If You Don't Know What To Get Someone, Consider These 54 Crowd-Pleasing Gifts
1. A global calendar that comes with a new illustration and spice packet inspired by a different city each month. They'll feel well-traveled, even if they only moved from the living room to the kitchen to turn a page.
2. Mystic Maze — a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that reveals a secret "magic trick" when they complete it. There are also 50 Easter eggs hidden in the complicated design, so they're sure to be thoroughly entertained from start to finish.
Fun fact: This was the most funded puzzle on Kickstarter at the time, raising over $3 million.
Promising review: "Just got this puzzle for something to do at home over the holidays. Seriously... I have never seen a puzzle quite like this! It’s very impressive and exceeded my expectations already. The packaging is beautiful inside and out. Everything about it shouts quality. I particularly liked the envelopes inside for the puzzle pieces and mystery. Heavy weight and substantial. The one holding the 1,000 puzzle pieces stays closed with Velcro! How cool! And the secret mystery envelope has a cool string loop tie. Makes you remember you can’t open it until the puzzle is done. The whole vibe of The Mystic Maze is quality and fun and also looks like a challenging puzzle. Looking forward to getting started on this. Certainly a good stay-home fun activity. Highly recommend!" —Kyle Fletcher
Get it from Amazon for $22.99.
If you've given this puzzle in the past, or they're already a fan, consider one of the other versions.
3. A 10-year diary for the journaling experts who are ready to graduate from the famous 5-year journal. Your recipient gets five lines per day to jot down their experiences, plus a prologue and epilogue. Already a cute gift idea, but it's made even better by the gold foil details and delicate illustrations!
4. A birdfeeder with a built-in camera so they can spy on their feathered friends and make notes on the avian goings-on. The camera has an AI system that can identify over 6,000 bird species, so they'll never have to argue whether the bird that visited was a goldfinch or an Eastern meadowlark.
They can opt for notifications when birds come to visit (reviewers note that can be overwhelming if they have a lot of birds in the area) and save videos for later. The videos are high-def and have night vision so they can see every feather on that cardinal's head.
Promising review: "Got this for my 95-year-old dad. He loves watching the feed of the birds come to visit, and I get to watch his feed from my home, too. I recommend this for any bird lover." —Cathy W
Get it from Amazon for $152.99 (available in three colors and a solar AI feature).
5. A subscription to Book of the Month because they're going to need SOMETHING to do while hiding inside from the cold weather. The service sends them a new or best-selling hardcover book every month so they can feel well-read without having to even open up Goodreads.
6. I Choose You (Every Day & Always) — a charming and relatable book about how your love is a conscious choice and something you build together.
7. A sweatshirt, puzzle, or Dundie for the person who still can't stop quoting The Office. If they don't like it, you can hit them with a "Sorry I annoyed you with my friendship."
8. An unofficial Disney Parks cookbook so they can whip up delightful treats like Mickey pretzels and Dole Whip in their own home between trips to Orlando.
9. Or a cookbook dedicated to all the wonderful food dishes described in drool-worthy detail in Brian Jacques' books. Remember reading Redwall and getting so, so hungry?
10. And Everdell — a beautiful worker placement board game with a Redwall vibe sure to appeal to anyone who loves games, cool artwork, and lil' critters.
11. A ticket stub diary to help them organize their loose theater, museum, concert, and sporting event tickets so they can fondly look back on all their favorite memories. Remember when you two caught a ball at Yankee Stadium? Thanks to this book, they'll know the exact date.
There are sleeves for the tickets, and room jot down notes about the event.
Promising review: "I still can't get over what a great idea this is. I had an envelope of random ticket stubs that I was always worried about losing that now are organized and look great. It's a really beautiful way to show some respect to the memories attached to the little scraps of paper." —Bonna
12. A set of Lego wall hangers that will bring them one step closer to their dream of living in one of their Lego creations. Now, all they need to do is paint their home red, yellow, and blue.
13. An ice cream maker ready to help them make ice cream at home. Folks: ice cream. At home. This particular machine is easy to use, fast (ice cream and sorbet in 20 minutes!), and makes up to 1.5 quarts of frozen goodness. The transparent lid even has a spout, so they can add ingredients as they go.
14. And a pair of nostalgic baseball hat ice cream bowls sure to start an impromptu "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" singalong. These are sturdier than their plastic forebears, meaning they can become heirlooms.
15. A Walk in the Wood: Meditations on Mindfulness with a Bear Named Pooh — a book of simple stories to encourage them to be more like Pooh: present and kind. If this charming book doesn't bring the waterworks, idk what will!
