The Best Gift Guide For The Post-Sandy Downsizer

Each year we eagerly await the "Uncle Mark" holiday gift guide and almanac. Now in its 10th year, the folksy review from Mark Hurst, the Web consultant who runs the GEL conference, cuts through the noise with straight-up "buy this, not that" advice on gadgets, toys and useful gift ideas. But Superstorm Sandy blew away Hurst's enthusiasm for giving stuff. Like a lot of other New York-area people, Hurst volunteered to clean out houses ruined by the floods. He met a woman who's emptied home was now a soggy ruin. She looked around and asked no one in particular, "Why did I buy so much stuff?" True that. And those of us not struggling to stay warm and fed had a brief moment of gadget-free togetherness--board games by candlelight! But when the power went back on a lot of us went back to our screens and permanent states of partial attention. If you want to see staff-buying at its most extreme, see the documentary The Queen of Versailles, a Hurst pick for 2012.

To underscore the less-is-more ethic, Hurst cut his 2013 almanac by 64% from last year. No rundown of top smartphones, apps or wristwatches. If you want that, read the 2012 guide. This year's edition tells you what not to buy and what will last and/or make your life simpler. Top tips:

1) Don't buy bottled seltzer. Get a Sodastream instead.

2) Dump that triple play bundle. Hurst dumped Time Warner TV, broadband and phone (and his TiVo subscription) in favor of streaming. For high-speed Internet he's going wireless with CLEAR. It's cheap at $50-a-month but with some service issues.

3) Get around on a decent folding bike. Hurst recommends the Dahon Mu P8 (with some reservations).

There are other tidbits, like how to save on shaving costs, books and replacement cables. And by all means give to Sandy relief. Plenty of people are still hurting. Hurst has some great suggestions:

• The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is a good place to donate funds directly to efforts helping Sandy victims. Even more targeted is the Fund for Public Schools, where you can help efforts to resume normal public school activities in the city.
• Two excellent organizations getting food to people in need are City Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City.
• For a more personal approach, you can sponsor a family – sending donations, and exchanging letters. Sign up through Family-to-Family.