If you’re like us, you still might have some holiday shopping to do. We want to help make it as easy as possible to place an order with us for guaranteed delivery by or on December 24th (UPS will be delivering Ground and Air packages by the end of the day on Christmas Eve), so we’re offering the following Holiday Shipping Specials. Want help figuring out which shipping method you need to choose? Email us, call us, or use our Holiday Shipping Schedule.

$20 Flat Rate UPS 2nd Day Air
Tuesday 12/18 after 2:30pm – Thursday 12/20 until 12:30pm (PST)
We’re offering UPS 2nd Day Air (normally $22-$120) for $20. (Order by Wednesday at 12:30pm for Dec. 21st delivery and by Thursday at 12:30pm for Dec. 24th delivery.)

$40 Flat Rate UPS Next Day Air Saturday Delivery
Thursday 12/20 after 12:30pm – Friday 12/21 until 12:30pm (PST)
We’re offering UPS Next Day Air Saturday Delivery (normally $40-$155) for a flat rate of $40.

$30 Flat Rate UPS Next Day Air
Friday 12/21 after 12:30pm – Saturday 12/22 at 1:00pm (PST)
UPS is picking up packages on Saturday, so we’re shipping that day too. We’re offering UPS Next Day Air for $30. Orders shipped on Saturday via UPS Next Day Air will be delivered on Monday, December 24th.

To take advantage of these special shipping rates, simply select them in the shipping method box during the checkout process. No special code is needed.

And remember: Gift Certificates are available with immediate electronic delivery 24/7, 365 days a year.

Raindrops on roses? Whiskers on kittens? I’m going to go out on a limb and recommend some alternatives, just in case you’re tapped out of ideas for gifts:

If you’ve family or friends in the American west (to the left of the the meridian 100° west of Greenwich, more or less), you might take a look at the High Country News. Interesting and insightful reporting, available both in print and electronically. Even if you only dream of living out west, it’s worth the read.

We hike. We hike rather a lot, and in all weather conditions. After fooling around with several other brands of traction devices for walking on ice/compacted snow, I’ve become smitten with Kahtoola Microspikes. They offer amazing grip on winter trails; they are durable, portable and easy to take on and off. Microspikes can turn what would have been a treacherous stretch of trail into a cake walk. (Yum, cake…)

And when we’re not out in the weather (or you know, busy making bags), we’re home enjoying the winter weather from the inside. Nothing makes a cold day outside more cozy inside than some hot cocoa. I know chocolate has become a bit like red wine — everyone has their favorite and is their own expert. That said, I will always prefer a very old yet not always well known chocolate maker from San Francisco — E. Guittard — for both hot cocoa and chips for cookies.

People often ask me at this time of year which bag I most often give as a gift. My answer? It’s still the The Aeronaut. Pretty much everyone I know travels at some point. They fly to Europe, Hawaii, take road trips to the Southwest, get a sitter and escape for a weekend to the coast, take their first real vacation in five years, visit family on the East Coast, or go on that round-the-world trip they’ve always dreamed of. The Aeronaut is as close I get to being able to come along with them.

As a musician and member of The Ecclestons, my friend Greg Madill tours all over the world. When I was first designing the Aeronaut, Greg and his wife Lorena were set to go on a trip to Italy. I gave Greg one of the first prototypes of the Aeronaut to test.

My friends Robert and Maggie went to Paris for their honeymoon, so his-and-hers Aeronauts made perfect sense as a wedding gift. Robert reports:
“My wife and I were given a pair of Aeronauts as a wedding gift, and we took them on our honeymoon. I try never to check bags, so the size is great. The handles on three sides of the Aeronaut make the bag super manageable, from the trunk of the car to the seat on the airplane. The shoulder straps deploy fast enough for that moment when you realize you need to run to the gate, then disappear just as quickly. We love these bags, and we’ve used them every time we’ve travelled. Six years later they show no signs of wear.”

The Aeronaut in Aubergine/Wasabi.

