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ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME… A HISTORY OF POSTWAR AMERICAN COOL, OBVS.

THANKS, ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE.

Words Oisin Lunny


Alternative Christmas gift guide
  1. Panchenkarma Treatment, AGASTYAA HERITAGE AYURVEDIC HOSPITALPOA
  2. Meditation Course, TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION, from £290
  3. Lee Brilleaux: Rock ‘n’ Roll Gentleman by Zoë HoweBIRLINN, £9.99
  4. Adopt A Hive, CAPSTONE, from $25
  5. The Origins of Cool in Postwar America by Joel Dinerstein, AMAZON£30
  6. Amazon Prime Membership, AMAZON£79 per year

Amazon Prime membership might not be the most imaginative gift, but the benefits are sensational, and last for 12 months: free next day delivery, unlimited music streaming, free kindle books, and a Whole Foods tie-in.

A two-week “Panchakarma” all-natural detox at the Agastyaa Heritage Ayurvedic Hospital in Kerala would be a very generous gift, but it will make your beloved feel ten years younger, give or take a Christmas dinner. Hotel rooms come with their own private balcony, Indian Ocean sea-view and en-suite bathroom. On a similar theme, a course in Transcendental Meditation (TM) would make a generous gift to last a lifetime, but for something more affordable check out David Lynch’s line of TM-inspired jewelry, ‘Meditating Eye’. The tastefully enlightened range includes an Eye Colour Infusion expandable necklace with matching charm bangle, and a dapper men’s cuff.

Capstone takes previously blighted or vacant lots in New Orleans and develops them into productive gardens and orchards, providing food and advice at no cost. Adopt a hive and give the gift of food empowerment to your honey. 

And I always like to gift a book or two. Lee Brilleaux: Rock ‘n’ Roll Gentlemanis the story of one of rock’n’roll’s greatest frontmen – a class act with heart, fire, wanderlust and a wild streak – while The Origins of Cool in Postwar America is the first work to trace the history of “cool” during the Cold War.


Originally published in PHOENIX Magazine.

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