A rad new training suit, that killer set of paddles they’ve had their eye on, a stealthy pair of non-foggy (for now) goggles…there are plenty of treats that the special swimmer in your life would enjoy receiving as a gift this holiday season.
But, what if you want to go above and beyond, stand out from the rest of pack and show your swimmer you really ‘get it’? These are the gifts “Retta Claus” has her eye on this Holiday season and it’s what I’m giving the swimmers who are on my “good list” this year. Those on my “bad list”? They’re getting a really nasty fly set.
SWIMMING POOL COFFEE TABLES
Swimming Pool Table, courtesy of Estudio Rain/Dezeen
Why leave your swimmer staring at a regular wooden coffee table when you can add class to their living room with these artsy, pool-shaped tables, complete with cute removable ladders? A Brazilian studio called ‘Rain’ has crafted a collection six unique tables, all constructed to look like miniature swimming pools. According to the studio,”The inspiration for the collection comes from dreamlike images of leisure and good times that swimming pools are able to evoke.” Not sure if the Rain studio is familiar with repeats of 400 IMs or swim-till-you-puke lactate sets when describing “good times” at the pool, but these are pretty cool for a head-turning Holiday gift.
SWIM-THEMED PILLOWS
Pool-themed pillows, photo courtesy of @rettarace
Combining swimming with napping is virtually impossible, but you can at least provide a swim-themed nap with these fun pillows. Your special athlete can drift into dreamland with thoughts of out-touching Phelps by .01 or simply dolphin-diving through warm-down with these delightful, decorative pillows ready to cradle a weary swimmer’s head.
ROCK THE WALK-OUT SOCKS
What swimmer doesn’t want to make a statement during the walk-out to a final at a major meet? Lochte has the shoes, Phelps has the stare of death, let your swimmer have their identity with a unique pair of socks to rock on their way to the blocks. Might I suggest these Superman socks, complete with mini-capes, ready to blow in the wind as your swimmer marches his studly self to his lane.
Wanna turn heads during your walk-out? photo courtesy of @rettarace
RYAN LOCHTE ACTION FIGURE (FOR REAL)
For a truly unique gift for any Lochte-lovers out there, get a load of the one-of-a-kind Ryan Lochte action figure, created by swimfan Anthony Day. A once-WWE wrestling figure was brought back to life as a handcrafted Lochte model, dressed with his signature #1 brief, along with his emerald-green shoes. Not to mention the multiple gold medals hanging around his neck. Day even went so far as to create packaging for this rare collector’s item. This particular ‘Lochte doll’ is in the hands of Mr. WWRLD himself, but I’m sure Retta Claus could convince Anthony to create more for any swimmers on the “nice” list.
The world’s first Ryan Lochte action figure, photo courtesy of Anthony Day
SWIMMER JEWELRY
Nothing says “I love swimming” more than a pair of earrings that say, well, “I love swimming”. An easy stocking stuffer are these whimsical pieces of jewelry that are inexpensive and simply give a nod to how much you know the sport means to your loved one. Either to have and to hold or to actually wear out and about, no girl says “no” to the gift of jewelry.
The earrings that say it all, photo courtesy of @rettarace
STARTING BLOCK WALL DÉCOR
Football, basketball, baseball – the typical mainstream sports all have their ‘Fathead’ decals that fans can plaster all over their walls at home, but few know that swimming has wall art all its own also. A modern-art-type-spin on the ‘in your face’ athlete images is this removable/replaceable decal depicting a swimmer launching from the blocks and gracefully heading into the water. Make a swimmer’s race start a conversation piece by slapping this on your loved one’s wall this Holiday season.
Picasso? Or Matisse? photo courtesy of amazon.com
WHEN IN DOUBT, GO ON EBAY
Finally, when you’re really stuck, but want to come off as having put a lot of thought into a swimmer’s gift, just peruse through the swimming memorabilia on eBay. A cursory review of available items still able to be shipped by Christmas include a vintage Bulgarian Swimming Federation pin circa 1950s, an Olympic Games of Stockholm Swimming Program from the 5th Olympic Games in 1912, or for swimfans of a more current era, a pocket schedule from the 2011-12 Auburn Tigers Swimming & Diving team. Rarely-seen-before items are yours for the bidding to give your special swimmers a big-time surprise when they open their stockings.
Vingate swimming program found on ebay
Bulgarian Swimming Pin found on ebay
Happy Swimmer Holidays!!
**FYI, SwimSwam will release an official gift guide next week
Those pillows.. I so “need” them! I’ve been hunting and hunting.