Promising review: "I thought this looked intriguing; I love Winnie the Pooh and am a newcomer to the practice of mindfulness. This book is an absolute joy! I will be gifting this to everyone I can think of because, at the heart of it, it's about peace of mind and kindness. The short practices are easy to put into use every morning. What's even better is that when I'm reading it, I once again feel some of the happiest moments I had as a child. I've been starting every morning with a couple of pages to get my day moving in the right direction. What an interesting combination of playfulness, joy, and mindful awareness! The illustrations are also stunning. This is a precious gift! Many thanks to Dr. Parent for this beautiful book!" —D. Leon
Get it from Amazon for $10.99.
16. An Elf board game sure to bring some competitive holiday cheer. Players must race to the Empire State Building, and whoever has the most points wins.
17. Random Illustrated Facts — a book that will arm your trivia fan with even more useless information. Even if they already know some of these tidbits, the illustrations make the information feel new again.
18. Or a fancy book filled with lots of unusual knowledge so they can come prepared with interesting trivia the next time conversation falls flat. They can regale people with facts about Hollywood urban legends, presidential pets, strange sporting events, and more.
19. A paw-shaped chair cushion, because who doesn't want to be lovingly cradled in a kitten's paw?
20. A CHONKY waffle-knit scarf to keep your loved one warm this winter. Scarves are always a solid gift idea, especially when they look this cute.
Bonus: This acrylic scarf is machine washable.
Get it from Anthropologie for $48 (available in five colors).
21. A subscription to Bespoke Post, which will send them themed boxes with all sorts of goodies from unique brands and small businesses. They can preview their monthly box and if they don't like it, skip or swap for a different one.
22. A revolving tea organizer with little windows to display which tea is stored on which side. The bamboo design has a removable lid and can hold up to 150 tea bags at once. That's — *pulls out calculator* — almost half a year's worth of tea!
23. A book full of prompts about why you love your mom/dad/sibling/spouse/etc. Just fill it in before giving it to them and watch for that almost guaranteed smile.
24. A set of porcelain bowls made in Japan perfect for the cat lover in your life. This cute gift is all about the details, from the bowls' pointed ears to the wooden gift box.
25. Custom stickers resembling anyone you want, whether it's your recipient, their pet, or their favorite celebrity. I fall back on this gift idea pretty much every year because it's suuuuch a surefire hit.
26. A set of Globbles, TikTok-famous fidget toys that are squishy, colorful, and stick to any surface you throw them at without leaving a residue. It'll soothe the childhood stress of throwing a sticky hand toy at the ceiling and getting screamed at by their parent for a week straight.
Promising review: "Bought a six-pack for my neurodivergent family. We are all either ADHD or autistic. I struggle with compulsive hair pulling and bought these to help keep my hands busy. They are the perfect size, more satisfying than a stress ball, clean easily, fun to hurl at the wall or ceiling, and so far have lasted very well. I did test the durability of one and did break one when I pulled it as hard as I could — the inside looked something like shaving cream and didn’t smell or anything. But if you have a kid who is an aggressive chewer, perhaps keep an eye on them." —Amazon Customer
Get a set of six from Amazon for $9.99.
27. A sleek-as-heck USB alarm clock for a phone-free way to check the time when it could either be 3 a.m. or two minutes before it's time to wake up. This clock has an auto-dimmer, so it won't blast them in the face with blue light, and it comes with two USB ports for easy charging.
28. Or an alarm clock on wheels that works like an annoying assistant that forces them out of bed. It'll roll around, jump, shake, make robotic sounds, and generally cause mayhem until they muster the energy to make it stop.
Clocky is a small business that sells products for deep sleepers.
Promising review: "My friends and family all know how terrible I am at waking up in the morning. Every alarm clock I have ever used has been defeated by my quick 'hit snooze button' reflexes. So much so that I find myself rushing for the door more often than I'd like. All that changed when I found Clocky. CLOCKY WORKS! Clocky moves, so I can't get comfortable or used to where the snooze button is placed. I easily carry Clocky to any room in the house I choose to get cozy, relax, and watch some TV 'til I fall asleep on a work night. I LOVE CLOCKY and highly recommend giving it a chance because you will fall in love with the results. I am now actively waking up at the original time I set my alarm to and also staying up so I can have a productive day. Get Clocky and save your day! ☆☆☆☆☆" —Valued Customer
Get it from Amazon for $35.99 (available in six colors).
29. A Barefoot Dreams blanket you can count on to actually live up to all the hype you've likely heard about it — it really does feel like snuggling with a cloud.
30. A Triple Threat Variety Pack from Fly by Jing — a wonderful trio of flavor-enhancing toppings (chili crisp, Zhong sauce, and Mala spice mix) that will jazz up any meal.
31. A vintage-inspired Kodak half-frame film camera ready to take dreamy photos without requiring much skill or oodles of money. Reviewers love that it's lightweight and easy to use, so this will be perfect for people looking to dip their toe into photography.
