The Best 39 Christmas Gifts for Everyone on Your List

JBL Go 4

This speaker is small enough to fit in a pocket, yet it still sounds good. It doesn’t really have any bass, though, and the battery life is short.

Buying Options

$40 from Amazon

$45 from Walmart

$50 from Home Depot

Perfect for parks, beaches, and other on-the-go hangouts, the 3-by-4-inch JBL Go 4 Bluetooth speaker easily slips into a small bag or a coat pocket. While some of our other picks for best portable Bluetooth speakers have clearer sound, the 7-ounce JBL is the least cumbersome to tote around, and it still produces a satisfying and reasonably full sound. It’s also waterproof and dustproof, offers five hours of battery life, and comes in some fantastic two-tone colors.

Sugoi Mart Japan Kit Kat Variety Pack

This colorful gift box is filled with mini Kit Kats from Japan, where the beloved treat has been obsessively reimagined. They come in 20 flavors, including Milk Tea and Chocolate Orange.

Buying Options

$50 from Sugoi Mart

These aren’t the Kit Kats you’ll find at your local checkout counter. Kit Kats are something of a national obsession in Japan, where they come in 300 unique flavors, many concocted by professional pastry chefs. The Sugio Mart Japan Kit Kat Variety Pack includes 80 mini bars in 20 flavors, such as Strawberry Cheesecake, Tokyo Island Lemon, Matcha, and Dark Chocolate. So everyone in your family should be able to find a favorite.

Wacom Intuos S

This is the most compatible, customizable, and precise graphics tablet that beginners can get for less than $100.

Buying Options

$60 from Amazon

$60 from Best Buy

$100 from Walmart

With the 8-by-6-inch Wacom Intuos S—one of our favorite drawing tablets for beginners—your loved one can digitally draw with a stylus. The pen is precise, comfortable to hold, and customizable, and the tablet itself has a paper-like surface and wireless support via Bluetooth. Creatives young and old can use it for sketching, animation, comics, photo retouching, and note-taking.

Falcon Enamelware 3-Pint Jug

This slim enamelware vessel resists chips and dings, comes in over a dozen colors, and works great as a pitcher or a vase.

Buying Options

$53 from Falcon Enamelware

We’re big fans of Falcon Enamelware, from its dinner sets to these picnic-friendly tumblers. The lithe, 9-inch-tall Falcon Enamelware 3 Pint Jug comes in over a dozen colorful hues, and it’s constructed of shatterproof, heat- and cold-resistant material. The recipient can use this delightful vessel to serve guests Arnie Palmers or sangria on the patio. Or it can work as an impromptu flower vase, for when guests show up with a surprise bouquet of tulips.

Funko Pop Yourself

These toys can be designed in your loved ones’ likeness. With the addictively fun and easy-to-use module, you can choose from options for skin tone, hairstyle, clothing, cute accessories, and pets.

Buying Options

Buy from Funko

Make a Funko Pop of your best friend, an uncle, a niece, or the entire family. The easy-to-use module offers a range of choices in skin tone, hairstyles, and outfits. You can choose from more than 100 accessories, including a beer, cake, and a gaming controller, and, for an additional fee, you can add a pet or two. Several Wirecutter staffers have been delighted to give and receive these toys as gifts (product testing logistics coordinator Leslie Grisdale and her husband are featured in the Funko Pop figures pictured above). Do opt for the gift box, which comes professionally printed with the recipient’s name.

TravelCard Plus

This power bank is one of the smallest and lightest we’ve tested. It has a powerful USB-C PD port, built-in USB-C and Lightning cables, and a rated capacity of 3,000 mAh. But it recharges more slowly than our other picks.

Buying Options

$39 from TravelCard

Whether your loved one is a frequent traveler or a busy teen, the slim, pocket-size TravelCard Plus is a welcome gift for those on the go. The power bank’s built-in USB-C and Lightning cables can quickly charge most smartphones or other handheld devices. Although it recharges more slowly than other portable chargers we recommend, it is also smaller and lighter (about the size of a chunky credit card), and it comes in a range of pretty colors.

