38
votes
Gift recommendations
What are some things that you enjoy, are useful, or recommend. I'd ask that you include the price in your native currency to give a ballpark and save folks the trouble of following links that are out of their budget.
Here's my list:
Soundcore AeroFit 2 by Anker - $70 US - I've had these for a few weeks any they are amazing. Super comfortable, I often forget I'm wearing them. Good sound quality, nice charging case, good app. They don't go in your ears, so you can hear what's going on around you. Recommended by our very own @cfabbro
OXO Good Grips Smooth Edge Can Opener
$25 US - this undoes the crimp at the side of the can instead of cutting the metal. Not only is it easier to use, there are no sharp edges, and the lid can be reused. Seriously, this is a 100% a great kitchen upgrade.
African Rope Net - $18 - this link is for CeeCee's Closet where they are (I understand) handmade by Africans. This is better than the best Loofah ever. The rope actually has tiny little knots, so it's super scrubby. It's not bunched up, so it dries completely, and you can launder it. I bought it on the recommendation of our very own @definitelynotafae
Contigo Cortland Chill 2.0 - $16 US - this is a great water bottle. It keeps liquid cold for a long time, and it doesn't leak when it tips over. It works well with seltzer water (and doesn't leak when tipped over - I tried any other bottles, and most of them leak), though it does tend to "sing" if the pressure builds up for too long.
AINOPE USB C Cable (2-Pack) - $7 - these have a right angle USB-C end which is nice if you're using your phone in bed / a chair while charging. They have held up really well, and 6ft is a nice length. I've bought 6 or 8 of these.
I love my African net sponges. They're so good. Glad you enjoy yours.
I also picked up the African net sponge on your recommendation, I love it!
That can opener is legit and all of the OXO good grips lineup is also worth the money!
Those can openers do actually cut the metal, they cut horizontally across the double-seam, which is actually more layers cut than the standard can opener.
I got one of those can openers from my in laws a few years back. 10/10 gift, I used to be very nervous about sharp metal edges when I opened cans. No more! And it's held up well, I imagine I'll get another 10-20 years out of this one unless I mistreat it.
As someone who deeply sliced their thumb open on a can lid just the other day, this can opener just got added to my list.
Oh super ouch!? Did it close nicely and stop hurting by now I hope?
Yep! Fortunately it ended up okay, didn’t have to remove the entire thumb.
What Happened?! I'm asking because you're okay now (phew) but deep cuts from home situations are so scary to me! I've inadvertently nicked myself plenty of times but nothing a bandaid can't fix. Was it a loose lid in recycling bag you reached deeply into at a high velocity?
I opened a can with a can opener, held the can lid in one hand, and was attempting to scrape some food off of it onto a plate when the scraper nudged the can lid, causing it to slide across my thumb 😅
[internal screaming] :) please don't use the smooth edged lid as a spatula when you get your new can opener :p
Thanks this has been so useful. I'm keen to know more about the Soundcore AeroFit 2: @first-must-burn and @cfabbro.
I'm looking for a comfortable and affordable wireless headset with a mic that I can gift to two of my close friends. The AeroFit 2 is is right at my target budget and looks great.
An open-ear adjustable headset seems like a good idea, being easy to put on and use.
Some questions.
Thank you!
In addition to all your questions, I'll say that what's comfortable on the ear is very personal and subjective, so I'd consider making sure they can return/exchange whatever you choose. You might pick a great piece of tech that just doesn't suit / fit one person's ears or preferences.
I have used it for phone calls and video conferencing with my phone and had no trouble being heard or understood.
I talked with my therapist from my basement workshop today while the 3D printer, the washer, and the heater were all running. She never had to ask me to repeat myself, and we conducted our call as we usually would on my larger videoconferencing setup (with more expensive headphones in a quieter environment).
This is all in contrast to my old Dime 3's where I literally had to switch to speakerphone to be understood at all on a call, otherwise people would think I dropped the call. I'm very satisfied with the overall performance of the sound core headphones' mic.
The app lets you configure the button presses and the EQ and configure them to pair to a second device, but they will pair like any bluetooth headset without the app.
I've owned a ton of bluetooth headsets/earbuds and these are as friendly as any of them, but the person has to turn bluetooth on and go through the pairing process, something my 70-ish mom, for example, can't really manage.
These connect reliably once paired. They stay off in their case (some I've had would come loose from their contacts in the case and then pair while in my pocket/backpack, stealing audio from whatever I was doing).
