I hate the holiday season. But, listed below are people who totally deserve to both profit from and love it.

So I'm sitting here about to write a "Holiday Shopping Review," about to give people advice on where to shop and what to buy for the holidays. Then, I realized, I hate them. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas are my three least favorite holidays on the calendar (blame my family, "Vict'ry With the Help of God," from 8th Grade Chorus and being a lapsed Catholic respectively) and in writing said review, my head would likely explode from plain outright lying and being a pandering author, which is certainly not my goal here in any way whatsoever.

So, instead of all of that nonsense, I'll tell you about a few good people I know over the next few weeks and whythey actually deserve your money at the holidays for being just all around top notch quality people you've likely never heard of, but should:

Joe Lathe-Vitale, Have Fun Be Lucky Tattoos, Hampden, BMore - He did the really boss ink on my back, and is one helluva fucking artist. He's been in the game for over a decade, and owns his own shop now in Hampden when he works alongside his wife and another artist. They work fast, they work clean, and again, their artwork is FAN tastic. Plus, they also have a clothing line that's pretty high quality stuff if you're into wearing tattoo inspired t-shirts and hoodies and such, and you don't want to be just another douchebag in an Affliction shirt.

Leah Daniels, Hill's Kitchen, Capitol Hill, DC - Well, let's be frank here. I went to high school with her. But, as tends to be the case with most people I have befriended in life, they're pretty much enormous rockstars in whatever field they wish to excel in. Leah's quaint, friendly, well stocked and aesthetically beautiful store has been open for a few months now, features an upstairs kitchen for demonstrations, and, get this, selling point of the year, yo, COOKIE CUTTERS IN THE SHAPE OF EACH OF THE 50 STATES, AND WASHINGTON, DC! Seriously. If you need a stocking stuffer for your roommate from Minnesota, or, your great aunt from Mississippi, RUN, don't walk here. Plus, Leah's super aware of everything and extremely knowledgeable about just about everything food related. If you are a gourmand or foodie like me, you are an idiot for not stopping by in the next month.

Cult, Baltimore, Mount Vernon - So yeah. I do a lot of travelling. I was going to put Karmaloop from Boston in this spot, or Johnny Cupcakes, but y'all probably know those fools, and probably, if you know me, know I rock their shit with GREAT regularity. But, I'm all about catching a ride on the wave of the next revolution, and, well, I like this store. It's small, on the second story of a commercially zoned pillbox in Mount Vernon. And it's great. Chill art house dudes who make hype t-shirts that look like something Biz Markie would wear at the Albee Square Mall who keep ill fashions in stock and chill out with Mobb Deep cranked up high? Yeah. And, if you scroll down to that pic of me with the hot dog dude. Yeah. Wouldn't you rock that shirt? C'mon now.

DURKL Clothing, DC - Yeah. Went by their Winter line opening open house on Sunday afternoon, and these folks just get "it." I felt like I was in some sort of LA Gear commercial or something. For the discerning hipster or fashionista in general, obsessed with 80s and 90s consumerism and fashion sense, they do it, and do it well. They get the theme, own it, and run with it. Plus, the designers watch VHS movies and play old school Nintendo games. There's something that comes from immersion. Know what Ice Cube would say about them...they're true to the game. They are what's up.

That's it for now. More later.

- KONG