Pop Chart: A Chronological Compendium of Sneakers

This colorful, 24-by-36-inch poster shows the evolution of sneakers in 150 styles—from 1927’s Chuck Taylors to 2021’s Nike Air Zoom Alphafly—over the past century.

Buying Options

$37 from Huckberry

Teens and elder sneakerheads alike are sure to light up at the sight of the Pop Chart A Chronological Compendium of Sneakers, which elevates the streetwear staple to high art, where it belongs. Starting with Converse’s 1927 Chuck Taylor All Stars and ending with Nike’s 2021 Air Zoom Alphafly, the poster showcases big sneaker moments of wide-ranging styles, including skater, basketball, and high-fashion collabs, and each sneaker silhouette is accompanied by its full name and date. The 24-by-36-inch poster comes as print only or encased in a black, white, or oak frame.

Djeco The Fawn’s Song Musical Treasure Box

Kids can store jewelry and other special treasures in this artful, sturdy, non-annoying musical box.

Buying Options

$100 from Dillard's

Multiple staffers have delighted the littles in their lives with Djeco Musical Treasure Boxes, which play a pleasant, non-cloying tune while a figurine twirls at the center (after the box is cranked). Each paper-covered wooden box is specially designed by an artist, with charming thematic illustrations to suit different interests: a singing nightingale, a secret garden, a French shop. Staff writer Mari Uyehara’s naturalist 5-year-old niece was downright enchanted with her Fawn’s Song Musical Treasure Box, cranking it over and over to play “Tales From the Vienna Woods.” Just be mindful of how much storage the recipient might need—available space and the number of drawers vary from box to box.

Greenomic Good Hair Day Pasta

These handmade, 100% durum wheat semolina pastas come in a variety of styles, including multi-colored butterfly bows and a braided plait flavored with peperoncino.

Buying Options

$14 from Greenomic

Handmade in Italy, using bronze casts, this durum wheat semolina pasta comes in several styles. A 500-gram box of Good Hair Day Pasta makes a toothsome bowl of noodles, and it’s aesthetically charming, whether your loved one is serious about their hair or Italian cooking. Each elegant box features the illustrated face of a woman, surrounded by a hair-shaped plastic pane showcasing the actual pasta. There are all sorts of styles to choose from, including cacao springs (a fine match for walnut pesto) or basil and lemon fettuccine (lovely with a simple tomato sauce).

Wee Society’s Me: A Compendium

This colorful journal, recommended for ages 5 to 7, is full of open-ended questions, illustrations, and drawing prompts to get a child’s creative juices flowing.

Buying Options

$13 from Amazon

$13 from Walmart

For the burgeoning journaler, Wee Society’s Me: A Compendium (recommended for young elementary-school ages) helps provide some structure in figuring out how to write about oneself. Each page offers a prompt—such as “These are the things in my brain” or “This is what my hair looks like”—to help your little loved one either write or draw about their life. Supervising editor Ingrid Skjong started doing a page a night with her son, and he had a ball working on a book all about himself.

Ichendorf Milano Fantasia Animal Tumblers

These stout little drinking glasses house a menagerie of charming animal figurines, from a hedgehog to a duck. The borosilicate vessels are sturdy enough, yet hand-washing is still recommended.

Buying Options

$25 from Food52

May be out of stock

$25 from Coming Soon

The whimsical Ichendorf Milano Fantasia Animal Tumblers would make a fine gift for naturalists, artsy types, or anyone who just loves cute things. Handmade in Italy, each borosilicate tumbler has an endearing creature (hedgehog, rabbit, snail, and more) rising up from the center. They are sturdy, yet hand-washing is recommended.

Bonilla a la Vista Patatas Fritas

Hailing from Galicia, Spain, these superb potato chips have a deep flavor and just the right amount of salt. And their crispy, light texture still holds up to dips.

