Must-Have Outlander Gift Guide for Serious Fans
Scotland has been on my bucket list since I read my very first Historical Romance novel decades ago. The descriptions sparked a desire to see the landscape and hear that Scottish burr. There is just something about the beauty of it that totally appeals to me (although I’m not so tolerant of cooler weather as I used to be and that might be an issue). When I starting reading the Outlander books, I was hooked all over again. And when the show came out…well, it became an obsession!!
My daughter and I have discussed the possibility of traveling through the stones of Craigh na Dun (I’ve heard these don’t exist by the way) and what our survival strategy would be. It’s time to be really honest. I equate my chances of surviving alone in that time period with that of becoming a millionaire supermodel. There is a very great possibility that I would give it a go for a week or two and then desperation would set in. I’m not going to be attracting any Jamie Frasers, so I would probably take an offer from the first guy who didn’t smell too bad and didn’t look to be disease-ridden. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how big of a pool of candidates that would be.
Since time travel is not yet possible (that we know of!), we will have to continue to live through Claire and Jamie for a while longer. If you are interested in finding more information about Outlander OR if you’re a total and complete fan already, this is the Gift Guide for you! Not only does it include the things you need to start down the Outlander rabbit hole, but also a few things you might consider just in case you do figure out that time travel thing!!
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Outlander Gift Guide: Books, Books, & More Books
Outlander Series 1-8: Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, An Echo in the Bone, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. If you want to know about Outlander, the best place to start is to read the books. Outlander tells the story of Claire who travels through mystical stones into the past and meets Jamie. The story just grows and grows. And there is now a 9th book in the series called “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone.” Every book is worth the read!
Outlander bookmarks. Just in case you need to stop reading. I never like to stop and I used to stay up half the night reading, but I’m older now and my body says “no.” Thus, the necessity of bookmarks.
- Complete Series Reading Order. This is not a bad book to have. In fact, it would have been fabulous to have had when I first starting reading the books. I accidentally read half of Drums of Autumn before I realized that I hadn’t read Voyager yet. It took a while to figure out why it didn’t make sense to me!! Has anyone else ever done that or am I completely alone in it?? I don’t recommend reading them out of order unless you just like trying to piece things together on your own. This book also includes the correct order to read all of the novellas and short stories.
- The Outlandish Companion. There are actually two of these–Volume One for books 1-4 and Volume 2 for books 5-8. Not only do they contain information about the stories, but also a history of the characters, actual history about the time period the books take place in, FAQs about Diana Gabaldon, and information about the television series. I happen to like history, especially what they wore, ate, and did for fun, so these are great for me!
- Seven Stones to Stand or Fall. This is a collection of short fiction about various characters in the Outlander series–including Jamie Fraser. I haven’t read this yet, but it’s on my wishlist!
- History, Homages, and the Highlands: An Outlander Guide. Part of the reason that Claire fares so well in the past is that she knows history. If I had to rely on my own knowledge of past events, my trip would be over before it began. Unless you are asking me about food or music, I’m not going to be a lot of help in the past. My daughter is pretty sure they would burn us for witchcraft, so our plan is to feign memory loss.
- The Unofficial Outlander Book of Herbs. Outlines the use of herbs in the books and television show. Also includes a garden primer to get you started…you know, just in case you want to practice before you go through the stones.
- Edible Wild Plants. If there is a possibility of time travel into the past and you are going to be worrying about survival, then you need to figure out what to eat. Nobody wants to eat poisonous mushrooms–no matter what century they are in. Start with this guide to edible plants that are found in the wild and you’ll not only impress people with your knowledge but lessen the chances of starving…or poisoning yourself.
- The Homesteading Handbook. I ordered one of these for myself. This book has information about making alternative energy sources, conserving water, and herbal medicines. These are things we always need to know.
- Life Skills. This is one of those books that has a little bit of everything. Although you won’t need to know bicycle maintenance or how to escape a sinking car in 18th century Scotland, it might be useful to know the Heimlich Maneuver.
- The Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild. Knowing how to hunt, gather, and prepare your food is handy in any century.
- A Woman’s Guide to the Wild. This book deals with a lot of camping issues, but the sections on navigation and outdoor safety might be extremely helpful if you are traveling back to a time with fewer modern conveniences.