Shop Bags make great gifts, too: pretty much everyone shops at the grocery store or the farmer’s market. And if anyone I gave an Aeronaut to didn’t get the full set of Packing Cubes and other accessories (3D Clear Organizer Cube, Packing Cube Backpack, Packing Cube Shoulder Bag) they might this time around.

Shop Bag, Small, in Wasabi.

11 great gifts for the frequent traveler in your life, including our Packing Cube Backpack and Tri-Power Safety Whistle. Read the full post @ Beers & Beans.

Photo by Beers & Beans from the post: TOM BIHN Luggage — The Story You Didn’t Hear

Hey East Coast folks: Monday, December 17th, by 12:30pm PST is your last opportunity to place an order with us choosing UPS Ground ($10, flat rate) as your shipping method for guaranteed delivery by or on December 24th.

Need a little more time? Don’t worry: you have until December 22nd at 1:00pm to place an order choosing expedited shipping with guaranteed December 24th delivery. Click here to see our full Holiday Shipping Guide. And there’s always our Gift Certificates, which can be delivered instantly via email to the recipient, complete with a personalized gift message from you.

More important dates for those on the East Coast who want to receive their orders by or on the 24th:

December 19th: Order by 12:30pm PST and choose UPS 3 Day Select
December 20th: Order by 12:30pm PST and choose UPS 2nd Day Air
December 21st: Order by 12:30pm PST and choose UPS Next Day Air
December 22nd: Order by 1:00pm PST and choose UPS Next Day Air

Heads-up for Mid-West folks: December 18th by 12:30pm PST is the your last opportunity to place an order with UPS Ground as your shipping method for guaranteed 12/24 delivery. West Coast folks can wait up until December 19th at 12:30pm PST to place their orders with UPS Ground shipping.

Questions? Send us an email or give us a call (1-800-729-9607) — we’re here and ready to help.

Thanks to our amazing crew, the following bags are back in-stock and ship within one business day:

Tri-Star, all colors

Snake Charmer, all colors

Checkpoint Flyer Case, 15″ MacBook Pro
Checkpoint Flyer Case, 13″ MacBook Pro

Side Effect, Black and Plum

The Tri-Star in Black/Steel.

We promised we’d ship Aeronaut backorders by December 14th: instead, we shipped them out today. (Figured that’d be ok with you.) That also means the Aeronaut in most colors is officially in-stock and ready to ship in plenty of time for Christmas Eve delivery. For more information on holiday delivery, see our 2012 Holiday Shipping Guide. (Exception: two colors — Navy/Wasabi and Steel/Wasabi — ship by late December)

Ben Forer of ABC News has compiled a great list of Made in America gift ideas. You’ll find everything from footballs to jeans to bags and backpacks (that’s us!)

See the full list of Made in America Gift Ideas @ ABC News. And ABC News wants to hear from you: do you plan to buy Made in USA gifts this holiday season?

Our Seattle factory made more Brain Bag backpacks just in time for the holidays.

American Mensa has put together a great gift guide. And we’re not just saying that because we’re in it:

“One of Tom Bihn’s most recent offerings, the Camera I-O bag holds your DSLR body, several lenses, an external flash and accessories; it fits other Tom Bihn bags or can also be used as a stand-alone photo bag. A must-have on every photobug’s wish list.”

See the 2012 American Mensa Gift Guide.

The full kit: Brain Bag, Camera I-O, and Vertical Brain Cell. Everything is in-stock and ready to ship.

As incredibly popular as the Knitty 10th Anniversary Swift has been, it was always envisioned as a limited edition offering. December 31st 2012 is the last day to order your very own Knitty 10th Anniversary Swift. Don’t delay: once they’re gone, they’re gone forever!

Aubergine/Steel/Ultraviolet is in-stock and ready to ship now. (See our 2012 Holiday Shipping Guide for Dec. 24th delivery information.) Aubergine/Steel/Wasabi is available for backorder and is expected to ship in mid-January.

More:
Knitty 10th Anniversary Swift
Introducing the Knitty 10th Anniversary Swift
knittyblog: Happy Knitty Day!
10th Anniversary Knitty Colorways