Humor for the holidays: A couple of gag gifts for guys

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The Image section’s annual gift guide -- stuffed with all sorts of seriously stylish stuff -- will be out soon enough, but here are a couple of light-hearted items that have crossed my desk in recent days, and might be worth considering for the hard-to-gift guys on your list.

‘How to Stay Out of the Doghouse’ written by Josh Rubin and Jason Musante, illustrated by Jason Polan (Partners & Spade, 2010), is an illustrated book of 50 tips designed to help a fellow stay in good graces with his better half.

At first I couldn’t bring myself to crack the cover of the thin, $15 book (the title smacks of what I consider to be that particularly deplorable brand of ‘old-ball-and-chain’ type of humor ), but once I did, I found some of the suggestions and observations to be spot-on funny.

Among my favorites:

Number 11: ‘Never use any kind of fruit to describe the shape of her body.’

Number 41: ‘8:35 pm: The time when texts from other women become creepy.’

Hardly earth-shattering relevations to anyone who has been in a relationship for more than six months,

but it would make a great stocking stuffer for a recently engaged cubicle neighbor or a recently divorced fraternity brother. (And, in the spirit of fairness, there’s a companion book for her titled ‘How to Keep Him on a Short Leash,’ written by Jessica Rubin and Lindsey Musante -- who one can only assume are the spouses of aforementioned authors Josh and Jason). For the fellow whose annual exercise in free speech includes wearing a hideous holiday sweater to the office party, Betabrand is stepping up to the plate and offering the ability to complete that egregious ensemble: The World’s Most Nauseating Holiday Pants ($90, online only).

Rendered in Rudolph’s-nose red with an all-over print of sickened Christmastide characters (a snowflake-chundering snowman, a present-puking Santa and a reindeer retching candy canes), the trousers also sport a waistband lining in an equally disturbing holly berry print.

Are they in poor taste? Perhaps. But it’s hard to think of a better gag gift this season -- in both senses of the word.

-- Adam Tschorn