There are paranoid caveats to everything I've written below, but my general take is that if one owns a smartphone, uses wifi, and interacts with the internet, adding wireless headphones is not a huge additional risk unless they are an attractive target for targeted expert hacking, in which case they are probably aware of these risks or have expert guidance about them.
More detail related to wireless bluetooth headphones in general:
Since they are wireless, there's some privacy risk over wired, obviously, but I'd say they are minimal. This is an informed but not expert take: bluetooth is like wifi in the sense that they are mature, reasonably secure wireless protocols that encrypt your data (the voice stream) in transit. Do attacks exist? Yes. But they are high sophistication attacks that are not w concern for most people.
As for anker/microsoft recording all your conversations:
The bluetooth signal range is about 10m, so any recording/phoning home would have to happen on the device they are connected to. If one trusts the OS's privacy controls, they all provide reasonable restrictions on what can record and when. It's possible some app could be recording and phoning home, but I don't have any particular concern that is happening with the anker app, which is the only addition that would raise the risk using these over someone's baseline setup.
Thank you so much for all the info, very comprehensive and helpful. I think I will go ahead and I have returns if I need to. The fact that it's adjustable on multiple points is a huge plus.
I like to give, "Oh, wow, that's a thing?" or "Oh, wow, I can own one?" presents. All are about 20-25 USD.
I've given 5000 year old Irish bog oak necklaces.
I've given 100 million year old fossils.
I've given slices of meteorites from outer space. Own a piece of outer space!
If you want to spend like 15 USD more, you can get more interesting meteorites: like when a meteorite hits a planet, and that planet ejects rock into the solar system, and that rock eventually hits Earth - that's a thing! Meaning that you can get slices of meteorites that originated from the moon or Mars.
My final one is only available intermittently, but you can send your name to space. NASA has this thing with their exploratory spacecraft; it's kinda a way for them to show Congress the interest their missions have from the general public. About 18 months or so before a mission launch, they'll post a "send your name to space" notice. They collect (and presumably do some kind of sanitizing on the names to prevent "Hugh J Ackoff" from being included) the names and then they're either included on a USB drive (boo!) or micro-engraved on a plaque (yay!).
They then generate a 'boarding pass' with your name on it that you can download. I've done this for various friends and family, then printed off the boarding passes onto a nice cardstock, and given those as presents. The cost is a little time entering the names, laying out the boarding passes, and the cost of ink and cardstock.
Edit: if anyone knows or any other weird/wow stuff, I'd love to hear about it!
They're not always available, but I love that they sell Strandbeest fossils!
https://www.strandbeest.com/fossils
All prices USD. I like to give gifts that are slightly whimsical but useful.
For an upcoming White Elephant with gamer friends, I got a Spider-Man controller holder ($15 in-store) and Xbox controller bag clips ($5 in-store).
For someone who's into cooking, I got a kit of kitchen tools in the shape of animals ($30) and a cookbook holder ($18).
For someone into gardening, I got a mini terrarium ($14) and cactus-shaped fridge magnets ($8)
For myself, I'd want something like the Cardputer Adv ($30).
For inspiration, I checked out Wirecutter, World Market, Vat19, Uncommon Goods and OffTheWagon.
Nit: the “kitchen tools in the shape of animals” link is a copy of one of the other links.
Oops. Corrected!
If you like OTOTO kitchen products may I recommend the vampire shaped garlic crusher....Gracula
And the Nessie family of colander spoon, ladle and tea infuser
The Gracula has been a delight for folks who don't want their hands to smell like nothing but garlic or if your hands struggle to chop/crush, and it's way easier to clean than the old school crushers.
I don't have my Nessie ladle anymore but I've always wanted the full set. They stand up and are cute.
The brand does a good job of being cute and functional, sometimes creatively so!
I might have to buy Gracula for.... other reasons.
It does not form a screw top, scent resistant seal like other things that grind. Just you know, if that matters.
darn :(
Gracula works great and I also recommend the Croc Chop. For singular veg, a knife is faster but for multiple items, it's an amazing time saver.
Plus how great is a crocodile in your kitchen!
I was eyeing that! I have an Ikea garlic press and I'm happy with it but I wanted something for ginger.
The vibe of OffTheWagon reminded me of these prank gift boxes.
