Nasher's best gift offerings

Chrismakwanzaakah is upon us. Now is the time for giving, receiving and gloating over your amassed haul.

But while ringing in another gloriously P.C. holiday season can mean a lot to the collegiate set, most of us are just looking to buy gifts on the cheap.

Unless you're making finger-painted abstract expressionist posters for you and yours, art gifts are not cheap. Though perceived as thoughtful and impossibly chic gifts, paintings or framed photographs at even the more modest Durham galleries will set you back quite a bit.

Below are the solutions to that problem. When the recess arts staff collaborated to compile a list of art-y holiday gifts, we went to the biggest art-y gift Duke has ever received-the Nasher Museum; in particular, its gift shop. The best bets, in order of descending price:

1. Alexis Bittar jewelry. The New York-based jeweler has a tiny, well-lit boutique in SoHo that epitomizes his signature quirk. But his ethereal designs, featured in Vogue, W. and InStyle and seen on the stars, are now available at the Nasher. Though a tad steeper than the Nasher paperweight, the dangling earrings will woo any fashion-conscious femme.

2. Coffee table books. Every cozy home and apartment has an ample supply of these glossy tomes. Start off a friend's collection with a book on pop art or the Florentine Renaissance. Our choice? The book on Nasher itself adds a personal touch.

3. White mugs and plates. Edgier than a Duke Store "I'm A Duke Mom" coffee cup, the ceramics at the Nasher shop are exquisite and well-crafted. We particularly liked the crumply, angular mugs-like the matching plates, they're delicately hand-thrown and gleaming white. The imperfect edges make these kitchen standards works of art themselves.

4. Tote bag or t-shirt. Both black, these more typical gifts are appropriate for siblings or friends. Each is emblazoned with the Nasher's logo-a series of squares, interlocking in a circular pattern. Add dark-framed glasses for a hip, minimalist brand of cool.

5. A tour. As a Duke student, you are granted free admission to the Nasher-or, as you can choose to look at it, free and unlimited time to enjoy Duchamp sculptures, Warhol prints and Cezanne landscapes. What better gift than one-on-one time with the art world's greats-all for the low, low cost of... nothing? For an art afficionado, there isn't one. Throw in a cappuccino at the excellent Nasher Cafe (see review) if you need to thwart accusations of being cheap.