Finding the Perfect Holiday Gift

Personality!

What does the recipient like? What are their interests and hobbies? It can be helpful to spend several minutes making a list of the person’s likes and dislikes, then brainstorming gifts they are likely to unbox with a smile. For home chefs, a cast iron fondue could be just the thing. For the outdoors enthusiast, consider a product from BioLite, such as a portable solar-powered light or SiteLight, a daisy chain lighting system that is perfect for campers. 

Music lovers may adore the iHome Color Changing Portable Bluetooth Speaker or a portable turntable that converts records to digital files. Turn a techie’s head with a gift like a Google Home Mini, which offers hands-free assistance, or the Lingo Two-Way Personal Translator, which allows you to communicate back and forth with someone speaking another language. Friends with pets may appreciate a Bluetooth-capable Pet Activity Monitor, which tracks activity and food consumption and sends the data to an app.

It’s All About the Experience

The unwrapping itself can be an experience. If you are feeling adventurous, you can wrap a box inside a box inside a box…and so on…or create a scavenger hunt with clues that lead to the present. The gift could be stitched into a stuffed animal, or hidden in plain sight—the possibilities are endless.

Consider giving tickets to a game, concert, play, or other event. Or, if the recipient is already planning to attend an event, help them to make it memorable with the FujiFilm Instax Mini 9 Instant Camera, which instantly prints photos the size of a credit card. The Picture Keeper stores up to 16,000 photos and can ensure digital files are treasured for years.

Give the Gift of Relaxation

If you know someone who just needs to get away from it all, the colder months are the perfect time to wrap up in comfort. HoMedics offers a line of products that are designed to keep you cozy during the holidays, and all year round. A footbath, heated vibrating shawl, massage pillow, or a neck massager could turn out to be the favorite gifts of the season. This heated massage cushion features Shiatsu technology and fits in most chairs.

For anyone needing to be whisked away from the chaos of the season, this light and sound therapy candle combines various lighting effects with sounds such as white noise, ocean, and thunderstorm, to name a few. The Sqüsh pillow is perfect for teens, travelers, and anyone who could use a portable, vibrating pillow for on-the-go relaxation. And, the power of fragrance is not to be underestimated; HoMedics offers aromatic diffusers in various sizes—small, medium, and large—to deliver relaxation via aromatherapy.

Odds, Ends, and Needful Things

Consider what the person you are shopping for needs. It may not be anything they have mentioned or even realize they lack. Take a mental inventory of their kitchen, for example—or take mental notes the next time you visit. Has their bakeware seen better days, or is it next to nonexistent? Circulon’s 10-piece bakeware set could be just the thing. Coffee lovers may appreciate a French press.

For the outdoors-loving friend, BioLite’s portable solar panels convert sunlight into energy that can power phones, tablets, and other devices. The lightweight panels attach to a pack to capture energy on a hike, or from the comfort of your hammock. And while your friend is camping, they may want to sing around the campfire—and for that, they just might need a ukulele.

Need more ideas for great holiday gifts? Shop our Smart Holidays Gift Guide for great tips and smart picks for the season.