Every year we subject ourselves to the same consumer torments and tortures, braving the overflow of humanity-flooded capitalist prisons like Penn Square Mall, Wal-Mart or whatever hip downtown pop-up du jour gets passed around on social media, all in search of overpriced Christmas gifts that, sadly, will be forgotten about some December 26. Why bother?
If you want to truly get them gifts they’ll never forget—and even if they do, hey, you only spent a couple of bucks—I can’t recommend Old Paris Flea Market, 1111 S. Eastern Ave., enough. From possibly illegal self-defense gear to expertly crafted porcelain bongs in the shape of a wizard’s skull, every year I have gotten most of my holiday shopping done in about twenty minutes, and usually all out of the back of some dude’s flatbed in the parking lot.