Buying Options

$47 from Amazon

$47 from Selfridges

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t like potato chips. And the Bonilla a la Vista Patatas Fritas—made by a family-owned business in Galicia, Spain since 1932—are extra-special. Thanks to a Xinzo de Limia spud variety, these chips taste exceptionally potato-y and also boast a nicely balanced saltiness. Although their texture is light and flaky, they still hold up to dips. And they come in a celebratory, 10-inch-tall tin (about the size of a paint can), which can be reused for other purposes once the chips are long gone.

Home Town Map Riedel Crystal Rocks Glass

A map of literally any location in the US can be etched into this beautiful crystal whiskey glass from storied German glass-maker Riedel.

Buying Options

$27 from Well Told

If your loved one is a hometown booster and loves a stiff drink, the 13-ounce Home Town Map Riedel Crystal Rocks Glass may be right up their alley. Crafted by storied German glassmaker Riedel, each lead-free crystal glass features an engraved map and the name of any city or town in the US. Just start typing a name into the location drop-down, and a list will populate. You can also add custom text to the side, bottom, or both.

Small Miffy Night Light

This sweet LED bunny is made of soft silicone and has six brightness settings.

Buying Options

$28 from MoMA Design Store

Made with soft, heat-resistant silicone, the cutie-patootie Small Miffy Night Light is styled after the popular bunny character in Dutch illustrator Dick Bruna’s children’s book series. The LED light has six brightness settings, and it automatically turns off after 15 minutes—enough time to soothe kids to sleep but not so much that it will disturb their melatonin production. The bunny light, which comes with a power cable, is also available in an extra-large version and an enormous floor-lamp version.

BW Brands Festive Gumdrop Tree

Although this clear plastic tree feels flimsy when you first assemble it, it sturdily holds dozens of gumdrops and sparks holiday nostalgia.

Buying Options

$16 from Amazon

$16 from Walmart

Many lucky people grew up with gumdrop trees, a seasonal treat that magically appeared in the homes of grandparents and great aunts around the holidays. This clear plastic version has spiky branches to hold gumdrops, and there’s a small dish at the base of the trunk for extras. This tree is a foot tall, and it folds flat for storage. Is it a family heirloom? Nope. Some people do complain that it can tip when little hands harvest from one side only. Is it a charming tradition nonetheless? Absolutely.

Luxardo Original Maraschino Cherries

These maraschino cherries have been made in Italy for over 100 years, and they will seriously elevate anyone’s cocktail game.

Buying Options

$23 from Amazon

Marasca cherries from Croatia are soaked in Luxardo cherry syrup, and through a process of pasteurization, time, and something like magic, these deep red, flavorful, wonderfully textured beauties are born. Use Luxardo’s cherries anywhere you would normally see neon red maraschinos: in a Manhattan, a Shirley Temple, or a tequila sunrise. The syrup itself can be used as a sweetener in cocktails or drizzled in fizzy water for a jolt of flavor.

Botanica Flameless Lighter

Flameless lighters use an arc of plasma (aka ionized gas) to ignite candles, stoves, joints, and more, and they charge through a handy USB port.

Buying Options

$32 from Anthropologie

Sleeker and safer than matches, the Botanica Flameless Lighter is just right for lighting stoves, candles, and spliffs. And it won’t blow out in a breeze. Each beautifully hued lighter comes with a USB cord for recharging and a safety switch to prevent accidents. As with all flameless models, this lighter’s plasma arc emits a soft but high-pitched sound, which can bother some people. Yet for the convenience, sustainability, and vibes, our tester was unbothered.

Tote-a-Fort The Original Kit

This kit comes with three parachute-textured blankets outfitted with Velcro straps—ideal for crafting shelters. Anchor weights keep the fabric from sinking down, and a cinch sack stores it all.