As someone who is slowly, almost glacially, entering the world of Arduinos, ESP32s and embedded toys... What might you use the Cardputer Adv for? I'd love to hear some concrete ideas for my own inspiration.
I'm very new to this and only bought my first ESP32 recently (an M5Stack Atom) as I wanted to interface with the inverter for my solar batteries directly via modbus, and this seemed to be a fun and inexpensive way to do so.
It's more of a want than a need 😅
I had a weird desire for the Flipper Zero for the longest time but couldn't justify the price. Happened to come across the Cardputer as a cheaper alternative and I find the form factor adorable.
If I got one I was hoping it would get the creative juices flowing in my brain and I'd figure out use cases. Maybe a glorified TV remote? Use the keyboard buttons as a macro pad for my laptop?
Not exactly what you're asking for, but my wife and I were struggling to find gifts for my brother and his wife since we each got them in my family's secret santa this year. We decided to donate to a cause that means a lot to them (a scholarship fund for their friend who passed). We're getting them nice cards with a handwritten message in them. Heartfelt, nothing to wrap, don't have to worry about it ending up in a landfill, etc.
Good binoculars: there are many binoculars for sale that are sub-par in quality and/or hard-to-use for novice birders/hunters/observers (etc). Good entry-level binoculars are going to be around 2-300 USD. My recommendation would be a Vortex Diamondback, 8x32 or 8x42 (8 power magnification, 32 or 42 mm lens). Vortex has reasonably good service, and almost all retailers will carry them. If your budget allows, you can either upgrade within Vortex, or go for something like Zeiss.
Side note: more magnification isn’t better. It magnifies the shake more, and often comprises on field of view and color in exchange for said magnification. I previously recommended 7 power binoculars, but most manufacturers have discontinued their mid/full-size models.
Since the lower end price points are well covered with good suggestions, allow me to throw in a higher priced but non-frivolous gift:
Ember Mug, self heating coffee mug. Exceedingly expensive at around $150/€150 and oh so difficult to reconcile as worthwhile expenditure. Who pays that for a smart coffee mug?
I ended up receiving it as a gift and it has seen daily use since then, going on three years now and holding fast, as it is a quality of life increase I didn't expect to be so impactful.
Bonus points for young parents. I've had to set down my coffee to hold my daughter plenty of times and instead of the disappointment of stone cold coffee afterwards, each and every time I came back to a still hot coffee to wind down with.
The "smart" functionality is little more than a Bluetooth connection to a phone with a couple of preset temperature settings, which after setting once (to what I consider perfect temperature for black coffee) I never interface with again and simply use the on/off button on the mug itself. It has no WiFi or screens or other ridiculous unnecessary smart functionality.
It turns on, off, has a small LED indicator, and charges when put down on the charging saucer. Which is more than enough functionality for a cup.
A genuinely good gift if you want to give someone something actually useful, if you have the kind of relationship that allows $150 dollar gifts.. perhaps you can pool the money with some other people.
*Of note: currently on sale for $105 on the US storefront. Additional 10% off if you sign up for their newsletter which you can do with a throwaway mail address or immediately cancel.
**You'll want the 14oz/414ml to fit a full sized cup of coffee. My daily driver coffee is made with a percolator and wouldn't fit the smaller cup.
***I'm absolutely not sponsored. I truly use mine every day.
Thank you for this idea! My wife's birthday is 2 weeks into January and I'm going to get some family to help chip in for this.
She's always complains about forgetting about her coffee or just doesn't have the time to drink it. I hope this will help with one of her most infuriating of first world problems.
Aye, it's genuinely a good gadget. It'll turn into e-waste at some point for sure, but I can enjoy an hour or two of warm coffee three years in so it'll be a while.
It's not just the "fuck it got cold" moments, I can also just relax and sip my coffee for an hour instead of having to throw it back before it cools off. It's a much more enjoyable cup of joe at a steady temp that lasts me longer too.
This is the kind of thing I was hoping for, the "you'd never think you'd like it" presents. Thanks!
In a similar vein, I've had great success with yeti stackable rambler mugs (12-14oz, $20-$40 + customizable). For the people that carry a cup around everywhere, are spill prone, etc. It's one of those things that's just a step up from a normal cup, and if it clicks for that person, it's cheap enough that they'll buy more (multiple for the home, one or two for the office, etc). Generally cheaper on amazon/local outlets, but you can pay the premium (and if you want customize it) directly from yeti.
