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Everyone wants to wear a hoodie these days and it’s practically a required fashion statement for music fans of all stripes, from hipsters to hip-hoppers and jam banders to rock fiends. Old Navy’s new Techno Hoodie offers a stylish spin for music freaks with built in, machine-washable headphones. So, you’re always plugged in, never having to search for a way to plug in your iPod. The earbuds go right through the drawstrings and the jack comes out the right pocket, so you never have to deal with unsightly wires marring your cool look. The hoodies come in men’s and women’s sizes with many colors to choose from. We’re rather keen on that Parakeet Green for women and the orange for men.

[available directly from OldNavy.com]

At this point, Uncharted 2 is well on its way to “classic” status as one of the truly great games of this generation.  Many games strive for the cinematic, they strive for plots that compete with blockbuster films, and yet very very few of them achieve anything comparable in terms of plot, dialogue, and acting.  Uncharted 2 does this better than any game this generation, and its primary adventure mode is as much a blast to play as it is to watch. 

If whoever you’re buying for doesn’t have the game yet, the newly-released Game of the Year edition is the way to go, because on top of the adventuring, you get bells and whistles for PlayStation Home, all of the multiplayer maps that are out there, and even a limited experience multiplier to help new players get up to speed in the online modes.  There are few gifts more foolproof than this one.

For 125 years Good Housekeeping has made a name for itself by offering quality tips on cooking, well now they have their own cookbook. The Good Housekeeping Cookbook is an expanded version of their indispensable kitchen companion in magazine form. With 1,275 recipes, this cookbook has something for every occasion.

In addition to recipes, Good Housekeeping shares tips on basic and special cooking techniques, tools, ingredients, and safe food handling, as well as complete nutritional facts. There are also chapters devoted to canning and freezing as well as holiday cooking, including a dozen menus that are crafted to have you enjoying the party as much as your guests. This is the must have gift for anyone who likes to spend their time in the kitchen—and those who eagerly await at the table for the results.

As a magazine for readers that are intrigued by culture, whatever form that may take, food culture is but one perfect subject for PopMatters. Punch, an historical look at the art of mixology, feeds our hungry minds and whets our appetites for, in this case, what we might recreate at the party punch bowl (hint: this ain’t your floating slices of canned pineapples and cheap rum kind of punch).

Award-winning cocktail writer (can you imagine, having such a job?) David Wondrich gives us his thoroughly researched (hiccough) history of punch, the first popular drink of global proportions (thanks be to some intrepid sailors), and the foundations upon which all modern drinks are solidly built.

This is a book to read for the pure pleasure of the read itself—and then to consult closely for recipes. Imagine the learned wisdom one may impart upon his fellow tipsy punch bowl revelers, sloshing glass held high, waxing about bolleponge. Here’s to bolleponge, long live bolleponge!

The latest in Sid Meier’s hugely popular series of civilization-controlling sims is beautiful, colorful, and visually comprehensible. Players spend turn after turn shepherding their civilizations from the Bronze Age to the Modern Era and beyond. It’s easy to pick up and incredibly hard to put down. Civilization 5 will definitely appeal to Civ veterans, but the game’s accessible presentation also makes it a good gift for less experienced gamers. If you know someone who loves engrossing, thoroughly historical games or is more interested in the rise and fall of Earth’s great powers, this game is for them.