- Country Wisdom & Know-How. A little bit of everything–from making butter to building a chicken coop. Who doesn’t want to know how to make their own butter?
- Outlander Kitchen. Recipes inspired by the various locations and characters in the Outlander series. It might be handy to know what people are eating where you’re going.
Outlander Kitchen: To the New World and Back Again: The Second Official Outlander Companion Cookbook. One hundred new Outlander-inspired recipes!
- Beginning Cherokee. When Jamie and Claire travel, they run into people from all walks of life. This would’ve been handy to have when they arrived in the mountains of North Carolina.
Movies & Music
- Season One Ultimate Collection. The complete first season with a bonus disc, keepsake box, collectible book, engraved flask, soundtrack, and photographs. This is a little pricey, but it would be a wonderful gift to give (or get)! If you aren’t interested in anything so fancy, the Complete Season One DVD will work just fine as well!
- Outlander Soundtrack. Listen to the theme song whenever you want! Did you know that the Skye Boat song is actually about Bonny Prince Charlie? He disguised himself as a woman and escaped in a boat to Skye. I honestly didn’t know that until my daughter told me. She is a major history buff. By the way, this soundtrack is included with Amazon Prime if you have it!
- Season Two Ultimate Collection. The complete second season, keepsake box, collectible book, a bonus disc, and a sneak peek into book nine. (I’m excited about that!) Or just the Outlander Season Two.
- Outlander Season Three. Outlander Season Four . Outlander Season Five. Outlander Season 6. It just keeps going. And if you have a DVD or Blu-ray, you can watch it over and over again for sure!!
- Starz. If you want instant gratification, get the Starz channel or app. Then you can watch the new episodes as soon as they come out. You can purchase Starz through Amazon Prime as well. (Try a 30-day trial to see if it’s right for you!)
Outlander Fashion
- Plaid blanket scarf. Honestly, these just never go out of style. I had one around my neck in the fall and when I got cold, I wrapped it around me like a shawl. It was fabulously warm!
- Celtic Knot Plaid Ring. To keep your stuff on. It’s not fun if your plaid just randomly falls off. Probably.
- Tartan plaid shawl. I think these colors are actually a little tame compared to what was actually preferred in Highland plaids. I’ve seen portraits with some pretty bright and (let’s just be honest) tacky combinations.
- Knitted cowl kit. This comes with yarn and a pattern. Claire wears one of these a lot. I suppose it would keep you very warm. I only want it if it can double as a hood because I hate having things tight around my neck.
- Fingerless gloves. Love, love, love these! I actually own several pairs of fingerless gloves. They were fabulous at my old job where I had to go outside in the cold but needed to handle money and paper.
- Highland Knits book. If you are a knitter, you can make all of your own accessories!
- Je Suis Prest bracelet. Even time travelers need some jewelry. Plus, if you do find Jamie Fraser, he’ll know you are ready.
- 18th Century Undergarments Pattern. I prefer modern underwear, but I also prefer toilet paper. One must make concessions when living in the past.
- Everyday Dress costume. Because you’ve got to dress the part.
- Dress Patterns. Learning to sew is still on my bucket list. Some of these patterns are very similar to dresses worn on the show.
- Outlander Dress Pattern. If you want to dress like Claire…
- Cloak Patterns. It gets cold in Scotland and this can do double-duty as a blanket if you need it to.
- Trench Coat Cloak with Hood. Not going to lie…kind of want this right now!
- Peasant clothing patterns. Although I would much prefer a pretty dress, peasant wear would probably be closer to my reality!
- Lambswool Tartans. These are the real deal.
- Kilt. Everybody needs a kilt. I’m actually including this one because my daughter bought fabric and made her own and other than the clasp they are identical. I need to share a picture of that one of these days!
- Sporran. I’m not sure how practical these really are. Doesn’t look like you can fit much of anything in one, but I guess there’s nowhere to put your car keys in a regular kilt.
- Men’s Tactical Kilt. The Super Trooper refuses to adopt a Scottish accent, but he does want a tactical kilt (probably just because he is a retired police officer and it says tactical in the name) and he wants to compete in the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. I really, really, really want to see that. Did I say really?
