Yes, the Holiday season is upon us but, no, you don’t need to panic to get a special gift for your teammate, brother, sister or friend who listens to you go on-and-on about your love/hate relationship with swimming. Sure, caps, goggles or a new water bottle are nice, but think outside the lane a little bit with the following ideas that can still ship in time for Christmas. I’ve picked out a few of these for myself, because, of course, Retta’s on the nice list!
(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
Let your athlete make a statement with swimmer-themed jewelry such as this darling bracelet. Nothing says “I love swimming” more than, well, “I love swimming”, which is the ornament adorning this trendy, multi-strapped eye-catcher. Note the infinity symbol that gives a nod to our lap-after-lap-after lap training regimen.
(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
Able to be used by long-haired women and men alike, nothing helps get your mane under control in your cap like slapping it around a hair band. Also, most of us keep one handy for the must-have swimmer bun look post-racing (and by must-have, I mean it’s basically our only option). But why go the way of boring elastics when you can pack some spice into your selection? Let wave and water-inspired colors give you the feeling you’re dressing up for practice, even though the band may end up in the ever-growing collection of mystery items at the bottom of the deep end.
(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
Make the swimmer in your family feel special with a unique ornament for the Christmas tree. The analog clock pays homage to the pre-digital swim age, yet takes the form of a stopwatch to integrate past and present. When your swimmer wakes up Christmas morning and sees this hanging on the tree, it will be another blissful reminder that he/she can actually sleep in one special morning of the year.
(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
‘The water is too cold’, ‘There’s too much chlorine’, ‘I forgot my suit’ – all excuses that we’ve heard at one point or another in our swimming careers, so why not print them on a bag and give them to your most vocal teammate? Now the troublemaker can just point to that day’s excuse on the bag, no voice needed!
Chocolate Swim Fin (I repeat, chocolate swim fin!!)
(Photo courtesy of Amazon.com)
Remember how back in 2012 Olympic champion Anthony Ervin said he would eat his fins if Michael Phelps did not come out of retirement? (Here’s a reminder). Ervin may not have wound up getting the short end of the stick if these chocolate fins existed back then. Billed as being produced with high-quality chocolate, you can purchase the edible swim fins in 5 flavors to tame those post-practice hunger pangs. Please, please, please, don’t try these in the water!
(Photo courtesy of lampeez)
This is seriously at the top of my swimmer list! Imagine napping to a serene blue, green, white or red beam of light being emitted from an iconic-looking swimmer on your bedside table. Per the manufacturer, “it’s bound to dazzle and impress your guests while always lighting up the room and your lives.” Um, sign me up! Plus, the product touts an estimated 10,000 hour life-span….or the real-time feeling of your next distance practice.
Happy Swimmer Holidays!!
**FYI, SwimSwam will release an official gift guide next week