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It’s that time of year when many of us find ourselves pondering over what we can give to the geeks who are near and dear to us to make their holidays merry and bright.

It’s not too late for most Internet merchants to get your purchases to you in time for Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa, but don’t wait too much longer if you don’t want to pay for expedited shipping.

For those whom you want to give just a little something or for great stocking stuffers, Think Geek is the place. Their "caffeine and edibles" section has something for just about everyone. If you have a bacon lover in your circle of geeks (one in mine says he’d eat a spark plug if it were wrapped in bacon), they have some great items. Among them are: Zombie Mints, Soylent Green crackers, Gamer Grub and a grow your own coffee kit.

In just about every geek circle, there is a “Wizard of Oz” fan and just this morning (on Dec. 12), I found a spiffy little goodie for the lady WOOZ fan: the ruby slipper socks from What on Earth. They fit ladies shoe sizes four to 10, and cost $10. You can’t beat that with a broomstick or even a flying monkey.

Speaking of flying monkeys, you can get a flying monkey plush toy at Entertainment Earth for $8.

Some of the older geeks among us will remember the Edmund Scientifics catalogs of days gone by. If the thought of the wacky and wonderful assortment of nerdalicious goodies those tomes used to contain causes you to wax nostalgic, you’ll be glad to know that Edmund is still here and has moved up with the times. Hop on over to EdmundScientifics.com and you’ll find a gift guide, that you can sort by price range and age and gender of the proposed gift recipient.

One of my faves at Edmund Scientifics is the Great Scientists Puppet Set Who could resist creating a time travel play in which Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein finger puppets have the starring roles?

An office supply store can be just the place for some of your hard buy for friends and family.

For anyone who has a color printer, paper supplies are a great gift. Photo paper is one of those items that is not too pricey for a gift but something a lot of people put off buying because they don’t “need” it. It’s fun to have it on hand though. You just might benefit in the future from it in the form of a print of a picture you love.

If the person in question listens to music a lot or watches movies and television on one or more cyber devices, ear buds are a good bet. It’s nice to be able to keep a set of ear buds with each device instead of swapping them out and they do wear out, so having a spare is good too.

If you know someone who is going to be traveling out of the country in the next year, a set of electrical adapters will be welcome. This is another of those items that is not wrong even if the person has some already.

For in country travelers, a power strip to keep in a suitcase or backpack is not a bad idea. Recently, one of my friends advised me that when rooming with another of our friends at Gallifrey 2012, it would be good for me to have my own power strip. It occurred to me that advice probably would apply in many other instances in which geeks are staying away from home.

A super gift I received last year was a gift certificate from Decal Girl. With it, plus just a couple of dollars added, I got a Union Jack skin for my netbook and a lovely fantasy skin for my original Kindle. Don’t let the site’s name fool you. They’ve got skins for every taste, not just girly ones.

Most of the items I’ve mentioned specifically will fit into tight budgets but if you are a bit flush and want to spoil someone, I can’t extoll the virtues of the e-reader too much. The new tablet readers have many of the same features of the famous “I” products but at a much smaller price. My second Kindle is a Kindle Fire and I have yet to read a book on it. There are too many cool apps to play with. I did buy a bunch of science-fiction short story collections which I will read however.

With the availability of the Kindle at stores such as Staples and Best Buy, and the Nook available at all the Barnes & Noble shops and both available online, there is no worry that you won’t get one in time for the holiday of your choice.

A gift that gives to two people at once, one you know and a child in need, is the gift of Toms shoes. If you don't know the size you need, they have gift certificates and they really do give a child in need a pair of shoes for every pair of shoes purchased.

Another good work is to give to a charity to honor a friendship? If you want to keep it geeky, you might give to the Planetary Society or the American Association for the Advancement of Science. You could also give annual memberships for a museum, zoo or aquarium. You could even get one for yourself and promise to share the experience with your friend.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you give as long as it comes from love and friendship.

I wish you happy holidays. See ya in 2012!