By Sean Fallon
Being a nerd is mainstream now, so it's easier than ever to personalize your holiday decorations. Deck the halls this year with everything from electronic wreaths to gingerbread AT-ATs. You can even use all of those discarded soda cans from your marathon gaming sessions to make a Christmas tree.
8-bit wreath
This is the kind of wreath that says Santa had better leave some video games under the Christmas tree or his reputation is going to be severely tarnished on the Internet. I've kept my trolling to a minimum this year so I deserve some Skryim. The wreath features gold coins with blinking LEDs, a controller, cherries, a 1UP mushroom and more. $19.99 - ThinkGeek via Nerd Approved
Mirror, Mirror Star Trek ornament
Hallmark releases fantastic new nerdy ornaments every year, and one of the best from the 2011 crop is this version depicting a classic scene from the "Mirror, Mirror" episode of the original Star Trek series. Here, a goateed "evil" Mr. Spock from a parallel universe performs a mind meld on McCoy. You can even hear audio from the scene with the push of a button. And if you like this, you might want to pair it with a Spock tree topper. $29.95 - Hallmark via Nerd Approved
Gingerbread AT-AT
Building gingerbread houses is great, but building gingerbread AT-ATs is even better —just ask Rachel Klemek of the Blackmarket Bakery. This amazing AT-AT gingerbread sculpture kind of makes her the nerd equivalent of Martha Stewart. That having been said, this probably took a million man hours to make, so you might want to stick with some easy Star Wars cookie cutters. Prices vary - Blackmarket Bakery via That's Nerdalcious
Tannenbomb
The Tannenbomb ornament features festively nerdy zombie and robot imagery, but the cool exterior only serves to hide the hellish nightmare within. When hung on the tree, the weight of the ornament will trigger a device inside that randomly plays annoying sounds like beeps, mosquito buzzing, crickets and elf giggles. In the battle to keep Christmas from coming, it's the Grinch's nuclear option. $11.99 - ThinkGeek via Nerd Approved
Pi wrapping paper
If you're shopping for a math nerd this holiday, make sure to wrap up that gift with some of this pi wrapping paper. It features pi symbols floating over a backdrop of pi's value to over 5,000 decimal places. I suggest using it to wrap one of these pi bottle openers — or maybe a copy of Skyrim. I haven't forgotten, Santa! $3.99 - Perpetual Kid
DIY LEGO ornaments
If you would like some truly unique ornaments for your tree, look no further than LEGO. You can build pretty much anything you like, but don't worry if you don't know how. LEGO master Chris McVeigh provides detailed instructions and parts lists for some fantastic decorations like the Millennium Falcon, Death Star, Santa's sleigh, a gingerbread house and more. Just make sure that these are hanging from the tree securely. If you've ever stepped on a Lego brick with your bare feet you'll know what I'm talking about. LEGO sold separately - Chris McVeigh
Star Wars nutcrackers
If I was a Jedi, I would use the Force to crush the throats of my enemies ... and walnuts around the holidays. Sadly, I possess no such powers, so these Star Wars nutcrackers will have to do. And you don't even want to know what parts of my enemies I'll crush with these. Available in Vader, Yoda, R2-D2 and Stormtrooper versions. $25.65 to $40.68 - Amazon
Doctor Who ornaments
This year the BBC has added these fantastic TARDIS and Dalek ornaments to their Doctor Who lineup for the holidays. The pieces are crafted out of hand-painted glass and stand 4.5 and 5 inches tall respectively — so you know that they will be attention grabbers. $47 - BBC Shop via Nerd Approved
R2-D2 string lights
Now that you've got plenty of nerdy decorations for the tree, it's time to talk about lighting. These R2-D2 string lights are definitely the droids you are looking for. Also available in Yoda and Clone Trooper versions. $23.99 - Lamps Plus
Soda can Christmas tree
Finally, it comes down to the tree itself. In case you haven't noticed, a Christmas tree can be expensive regardless of whether its real or fake. The good news is that you can put your marathon sessions of Skyrim and Call of Duty MW3 to good use by making a tree yourself. Chances are these gaming sessions are fueled by large amounts of soda. All you need to do is switch exclusively to Mountain Dew for a while (because of the red and green color of the cans) then collect your empties to string together a classy Christmas tree like the one pictured here. All it takes is some PVC pipe, some wire and a whole lot of cans. Mountain Dew sold separately - Fork Party via That's Nerdalicious
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