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We know that the church techs you love are incredibly hard to buy gifts for—which is why we have some suggestions for things that will make them smile.
Treat your tech to a delicious DIY breakfast
If your favorite tech is spending way too much money in the drive thru, make it easy to enjoy something that is tasty, homemade and substantial. The Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker works with English muffins, biscuits or small bagels, and whips out a hot tasty sandwich in 5 minutes or less. Plus, it is under $25 which can save a ton of money—even over places that have a dollar menu.
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Create your own reel viewer
Sometimes nostalgia creates the best gifts. This reel viewer is reminiscent of a childhood toy—except you get to choose the images. How fun would it be to craft a specialty slide show that your favorite tech could show off to their friends? For $30, you can capture favorite moments, or enact a story. Who’s the view master now?
https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/create-your-own-reel-viewer
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Help your favorite tech use their lighting design skills at home
Sure your favorite church tech gets to play with LED lighting at work, but what if they could do that at home? The Philips Hue starter kit lets your tech choose from 16 million colors and shades of white to turn everyday lighting into an experience. Lights can be controlled remotely with a smartphone or tablet, Google Home, and Alexa. The Philips Hue Starter Kit is around $200, but think how much fun they will have crafting looks for the family room.
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Take crazy socks to the next level
Face Socks allows you to put any face on socks. Imagine the joy on your tech’s face when they open the box and see you looking back at them. The custom socks are around $30, and considering how often you will laugh seeing them, it’s well worth the price. Whose face and what expression you put on the socks is completely up to you. Use your powers wisely.
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Fight the Imperial Army … on a small scale
If your favorite church tech is a Star Wars fan, pick up a Millennium Falcon Microfighter as a stocking stuffer. It’s around $10 and just acquiring LEGO Chewy is worth the price.
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Get them a custom-tailored black t-shirt
Sure black t-shirts are the uniform of church techs everywhere, but what if your favorite tech had a t-shirt that was custom tailored just for them? MTailor offers a variety of custom clothing, but the basic black t-shirt is just $30.
https://www.mtailor.com/shop/#/collection/men/tees
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Send a box of candy straight from your favorite tech’s childhood
Old Time Candy provides retro candy gift assortments by decade. The 1980s version includes Bubble Tape, Cry Babies, and Gummi Pickles. The 60’s version includes Flipsticks, Goldmine Bubble Gum, and Pixie Sticks. This gift is sure to produce a sugar rush, so be sure to time the crash for after the Christmas Eve service.
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Help out the tech who loves to bake
If your favorite church tech also likes to cook, get a personalized baking dish that won’t get swiped at the next potluck. You pick the message: Dave’s Cajun Casserole, John’s Awesome Cake, or Save Kate a Piece! Set of two for around $50.
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The video phone we’ve been waiting for
Facebook Portal is a video-calling device that allows people to talk through a screen to other Facebook users. It has a 12-megapixel camera with high-definition video and artificial intelligence software. It is voice activated and the camera follows people about as they move around. When you’re not in a call, Portal can display your Facebook photos and videos. You can also see when your closest contacts are available to connect, and get birthday reminders. Alexa is a built-in feature and the list price is $199.
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Fuel their caffeine addiction
Everyone knows that church techs run on coffee. And most like to run on good coffee. The Wacaco Minipresso Portable Espresso Machine is manually operated, compact and lightweight. The result is a quality espresso shot that can happen anywhere and is especially helpful on Sundays at 7 a.m. This device is around $50, which pays for itself in about a month if your tech is used to paying for coffee from the local barista.
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Make their ears look cool
Sure, they are pricey, but nothing says you are one of the cool kids like Apple’s Airpods. iOS users love them because they pair easily with everything Apple, and there is no wire to have to untangle all the time.
https://www.apple.com/us_smb_78313/shop/product/MMEF2AM/A/airpods
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Give an indoor skydiving lesson
If your church tech lives in a major city and prefers experience gifts, consider a gift card to iFLY. The indoor skydiving experience can make a wind tunnel a playground. A single session of flight school is around $70.
https://www.iflyworld.com/find-a-tunnel/
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For the tech who wants to know how everything works
Mike Warren’s book, Cut in Half: The Hidden World Inside Everyday Objects, shows us what’s inside a laptop, a golf ball, a vacuum cleaner, and a novelty singing fish toy. With the help of a high-pressure waterjet cutter, Warren demystifies the inner workings and materials of dozens of objects. Cut in Half is a fascinating look at the extraordinary in the everyday. Around $20.
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Get a low-profile phone mount for the car that actually works
The Wizgear Magnetic Mount clips to the air vent on your car. It has a sturdy rubber base with a powerful magnet. The set comes with an adhesive metal tab to affix to your phone if your model sports a plastic case. And the best part is, the design makes it easy to swivel. Cost is less than $10.
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Help your favorite tech talk to their car
The BlueDriver Scan Tool lets you turn your smartphone into a OBD2 (OnBoard Diagnostic) scan tool that lets you see what your car is telling you without having to pay a mechanic to do it for you. The best part is that it tells you exactly how bad you need to feel about having ignored that check engine light. Cost is $99.95.
https://www.bluedriver.com/products/bluedriver-scan-tool
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For the tech who loves cats and gadgets
The PetSave Automatic Cheese Cat Toy is an interactive toy designed to engage a cat. Little yellow mice dart out so the cat can play whack-a-mole with them. There is even a “play while away” mode that will let you set up to three automatic sessions throughout the day. For around $20, Kitty can interact with the plastic cheese toy rather than dismantling the sofa.
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For the hero who likes to read
If your favorite church tech 1) likes to read, and 2) wants to be a superhero someday, consider this bookend shaped as a super hero. The books appear to tip over as the superhero flies to hold them up. The cost for this handcrafted item is $26.50.
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Now that you have some ideas, it’s time to go shopping. (Or, if you are the church tech reading this, remember to share this link. Or freshen up your Amazon wish list.)