Buying Options

$40 from Amazon

It is universally understood that kids love forts. It’s also universally understood that they will tear apart the living room, bedroom, and linen closet in the pursuit of fort-building materials. And adults will eventually have to collect, fold, and stow it all away again—unless, of course, the kids have their own designated fort-making kit. This one contains three 71-by-54-inch nylon blankets, along with Velcro straps, loops, and ties for attaching them to couches, tables, or any other suitable support. Three weighted anchor bags keep it from flapping or blowing around in the wind, and it all stores in a lightweight cinch bag—no folding necessary.

Breeo Outpost Grill

Campers and cabin-dwellers will appreciate this adjustable circular grate, which anchors reliably over any size blaze.

Buying Options

$150 $128 from Amazon

You save $22 (15%)

$150 from Home Depot

Cooking over an open fire is romantic, delicious, and a formidable challenge. If someone you’re shopping for loves grilling alfresco but could use a leg up, consider the Breeo Outpost Grill. First, drive the anchor pole into the ground beside the fire, and then screw on the circular cooking grate. Swivel it away to build your blaze, and then slide the cooking surface up and down to control the sizzle factor. (The handle stays cool unless it’s licked with fire.) The grate doesn’t bow or bend, and the stainless steel finish is easy to clean. The grill and its included carrying case weigh over 10 pounds, so it’s not for backpacking. But it is a revelation for someone who has a backyard fire pit or does a lot of car camping.

Paddletek Bantam EX-L

Whether the person on your list is hitting soft, short dink shots at the net or slugging power strokes from the baseline, this paddle makes most shots feel accurate and effortless.

Buying Options

$100 from Amazon

$100 from Dick's Sporting Goods

Anyone on the pickleball bandwagon might like an upgrade—or a ticket to hop on. Our pickleball paddle top pick offers power and control, so it can handle the gentlest dinks and the hardest bangers. At 7.8 to 8.4 ounces (depending on the size), the Bantam EX-L paddle is easy on the wrists. The surface texture can help with accuracy and spin, and it comes with a one-year guarantee.

The Fuzzies

This family game’s deceptively simple object is to pluck a fuzzy from the tower and replace it on top without toppling the whole thing.

Buying Options

$15 from Amazon

$15 from Walmart

The Fuzzies game has a lot in common with Jenga, but instead of wooden blocks, players carefully remove a single fuzzy ball from the tower using tweezers, place it atop the pile, and hope the whole thing doesn’t topple (though at least it topples quietly). And instead of randomly picking a fuzzball to retrieve, players draw cards that direct them toward a color or some difficult-to-manage technique (like plucking a ball with your eyes closed). The instructions recommend that players are from age 6 and up. But a dexterous 4-year-old will enjoy this game, as will most 40-year-olds.

Glerups Slip-On With Leather Sole

These are the most durable and supportive felted-wool slippers we tested. They’re warm, but they breathe well, so your feet don’t get sweaty.

Buying Options

$100 $80 from REI

REI membership required, with single-use promo code WINTER24

$100 from L.L.Bean

$100 from Amazon
(price varies)

Facts are facts: Slippers are a classic gift that most everyone is happy to receive. But what if you gave someone the most stylish, durable, and long-lasting slipper? What if you gave someone the last pair of slippers they’d ever need? Such is the case with these Glerups Wool Slippers, which we’ve been wearing and recommending for years; no other felted-wool slippers we’ve tried have been as durable or supportive. Their open-heel design and leather outsoles make them ideal for padding around the house or taking a quick step outside. And the sharp silhouette makes them cool enough for greeting a delivery person or entertaining close friends.

W&P The Popper

This silicone bowl is incredibly simple to use and easy to clean, and it folds down for more-efficient storage. However, it makes only nine cups of popcorn at a time, its popcorn has a squeakier texture, and it leaves a lot of kernels unpopped.

