Holiday Gift Guide: Bitcoin Edition
The holiday season is a time for gathering with friends and family, but most importantly, it’s a great time to shill Bitcoin TO your friends and family!
At Tantra Labs we love the holidays. The day after Halloween someone in the office lit a gingerbread-scented candle, and we’ve been counting down the days until our office holiday party ever since...
Every day though, it seems like a new list of “great” holiday gifts pops up on the web, and while I will definitely be writing to Santa to ask for the new noise-cancelling airpods… we thought it would be fun to come up with a list of gifts for all the bitcoiners, newcoiners, and precoiners in your lives.
After polling the team at Tantra, here’s what we came up with:
The best gift of all is…drum roll…Bitcoin!
No surprise here! But how do you gift bitcoin to friends and family who are new to bitcoin or, how do we put this lightly.. friends and family who aren’t the most tech savvy? Our favorite method is with GiveBitcoin. With GiveBitcoin you can gift BTC to friends and family without having to worry about them losing it. That’s because GiveBitcoin time locks the BTC for at least a year (you can choose a longer time frame), and they will send your recipients a curated curriculum of educational resources from experts like Saifedean Ammous & Yan Pritzker, so your friends and family can learn not only why Bitcoin is important, but also how to safely secure it on their own when the timelock is up. Check them out. We are BIG fans.
P.S. You can gift yourself Bitcoin too!
Give a Gift, Get Sats
So this category isn’t really about the person receiving gifts… its about you! If you’re going to be buying gifts anyway, you should definitely take advantage of these awesome platforms and stack some sats:
FoldApp.com – Fold is an amazing platform and iOS & Android app that allows you to buy gift cards for major retailers like Amazon, Starbucks, Best Buy, and REI. You can pay using a credit/debit card, but if you pay in BTC using the Lightning Network, you get a much higher Sats Back reward. For advanced Bitcoin users, you can use SparkSwap to instantly convert the boomer bucks in your bank account to Lightning BTC. Using Fold also helps protect your privacy by shielding your transactions from retailers. Hell yeah🤘
And lastly.. Fold will be rolling out the “Send as a Gift” feature very soon, right in time for the Holidays. That means you can purchase a gift card, stack some sats, and Fold will send the gift cards to whoever you like.
P.S. Use my code “O96Fvmsv” when you sign up and we both get 20,000 sweet, sweet sats!
Lolli.com – Lolli is another amazing way to earn sats on purchases you’re already going to be making. With hundreds of online retailers to choose from, you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check Lolli for holiday gifts before you make your purchases. Want to know what their best deals are? Check out their Ultimate Holiday Sats Back Gift Guide.
Gadgets, Gizmos, & Games
Coldcard Wallet - Hands down the best hardware wallet for Bitcoiners. It isn’t as easy to use as a Ledger or Trezor, but if you’re a real Bitcoiner, the Coldcard is a must. Frankly it really isn’t that difficult to use, and you’ll REALLY feel like a cypherpunk when you set it up. Our friends at Tales from the Crypt have a great video guide as well in case you need some extra hand-hodling.
Casa Node 2 - With a sleek new redesign, the Casa Node 2 (part of every paid Casa membership) gives you everything you need to get started with running your own Bitcoin + Lightning node and multi-sig. “Everything you need to use, secure, and support Bitcoin in one easy package.” And when they say easy, they mean it. Their UI/UX is unparalleled.
The Nodl One & Nodl Dojo - Sorry Casa, but in our opinion the Nodl nodes are a wee bit sexier than the Casa. But with more power and more memory, they’re also more expensive... These nodes are definitely for more advanced Bitcoin users, but they’re well worth it. For a longer lasting node, go for the Nodl Dojo, which comes with dual SSDs in a RAID configuration for backups & storage. Also it’s red. That means it’s faster.
myNode One+ - In between the “node-in-a-box” options above and the “build-your-own-node” below, is this nifty option from myNode. It includes the myNode Premium Software, Rock64 device, an aluminum case, power supply, SD Card, and 1TB hard drive. Check it out folks.
Raspberry Pi 4 - Have a Bitcoiner in your family who’s been looking to build their own node from scratch? The Raspberry Pi 4 is the way to go. It’s actually what powers the new Casa node, and you can use it for all sorts of fun coding projects. Hook them up with the Raspberry Pi 4 CanaKit and they’ll have almost everything they need to get started. Note that you should probably buy your soon-to-be node operator an external hard drive as well so he or she can download the full Bitcoin blockchain. And in terms of how to set up the node, we recommend the Raspibolt guide from Stadicus.
