you’ll find what you’re looking for and give the Austen fan in your life something a little special to get excited about this season.

My Other Ride is a Barouche decal,  $3 at eaton

Pimp out someone’s actual ride and test the historical knowledge of everyone around them with this hotass “My Other Ride is a Barouche” car decal. Just remember: in keeping with the spirit of this gift, Regency folks had big rims. Like, really big rims…which we promise to bring up and then leave to the discretion of you, the esteemed gift-giver. Who, we’re sure, has excellent judgment and in no way deserves financial pressure towards excess in the area of transportational luxury. We would never! We’re just saying: RIMS.

Staying At Home travel mug, $26 at aedrieloriginals

On the long trek home—or, hey, maybe Aruba? Just a thought?—for the holidays, keep an eye on every drop of your favorite Jane fan’s favorite hot beverage. Or cold beverage. Or whatever it is he or she’s taking along to drink out of a coffee mug/coconut. This mug is charmingly hand-lettered with a travel-oriented quotation from Jane and colored on the inside with a pretty modern-y robin’s-egg (or shall we say…Tiffany?) blue, and we’re pretty sure it’ll make any journey a better one…even if all that waits on the other side is fruitcake and a man in a reindeer jumper.

Jane origami lotus flower, $8 at fishandlotus

Every girl likes flowers—and what Austen fan wouldn’t like this beautiful lotus blossom made from the pages of a vintage Jane Austen novel? Each five-inch flower is handmade and attached to a bed of green paper lotus leaves; whether it’s romance, spiritual peace, or just a one-of-a-kind gift (or, hey, gift topping, if you’re Donna Reed or are just a terrible gift-wrapper, like me) you’re seeking, surely an Austenian paper lotus is an appropriate and not-to-be-forgotten choice.

Sense and Sensibility wedding heart confetti, $5 at anovelamore

The listing says “wedding confetti,” but this is a space for honesty, people, and so let’s all bare our souls, shall we? Whether someone’s getting married or not, nobody (or, nobody we know or want to know) doesn’t love/deserve a good whoosh in the face—if said whooshing involves whimsical, romantic heart-shaped Sense and Sensibility confetti floating down around them, showering the world with romance and happiness. Well, okay, maybe not Colonel Brandon. He’s not so much into the parties or the spontaneity, or, for all we know, the adorable paper products. But, you know, everybody cool likes the confetti. (Sorry, Colonel. Hugs and kisses!)

Jane Austen vintage handbag, $75 at alanamalia

This holiday season, give the Jane fan in your life a lesson in meta. Let her put her entire life—including the Austen novels we assume she carries around at all times, as we ourselves have been known to do—inside an Austen novel. She takes it everywhere! Brilliant, am I right? This handbag is made from a gorgeous, repurposed copy of Seven Novels (for maximum completeness, don’t you know) and lined in a pretty speckled blue, with a blue-and-white beaded handle, and is sure to blow the mind of any bookish young lady. Or gent. We’d never dream of judging.

Pride and Prejudice ornament, $10 at excessivelydiverting

The only problem we can see with incorporating some Jane—in the form of this classy and beautiful Christmas tree ornament, naturally—into one’s holiday decor is, we think, the constant temptation to hold it in one’s hands, rotating it like a globe to get the full effect of the novel at hand. Even if it’s just bits and pieces chosen at random. Because how can you have a story, in words, on your Christmas tree or hanging in your house somewhere, and not want to know how it goes and how it ends and oh gosh, do they fall in love at the end? Unless you’re using it to sub in for mistletoe, in which case we say: more power to you. Jane says yes.

Happy shopping!