Once the wrapping paper is in the trash and the credit card statements start rolling in, there’s a certainclarity that comes with the holidays.

The pressure’s gone, the deadlines are imaginary again, and you can finally buy something because it’s right, not because the calendar says so.

That’s the thinking behind the next installment of Rock Music Menu’s Holiday Gift Guide, and the first onedesigned specifically for what comes after the holiday.

These are purchases best made without the ticking clock: items for the music lover who already did just fine on Dec. 25, or for yourself, now that you can admit what you actually wanted all along.

Maybe you’ve received a gift card to one of the big box stores or Amazon, or perhaps something even more delicious, like a pre-paid debit card that can be spent anywhere.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve covered books, electronics, and did a deep-dive into music box sets.

This time around, we’re looking at the kind of things that will benefit you, thoughtful additions to a collection,upgrades you didn’t rush, and gifts that don’t need to arrive wrapped to feel considered.

Call it the “anti–last-minute guide.” Same obsession, better timing, aimed at you.

Fitbit Charge 6

We’re less than one week away from everyone bragging about the resolutions they’ve set for the newyear, ones that deep down they’ve got no intention of keeping.

Get a jump on those slackers while holding yourself accountable with the Fitbit Charge 6, the latest model of the fitness tracker.

The Fitbit Charge 6, which right now just so happens to be on sale for $99.99 in the Google Store, nearly $60 off MSRP, does things like monitor your heart rate and allows you connect to the machines you’reworking out on at the gym.

Also, you can now control YouTube Music and use Google Maps and Wallet right from the device.

Thanks to advanced health sensors, combined with a new machine-learning algorithm, it brings you themost accurate heart rate tracking on a Fitbit yet, and can connect to compatible gym equipment andfitness apps to see your real-time heart rate during workouts.

The improved heart rate accuracy means even more precise readings, from calories and Active Zone Minutes to your Daily Readiness Score and Sleep Score.

You can still assess your heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation on your wrist with the ECG app, and get highand low heart rate notifications, keeping your beat in check at all times. And it’s helpful when you’re onthe go with a new haptic side button and up to seven days of battery life.

There’s also the option to access other health metrics like blood oxygen saturation, heart rate variability,breathing rate and more.

Six months of Fitbit Premium is included, allowing you to access thousands of workout sessions like HIIT, cycling, dance cardio, and more, as well as a range of mindfulness sessions.

Or simply make sure you’re getting in all your steps in and watch the holiday weight melt away in real time.

Cardon Essential Care Set

Earlier this year, the manufacturer of Rock Music Menu’s favorite face wash decided to stop making it.

While on the hunt for a suitable replacement, we kept getting recommendations for Cardon’s Purifying Clay Cleanser.

“It’s the best, no question,” promised colleagues, friends and trusted outlets.

Given the across-the-board love the two-time Ask Men Grooming award winner Purifying Clay Cleanserwas getting, we snapped up Cardon’s Essential Skin Care Set.

In addition to the main draw, it includes only what you need to clean, moisturize, and protect, taking the guessing out of the skincare game.

First, the Purifying Clay Cleanser, which uses cactus extract and a tri-clay blend to remove excess oil andget into the skin deeply to remove the day’s dirt.

Though strong, it’s gentle enough for daily use. Then there’s the Daily SPF + Moisturizer, designed to avoid breakouts and dryness using some of the same cactus-based ingredients as the Clay Cleanser, along with turmeric and chia seed extract.

Non-greasy while hydrating, it’s based on advanced Korean skincare technology. Finally, there’s the Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer, which repairs skin while you sleep by hydrating and soothing it.

California Born

While absorbing all we could about Cardon, literally and figuratively, we started thinking about anothercompany that starts with the same letter, California Born.

Over the summer, we looked at the punk rock haircare line’s vaunted Days of Dirt, Hang Loose detangler, and California Surf Spray.

Turns out, they don’t just do hair styling, as we found when we recently checked in and found a solidshampoo and conditioner with a beach-based, coconut scent.

Simple and effective, like the no frills California Born black and white branding, the sulfate-free shampoo sheds unnecessary chemicals and formulas to focus on providing a deep-cleansing and moisturizing treatment for all types of hair.

The conditioner, initially developed for a celebrity clientele, takes damaged hair into consideration with aproprietary blend of deep-moisturizing ingredients.

Head to californiaborn.com for a variety of ways to purchase and package all of their hair products.Lest you thought this space was in danger of changing into a self-care column, let’s end on some music.

Queen: ‘A Night at the Opera 50th Anniversary Edition’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Released in late 1975, “A Night at the Opera” was Queen’s first No. 1 album in the U.K.

To mark the 50th anniversary, the band is celebrating the monumental multi-platinum album and legendaryDiamond-certified single “Bohemian Rhapsody” with opulent vinyl reissues.

Already a grand artistic statement and successful album, the “A Night at the Opera” reissue comes on lavish, crystal-clear vinyl with gold labels.

Acting as a companion, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which spent a record-breaking nine weeks at No. 1 in the UK singles chart on its original release, has also been reissued as a transparent blue heavyweight 12-inch vinyl. It’s also available as a direct-to-consumer exclusive 12-inch picture disc and blue cassette single.

In addition to the ubiquitous “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “A Night at the Opera” certainly isn’t short on othergems.

From the tender “Love of My Life” to the jaunty “You’re My Best Friend” to the audacious and rocking “I’m in Love with My Car,” the LP is eclectic yet cohesive, showing the genius musicianship of Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, and Roger Taylor.

Van Halen: ‘Balance, Expanded Edition’

Van Halen’s “Balance” was the most maligned LP of the band’s era with Sammy Hagar at the helm, whichmight be one more reason why it was their last studio full-length with the Red Rocker.

Granted, the 1995 album feels disjointed at times, with three forgettable instrumentals not helping, but the majority of the songs are some of the strongest they’d ever done.

The almost grungy single “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” showed a darker edge to the group, withthe searing “Aftershock” some of Eddie Van Halen’s best guitar work. “Can’t Stop Loving You” becameone of their biggest hits, while “Not Enough” ranks right up there with the best of Hagar’s ballads.

Available as a two-LP/two-CD/Blu-ray deluxe set including the original album, along with a selection of audio and video rarities, the collection also contains several unreleased live recordings from the “Balance” tour, including “The Seventh Seal,” “When It’s Love” and “Right Now.”

The expanded edition pulls together a selection of non-album tracks from the period, including the B-side“Crossing Over,” along with “Humans Being” and “Respect the Wind” from the “Twister soundtrack.”

Also featured are eight standout performances from the band’s 1995 Wembley Stadium appearance, whichwas broadcast by the BBC. That live set is available as its own standalone, released as part of this year’sRecord Store Day Black Friday celebration.

Standalone versions of “Balance” are also available, including a two-LP black vinyl and two-LP orange vinylpressing that presents the full album on vinyl for the first time in 30 years. The complete tracklisting spansthree sides, for optimal audio quality, with a “Balance”-era etching on the fourth.

Vinyl of the Week will return in January.

To contact music columnist Michael Christopher, send an email to rockmusicmenu@gmail.com.Also, check out his website at thechroniclesofmc.com.