GoTenna Mesh - Off-grid bitcoin transactions? Yes please! GoTenna’s mesh devices are a really unique gift. You can use them to send bitcoin transactions from off-the-grid, but they’re also fantastic for emergency situations, hiking, music festivals, or any other situation where internet and cell-service are spotty or just plain lacking.
Lightnite — This game is going to be so cool! Yes it’s a Fortnite clone, but it promises to be so much more than that. Play in “Bitcoin-mode” and steal sats from your friends! There’ll also be limited edition in-game items that you can steal from the enemies you’ve vanquished in glorious low-poly battle! The game isn’t out yet, but you can preorder it now and be one of the first to play.
CoinmineOne - You may not make a lot of money using this, (or you might!) and in some places where the cost of electricity is high, it may not be profitable to run it at all, but that being said, the CoinmineOne IS pretty damn SEXY and it’s a great conversation starter. We have one mining in our office, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t fun to open up the Coinmine App and watch the satoshi balance get higher and higher. Check it out if you’ve got some extra boomer bucks to burn. And make sure you’re mining for bitcoins not shitcoins... Fun fact, when you mine for “bitcoin” with the CoinmineOne it’s mining for shitcoins and auto-converting them to bitcoin for you, but this is actually good for Bitcoin as it creates sell pressure for those shitcoins.
Fun for the Whole Family
BitPiggys - For young and old alike, who wouldn’t want a cute little piggy bank tied to an Opendime? Perfect as a functional desk ornament for the bitcoiners in your lives or as a tool to teach anyone about bitcoin and saving.
Bitcoin Money: A Tale of Bitville - Written by Michael “The Bitcoin Rabbi” Caras, this illustrated children’s book is truly a joy to read. And it’s not just for kids. Without getting too technical, this book explores what money is and how Bitcoin really is better money. Get a discount when you order a 10-pack or a 30-pack, and drop these in your neighbors’ mailboxes with a note from Santa Claus (or Hanukkah Harry!). We won’t tell on you..
Give the Gift of Security
Cryptosteel Capsule - This is one of the cooler private key storage solutions to come out of late. I’m personally not a huge fan of the tiled options out there, and I really love the aesthetics of the capsule. Their website states: “Our solution combines the age-old idea of engraving — in a DIY assembly format — with material that is stainless, shockproof, acid-resistant and fireproof up to 1400C/2500F. It is compatible with most secret sharing and key generation algorithms, and keeps the enclosed data secure. Even in cases of aggressive acts such as theft, bribery, vandalism or violence your master secret can remain safe forever.”
Cryptotag Thor - Definitely one of the more expensive options, especially if you go with the Thor model that includes a hammer. But like come on, that’s a pretty rad hammer, and if you carry it with you maybe it can help fend off those $5 wrench attacks… Regardless of the high price tag, you definitely get what you pay for here. This solution scored all A’s in Jameson Lopp’s latest metal bitcoin seed stress test.
Crypto Key Stack - I’m a big fan of this option as well. As I mentioned earlier, I’m really NOT a fan of tiled options. They’re just a bit clunky in my opinion. Now granted, this option requires you to have good handwriting, but I like the ability to stack multiple private keys. That may not be the best thing to do for opsec reasons, but everyone’s threat models are different. And good to note, this option also scored top marks on Jameson Lopp’s earlier stress test.
For the Bookworms
The Internet of Money (Volumes 1, 2 AND 3) - Part of the Bitcoin literature canon, this series from Andreas Antonopoulos compiles the best of his many talks, and no Bitcoin bookshelf is complete without them. And Volume 3 comes out on December 15th, right in time for Christmas. Pre-order it on Amazon today.
The Bitcoin Standard - What is money? Why is our current system so screwed up? And how does Bitcoin fit into all of this? The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous is one of the most popular books on Bitcoin and Austrian Economics, and for very good reason. It’s a fantastic primer on the history of money and how the current financial system came about. If you haven’t read this book yet… can you really call yourself a bitcoiner?
And for those who already have a copy or two on their shelves, another great gift to consider is Saifedean’s The Bitcoin Standard Academy, a series of very affordable online courses on Bitcoin and Austrian economics.
