Finding the perfect holiday present is never easy. Even if you don’t want to be crowned the ultimate gift giver among your circle of friends and family, the sheer number of options out there can make the whole process feel overwhelming, especially if you don’t want your present to end up in the return pile.
If you need a little help narrowing things down, we’ve got you covered. From practical home and kitchen picks to innovative tech gadgets, the best gifts of 2022 offer a little something for everyone you might be shopping for, whether they’re an avid baker, an outdoor adventurer, or someone who just really likes to bundle up under blankets and go full burrito mode. You might even discover a few items you want for yourself along the way.
The Bonfire is an excellent gift for anyone on your list who appreciates the warmth of a roaring blaze but isn’t so keen on the thick clouds of smoke that often come from it. The brand’s Signature 360° Airflow technology burns smoke away before it has a chance to settle over clothes and hair, meaning your giftee won’t have to worry about any unwanted odors sticking around. At 23 pounds, it’s still lightweight enough to move around, so it can be great for everything from tailgating to camping. This smokeless fire pit also comes with a removable ash pan for easy cleanups and a storage bag that will make traveling a breeze.
A reliable pair of noise-canceling earbuds makes it even easier to delve into a new album or podcast. With Apple’s celebrated AirPods Pro wireless ’buds, your loved one is better poised to tune out all the unnecessary distractions and focus on what they really love. The Bluetooth-enabled Pros offer active noise cancelation with a special Transparency mode, meaning outside sounds can trickle in with the push of a finger when necessary. Resistant to both sweat and water, these earbuds are versatile enough to take to the gym and come with three soft silicone tips for a fit that suits your giftee best. Better still, the Pros can deliver up to 24 hours of battery life using the MagSafe, fully rechargeable case that comes with each set.
Some folks hold onto slippers the way little kids cling to their favorite stuffed animals; no matter how frayed, ragged, or downright dirty their footwear gets, they just refuse to part ways. If you want to nudge your loved one in a different direction, consider gifting them a new pair this holiday season. You can’t go wrong with these popular moccasins from L.L.Bean, which are made from sheepskin and feature a cozy shearling inner lining and thermoplastic rubber outsole for added traction and durability.
Buy them: Men's Wicked Good Moccasins; Women's Wicked Good Moccasins
Gift shopping for a new grad or a newlywed couple just starting to build up a cookware collection? Save them time—and frustration—with Our Place’s bestselling Always Pan, which is designed to replace up to eight pieces of kitchenware, including a fry pan, steamer, saucepan, spatula, and spoon rest. Made with a nontoxic, nonstick ceramic coating, this versatile accessory weighs just three pounds and is safe to use on all cooktops, plus it comes in 11 different colorways, so you can find a shade that will look chic in your gift recipient’s home.
This sugar scrub from Tree Hut is a treat for the skin (and the senses). Available in a variety of different scents (including pineapple, Moroccan rose, and this fan favorite, coconut lime), it’s formulated with sugar and a mix of natural oils to get rid of dull, dry patches. Because it also contains shea butter, the scrub can leave skin feeling nourished and moisturized. If you’re stumped for gift ideas, this budget-friendly skincare product is a nice go-to, plus it will give your giftee an excuse to pamper themselves on the regular, and who doesn’t love that?
Robot vacuums are the gift that keeps on giving—they can take the hassle out of cleaning and help keep floors looking crumb-free in between deeper vacuuming sessions. But the eufy RoboVac L35 is more than meets the eye, because it’s designed to work as both a mop and a vacuum. This zippy little gadget can build a virtual map of your loved one’s home, navigate over thresholds and rugs up to 20 millimeters thick, and works seamlessly across both carpeted and hardwood flooring. Using the app, your giftee can also schedule cleanings remotely, set cleaning preferences, and more without ever working up a sweat.
If your intended recipient is really into smart tech, this Alexa-enabled smart speaker is a slam dunk as far as gifts go. It can function as a central hub for the rest of the smart ecosystem around their house, and your giftee can use it to adjust temperatures, turn lights on and off, and more. With Alexa, it’s also easy to check the weather, create shopping and to-do lists, or even just play music, so that person on your list is essentially getting a helpful assistant for everyday life.
This classic Dutch oven from the much-loved Amazon Basics line could help the foodie on your gift list enjoy all their favorite comfort foods even more. Made from enameled cast iron with looped handles, this heavy-duty piece comes with a matching lid, is oven-safe up to 400° F, and evenly distributes heat for better cooking across a range of surfaces.
Access to clean drinking water is crucial, especially for folks who love the great outdoors. The next time your loved one treks out into the wilderness, send them packing with this portable water filter bottle from LifeStraw. It’s designed to remove bacteria, parasites, microplastics, and other unwanted substances from drinking water, and each activated carbon filter can last for up to 25 gallons.
Give someone special a new reason to swan dive into their bed every night with these 480-thread count sheets from Brooklinen. Each set includes a flat sheet, fitted sheet, and two pillowcases, and can fit a range of mattress sizes, from twin to California king. The cotton sateen fabric is machine washable, available in a range of prints and colors, and gives off a slight sheen, too.
