Sports fans are often pretty easy to shop for at the holidays. Jerseys, hats, tickets…those will all probably make us pretty happy. But, that’s pretty boring (still cool though, to be honest), so why not step outside the (batter’s) box this year for some interesting gifts for the Astros fan in your life.
And you can do it on virtually any budget. This includes you, Jim Crane, when it comes to signing certain free agents. We’ve been really good fans all year!
Coasters ($50)
If you ever have friends over, you no doubt want to protect your table from water marks and now you can do it with some killer coasters themed for the ‘Stros. But, not just any old thing. You could do these very sweet vintage 1974 art print coasters from Etsy or, even better if we are being honest, this set of four coasters, each with one of the greatest plays in team history diagrammed. We’ve already put this on our wish list.
Books ($90 – $130)
Everybody loves books about their teams, but these two are particularly cool. First up, the Ballparks Past and Present book. It’s leather bound and filled with information (including images and illustrations) of every major league ballpark, including one’s in Houston’s past. Perfect for a coffee table. If you really want something different, try one of these custom books filled with stories about the Astros from the venerable New York Times. Not only is it super interesting, but it allows you to rub New York’s face in their losses to the Astros all over again. Bonus!
Dirt ($50) – yes, we said dirt
There aren’t many of these left, so you might want to hurry. The Astros team shop has small containers of dirt from the field during games from both the 2017 and 2022 World Series. You can’t do much with these other than set them on a shelf — don’t put them near your spices because it honestly looks like a jar of cumin — but they are pretty cool pieces of history.
Astrodome Art ($55 – $900)
The iconic stadium is still standing (for now), which is why we should all put some respect on its name. One sure fire way to do that is through some art. It looks cool and it’s more subtle than setting up a life-sized cardboard cutout of Jose Altuve in your living room. If you are on a budget, try this sweet framed vintage print of the Dome. If you are feeling like dropping some dime, stay local and grab an amazing aluminum printed wall hanging of the Dome roof. We’ve seen it in person and it’s spectacular.
Men’s Cufflinks or Watch ($650 – $1350)
Feel like something fancy schmancy for your dude this year? Here are a couple choices that will make a serious statement. First up, a pair of 14k gold cufflinks right from the Astros store. They ain’t cheap, but how do you put a prince on fandom? For slightly less cash is this really fascinating set of watches made out of baseballs from the 2017 World Series. We aren’t joking. Each one is handmade and authenticated by Major League Baseball. Talk about a statement piece for a wardrobe!
Cameo Message ($20 – $200)
We always find these super fun as gifts. Cameo is a service that allows celebrities to sell video messages they create for you with your script. Christmas is an excellent time to give them and there are plenty of Astros options from former players like Tony Kemp, Derek Bell and Josh Reddick (Woo!) to broadcasters including Robert Ford, Geoff Blum, and everyone’s favorite sideline reporter, Julia Morales. They’ll read just about anything you hand them, so have fun with it.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
