Welcome to Your Main Stop for Fun Gifts This Year!
Everything below is inspired by 2023 episodes of The Cultural Hall, from our guests to the news articles we discussed to stuff co-hosts have said they love, and more.
Chances are, you’ll find something for just about everyone on your list!
Share this post with friends and family too . . . maybe with a hint of what you want for Christmas!
Remember that if you do any shopping with our links, we may get a few coins here and there to help keep the show’s lights on!
Check out the categories:
COOL GIFTS
MOVIES
BOOKS
- (Including ones narrated by Richie!)
MUSIC
COOL GIFTS
23andMe Ancestry Service: $79 (Reg: $119)
DNA Test Kit with Personalized Genetic Reports Including Ancestry Composition with 2750+ Geographic Regions, Family Tree, DNA Relative Finder and Trait Reports
Cotopaxi Del Dia Pack (LDS-Owned Company!) $65
- Each Del Dia product is made proudly in the Philippines by an employee who has total creative control over the pack’s colorway. No two are the same! We’ll choose a pack for you at random. Be prepared for a total surprise!
- Front zippered pocket.
- Durable yet lightweight ripstop nylon shell fabric.
- 2 mesh side pockets. Ultralight mesh shoulder straps.
- Large main compartment. Internal hydration sleeve.
Perytong Wireless Earbuds for Sleep
Cohosts Russ and Annette swear by these! They come in a variety of colors, last for hours, charge quickly, and are super comfortable.
Annette’s headband is pink. We have yet to confirm the color Russ selected.
The Chosen: Give the Gift of Amazon Prime Video
Watch all three (so far!) seasons of The Chosen through Amazon Prime Video.
Brick ‘Em Young
Lego-style brick sets that make the Salt Lake Temple, elder and sister missionary companionships, and more.
The Salt Lake Temple set shown here is $49.95, while the missionary companion sets would make fun stocking stuffers at $7.95.
MOVIES
The Forgotten Carols on DVD
Mr. Kruger’s Christmas, 25th Anniversary Edition on DVD
This classic features Hollywood star Jimmy Stewart, who gets to conduct the Tabernacle Choir in a dream sequence. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must. If you have seen it, it’s a must-see again!
The RM on DVD!
Get this classic of Mormon cinema, which is now 20 years old!
Napoleon Dynamite on DVD
This one’s only a year younger than The RM, and it’s held up amazingly well! Bonus: The DVD is cheaper than most burgers! Be sure to check out our interview with one of its screenwriters, Jerusha Hess from waaaay back in Episode 88.
Once I Was a Beehive
Stream this modern classic!
About the film:
BOOKS
Books Written and Narrated by Cultural Hall Hosts!
Expanding the Borders of Zion by Charlie Bird, Narrated by Richie Steadman, Host & TCH Founder
Humility: A Practical Approach, by Shawn Tucker, Narrated by Richie Steadman, Host and Founder
Tales of a Paperboy, by Andrew J. Mair, Cohost
Following the death of his mother, fourteen-year-old Daniel Morgan moves from Texas to Utah to live with his grandma & new step-grandpa. Encouraged by his father, Daniel reluctantly starts his first job as a paperboy. Lonely and lost in an unfamiliar environment and with the holidays approaching, Daniel finds comfort and hope in the sound of local church bells. But will he find the spirit of Christmas he longs for?
Just One More, by Annette Lyon, Cohost
A librarian investigates her husband’s dark past and winds up dead. Now it’s up to her best friend to uncover the truth.
Becca’s life is turned upside down when she finds Jenn dead in the bathtub. Soon she begins to unspool the secrets Jenn kept in life, including a troubled marriage to Rick and two dead wives in his past. The more Becca learns, the more determined she becomes to get justice for Jenn, even if the clues surrounding her death aren’t quite adding up.…
A year before her death, Jenn begins to notice her husband acting strangely. Using her skills as a librarian, she digs into Rick’s past—and falls down a rabbit hole far deeper and darker than she bargained for. She’s beaten the odds by living longer than his other dead wives. But now she fears her time is up.
Romney: A Reckoning, by McKay Coppins
Based on dozens of interviews with Romney, his family, and his inner circle as well as hundreds of pages of his personal journals and private emails, this in-depth portrait by award-winning journalist McKay Coppins shows a public servant authentically wrestling with the choices he has made over his career. In lively, revelatory detail, the book traces Romney’s early life and rise through the ranks of a fast-transforming Republican Party and exposes how a trail of seemingly small compromises by political leaders has led to a crisis in democracy. Ultimately, Romney: A Reckoning is a redemptive story about a flawed politician who summoned his moral courage just as fear and divisiveness were overtaking American life.
