When weighing gift ideas, it’s hard to go wrong with a handsome, marginally useful trinket—which is why we find ourselves inexplicably drawn to this card holder.

No one actually needs a card holder—a rubber band in your pocket and a desk drawer in your office will do the job every bit as well—but they’re nice to have, and all the more memorably for being unnecessary. Throw in a clever film-slate design and you’ve got a placeholder for just about anyone on your list. That is, as long as you can’t think of anything better…

Flash sequencers like this one were one of our favorite time-wasters of 2009, but they’ve been remarkably slow making their way to the tangible world. The first big step was the Tenori-On, but the thousand dollar price tag and cryptic controls were enough to scare away the casual fiddler market.

The Bliptronic (hat tip) offers a fifty dollar version of the same, putting it well in the reach of less ambitious bleepsters. The controls should be familiar to internet denizens, and—should you be struck with a flash of inspiration—there’s all manner of fun to be had by hooking multiple models up together, running them through effects modules, or even a little light circuit-bending. It’s definitely on the lo-fi end of things, but that’s just part of the charm.

Despite the mind-boggling volume of men’s mag articles on the subject, shoe maintenance is never going to be fun, sexy or exciting. But, with the right set of gear, maybe it can be handsome.

This truffle leather shoe cleaning kit contains everything you need for a vigorous session of loafer scrubbing—including three brushes, two tins of beeswax polish, a rubbing cloth and a shoe horn—but the important thing here is the dopp kit style, which lets you keep it on your closet shelf without feeling like you’re prepping for a second career at a stand in the airport. It’s a radical idea but a good one: If your cleaning gear looks good enough, you might find yourself inspired to use it.

In a world of Flash games and Xboxes, a carved wooden puzzle can seem a little anachronistic. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing…

Pacific Puzzleworks has been making the rounds at craft fairs for a while—most recently at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. This particular model—which goes by the mathematical moniker “Knot Mass 36”—consists of three dozen slotted wooden tabs, which can either be assembled into a cube or left in an unassembled pile on your coffee table.

If you’re prone to fiddling, it’s a pretty good way to spend half an hour…especially if you’re in the mood for an entertainment that doesn’t involve a screen.

Whether it’s a wedding or a beach trip, odds are you’ll be hitting the road at some point in the next few weeks, with a well-chosen two-day supply of clothing securely in tow. And while your bag options are vast and many-splendored, we’d like to throw this waxed cotton duffel from Jack Spade into the ring.

It’s smaller than the “duffel” tag might lead you to believe—just over two feet from end to end—and the outside is an unbroken swath of the waxed cotton that you may have seen on a jacket or two. There are pockets on the inside for your razor and toothbrush, but the outside is as simple as a beach weekend would suggest.

While iconic, the white handkerchief can begin to look downright unsanitary after it’s been through the wash a few times. We recommend something a bit more colorful…

This handkerchief comes from Muji’s recently unveiled online shop, and while we probably won’t have to find our way around Akasaka any time soon, we never mind having an extra map around. There are Paris, London and New York versions, but coming from Muji, Tokyo seems like the appropriate choice.

Provided you can keep from sneezing on the palace grounds.

Our jones for historical hats is well-documented, but we didn’t realize quite how many gems there were out there.

This wool cap comes from Michigan’s own Stormy Kromer, and boasts a design circa 1903. The upper flap pulls down to cover your ears in particularly brisk moments, but that’s just one of the clever design touches. Our favorite touch is the tie in front, which gives it a turn-of-the-century flair it would be hard to find anywhere else. Best of all, they’re only $30 a pop, making them easy picking for any workwear-minded boutique owners out there.

Although something tells us they won’t be interested in the camo version.

The latest crop of APC gear is landing in stores this week, which means the usual assortment of close-cropped flannel, some intensely speckled sweaters…and this hat.