I've suggested ember as gifts for people for a while now, it really is something you would look at and just not spend 100+ dollars on a coffee mug, however, if one landed in your lap for free, you would use it every day. If your price points are around there for a gift, it's a pretty good one.
I think sometimes the best gifts are really something a person could practically use, but never purchase on their own, either due to cost, not knowing about it, or being just superfluous due to say having an adjacent tool already. So for example the can opener listed above, people definitely have a can opener in their house, but maybe not one like that one, they might have seen the can opener but chose not to purchase it due to already having a functioning can opener, even though this one might be better in different situations.
I've had a lot of luck giving gifts over the year trying to follow that philosophy.
(Canadian dollars)
Two extremes:
(1) Quirky and completely useless shared memory gifts
These were what I most wanted as a younger person, my favourite for secret santa, from extended family, and of course from my closest friends. They're conversation starters, and it provides a permanent quirky memory link to that person I can look back upon fondly for years. Recently recovered an old Sigmund Freud action figure gifted to me in my teens, when we took AP psych together (eBay) ($25).
(2) Boring good quality item that allows me to throw away less good quality items finally
But. I'm just old now, and I have packed/moved long distances a few times, so I only want boring, good quality things I don't have to replace for a long time if they're meant to be used, and completely not useful things that go on the decor/memories shelfs that I won't feel guilty they're not serving their quirky intended function. Bonus points if the new good quality item allows me to throw out a bunch of less quality items. Bonus bonus points for things I already have but lost of few members of. Again, boring is key.
This year boring gifts I love: strong fridge magnets Kungsfors, from IKEA ($8/3)
(4) Slightly fancy food gifts that I wouldn't normally buy for myself: Truffles Pizza Kit (Costco, $30 USD); freeze dried / air shipped durian ($10-$50+); charcuterie ($30-100); imported Japanese snacks ($30-100) etc
I love gifting board games! I think that they're always fun to go on people's shelves, and you'll always have a good thing to do. It might be more work because you have to do research and play a few games with them to see what they like about each game, but I feel like anything from Kosmos is always fun (The Gang imo is good for people in general because it's pretty much Texas Hold'em, and I personally really like The Crew 2. Exit games are excellent for escape room lovers!)
If you know exactly what they like it's even better too, niche interests are definitely covered! Slay the Spire, anyone?
There's even games for themes if people like things like... plants, zoos, alternate history, or anything really. (just one of my favorites, the studio itself is excellent too)
My wife was waxing nostalgic about playing Rack-o ($13 USD) earlier this year, so In ordered it as a surprise for our vacation. It turns out to be very fun and very accessible. I would recommend it for people who aren't into learning a lot of rules or a complicated setup.
Another good one in this vein is Farkle ($15 US) but all you really need to play are 6 dice, a scorecard, and the rules, so I'd spend my money on a set of 50 dice like this ($6 US) and make eight different sets.
Nothing concrete, but one of the things I look for when creating my own gift list is quality upgrades for things I use frequently. This is a bit easier for me to do since I am at the stage in my life where most things are on the lower end of the quality scale, so upgrading is not nearly as cost prohibitive.
I'd just be careful about upgrading any jewelry ;)
One of the challenges I have with upgrades, or even getting a "nice" variety of something, is that spending more money is not (always) correlated with quality, brand quality for most brands really ebbs and flows, and finding reliable, unbiased reviews is increasingly hard. Even when I do find a useful review, there's so much turnover that the items may no longer be available. I hit this latter problem with Consumer Reports all the time.
I really liked the heyday of the Wirecutter, before they got bought by the NYT. I could just go and buy their recommendation and not be too fussed about it. These days it feels like a part time job.
Yeah, it can be tricky to figure out what a quality upgrade would be for someone, so there does need to be some caution. If it is for a hobby, is the upgrade in the direction that they want to go? Is it actually an upgrade for an enthusiast, or is it something that appeals to a broader market? An example in coffee would be what the average person thinks is an upgrade in a coffeemaker versus someone passionate about coffee might not actually like that type of coffee maker. It is something that is easier to add to your own list, and can be dangerous to buy for someone else blind. Except for socks, quality socks is a nice upgrade and hard to mess up on.
Interesting. I might be the exception. I have exactly two kinds of socks: tall socks for boots and short socks for other shoes. Within their type, they are all identical. When I need new socks, I completely replace them all at once. Someone giving me random socks would really mess with my system.
