My father did something pretty neat for my holiday gift. He took a scan of a ticket stub from the clinching games of the 1969 and 1986 World Series and had them put on a t-shirt. My mom got me a bookmark, but not an ordinary one – one that features the Subway sign for Willets Point, Shea Stadium.

As far as creativity goes, that compares favorably with my sister’s gift circa 2006 –- a Mets themed gift basket (lined with the newspaper pictures of Endy Chavez making his catch in Game 7). It included a CD featuring the warm-up and walk-up music for Mets pitchers and hitters (“Sweet Child of Mine” for Tom Glavine, “Boogie Shoes” for Paul Lo Duca), and a set of baseball cards, each featuring a post-it note, with each player “apologizing” for losing in the NLCS. Clever stuff.

If you’re looking for a last-second Mets-related holiday present for your friends or family, I encourage a similar level of ingenuity. But if you’re having a hard time of thinking in that fashion, let me offer a couple of suggestions.

1) The Mets, whether they’ve been good or bad, have inspired a lot of really good books. Recent favorites include Faith and Fear in Flushing (the story of what it’s like to be a Mets fan) and The Miracle Has Landed, which offers biographies on every one who played even one inning for the 1969 Mets (shameless plug: I authored the Bobby Pfeil bio).

If you want to hunt a little deeper in a used book store, I’d recommend This Date in Mets History (which covers 1962 to 1980), The Year the Mets Lost Last Place (by the late, great Dick Schaap), or George Kalinsky’s The New York Mets, a Photographic History (with the text written by ESPNNY editor Jon Scher)

2) Bobbleheads are popular among Mets fans of all ages. EBay has plenty of options for the likes of David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Mike Piazza. Just be careful with your selection. You might draw the ire of your friend/relative if you give them a bobblehead of Kazuo Matsui or Art Howe.

3) Try the novelty shop. You might stumble into something clever such as:

A Charlie Brown Mets Pez dispenser, a neat display piece even if you don't like Pez (an editor seated not far from me has one on his desk).

A funky player-designed cap, like this one with a neat variation on the club logo, created in 2009 with the help of now ex-Met Omir Santos.

A variety of weird contraptions, such as a corkscrew or key holder

For other last-second options, check out (Mets fan) Paul Lukas' annual holiday gift guide here