Buying Options

$28 from Amazon

$25 from Urban Outfitters

True popcorn lovers know there’s no wrong way to pop. But you can always improve your popping game, and this dishwasher-safe, BPA-free silicone bowl is one of our all-time favorite popping methods. Add 5 tablespoons of kernels and microwave for two minutes, and you’ll have nine cups of perfectly airy, non-chemical-tinged popcorn. Adding oil is optional. If you’re worried about giving a single-use kitchen implement to someone with a small space, keep in mind that the bowl folds flat for easy storage—and it takes up less kitchen-counter real estate than a plug-in air popper.

Wick Portable Table Lamp

This USB-rechargeable LED light is the modern version of a traditional chamberstick, and it dims or brightens with a touch.

Buying Options

$149 from Amazon

$149 from Wayfair

$149 from Nordstrom

Nothing is more romantic than a candlelit home, but nothing is scarier than the idea of that home burning down, either. The Wick Portable Table Lamp is a high-tech option: an LED light with the form and function of a traditional chamberstick. The touch-sensor lamp glows warmly, like a real candle. Yet depending on which brightness setting the recipient activates (there are four), this light can stay lit for 12 to 115 hours between charges. It even has a pulse mode, to mimic the flicker of genuine candlelight.

GurglePot Fish Pitcher

As it pours, this 42-ounce ceramic fish pitcher makes a soft and pleasant gurgling. Available in 16 cheerful shades, it makes a lovely vase, too.

Buying Options

$50 from Amazon

Buy from Wayfair

There’s more than meets the eye with the ceramic GurglePot Fish Pitcher. Though what meets the eye—glossy lacquered stoneware in 16 flashy shades, rendered as a jubilant open-mouthed fish—is also pretty lovely. The pitcher also has something for the ears: As it pours, this 42-ounce vessel makes a soft and pleasant gurgling. Like the sounds of a seashell, the effect is charming and meditative. Wirecutter supervising editor Hannah Morrill has one and has given many, and she finds the Gurgle Pot excellent for serving water at dinner parties or housing flowers in the spring and summer.

Emile Henry Salt Pig

The unglazed interior of this ceramic salt cellar absorbs moisture. And the wide, curved opening provides easy access but also protects salt from splashes and spills.

Buying Options

$51 from Amazon

Sometimes our readers are the ones who know best. Last year, this Emile Henry Salt Pig was tucked away in our hostess gift guide, only to surprise us as one of the top-selling gifts of the year. And for a very good reason: Anyone who likes to cook—or likes to eat—would appreciate having a suitable place to keep salt. This ceramic piece has a wide, angled opening, so you can easily grab a pinch (unlike with a lidded box or a small pot and a tiny spoon). Since the stoneware vessel also absorbs moisture, salt doesn’t flake. And it comes with a 10-year warranty.

Heirloom Art Co. Larissa White Nightgowns

These affordable nightgowns are old-fashioned in all the best ways, with options for ribbons, pleats, embroidery, and buttons on a variety of flowy styles. Be warned: They’re a bit transparent, for a barely there feel.

Buying Options

$68 from Heirloom Art Co.

The Victorian-style white cotton nightgowns from Heirloom Art Co. come in 15 styles—with or without collars, buttons, pin tucks, embroidery, ruffles, and the like. And each and every one is lightweight, machine-washable, and perfect for glamorously streaming Netflix after bedtime. Plus, come morning, your loved one can throw on a cardigan to make smoothies or even do school drop-off. The versatile coverups are unlined and not entirely opaque, so they’re subtly sexy, too. We also appreciate the range of sizes, from XS to 1X; all of the nightgowns hang loosely along the body, but it’s nice to have shoulders that fit, too.

Quartet Glass Desktop Dry-Erase Easel

This letter-size, glass dry-erase board resists staining and eliminates desktop paper clutter.

Buying Options

$24 from Amazon

$26 from Walmart

No matter whether they’re running a Fortune 500 company from an office above their garage or running an overextended household, most folks have a near-constant need to jot down notes that they’ll refer to only once. (Think conference-call numbers, activation codes, takeout orders, or quickie to-do lists.) The Quartet Glass Desktop Dry-Erase Easel is a clipboard that can stand upright or lie horizontally at a slight angle. But, more importantly, it can rid one’s life of random sticky notes and back-of-the-napkin scribbles. At the end of each day, the gift recipient will especially appreciate the zen-like calm of erasing, only to begin again with a clean slate.

Graf Lantz Bierfilzl Merino Wool Felt Round Coasters

Merino wool felt coasters absorb condensation and don’t stick to the bottom of glasses. They come in dozens of colors, too.

Buying Options

$28 from Amazon
(set of four)

$28 from Graf Lantz
(set of four)

Even if the person on your gift list already has coasters, these merino wool coasters from Graf Lantz would be a welcome addition. The super-absorbent felt pads are excellent for sweaty glasses and piping-hot mugs alike, and they wipe up easily, should any vessel spill or drip. The style is of course impeccable and well suited to traditionalists, minimalists, and every -ist in between—the square or circular coasters come in vibrant sea shades, gem tones, and neutrals. True, the nubby surfaces readily collect dust and cat hair, but the gift recipient can easily revitalize them with a swift pass of a lint roller. Supervising editor Hannah Morrill has had hers for nearly a decade, and she says they haven’t faded or fuzzed a bit after years of daily use.

Dandelion Chocolate Hot Chocolate Mix

Add milk (dairy or otherwise) to the mix for a smooth, rich, and deeply chocolatey cup of cocoa. Each jar makes four cups.

Buying Options

$18 from Dandelion Chocolate

The inimitable watery, grainy powder-packet hot chocolate of school-bake-sale and municipal-ice-rink fame is nostalgic, but the fond memories evaporate after sip number two. And then you’re left dreaming of the real deal. Dandelion Chocolate Hot Chocolate Mix, one of our favorites from testing, is the real deal. For a profoundly rich, creamy cup, the lucky gift recipient just needs to combine a few scoops of the 70% single-origin cacao, from Camino Verde Cacao in Ecuador, with hot water or milk. It’s not overly thick or sweet, though, so your loved one can actually finish a mug. And it comes in a Japanese-made jar that’s special enough to leave unwrapped.

Radio Flyer Cyclone

Some kids as young as 3 can learn to maneuver the hand-pedaled Cyclone in the dizzying circles that no doubt inspired its name.

Buying Options

$59 from Amazon

$59 from Walmart

Senior editor Kalee Thompson was skeptical about this unusual-looking contraption after her son received it as a gift when he was about 4. But over several years of use, the Radio Flyer Cyclone (which you pedal with your arms, like you would a racing wheelchair) became one of her kids’ favorite outdoor toys, and it held up well to miles of rough rolling. Her son would speed it down the sidewalks to a local park, much to the surprise and delight of neighborhood kids. That novelty is part of what makes this an excellent gift: Most children are unlikely to have one—and they will be thrilled once they do.

Jarkyfine Window Bird Feeder

This feeder’s strong suction cups and roomy acrylic structure readily accommodate multiple avian visitors. It’s not squirrel-proof, and it can get messy, but it’s easy to clean.

Buying Options

$25 from Amazon

Should your gift recipient have a suitable spot for it, there’s something kind of magical about the Jarkyfine Window Bird Feeder. With strong suction cups, it mounts to the outside of a window and gives onlookers a close-up view of hungry birds who stop by for a snack. This feeder provides hours of entertainment for kids, cats, and avid birders. Add a bag of birdseed, and you have an inexpensive gift that nearly anyone—including the avian beneficiaries—will enjoy.

Ototo Gracula Garlic Crusher

This cloaked crusher deftly minces multiple cloves, yet it can also pulverize seeds, nuts, and spices.

