Who doesn’t love getting presents? I mean, aside from Satanists!!!?? (seriously, that was a joke, don’t be offended Satanists. Besides, wouldn’t you rather worship Cthulu anyway? He doesn’t give the BEST gifts.) Here is a few top fives from the Nerd-Base staff of gifts that are generally within a realistic range of cost that we’d love for you to get us for this season of giving: 

Rishard’s Top Five Wishlist for Gifts Under $100

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Extended Edition) (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + UltraViolet)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition in 3D – Last year I really enjoyed seeing The Hobbit in theaters despite the complaint that others have leveled against it being too long.  I enjoyed every minute of it, and I didn’t mind the idea of it being longer.  Now I can enjoy even more of the movie with the new movie on the horizon.  This version of The Hobbit, can be purchased for $39.99.

Star Wars Return of the Jedi The Vintage Collection Tie Interceptor Vehicle

When I was a kid, I think the first Star Wars toy I had was a Tie Interceptor.  I remember running around the room with one of these in my hand pretending it could fly.  I’m not even sure if I had seen the movie at that point.   I just remember thinking it was pretty awesome.  I don’t think I’ll run around the room with this anymore, but it would be nice to have in a display (and maybe secretly run around when no one is looking).  Amazon has an exclusive edition of the Tie Interceptor, and its only selling for $39.99.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Continuing on with a bit of nostalgia, one of the best Zelda games ever made was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo.  This might have been the first game I bought for my Super Nintendo when I finally bought my own.  I had several fond memories of the game itself, and now after all of these years later I can finally play its successor, A Link Between Worlds.  This game is very is a remake with a twist.  The map design is very similar to the original game, but now you can move in other dimensions which adds more complexity to the game.  I’m definitely going to get this soon.  The Legend of Zelda: A link Between Worlds can be purchased at most stores for $39.99.  Strangely Amazon had it for nearly $5 more than anyone else.

Roku 3 Streaming Media Player

The Roku 3 is probably the best media player around.  The only way that you might do better is to build your own HTPC (home theater pc) and this is a far cheaper solution.  The Roku features hundreds of apps that allow you to watch different types of content.  You can also plug a USB stick directly the Roku to have it play just about anything.  It’s a relatively easy device to setup and use.  It can even be used to replace your cable box with some cable providers.  Time Warner in particular has a Roku app that will let you watch all of your channels on as long as you have a valid Time Warner Subscription.  You can pick up a Roku 3 from Amazon for $89.

The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 1 HC

Because of the TV series, The Walking  Dead picked up a lot of fans that are looking for the original content.  The first omnibus collects the first 24 issues from the Robert Kirkman series.  This starts from the beginning and continues into part of the jail saga.   This 560 page monster should be a good read for any fan of the show.  You can buy The Walking Dead Omnibus Volume 1 at Amazon for $65.91.

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Amanda’s Top Five Wishlist for Gifts Under $100

As I started thinking of items that I would love to own, my first instinct was ThinkGeek.com. Immediately clicking on the Doctor Who section (which should come as no surprise to anyone), I realized as cool as these items are, they wouldn’t necessarily be on my Top 10. So, my next thought was any kind of home decor/kitchen/furniture items and it hit me, I am officially an adult. I also have to admit, this is not an easy article for me to write considering I generally ask for gift cards (I really, really love gift cards).

Upon browsing Pottery Barn, Pier 1, Home Goods.. etc, the first thought that (usually) pops in my head is WINE! I do adore wine and will try any red wine you put in front of me (I’m not an alcoholic, I swear). An item that I’ve been missing in my cosy apartment is a wine holder. I found a neat looking one on Pier 1’s website. It wouldn’t have to be this exact one, but I generally gravitate towards the unique looking items, and this one was just under $50.

Pier1.com – $47.96

My next item is something I usually splurge on once every few years. The one and only – Lucky Brand. I would and could never wear any other brand of jeans besides Lucky. Years ago I was told to check out this amazing store and try on a pair of their jeans. Needless to say, I practically live in Lucky jeans. For the past year or two I’ve worn the same pair of jeans (when the weather is appropriate for them…and yes, I do wash them…occasionally). The pair I own now are getting a bit worn (which can look good) but I’m waiting for a rip or something to go terribly wrong. By the way, you can actually see the outline of my iPhone in my left pocket…I’m talking when it’s not even in my pocket. Generally Lucky brand jeans are over $100, but if you can find yourself an outlet (or shop on Black Friday/Cyber Monday) you can get some pretty decent sales. Right now, the pair of jeans I’ve been eyeing are on sale for $74 (normally $99).

