The holiday season is here again and with it that yearly steeplechase that is familial gift giving. At this point in my life, having neither substantial wealth nor a particularly “gifty” trade (“I copyedited your shopping list, Mom…Merry Xmas!”), I feel as though music—or, more precisely, my knowledge of it—is one of the few really worthwhile presents I can give out. My father can afford to buy for himself anything, musical or otherwise, I’d purchase for him, but he seems to have neither the time nor the passion to explore new music to the degree that I do. WMP play counts suggest, however, not only that he really enjoys listening to music, but also that several of his favorite artists are those I’ve introduced to him over the years—case in point, Yo La Tengo, which I hear emanating from his basement lair almost every time I find myself in Romeo. Anyhoo, this Christmas I’ll be focusing on finding some great ambient electronic for him—the kind of thing he can play at work in his office without making his heating and cooling business sound too much like hair salon. I’m not sure Ralph Myerz is the ticket—it may be too much Gossip Girl, not enough K&D. But whatever, I have eleven days to get that all sorted out. Suggestions are more than welcome.