Inventing Bitcoin - Yan Pritzker really hit it out of the park with this book. It’s short, only 111 pages, and it explains the underlying technology of Bitcoin in a way that is accessible to just about everyone. You may have to read it once or twice if you’re completely new to Bitcoin, but it’ll be enjoyable every time.
The Little Bitcoin Book - Written by some of the top names in the Bitcoin and human rights spaces, including Alena Vranova, Jimmy Song, and Alex Gladstein (and others!), this pocket sized book takes a more human approach to understanding the importance and potential of Bitcoin. Definitely a good gift for those folks who are new to Bitcoin or less tech savvy than most.
Bitcoin Billionaires - From Ben Mezrich, the author of Bringing down the House and The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, Bitcoin Billionaires is a fantastic read that gives you a unique glimpse into the early days of Bitcoin. Step into the shoes of Charlie Shrem and Cameron and Tyler Winkelvoss. Learn about the early days of Bitinstant and experience Mark Zuckerburg’s treachery from the Winkelvoss’ point of view. To be perfectly honest, The Social Network gave me a bad impression of the twins, but after reading Billionaires, I gained a newfound respect for them and their role in Bitcoin history. Highly recommend this book for bitcoiners & precoiners alike.
For the Art Lovers
LuchoPoletti.com - When it comes to Bitcoin propaganda art, Lucho Poletti really knows what he’s doing. Inspired by street artists like Shepard Fairey, Lucho sells an amazing array of artwork and apparel designed to make you rethink the world around you and look to Bitcoin for hope.
Bonus: Our Favorite Apparel & Stocking Stuffers
Opendimes - From the same folks who make the Coldcard Wallet, get yourself some Opendimes immediately! They look like little USB drives, but they say “Bitcoin” on them. What are they? Basically they are a way to store bitcoin and make offline transactions. You can load up an Opendime with some bitcoin using the public key, but the private key won’t be revealed until you poke a needle through a small hole on the back, popping out part of the hardware. It’s basically a bearer instrument for bitcoin. And the best part is they’re cheap and fit perfectly into your stockings. Also they have curved edges so they also fit nicely into “nature’s stocking.”
Bitcoin and Friends - What do you mean you haven’t watched Bitcoin and Friends yet?! Go to YouTube and binge all the episodes immediately, and then check out their merch shop here. All sorts of fun stocking stuffers to proudly rep Bitcoin and Friends. Rock on little man! You’ll find your dad one day!
21X (formerly Bitcoin Outlet) - From the folks over at Bull Bitcoin, 21X puts out some of the coolest, limited edition Bitcoiner apparel out there. But be warned, they only accept Bitcoin. Don’t trust me though, check out their site and verify for yourself just how badass their merch is.
Tales from the Crypt - “Sup freaks?” Tales from the Crypt is one of the best Bitcoin podcasts out there. If you or your friends and family are fans of TFTC, why not support the pod by purchasing some quality merch? Bkawww!
LayerOneBTC - Definitely one of our favorite Bitcoin merch sites. They put out so many clever t-shirts, you’ll have trouble not buying all of them. From their “Running Bitcoin” T, to their “Craig Wright is a Fraud” T…
LayerOneBTC has got you covered.
Excellion.com - According to Samson Mow, “A hat is the first step on the path to self-discovery.” The exploration of the philosophical underpinnings of that idea deserves its own Medium article. So we won’t go any deeper than that just now. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this TOXIC hat. It glows in the dark and is guaranteed to make at least 21% of Twitter hate you. But only because deep down inside they know you’re right.
VonBitcoin.com — Last, but certainly not least… a shameless plug for my own e-commerce site! I sell tons of Bitcoin-only apparel and gifts, including t-shirts, art prints, Bitcoin & Lightning “not” pop-sockets, and if you’re looking for something very special, contact me here for one-of-a-kind Bitcoin artwork.
Thank you all for reading and we hope you found this holiday guide fun and helpful. From myself and the rest of the Tantra team, we wish you a very happy hodlday season! And if you think there is a Bitcoin product we should add to this list, please leave a comment below!
— Brekkie von Bitcoin, Creative Director at Tantra Labs
Stay tuned as we present more thought pieces and our ongoing research!
For more about Tantra Labs, check out our introductory post here.
For more from Brekkie von Bitcoin, follow him on Twitter @BVTBC.
To learn about the Triumvirate of Liquidity, read this article from Nik Bhatia.
For a list of beginner Bitcoin recommendations, check out this article.
For the latest updates from Tantra Labs, follow us on Twitter @Tantra_Labs.
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