Outlander-inspired Wedding Ring. If you do find Jamie or some other Highland dreamboat, you’re prepared!
- Dinna Fash wrap ring. No matter where you are, when you are, or who you are with, you need a reminder that it will all work out somehow. Don’t worry, don’t get annoyed, don’t get upset about it. In short, dinna fash yourself! (Unfortunately, Foxwise no longer has any jewelry on Amazon that I could find. I’m not sure where she is now, but I found several listing for the same thing on Etsy.)
- Slainte Stainless Steel Hip Flask.
Fill it with the “hair of the dog that bit ya” and toast to good health!
Outlander & Jamie Fraser Swag
- Sassenach Journal. It would be wise to take notes from those survival books and keep them on you at all times.
- Mini Mortar and Pestle. It might be necessary for mixing up herbal medicines or making mojitos–which is sort of herbal medicine.
- Sassenach tee. Obviously, you need some Outlander things to use in this century and t-shirts are my favorite. Sassenach was originally another word for Saxon and later become the equivalent of “English.” Not to be confused with the word “Sasquatch.”
- Other Husband tee. I told a friend that my next husband would be Scottish, but I was teasing. One husband has been quite enough…not sure I’d want to start that process over again! (Update: Turns out that my husband has a huge amount of Scottish ancestry. I mean, huge. Bonus for me, although his Scottish accent is still horrible.)
- Fraser Clan tee. Proclaim your clan proudly. (Even if it’s not really yours!)
- Jamie Fraser pillowcase. I’m not sure my husband would appreciate this.
- I like it Scot mug. Just a little reminder in the morning or when you’re drinking a hot toddy.
- Jamie Fraser life-size cut out. My daughter adores Sam Heughan (who plays Jamie in the series). This would be a great gift for her, but a fake Jamie would be too disappointing for me. Sadly, I can no longer find this on Amazon, but Outlander Store has some!
Just In Case
As stated before, time travel isn’t possible yet (again, that we know of). Still…isn’t it better to prepared?!?
- Multi-tool Pocket Knife. A swiss army knife is great, but that red color might draw an awful lot of attention in a time when a tool like this is unheard of. Come to think of it, silver might too. Go for black. It’s easier to hide.
- Emergency Survival Kit. I feel like I would really need a compass and blanket if I was roaming around in the wilds of any country (no matter what year it is) but all survival tools are welcome!
Tickets, Trip Ideas, & Places to Visit
**Note: That One Mom is not an affiliate for any of these. Not that I wouldn’t want to be, but right now, they are just events on my bucket list or ones that I have attended!! (Remember, I don’t recommend things I don’t own, haven’t done, or am not interested in. If you see it here, I want it!)
- Mary’s Meanders Outlander Tours. Mary’s Meanders offers Outlander Tours of Scotland. Tours range from one to five days of visits to Outlander filming locations. Mary’s Meanders also offers private tours. This is on my wish list!
- Scottish Highland Games. Who wouldn’t want to see the Highland Games in their original location?!? Just like in the U.S., there are actually several different Highland Games that take place in various locations from May to September!
- Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. My family and I have actually attended the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. It is absolutely amazing and so much fun. It doesn’t hurt that the location happens to be one of my very favorite places!
- Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival and Games. Music, dancing, athletic events, and a seminar about Scotch. Slainte! (We went this year and it was awesome, but unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures so no blog post. It’s definitely worth a visit though!)
- Fraser’s Ridge Homecoming. A panel discussion, storytelling, workshops, Cherokee warriors, music, food, fun, and more!!
- Comic-Con. Let’s face it, most of us would jump at the chance to go to a comic con event even if the Outlander cast decided not to show up. It’s me. I’m most of us.
There you have it! Whether you intend to find some sacred mythical stones (hint: they aren’t just in Scotland) to travel through or you just want to imagine it OR whether you want to learn about Outlander or you have an Outlander-crazy person to buy for…you now have a list things to help you out.
Definitely read the books–Diana Gabaldon is a genius storyteller.
Definitely watch the shows–the scenery and attention to detail make it worthwhile.
And definitely be prepared–you never know when a gorgeous man with a killer accent is going to sweep you off of your feet (even if it’s only in your dreams)!!
In the meantime, always remember: Dinna Fash!
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