What do you get that strange person in your family that spends all their vacation time running off to old, abandoned buildings?  You know the person; they own funny little devices that light up and make noise and they spend countless hours talking about history and the dead. Well, here are some ideas to light up your paranormal enthusiasts holiday.

• Video Camera: I feel like I say this every year but let’s be honest, we all need ANOTHER camera. These range in price and what you buy depends on your budget and the person using the camera. In the last year, I added a Full Spectrum 4K POV Camera from Ghost Hunters Equipment to my arsenal. They cost about $190 and do take a couple weeks to receive so plan ahead.
• Voice Recorder: This is another standard item that should be in every investigator’s toolkit and ranges in price. I use a Sony ICD-PX470 and I have friends in the field that use a more expensive Zoom Recorder. The price difference can be $50 to over $100. 
• Handcrafted Pod from Lauren Haunts: She handmakes 3 primary sensors and does very limited releases so getting your hands on one is difficult (making it far more priceless to receive one). All of the devices are beautiful! The SEER detects the presence of static electricity and discharge via soundless illumination. The device requires a 9v battery and occasionally needs to be “grounded” or restarted during use due its high sensitivity. The Nova is a microwave motion sensor with trigger range illumination. And the Crystal Pod, which functions like a simplified RemPod.
• Tickets to a Paracon: Paranormal conferences are a great way to meet other people interested in all things strange and unusual. Some upcoming events include Missouri Paracon (Feb/March), Pennhurst Paracon (May), and ParaPsyCon (May).
• APF-D Processor: This device looks interesting for anyone who regularly works with a spirit box. This device claims to have a display for audio spectrum visualization, amplify audio, 10 second loop playback allowing you to rewind responses, adjustable speed control, adjustable noise reduction, and an adjustable high pass filter allowing only higher frequencies to pass through. If you already have all the other toys, this would be an interesting one to add to the mix.
• Footstep Tracker Geophone: When you go to a place with reports of footsteps, it’s nice to be able to get a visual to accompany the auditory phenomena. I don’t own one of these yet but it is on my list.
• A Cookbook? Food to Die For: Recipes and Stories from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places by Amy Bruni is a beautiful book for anyone who loves food and old spooky places.
• DVR or DVR Hard drive: I’ll be honest, my hard drive failed at the beginning of the year, and I’ve really slacked on replacing it. So, this is on my personal list and probably there are other paranormal peeps out there in need of a replacement DVR or DVR hard drive. Check with them first to make sure you get the right one.
• Memory cards: 32G and 128G memory cards (Class 10/C10) are standard for most devices used in the paranormal field. Investigators use a lot of them and lose a lot of them. This is a great item to stick in a stocking.
• External Hard Drive: Once we pull our audio and video from those memory cards, we have to store it somewhere. I recommend 2TB or more for storage capacity.
• IR Light: I’m probably going to say this every year, but IR lights are essential. Every investigator who utilizes video needs to have a variety of IR lights ready to go. I bought this one recently and really like it.
• Gift Cards: Paranormal investigation is expensive so gift cards/certificates for Amazon, Ghost Hunters Equipment, coffee, or just a favorite gas station will be much appreciated by any active investigator.
• A Haunted History Book: I released my first ever book this year, Historic Haunts of St. Louis, and this is my shameless plug for making it a giftable item. Let’s be honest, all paranormal nerds love books about historic locations and their hauntings. If you are not in the St. Louis area, you can find one for your location through Arcadia.

You don’t have to break the bank to be a good investigator. While all of these things are fun to have, the essentials are a basic voice recorder, an IR video camera, a notebook, and critical thinking skills. Your best evidence is always going to be in the form of video and audio recordings so start there. If your loved one is new to the field of paranormal investigation, these may be the basic items they need.

Until next time, Happy Hunting!