A half-frame camera means twice as many photos for each roll of film!
Promising reviews: "I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and this camera made everything so simple! I bought it for my trip to Portugal and could not be happier with the quality of the photos. The half-frame look really is so unique! Plus, you get double the photos, making film photography a slightly less expensive hobby. 10/10." —Amazon Customer
"I bought this camera for my daughter, and she loves it! She wanted a camera that she could carry around and snap quick, fun pictures in her dorm or outside on campus. She loves getting the pictures developed and the authentic feel of a real picture and not one on her phone! She loves the color and lightweight. Reasonably priced and a great buy." —Just Jenny
Get it from Amazon for $40.99 (available in six colors). You can get some Kodak film to go with it, too!
32. Murdle: Volume 1 — a book featuring 100 logic puzzles from the popular daily puzzle site, Murdle. Armchair detectives can work to crack the case and find out who did it, where, and with what. There are four levels of difficulty, ranging from elementary to impossible, so they can stay challenged as you go.
For Elementary puzzles, you need to find the suspect, location, and weapon. For Occult Medium puzzles, the added challenge is that the murderer always lies, and the other suspects tell the truth! For Hard Boiled puzzles, you also need to find a motive. And for Impossible puzzles, you have to discover all four elements and deal with the lying witness statement from the murderer. Each puzzle has a logic grid to help you keep track of the evidence.
Promising review: "The puzzles are a lot of fun, but the characters, storylines, and other details take the Murdle experience to another level. I have no idea how the author came up with all of this creativeness! You can Murdle solo or with friends. I look forward to future volumes, but this one will keep me busy for a while!" —Liz Gately
Get it from Amazon for $11.77.
And when you need more puzzles check out Volume 2 for $11.36.
33. Soot sprite dryer balls that'll look sooo cute bouncing around in their dryer. Besides being adorable, they could help reduce drying time, prevent wrinkles, and soften clothes, all without coating their stuff in a waxy residue like dryer sheets do.
Dryer balls are eco-friendly *and* budget friendly because you can use them over and over. Friendsheep is a small business that sells dryer balls handmade by women in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Promising review: "These are so incredibly cute! I love that they look like soot sprites! I used them today and noticed a significant decrease in drying time. No static and able to be scented with essential oils. A great alternative to polyester, single-use dryer sheets." —Daria
Get a pack of three from Amazon for $18.
34. A sad duck night-light ready to cheer them up — because at least they've never felt so down they've melted into the table.
My husband got me this light as a gift, and I can confirm it's very cute. If you firmly tap or squeeze it, you can toggle between three brightness settings. It's not bright enough to read by, but it works quite nicely as a night-light or for mood lighting. The legs are wiggly, which is definitely a selling point for me.
Promising review: "This little lamp is BEYOND adorable. I got it as a gift for my niece, and she loved it. It's super cute, has a soft squishy texture, and has a little X for his butt. Maybe some won't like the little X, but it just adds extra cuteness. Worked right out of the box. Seemed pretty bright. Squish him, and the level changes. I can't speak to life expectancy, but it seems decent enough quality. Freaking adorable! Way better than expected." —KF
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
35. Kitchen Hacks — an illustrated cooking guide from America's Test Kitchen. I don't know about you, but I trust them with my life, or at least my soufflé. The book has everything your fledgling baker needs, from tips for opening jars to innovative new ways to use kitchen tools.
36. A Lego bouquet kit that starts with a fun project and ends with a pretty centerpiece that'll never wilt. You may remember seeing this 756 piece-set on Abbot Elementary — if a gift is good enough to impress Janine, it's good enough for me!
Promising review: "These are so gorgeous that people only notice they're Lego when I point it out to them, and they are all universally stunned. This was a very fun build, too. Highly recommend." —Nerdy Reader
Get it from Amazon for $47.99.
37. A 1-pound bag of Swedish candy, which is having quite the moment on TikTok right now. Even if they're not chronically online, they'll love the unique flavors and textures.
38. A classic board game hidden inside a book so they can store it neatly on their bookshelf until it's time to humiliate the competition in a ruthless game of Candy Land.
Promising review: "We have this whole collection and have given so many out as gifts. We’re happy with every purchase! It’s such a nice-looking collection and way better than a cabinet or drawer stuffed full of ugly games. Great display piece and keeps things organized. Hope they release more!" —trey
Get them from Amazon: Candy Land for $39.99, Scrabble for $39.99, Scattergories for $37.68, Boggle for $39.99, or a trio collection of Scrabble, Monopoly, and Clue for $117.99.