Listen to McKay Coppins, the author, when he visited The Cultural Hall in Episode 384.
Christmas at Falstone Castle, by Sarah M. Eden
From the LDS queen of Regency romance: The Dowager Duchess of Kielder eagerly anticipates spending Christmas with her son and his family. Though their relationship has been strained, the duchess is determined to heal the chasm. Even with the help of the widowed local vicar, her plan will take a Christmas miracle. But during this magical season, anything is possible . . . even two second chances for love.
A CHRISTMAS PROMISE
Three Sweet Regency Christmas Stories by Annette Lyon (cohost), Joanna Barker, and Jennifer Moore.
A YULETIDE REGENCY
Six Regency Christmas stories, by cohost Annette Lyon, plus Sarah M. Eden, Regina Scott, Jen Geigle Johnson, Krista Lynne Jensen, and Heather B. Moore.
Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion, by Gabrielle Stanley Blair
In this New York Times bestseller, Gabrielle Blair offers a provocative reframing of the abortion issue in post-Roe America. In a series of 28 brief arguments, Blair deftly makes the case for moving the abortion debate away from controlling and legislating women’s bodies and instead directs the focus on men’s lack of accountability in preventing unwanted pregnancies.
When the Moon Turns to Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Wild Faith, and End Times, by Leah Sottile
The book examines the culture of end times paranoia and a trail of mysterious deaths surrounding former beauty queen Lori Vallow and her husband, grave digger turned doomsday novelist, Chad Daybell. Vallow’s case is sinuously complex. As investigators prod further, they find the accused Black Widow has an unusual number of bodies piling up around her . . . a gripping story of extreme beliefs, snake oil prophets, and explores the question: if it feels like the world is ending, how are people supposed to act?
Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Projects Book 1), by Brandon Sanderson
#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.
Note from Brandon:
I started writing this in secret, as a novel just for my wife. She urged me to share it with the world—and alongside three other secret novels, with the support of readers worldwide it grew into the biggest Kickstarter campaign of all time. I’m excited to present this first book to you at last: a different type of Brandon Sanderson story, one I wrote when there were no time constraints, no expectations, and no limits on my imagination. Come be part of the magic.
Grace Where You Are, by Emily Belle Freeman
How do you let go of perfection and allow Christ to meet you right where you are, as you are? How can you discover healing in your broken places and strength in your weakness? How will you be able to experience grace every day?
Listen, Learn, & Love, by Richard H. Ostler
Through the power of storytelling, former YSA bishop Richard Ostler brings to life the experiences of LGBTQ Latter-day Saints, fulfilling President M. Russell Ballard’s 2017 challenge to listen to and understand what our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are feeling and experiencing. Richard is supportive of the Church, its leaders, and doctrine. This book is for all Latter-day Saints and is an extension of the Listen, Learn & Love podcast. Catch the author on Episode 333.
I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
From the actress best-known for her portrayal as Sam in the show iCarly, Jennette McCurdy, who grew up as a Latter-day Saint, talks about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.
Prepare Your Child: Pornography Resistance, by Jill Geigle
A valuable interactive workbook designed to help parents guide their children to healthy choices in a world saturated in pornography. Featuring quotes, anecdotes, study ideas, role-play opportunities, and much more, this workbook will teach you how to communicate openly about exposure to explicit content and how to use gospel-centered principles to protect your family against forming harmful habits. As you reframe how to discuss the pitfalls and negative effects of pornography, you will be better equipped to strengthen your family’s fortifications against the tools of the adversary and build pornography resistance in your child.
Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, by Richard Bushman
Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations. An arresting narrative of the birth of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling also brilliantly evaluates the prophet’s bold contributions to Christian theology and his cultural place in the modern world. Catch up with his latest news in Episode 733.
Destroying Their God: How I Fought My Evil Half-Brother to Save My Children, by Wallace Jeffs, Shauna Packer, and Sherry Taylor
In 1991, Wallace Jeffs was coerced to become an FLDS polygamist.
In 2011, Wallace rebelled against the sect, and the FBI helped him reclaim his kidnapped children.
Then an “accident” put Wallace into a forty-five-day coma.
Bad Mormon: A Memoir, by Heather Gay (of Real Housewives of Salt Lake)
Born and bred to be devout, Heather based her life around her faith. She attended Brigham Young University, served a mission in France, and married into Mormon royalty in the temple. But her life as a good Mormon abruptly ended when she lost the marriage and faith that she had once believed would last forever.
MUSIC
HEAR HIM by Emma Nissen
Stream this and more of her work, which is all inspirational Christian music with a Jazz bent!
Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime Music below.
Season of Light- Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square on DVD