The holidays are coming, which means you will be confronted by many different kinds of stresses, including travel, complicated family gatherings and, yes, buying gifts. Because we all know, there is no more difficult feat than that of delivering the perfect gift. Or at least that is what we think.

My family unfairly uses words like finicky or inscrutable to describe me. And in response, I toss the phrase ultracrepidarian at them because they don't know what they're talking about. The fact that I don't eat pork, because why should I, won't drink orange juice from concentrate because I have been fortunate enough to have freshly squeezed, and will only step foot inside of a McDonald's if it was the last option on planet earth and I was a morsel away from starvation because nothing positive ever happened to me after eating a McDonald's meal. That's not picky; these are basic preferences.

Does hating loungewear make me inscrutable? Why would my family gift me lounge pants covered in God-awful flaming hot chili peppers, accompanied by a matching shirt that says something like "Flaming Hot Dad"? First of all, I work 3,000-plus hours a week, so I never lounge, and second, if I were to lounge, then why would I want to do it in the shirt that calls me a flaming hot dad or any shirt that has a message at all? I have no need to send a message. And finally, this is the big one – why give me the same kind lounge wear every single year? Do you they think I'm wearing it out, by lounging too much? Can we mix it up – maybe take a year off and bless me with something else I don't need, like some flaming hot socks or a pair of finger-restricting mittens?

Or maybe, just maybe, my beautiful loved ones, can you take a look at my career, listen to my conversations or glance around at the thousands of books in my house? Surprise, I like books and a $1.00 gift card from my favorite local bookstore will do you way more for me than the 25 bucks they waste on Walmart loungewear.

Here's five books, that I highly recommend for the inscrutable in your and your family:

(These are by far the best books I've read this year, and I'm going to attempt to do this without spoilers. You're welcome.)

Gift this book to me, well, not me, because I have three copies already, and two of them are signed. This book combines everything us '70s, '80s, '90s and even 2000s babies love – the explosion of the NBA, merged with the evolution of fashion, and where those worlds collided, sparking a movement that reshaped how we look at and talk about fashion globally. Jackson's words and brilliant interviews with industry leaders in combination with the beautiful images, make for a truly one-of-a-kind gift. You can kick back and read it, stroll down memory lane with photos or sit it out and let it look gorgeous on your coffee table. No matter what, you'll win because it isn't just a book; it's visual art.

about this topic