May I recommend wool socks. Pricier, but the comfort is worth it
My next replacement is probably coming around in the spring, so I will give them a try.
Full disclosure: notwithstanding my previous comments, I did get these animal paw socks (~$5 US per pair) as kind if a gag gift stocking stuffer.
I try and personalize my gifts for the most part, but I personally think a Towel Warmer (I don't know which model is the best to be honest because I don't have one myself) is the perfect gift for housewarmings and such. It's something I don't think anyone would willingly buy themselves for themselves, but it makes life just a bit better.
That's a great idea!. I actually got my wife and daughter this towel warmer ($68 US) last year. I had forgotten about it because it ends up living in the closet due to our tiny bathroom, but it works very well when we remember to drag it out.
Trying to go more local route this year.
Grandparents get two pictures in a frame of their newest grandchild. Roughly $300 altogether for professional photographed pictures with 5 nice printed out.
Vermont teddy bears for the cousins about $95 each.
Locally made wool hats for 45 dollars for the Aunts and Uncles. The wool is sourced from NYS and spun in Vermont.
Neighbors are getting a deluxe pancake box. NYS fancy farmer market syrup for $25 dollars and pancake mix for $9 dollars.
For my friend, a gift admission to a children museum near them, about $50 dollars. I really wish museums has a way to gift admission instead of expensive memberships. I would love to give people experiences more so than stuff.
Those teddy bears are neat. Especially if it becomes the tightly-bonded security animal, it would be nice to know they can be repaired and refurbished.
We're reaching the end of the "stuffy" age, which is good because there are entirely too many stuffed animals in her room already. But I'll keep this in mind for future young'uns.
I took a factory tour when I was in Vermont, and they showed us the teddy bear medical repair centre. And they have a teddy bear doctor on staff to fix them up, it was all too cute.
Re: gift admission -- cash cash cash ! Print off or include a pamphlet and leave it to folks to buy, they might be able to get a coupon or group purchase or something.
A nice pocketknife is something that has the potential to be a gift someone carries close on hand for years, I think many people could do with one.
The classic choice is a swiss army knife, I carried a Victorinox Huntsman ($115 AUD) for years. These fit comfortably in most pockets, pack in a good amount of utility options, and appear non-threatening to those who might otherwise pearl clutch at seeing a knife (sadly common these days). I only moved on from these as I wanted a locking blade and pliers.
My main knife in recent years has been a Leatherman Wave+ ($280), it's pricey but a good option for those who could use a useful set of pliers and a bit driver amongst other tools. You'd have to pick your person for this as while I carry mine in my pocket fine it's a bit large for some people to carry everywhere (particularly if you have to wear office clothes).
I also have a Leatherman Skeletool ($195) which is a smaller stripped down multitool with pliers, it fits inbetween the other two I've mentioned in terms of size vs capability (and price).
The prices of what I've mentioned will likely be out of many gift budgets so if you're looking for something cheaper I'd advise going for something that's just a knife rather than a multitool - I've found cheap multitools tend to be a bit rubbish to use but a plain folding knife is harder to mess up.
I'm a big reader, so I love getting books as a gift, one of my friends got me Sid Meier's Memoir!: A Life in Computer Gamesduring a secret santa, and it was a great read where I learned more about a game developer who has sucked up so many hours of my time over the years. My work VPN routes me through Singapore, so I was seeing this as 36 SGD, which some quick google math shows that as 28 USD for the hardcover. There's a paperback for cheaper.
You might enjoy this podcast, Designer Notes by Soren Johnson, who worked at firaxis and was the lead dev on one of the civs (I forget which) before going on to make his own independent games, I think their current game is old world. He has a really, really long interview with Sid Meier in early episodes that probably covers a lot of what is in the book, but is great to hear the info from sid himself, really great insight on a lot of things back then.
He also has some episodes with jake solomon (of xcom fame) that are just as good, covering jake's early time starting as a jr dev with sid at firaxis, it was just as interesting hearing his point of view on everything.
In general, I love the people he sits down to talk with and it is super nostalgic and insightful when he gets guests that were working in the games industry through the 90s as well as just great talks about game design in general. Highly recommend!
Thank you for the recommendation, I put the first episode on my playlist, so I'll listen to it some time soon.
I have more podcasts I'd like to listen to then I'll ever have time to listen to, but it's still fun getting recommendations and immediately going "that is definitely something I'd like".