39. A retro portable slow cooker for the tailgater in your life who knows no sports event or picnic is complete without their award-winning chili. The cutest part? A dry-erase label that lets them advertise what amazing food is inside.
40. A Richard Scarry zippered tote covered in the critter cars from Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Listen, I have 10,000 totes at home, but maybe I need one more? Your book-loving friend certainly does.
41. A sampler pack of Geleé, a fancy-schmancy version of Jell-O. If you have a kitschy cook in your life who once tried to feed you aspic, this might be a winning gift idea! Or at least, certainly more palatable than olives suspended in gelatin.
42. A photo stand shaped like a Western frog or a vase/Instax frame combo shaped like a kitten ready to hold onto a cherished picture for them. Ideally, it's a signed photo of you. ;)
43. An NFL sculptural candle featuring a laser-cut wooden stadium on the lid. If they squint, they can almost imagine their team in miniature playing their hearts out. :')
44. Yuzu kosho chili paste they can use to top oysters, season meat, mix with mayo for a sandwich topping, make salad dressing, jazz up soup — I could go on for a while, but you get the picture. It's citrusy, spicy, and briny, the trifecta of delicious condiment flavors.
45. A GoSports BattleChip — a blend of golf and cornhole, which has almost certainly been created in a lab to be the perfect gift for dads. While definitely on *my* dad's wishlist (even if he doesn't know it yet), this portable outdoor game is fun for just about anyone old enough to hold a golf club (not included).
46. Pretty, hand-sculpted stoneware spoon rests shaped like their favorite US state. Whether they're a die-hard Cheesehead or soon to become a Hoosier, they're sure to appreciate a little token of where they came from/where they're going.
47. A necklace in the shape of a child's drawing, so they can show off what a great artist their favorite mini Picasso is.
48. A box of fried chicken...*drum roll*...ICE CREAM!!! They'll get nine pieces of waffle ice cream filled with chocolate "bones," covered in white chocolate and crushed cornflakes, and packaged in a KFC-like bucket.
49. A double-walled French press for anyone who loves the experience of making coffee almost as much as actually drinking it. These brushed stainless steel works of art are dishwasher safe and come in a plethora of colors, so you can find one that perfectly matches their kitchen.
Promising review: "This French press is lovely to look at and works better than other presses I have used. The external finish is high quality, and the (double) filter works really well. I haven't yet tested how long the double-wall feature keeps the coffee warm: The container volume is just the right size for our family, and we just guzzle the delicious coffee right down. I heartily recommend it." —Tina K.
Get it from Food52 for $100+ (available in seven colors).
Ships in 3–5 days — 3-day and overnight express shipping available.
50. A sweet little candle warmer that shines a light on their favorite candle. The 50-watt warming bulb provides much-needed cozy vibes and a flame-free way to enjoy a well-scented home. Bonus: It also extends the life of their candle.
And throw in this best-selling candle that reviewers say smells amazing.
Promising review: "Not sure why I didn't buy this in the first place!! With this lamp, the smell of the candle is stronger and lingers longer! At the moment, it's on my kitchen counter, and I can smell the candle all the way up in my bedroom!" —stephanie
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in 13 styles).
51. A stuffed waffle maker capable of making breakfasts and desserts previously only experienced in dreams. It's designed with a deep, bowl-like griddle so they can cook their batter with fillings. (Fruit, whipped cream, Nutella...CHEESE?) After all, why should pizza have all the fun with stuffed crust?
The maker comes with built-in tongs and flips upside down to ensure an even cook. The nonstick pan is easy to wipe clean when you're done and even locks in a vertical position to make it easier to store.
Promising review: "I bought this after I saw a video on TikTok, so I had an idea about the yummy waffles I could make. First waffles were stuffed with apple pie filling. Second ones scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese. Just amazing!!! The only way you could make this better is to send a chef!! I definitely recommend watching a video on TikTok or YouTube to inspire you before you start!!" —Adirondackdarling
Get it from Amazon for $49.99.
52. A capybara back flow incense burner that creates a relaxing scene when the cone is lit. These steamy rodents are sure to make almost anyone smile — just be sure they're old enough to be trusted around open flames.
53. A pair of socks with their pet's face on it so everyone can know what a cute critter (and an amazing friend) they have. OR if your pet has a lot of fans, you can make merch to hand out to all the admirers as gifts.
Or you could get them socks with their own face all over it.
Promising review: "I bought the socks for a Christmas gift for my 7-year-old! She absolutely loves her socks! The quality of the socks and image were great! I would recommend them to anyone."—Geraldine M.
Get it from Amazon for $13.95 (available in 39 styles).
Orders typically ship in 2–3 days.
54. And if all else fails, a 5-pound bag of GUMMY BEARS. Can't go wrong with a lethal dose of sugar.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
What do you think?
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