Buying Options

$20 $10 from Amazon

You save $10 (50%)

If your gift recipient loves whimsical kitchen gadgets, celebrates Halloween year-round, or wants to lure kids into the kitchen, this Dracula-inspired garlic crusher makes a joyful gift. The Gracula Garlic Crusher is easy to use: Just plop a few cloves into the base (his cape), pop on the top (his head), and twist at the neck for easy mincing. But be sure to remove that chopped garlic quickly—vampires can’t tolerate it for long.

Dansk Købenstyle Butter Warmer

Don’t be fooled: This cute enameled vessel with its chubby wooden handle isn’t just for butter. It also works as a small stovetop pot, a bowl for soup or hot cocoa, or a ladle or scoop.

Buying Options

$48 from Food52

The vaguely vintage, Scandinavian-style Dansk Købenstyle Butter Warmer holds 16 ounces, so it’s ideal for small tasks such as reheating a bowl of soup or making a cup of cocoa. But unlike more-utilitarian pots, it also looks attractive on the table holding hollandaise at brunch. The chubby wooden handle is handsome and easy to grab for ladling, too. It’s the kind of gift that, once received, continues to reveal new uses.

Megapro 13-in-1 Ratcheting Driver 211R2C36RD

This manual screwdriver combines smooth ratcheting action with excellent bit storage and a uniquely comfortable handle—making it the most well-rounded, capable tool of its kind.

Buying Options

$33 from Amazon

We’ve been testing screwdrivers for 10 years now, but none of them have worked as solidly as the Megapro 13-in-1 Ratcheting Driver. If your gift recipient spends a lot of time tinkering with various repairs around the house, a great screwdriver is essential. Although most screwdrivers are fine, the Megapro screwdriver will help your loved one work faster with less effort. Plus, as the name suggests, it comes with a comprehensive bit selection (six double-headed driver bits, totaling 12 bits, and the 0.25-inch hex end of the stem), all conveniently nestled inside the handle and therefore much harder to lose.

Tsuki Usagi Jirushi Slim Pot

This elegant enamel stovetop kettle from Japan provides excellent pour control.

Buying Options

$57 from Amazon

Wirecutter staffers swear by this little stovetop kettle from Japanese enamelware maker Tsuki Usagi for several reasons. For one thing, this pot’s pour spout provides excellent control. And because of its slender profile, the Jirushi Slim Pot sits tidily on any shelf and looks beautiful. Some people even water plants with it.

Smoko Potato Light

This chubby pint-size potato is adorable and rechargeable.

Buying Options

$22 from Smoko

When you pat this little potato on its round head or chubby tummy and it lights up, you can’t help but smile. The darling spud emits a soft glow in one of three brightness levels and operates via a USB-rechargeable battery. Offering just the right blend of whimsy and usability, it will surely be the most coveted gift at your white elephant exchange.

Lego Flower Bouquet 10280

Your loved one can build and style a bold Lego bouquet with 15 individual stems.

Buying Options

$48 from Amazon

$48 from Walmart

$60 from Best Buy

For something more interactive and longer-lasting than a typical bunch of flowers, consider the Lego Flower Bouquet. Present the intricate, 756-piece set fully assembled, or give your special someone the pleasure of bringing 15 stems of plastic roses, daisies, and asters to life. Once built, the bouquet stands 14 inches tall, just like a regular posy. And though it doesn’t require any water or sun, regular dusting would be welcome.

Cameo

Hire a celebrity or sorta-celebrity from the worlds of music, film, TV, comedy, sports, or business to record a personalized video message.

Buying Options

Buy from Cameo

If someone you know could use a pick-me-up or even just a laugh, send them a video message from a favorite celeb (or semi-celeb). Use Cameo’s platform to hire their favorite B- or C-level star (remember the guy who played Flavio on The Sopranos?) to record a greeting for them. Or you could splurge on heartfelt words from country singer LeAnn Rimes or cheery well-wishes from Lance Bass. Many Wirecutter staffers have received Cameos ranging from the meaningful to the absurd. And they’re always a hit.

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

Dorie Chevlen contributed reporting. This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.