I've got this Miir 20oz Wide Mouth hydroflask -- $35 or whatever -- I love it and use it all day, every day. Cleans up quick and keeps stuff hot or cold for ~6hrs or more.
Other than that, gift-wise... weed gummies are cheap and I'm giving them away.... like candy this year. :)
For people who care about cooking and serving meals: Sur La Table Ratchet Mill, for $30. My parents took a French cooking class there, and at break time everyone went to buy one or two. People often compliment them when we host dinners.
For anyone who likes trivia or learning and reading, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Price varies by retailer, but I think it's typically in the $20 range. I've learned all sorts of things from this series, it has a little bit of something for everyone. There's even a version for kids, which is how I first found the series. They release a new book every year so this was a regular Christmas gift for me for years.
Those are my specific recommendations. Here are some more general gift ideas that aren't specific products.
Good winter gear can be worth more than their weight in gold, and can be surprisingly cheap at stores! My aunt bought some nice, thickly lined pom-pom hats years ago and just yesterday she and a visiting aunt were talking about how amazing they were. She said they were on sale for like 3 for $5 by the checkout and got six, and were both cheaper and better than the pricey name brand hats in the same store.
Another idea for cold areas: socks with grips. They're cheaper than buying brand new slippers, and a lot of stores sell fun-looking fuzzy ones this time of year. My slippers are too worn down to comfortably wear barefoot now (and we're running out of decent socks without holes), so during a recent drastic cold spell last week I wore this one pair of socks with grips indoors every day just to keep my feet warm.
One last suggestion which shouldn't be a standalone gift, but can make for a good add-on or gift basket filler: bottle and can sleeves/huggies/koozies. They're super common in America and often given away for free at events, but I don't think they're particularly common in Europe. Along with keeping your drinks cool (or hot), I'd say the biggest benefit is how they trap condensation so the bottles and cans aren't sweating. Actually, a bulk pack might be a good gift for party hosts, as this article arguing in their favor compares them to wearable coasters. (Also good for keeping track of whose drink is whose.)
I think they can be particularly good for people with hands that are sensitive to temperature, as I know there are some chronic health conditions that can get exacerbated by cold. The thick foam ones with flat bottoms are also probably useful gifts for people who like camping, since I expect that those would be easier to steady on uneven ground than a can or bottle.
Oh, one more suggestion: go to local craft fairs and just keep an eye out! They can have all sorts of good stuff that yoy wouldn't think of on your own, ranging from smaller "filler" gifts like bookmarks and keychains, to scarves and hats, to more pricey and fancy stuff like wooden bowls and cutting boards.
We went to one last month, and my mom ended up getting excited and buying a bunch of handmade pot scrubbers like these. She talked about how when some relative died years ago, the biggest point of contention was who would inherit all her handmade pot scrubbers. I guess they're not that common these days, or stores don't really sell comparable scrubbers? Last week she gave two of them to an aunt.
We got attracted to that seller's table by someone else raving about some cloths that were meant to be rewashable paper towel substitutes. They weren't washclothes or towels, but made of scrap fabric and I guess specifically meant to be used for cleaning up spills? This woman had apparently bought a couple last year and had returned to get more because she found them so useful as a mom. She also praised these fabric covers for fridge handles since... Well, kids' hands can get sticky.
Now that I think about it, that whole table basically would make for a great kitchen-themed gift basket for parents. And outside of that, I genuinely regret not having more cash because the fair had a few things I'd considered buying.
In the koozy department, I was just watching a video where he showcased this vacuum insulated koozy ($12 US). He does a test showing it takes 6 hours for the temperature to drop 10 degrees (vs 30 min without). Of course, it won't fold flat, so it might not be ideal for all use cases, but one of my favorite things about my vacuum insulated contigo water bottle is that I can go to bed with the water bottle, and the water is still cool in the morning when I wake up.
If you have tea or pour-over coffee aficionados on the gifting list, I'd suggest a gooseneck induction pot with temperature control, like this, without paying exorbitant amounts for Fellow brand. I got one for my spouse a few years ago, and he uses it at least twice a day. He can set 203°F for black tea, 180°F for green, etc., and have appropriately hot water in about a minute.
Small gifts:
Compact roving power - UGreen or Anker 2-port USB-C 45W NanoGAN chargers aren't as compact as they used to be, but still easy to carry and useful for quick phone or laptop top-ups.
Baggu - colorful, cute, tough shopping bags, travel pouches, and accessories.