DVD Holiday Gift Guide:

originally published at NPR.org

When it comes to holiday gift giving, I’m a traditionalist. I like to think carefully of each person on my list, consider their dispositions and passions, then give them a ginormous DVD box set that will keep them on the couch for the next several months.

This is just good policy with my family and circle of friends. The longer I can keep them off the streets and out of trouble, the happier we all are.

Perhaps you’d like to do the same — and there’s still time if you get your ordering and shopping underway. Here’s a list of some of the best DVD/Blu-ray titles and box sets making the rounds this holiday season, with suggestions on matching each with that certain someone on your list. The prices listed are approximate retail prices, but you can usually find them cheaper with a little online shopping.

For Your Insufferable Uncle, The Rabid Yankees Fan

A&E Networks Home Entertainment

Generally speaking, hardcore Yankees fans are a troublesome lot, given to statistical pronouncements and sepia-toned monologues. Still, we must respect their passion, and Yankeeography: Pinstripe Legends (DVD/$100) is a good way to keep them quiet this off-season. The 16 discs compile 37 episodes from the YES Network TV series, each devoted to a revered Yankee. You’ve got your Gehrigs, your Berras, your Stengels, your DiMaggios. Plus eight additional documentaries on various aspects of the team’s history, and a 32-page collector’s booklet.

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