We’re not quite ready to call it a trend just yet, but we’ve been waiting quite a while for a faux-fur earflap hat that didn’t make us look like a Cossack or a duck hunter—and we suspect we’re not alone. This one doesn’t ditch the woodsy vibe entirely, but adds enough rough plaid grunginess to give urban dwellers a little cover. And since it’s a good deal warmer than all the equally handsome alternatives, the cold should do the rest.

This might be for tie aficionados only, but if there’s a particularly accessory-minded person on your list, you may want to consider wrapping up a cravatte or two. As the trend pieces may have told you, it’s not just for grandmothers anymore.

This Band of Outsiders crest tie is piece of sly preppidom currently on sale at Aloha Rag and, while it’s not as obvious as candy stripes or snowmen, something about the tongue-in-cheek classicism says holiday spirit to us. Now you just have to find a matching sweater…

This one is for advanced gifters only, but if you’re intimately familiar with a particular gift-worthy acquaintance—and she’s got an appreciation of carefully considered design—this might be just about perfect.

It’s called the Form 2, and judging by the cleverly cordless charging system, it’s staking out an early claim as the iPod of vibrators. It’s also waterproof and stereophonic (hence the name) and comes with packaging impeccable enough to be a pleasure to unwrap. The first of many, naturally.

One advantage of the newly global market: It’s remarkably easy to trace heritage looks back to the source. That means Tokyo hipsters can order their Red Wings direct from the source but also—more relevantly—there’s no point relying on stateside Fair Isle recreations. Scotland’s just a few clicks away.

For instance, the norsemen at Oi Polloi dug up this appropriately patterned scarf from Jamieson’s to remind us of just that. Technically it’s from Scotland’s Shetland Islands, just north of Fair Isle itself, and all the wool is grown, harvested, processed and knit onsite, making it very much the real deal. Even accounting for exchange rates and shipping, it won’t set you back much more than the stateside mass market version.

Unless your wardrobe’s already pretty twee, your best bet might be using it as a gift for a female acquaintance, but it’s a lot more versatile than it looks. And if it’s warm enough to withstand the Scottish winter, we doubt the Northeast will be much of a challenge.

It’s tough to pull off a pocket square without coming off like a trad, but if you choose wisely, it can give a staid suit some much-needed playfulness. Our advice: nothing too flashy and per A Suitable Wardrobe, stay away from silk.

Which is why a touch of homemade can be extremely useful. Like cufflinks, this is an instance where you may find the best stuff on Etsy. These cotton squares range from chambray and navy stripe to more complex graphic patterns—depending on your irony tolerance—any one of which would go over pretty well at a holiday party, if tucked into an appropriately rugged blazer.

The khaki pant has gotten a rough shake over the past couple decades, but if you go back far enough, it was every bit as rough and tumble as denim. To the archives!

Fortunately for connoisseurs of indestructible clothing, Nom de Guerre has a pretty good recreation in stock—which just happens to be on sale at Context. It’s essentially dyed Japanese selvage denim, but the cut and the archival quality gives it a little more history than your average hipster jean. There’s even a cinching strap in the back for an extra bit of retro flair—another touch that would be out of place on the indigo version—but the fabric is the same stiff, raw weave you’d find at higher end jean shops. Well played, gentlemen.

We’re entering the 11th hour of the gift guide roundup, but we’ve got a couple more that should be worth your while. You can see the full list here to catch up.

Temple specializes in deadstock WWII gear—mostly army green scarves and repurposed bags—but for their gift package, they had a very good idea: put it in a stocking. Specifically, it’s an army issue sock, with a wallet, keychain and a skeleton key necklace thrown in for good measure. It’s all good, rugged gear…and about as festive as military chic gets.

Here’s one last piece of gift guidance before we call it a year: You can’t go wrong with chocolate. And rawer is always better.

CoolHunting rounds up a pretty good set here, but they leave off our favorite of the bunch, the famous Mast Brothers of Brooklyn. Known for their impressive beards and faculty with the chocolate arts, they’ve been one of the highlights of Williamsburg’s culinary scene for a while. Pick up a fleur de sal bar (possibly as a stocking stuffer) and you should be set.