Luckybrand.com – $74

My third item was difficult for me to pick just one item from this brand. Earlier this year I was introduced to Lush. Although I don’t have the money for it all of the time, Lush is a brand I don’t mind spending more money for a smaller amount of product. This company is from the UK and each and every one of their products are made by hand from real people (aka not mass produced by machines) and they are not tested on animals by any means. They are also made with fresh ingredients (they have a certain life span) and myself and others who have used this product feel amazing afterwards. Specifically from the Ocean Salt scrub. My skin always feels so soft after. I would recommend this product to anyone and everyone!

lushusa.com – $21.95 – $35.95)

For my fourth item, I actually googled “Can I buy a barrel of coffee beans online?” Did you ever walk into Whole Foods and see that magical display of barrels and barrels of fresh roasted coffee beans? It. Is. Glorious. If I could, I would just walk one of those barrels up to the register and take it home. Unfortunately, you can’t do that. So, my next best thing would be to buy a few pounds of whole beans. I found a website that allows you to pick where the beans are from, as well as the flavor and if you would like them delivered as whole beans or ground (I prefer whole beans and then I enjoy grinding them myself). This website is called coffeebeandirect.com, and the prices vary, but for a 5 lb bag of whole coffee beans (Breakfast Blend) would run you about $37.50.

coffeebeandirect.com – $37.50

My last item for my 5 items under $100 is something that’s been popular within the past few years, and former roommates of mine actually had this – the SodaStream. I don’t drink a ton of soda to begin with, but generally there’s only water available in my fridge, or we’ll buy a few bottles of flavored Seltzer. SodaStream is a lot better FOR you than drinking regular soda, and it gives you the option of having many different flavors, which is perfect if you have guests over, or, in my case, whenever we have my boyfriend’s son over. It’s fun to make, and tastes pretty accurate to the actual flavor of soda. There’s a “starter kit” that’s available for about $80, but the Genesis Bundle Kit is available at Target for $99.99.

Target.com – $99.99

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Chris’ Top Five Wishlist for Gifts Under $100

I am TERRIBLY indecisive and very seldom buy myself anything, much less anything over $100. So you’d think a list of “wants” would be easy? Sadly no, but I did find some really fun stuff that I would love.

1) R2D2 USB Car Charger: $49.99 Think Geek Exclusive.

This. OMG THIS. It’s an R2 unit that sits in your cup holder, much like the astromechs sat in the backs of X, Y, etc-wing fighters, and boops, bleeps, & whistles happily at you while it charges your devices!! The Think Geek descriptor actually says it best. Man their copywriter is good:

You see, it makes R2-D2 whistle sadly when he sees a device that’s run out of power. Make him bloop and bleep happily again by letting him use your vehicle’s power to recharge your devices. With him plugged into your cigarette lighter socket, you can get 2.1 Amps through each of his USB charging ports, which is enough to charge two tablets or smartphones or, well, pretty much anything that charges via USB. What’s that, little guy? He says, “Bloop bloop bleep,” which we think means “Yay!”

2) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Gandalf Magical Silver Scarf $99.95 from the Warner Bros Store.

Who doesn’t love a good scarf? Who wouldn’t love this amazing MAGICAL scarf which is a replica of the Grey Wizard’s (aka, Middle Earth’s most infamous stoner) made by Stansborough, the company that made the original item for the film’s prop department!

3) Calphalon Unison Nonstick Short Order Griddle $99.95 from Williams-Sonoma

I love to cook. Moreso, I love to cook breakfast. I think, with how thoroughly bacon has permeated our culture, that I am very much not alone in this love, and man, what I wouldn’t give for a really great griddle to cook my foodstuffs on.

4) Star Trek First Contact Enterprise E Ship $49.99 at Entertainment Earth

Okay, seriously, I have wanted this thing for about four years now. I am not kidding. The release of this particular piece was pushed back three times and I ended up cancelling my pre-order only to find it FINALLY releasing when I wasn’t paying attention. Now it’s only a matter of time before it goes on moratorium and I wished I’d bought it when I could.

5) Genesis Arcade Ultimate Portable System $54.99 at ThinkGeek