It's one of the 20th century's most enduring mysteries, surrounding one of the most important flashpoint events in America's history: Who shot President John Fitzgerald Kennedy? Was it a lone gunman with Marxist leanings? Was it a CIA conspiracy? Was it the mob, or angry Cubans? Does it have merch?
Sure, everyone's got the souvenir newspapers and — if they were alive — can tell you what they were doing at that exact time and day, but what kinds of things can you find under the tree that relate to this monumental tragedy? This holiday season, you can relax in knowing that there are JFK assassination gifts for everyone on your list. No one's stocking is going unfilled this year!
Texas School Book Depository Tote Bag
Sold by: The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza
Price*: $6.95
Thanks to multiple states enacting multiple plastic bag bans, we're all in need of a good tote bag come time to shop for the Christmas goose. Why not combine your need to purchase food with your family's love of the location where Lee Harvey Oswald worked during that fateful day in November 1963? Now, the window where he supposedly fired three shots at Kennedy's motorcade isn't identified on the bag itself, but there's no rule saying that you can't take a big old permanent marker and circle it. Make sure it's waterproof!
Dealy Plaza Christmas Ornament
Sold by: The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealy Plaza
Price*: $30.00
I have a bit of a spending problem, what with all the comic books I collect, so I'm on a bit of a tight budget. But there is a loophole! Christmas ornaments are decorations for the entire house, so they don't count towards my total. Therefore I purchased this gorgeous inlaid Christmas ornament celebrating the beauty of Dealy Plaza, the subdued mystique of the grassy knoll, and how Oswald would have had to shoot through a tree to hit Kennedy with multiple shots.
Dealy Plaza Paper Model
Sold by: Paper Models Inc.
Price*: $7.95-$12.95
Clear those grubby file folders filled with enlargements of the Zapruder film off your desk, Dad, because here's your new build-your-own model project! This handsome papercraft model comes in both 7"x10" size or 10"x13" for only $5 more! You can see it includes not only the "sniper's nest" and the grassy knoll, but also the parking lot and train tracks where railroad yard worker Lee Bowers saw men by the fence during the assassination — and a puff of smoke and a flash of light! Bowers himself may have later been killed to cover up what he witnessed (Bowers not included).
JFK Kennedy Assassination Anniversary 1963-2013 Ceramic Ornament
Sold by: Zazzle
Price*: $11.34
This little piece is nearly 3" across, made of gorgeous white porcelain, and has history all its own! It celebrates 50 years since an assassin (or multiple assassins?) shot JFK in Dallas. As of 2024, it's an 11-year-old celebration of a 50-year-old event! Sure, it mixes six different fonts, but it's still a handsome piece that I wouldn't mind on my tree … or on my bed, because you can also make a pillow out of this design! That's the beauty of Zazzle: The same Kennedy assassination anniversary image can be reused for throw pillows, keepsake boxes, coasters, and trivets!
Lee Harvey Oswald Authentic Apartment Brick Kennedy Assassination Texas
Sold by: Etsy seller Bigfoots Treehouse
Price*: $24.95
Whoa! Forget about celebrating history, how about owning a piece of history! While there aren't enough for the whole family, this little stocking stuffer is sure to make at least one of the people on your list happy, no matter what side of the single shooter/multiple shooters debate they fall on! Oswald's apartment building was torn down in 2013, but the landlord kept brick fragments to sell. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and a signed letter from the building owner! This brick may have witnessed Oswald assembling his 6.5×52mm Carcano Model 38 rifle! Or maybe it didn't if he wasn't involved!
1961 Lincoln X-100 Kennedy Limousine Blue with Flags 1/24 Diecast Model Car by Road Signature
Sold by: LiveCarModel
Price*: $219.95
Vroom vroom! Hey kids! This is a 1/24 scale replica of the car that took JFK, the First Lady, Texas Governor John Connally, his wife Nelly, driver William Greer, and Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman down Elm Street, passing in front of both the Texas Book Depository and the fence by the grassy knoll. This is how it looked prior to 12:30 PM on Nov. 22, 1963. Now, mom and dad might not let you play with it because it's over $200, but all the wheels and doors work in case you wanted to sneak a little LEGO figure in there and drive it around the living room. We won't tell!
Lee Harvey Oswald Patsy Baby One-Piece
Sold by: Redbubble seller RudeCrudeUKs
Price*: $18.82
Well now! It seems like we know what side of the who-shot-who debate this baby falls on! This onesie comes in both short and long sleeved versions, so your little one can state their opinion around Lee Harvey Oswald not acting alone all year 'round! Here's an insider tip: Lee Harvey getting shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby shows up best on light colors, so you're going to want to go with the pink, heather grey, or white options over the black or navy blue. Your little guy or gal is going to start so many conversations with this eye-catching onesie!
The Ballad Of JFK - A Musical History of the John F. Kennedy Assassination
Sold by: Discogs (used listings)
Price*: $15-$42.44
What's Christmas without a little music? Luckily the Iron Mountain Analogue Research Facility has all the toe-tappin' hits that flowed out of a traumatized nation in the immediate wake of the assassination, released individually on small labels by folk singers overcome with emotions. Rock around the Christmas tree to David Price's "The World Lost a Man," Red River Dave's "Ballad of Lee Oswald," The Belconti Quartet's "The Life Of A President: John F. Kennedy," and The Keys' "Lonely Roses (Stained In Red)" that was, ironically, originally released on Lee Records!
JFK (Collector's Edition)
Sold by: Shout! Factory
Price*: $59.99
'Tis the season for the movie that brought the conspiracy theories behind the JFK assassination to the masses! Kevin Costner leads a cast of stars as New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison who details all the troubling aspects of the case. It seriously has an all-star cast, with Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Michael Rooker, Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Kevin Bacon, and Ed Asner. The Collector's Edition includes the director's cut with Oliver Stone commentary, more or less acting as an annotated guide to all his sources while making the film. There are eight additional documentaries and 12 deleted or extended scenes!
*Price at time of this writing.