Lugging a tool box everywhere can become a hassle over time. If you’re trying to find a great gift for dads or anyone who is just really handy around the house, consider a stainless steel multitool like this one from Leatherman. It can transform into a knife, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, or even a set of scissors (to name a few tools), and offers a one-handed opening functionality, which makes it easy to operate.
Help your loved one unlock even more of their creative side with the bestselling Creality Ender 3, which comes semi-assembled with an upgraded extruder and wheels for better functionality. Shoppers on Amazon say it’s great for kids, STEM students, and other beginners who are curious about 3D printing because there’s a minimal curve to mastering it. The Ender 3 has some other fun features that make it worthwhile, like the ability to resume with high-precision printing even after there’s been a power outage in the area.
Jotting notes down on pen and paper is a good way to lose track of them in this day and age. With this 36-page reusable notebook from Rocketbook, your loved one can capture all their thoughts for the day and then send them straight to the cloud, so nothing is ever completely gone. This book comes with a Pilot Frixion pen and microfiber cloth, so once they’re done writing, they can use the brand’s free app to send notes to their Google drive or Dropbox, then wipe it all away with ease.
For folks who love the written word, finding new books is easy—actually finishing them and vanquishing another tome from their to-be-read pile is something else entirely. The Kindle Paperwhite can help them cross more novels off their list: It offers a 6.8-inch, 300 pixels per inch (ppi) display with adjustable, glare-free lighting so each page recreates the look of real paper. With Kindle Unlimited, they’ll get to peruse more than 2 million books (plus tons of audiobooks) without ever worrying about shelf space or storage. This e-reader also makes a great travel accessory: Your giftee will get up to 10 weeks of battery life off a single charge via USB-C and because the device is IPX8 rated, it should survive the occasional water spill (or accidental immersion) with no issues.
Earbuds aren’t for everyone. For those on your gift list who you know prefer headphones, the Bose QuietComfort 45 set are a fantastic selection. They offer noise-cancelation with Quiet and Aware modes, meaning your giftee can opt to fully block outside sounds (with the Quiet mode) or moderate them via the Active mode, so some of the hustle and bustle of the everyday world still trickles through as they play their favorite tunes. The Bluetooth-enabled 45s also feature adjustable EQ, so they can set bass and treble levels to their preferences, and these wireless headphones can deliver up to 24 hours of battery life from a single charge.
Gardening isn’t easy if you live in an apartment complex or major city where backyard space is limited. But if there’s a green thumb you’re gift shopping for, this AeroGarden Harvest kit could help them cultivate their own leafy oasis right indoors. Designed to grow up to six plants at a time, the Harvest comes with herb seeds, including thyme, mint, Thai basil, and others. No soil is needed to make these plants thrive, just water and a control panel, which will tell your giftee when it’s time to add more water or plant food.
Your giftee doesn’t have to be a pro athlete to reap the benefits of Theragun’s high-performance Prime massage gun. Ideal for anyone with recurring aches and pains (or who just wants to unwind after a long day at work), this gadget is similar to a foam roller but uses percussion therapy to stimulate blood flow to sensitive muscle tissue. According to Therabody, the reverberations from this massage gun can penetrate 60 percent deeper into muscle tissue than most average models on the market, which is another reason to give it a try. After putting it to the test, we found that this Bluetooth-enabled device definitely provides targeted relief as claimed, and the brand’s app can help newbies find a routine that works for their unique needs.
Whether your loved one is obsessed with new bread recipes or just wants a more efficient way to roast veggies in the oven, the ceramic-coated bakeware from Caraway is sure to hype them up for their next culinary adventure. The five-piece set comes with a two baking sheets, a muffin pan, and rectangular pan (as well as cabinet organizers), while the 11-piece set includes extra goodies, like the loaf pan. In our review, we were impressed by the look, feel, and performance of these non-stick pieces, which we found were easy to clean and versatile enough to use with all kinds of foods (like sourdough bread and Brussels sprouts). If you want to surprise someone with a present that will really wow them, this collection is sure to do it.
While the newly released Apple Watch Series 8 isn’t a significant upgrade over the Series 7, it does offer some cool innovations that your giftee could come to love, like low-power mode and new sensors that can monitor body temperatures, blood oxygen levels, ovulation cycles (an optional feature that can be disabled for privacy), and more. This gadget—which can run for up to 18 hours off a charge and comes in 41mm or 45mm sizing—can even detect falls and crashes, and will automatically connect the wearer with emergency services in the event of an emergency.
If your loved one relishes curling up under a good blanket but has a tough time fitting under—or sharing—a standard sized one, the Big Blanket is the way to go. This almost fleece-like pick wicks away moisture and stretches out to a full 10 feet by 10 feet, making it larger than most king-sized bedding options. Aside from mid-day snoozes on the couch, your giftee could use this for picnics or outdoor adventures, or just drape it across their bed and still have plenty of room to spare. Another reason to appreciate it? It’s available in 15 colorways, plus seven limited-edition shades (including canary yellow, navy moon, and cranberry pink), so you can find one that vibes to your giftee’s style.
Buy it: Big Blanket Co.
© 2022 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved