Nice Girls Gift Guide: Vampire Edition

No matter how you celebrate the holidays or what traditions you follow, gift giving usually plays an essential role in the holiday season. We here at Nice Girls TV want to help you out by recommending some terrific items for your holiday shopping list.

Since television is always on our minds so too does it play a large role in our list of must-haves. However, this holiday wish-list will include a bit of a twist. The gifts will reflect a theme, one that seems to be the resounding theme of this year: Vampires.

Be it on television, at the multiplexes, on your local bookshelves or via online outlets, vampires seem to be IT this year. Pre-teens, teens and adults alike seem to clamor for anything vampire related and these gift suggestions are just a small sample of what you can find with a few clicks of your mouse.

So, with that theme in mind here are 25 suggestions for the holiday gift-giving season (in no particular order) for you to consider for members of your family, friends, co-workers or even for yourself – after all NiceGirls deserve some fun gifts too:

1. Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris – There are currently 9 books in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mysteries series, which are the inspiration for the hit HBO series True Blood. Seven of those books can be purchased in a book set. You can learn more about author Charlaine Harris and the Sookie Stackhouse series of books on the author’s site.

2. The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith – This trilogy of books by L. J. Smith were written in 1991 with a 4th volume released in 1992. The series follows vampire brothers Stefan and Damon who fall in love with the same girl, teenager Elena. A new series, using the same name, is currently airing on the CW. You can learn more about the book series here.

NOTE: A new spin-off book trilogy entitled The Vampire Diaries: The Return, focusing on brother Damon started this year with the 2nd and 3rd installments expected in April 2010 and 2011 respectively.

3. Buffy The Vampire Slayer (the Series) – While the introduction to the Buffyverse was through the now cult-classic movie in 1992, it wasn’t until the series debuted on the WB in 1997 that audiences really learned about a teenage girl named Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) who was the latest in a long line of young women vampire slayers. The series also features a pre-How I Met Your Mother Alyson Hannigan, pre-Bones David Boreanaz, Seth Green, James Marsters and many, many more.

4. Angel – Buffy’s spin-off series centered on Angel, the vampire with a soul turned private investigator in Los Angeles, played by a pre-Bones David Boreanaz. The series lasted for 5 seasons.

5. Blood: The Last Vampire – This anime film premiered in theatres in Japan back in November of 2000 and then spawned a manga sequel in 2001. This popular story also has a video game and three Japanese “light novel” adaptations in print. A live-action film was released in May of this year. Both film versions are available at Amazon. You can learn the origins of this story here.

6. The Vampire Cookbook by Alicia Alex – No, I didn’t make this one up, but someone did. Alicia Alex wrote this vampire-themed recipe book that can be used for your next vampire party or Halloween bash. You can learn more about Alicia Alex on her site.

7. Underworld Trilogy – The action started in 2003 when Underworld debuted in theaters, starring Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman. The sequel Underworld: Evolution opened in 2006 and a prequel, starring Rhona Mitra, was released earlier this year.

8. The Lost Boys – This 1987 horror movie starred Kiefer Sutherland as the leader of a pack of vampires in Los Angeles who were being tracked down by two transplanted Arizona boys. This classic film also starred Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz and Jason Patric.

9. Dark Hunter Novels by Sherrilyn Kenyon – Sherrilyn is an extremely popular author and has a vast library of books, but one of the more popular is her Dark Hunter series. With 19 books in the series in publication, and more due to arrive on the bookshelves, fascinated readers will not lack for adventure. You can learn more about this series of books here.

10. The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice – This series of 11 books were written over the course of 27 years by prolific writer Anne Rice. Her first book in the series, Interview with the Vampire, was adapted into a film, which is widely seen as one of the top vampire-based movies in countless “top movie” lists. You can find her books in print in countless venues and you can learn more about them on the author’s site.

11. Dark Shadows (The Original Series) – No vampire gift list would be complete without this classic 1966 to 1971 series that introduced a generation to Barnabas Collins. There is a large collection of DVDs for the original series, anniversary special, continuations of the story and much more at Amazon.

12. Forever Knight (The Series) – What started out as a CBS made-for-TV movie starring Rick Springfield in 1989 turned into a six-year, 3-season TV series that still makes fans’ blood boil. The series starred Geraint Wyn Davies in the title role of Nick Knight, an 800-year old vampire working as a detective in Toronto.

13. Vampire Academy Books by Richelle Mead – The only young adult series written by Richelle Mead covers two races of vampires: the Moroi who are alive and wield elemental magic and the Strigoi who are undead and evil. There are currently four books in publication for this series with the next installment to be on bookshelves on May 18, 2010. Another new book will be available later in 2010. You can learn more about this series and the author on her site.

14. House of Night Book Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast – P.C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast are the authors of this fantasy/paranormal romance series about Zoey Redfire, a teenage fledging vampire who enters the House of Night to learn how grow and change into an adult vampire. There are six books in this series and you can learn more about them and the author here.

15. Twilight (The Movie) – Based on the popular novel by Stephanie Meyer, Twilight – the movie – became an international hit starring Robert Pattinson as Edward – a vampire – and Kristen Stewart as Bella – the human who falls in love with him. The rest of the books in the Twilight Saga are becoming movies with New Moon already out in theaters and the other two – Eclipse and Breaking Dawn – being readied for release in the next two years.

16. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (The Movie) – As directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released to theatres in 1992, this version of the legendary Dracula story was closely based on the classic novel and starred Gary Oldman in the title role. This movie is considered one of the most exuberant, extravagant films of the 1990s.

17. Vampire Babylon Book Series by Chris Marie Green – Chris Marie Green is a former school teacher turned full-time writer who has created a series of books about a stuntwoman who goes to Tinseltown to investigate the disappearance of her estranged father only to discover an underground coven of vampires. Learn more about the series here.

18. The Blood Books by Tanya Huff – This series of books that were used as the premise for the short-lived Lifetime series Blood Ties chronicles ex-homicide cop turned private detective Vicki Nelson, her former partner Mike and reclusive author and vampire Henry Fitzroy. There are two versions of the book series, featuring the original cover art and newer cover art with pictures of the actors who appeared in the series.

19. Moonlight (TV Series) – Much like the vampire series that aired before it, Moonlight focused on a vampire/private investigator named Mick St. John (Alex O’Loughlin) and internet reporter Beth Turner (Sophia Myles) who worked together to solve crime in Los Angeles. This series was only on CBS for one season, lasting 16 episodes, but garnered a loyal following.

20. Kindred the Embraced (TV Series) – This short-lived series only ran for 8 episodes back in 1996 on FOX but still has fans across the globe. The series focused on a police detective from San Francisco who discovers his city is home to groups of vampires called The Kindred. The late Mark Frankel starred alongside C. Thomas Howell and a then unknown Kelly Rutherford.

21. The Twilight Saga Book Series by Stephanie Meyer – As stated above, the Twilight movie was an international hit in the theaters, but the movie and the sequels to follow would not have been possible without the books for which they were based. Stephanie Meyer created Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn and, much like J.K. Rowling, made people read excessively.

22. Brotherhood of the Blood Book Series by Kathryn Smith – These vampire romance books chronicle the lives of six soldiers from the 1300’s who go into a Templar building searching for treasure, but come out vampires. The suicide of one of their own sets them all on a new journey. There are five books in the series and they can be purchased at Amazon. You can also learn more about these books and their author on her site.

23. Twilight Tonner Character Figures – For die-hard fans of the book series and the movies, Twilight Character Figures (aka Twilight Dolls) have been made in the likenesses of Kristen Stewart as Bella, Robert Pattinson as Edward, Cam Gigandet at James, Rachelle Lefevre as Victoria and Edi Gathegi as Laurent. These are officially licensed by Summit Entertainment and are meant for hard-core fans, as they are pricey. You can find out more at the Tonner site.

24. Vampire Vineyards – You can get vampire wine, vampire vodka, vampire energy drinks and vampire gear through the TI Beverage Group, Ltd. The vineyard most recently relocated to Paso Robles, California and has been in business since 1985. If you would like to find out more, please visit their site.

25. Twilight Limited Edition Official Complete Jewelry Set of the Cullen Family – This pricey collector’s set is for the true twi-hard fans and consists of the following jewelry pieces: Edward’s wristcuff; Alice’s choker; Rosalie’s necklace, Esme’s bracelet and Carlisle’s ring all in a display jewelry case with the Cullen Crest and a limited autographed post card by Peter Facinelli.

There you have it – 25 vampire-themed gift suggestions for the holiday season. Please keep in mind these are not the only options available online or in stores; merely suggestions to get you started. You’ve got 25 days, starting today, to get your holiday shopping finished so get going.  And Happy Holidays!