By Bernard Freeman
For the Foodie
One of the stockings hung by your chimney with care may be for a foodie. Fill their plate with these impressive gifts.
Pots and Pans
A good pot or pan can last generations and these are no exceptions. While whole sets can run into the hundreds of dollars, you can opt for single pots or pans that can fit any budget. Calphalon’s Premier Hard-Anodized Nonstick 13-inch deep skillet with lid ($143.99) has a durable nonstick coating that Calphalon even says will hold up to using metal utensils. The All-Clad Hard Anodized Nonstick Square Griddle is 11 inches of pancake-making steel ($59.99). Well, aluminum, actually, with a nonstick coating, double-riveted stainless steel handles and is oven safe up to 500 degrees.
Chow Down
Everyone loves a gift you can eat. Just make sure it’s packaged properly and safe under the tree from any pets or kids. Omnom chocolates were founded by chef Kjartan Gislason and entrepreneur Oskar Pordarson. The candies are small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate in decadent flavors like Black ‘n’ Burnt Barley, flavored with toasted and puffed barley and lava salt ($8.99); cookies and cream, which is white chocolate with hints of vanilla and grass with mildly bitter chocolate cookies crumbled into it ($8.99). The wrappers are fun, too, with geometric animals and trendy colors. Or hit up Murray’s for a box of cheeses to tempt anyone’s tastebuds. Try Roelli Cheese Hause Red Rock with a pleasant earthiness with veins of blue ($39 per pound) or the gorgeous Alp Blossom, a fragrant cheese coated in dried herbs and flowers from Alpine meadows ($40 per pound).
Platters
You eat with your eyes, so give the gift of a beautiful presentation. These platters are as unique as they are pretty, and are ready to show off your foodie’s greatest creations. For a hint of Old World maximalism, look at Williams Sonoma’s Famille Rose Round Platter ($59.95). This traditional Chinese porcelain dish is hand-decorated with flora and fauna in hues of pink, yellow, red and green. For more modern tastes, look to the space-dyed simplicity of the Julo platter from Crate & Barrel ($49.95). It was made in Portugal and coordinates with the Julo dinnerware collection.
For the Techie
Plug into the best tech gifts for your gadget-oriented friend or family member. These
high-tech toys are sure to please.
Hit the Right Note
There are thousands of Bluetooth speakers out there, but none of them have the cool factor of the Marshall Middleton ($299.99). Available in cool cream or classic black and brass, the portable speaker goes for 20 hours. If you love the sound of AirPods but need an over-the-ear style, look to the AirPods Max ($549). These sleek headphones come in five colors and bring an immersive listening experience.
Work Tech
List-keepers, here’s your gift. The Moleskine Smart Notebook Set ($279.99) is a smart notebook that allows you to take notes, erase, digitize, search, edit, organize, all in a trendy Moleskine cover. This wireless charger has a high cool factor and, bonus, it cleans up your devices while it charges. The Lexon Oblio Wireless Charger and UV Cleaner ($79.90) is a sleek, tulip-shaped bucket that charges Qi-charging smartphones. It comes in three colors: black, dark blue and gold. Make those remote presentations a snap with the Belkin Face-Tracking Phone Mount ($45.99) that moves with you. It’s MagSafe compatible, so works easily and quickly with the iPhone 14, 13 and 12 series and certified MagSafe cases.
For the Home
You can have draft beer in the comfort of your own home with the Fizzics DraftPour beer dispenser ($150.95). It converts any beer’s natural carbonation into a rich, creamy head with enhanced aroma, flavor and mouthfeel. And it goes great with the BioLite FirePit+ ($299.95), a smokeless wood-burning fire pit with a USB rechargeable powerpack. You can adjust your fire using a Bluetooth app to control the size of the flames and, in a pinch, that powerpack can even charge your devices.
Get Fit
The Katalyst training system ($2,385) uses electro muscle stimulation technology to deliver a full-body workout in just 20 minutes, without any weights. It’s easy to use and portable, and the company says it’s the first product of its kind to be FDA-cleared for consumer use. Recover from your workout with the Venom Go ($129), a super portable heated massager. The Bowflex SelectTech 840 kettlebell ($149) flicks from 8 pounds to 40 pounds with just the turn of a dial. Replace a whole set of kettlebells with just this one item.
For Teens
They’re not going to act impressed but believe us, they are. Go viral with these teenager-friendly gifts. #awesome.
- Smash stress with the Hack Your Nervous System Anti-Anxiety Deck from Uncommon Goods ($25). It’s based on the polyvagal theory, which is a way of understanding, mapping and regulating the nervous system. Choose from 60 different cards featuring activities to reduce stress.
- Light up their lives with the Tenmire LED strip light set ($13.99). The set comes with more than 65 feet of color-changing LED strip lights that are controllable either with an app or by remote. They also come with self-adhesive tape that sticks to any dry, flat surface.
- co made 365 candles for every birthdate ($59.99). The birthday candle comes with personality traits and a fragrance designed just for you.
- Make a gamer’s day with this adorable Perixx Periduo 713 mini keyboard and mouse ($32.99). This Kawaii-inspired set comes in blue, pink and purple.
- No AirPods? Try these fashionable, sleek Oddict Twig Pro Noise Canceling Earbuds ($149.99). These earbuds have all the features of their more expensive counterparts, such as a wireless charging case and noise canceling.
- Even teens will join in family game night with What Do You Meme? ($28.79), the card game inspired by pop culture. Score expansion packs (usually around $10 each) to keep the game going.
- North Face Denali Etip gloves ($35) will keep fingers toasty and the ‘Gram clicking. These fashionable fleece gloves feature Nylon on the knuckles and fingers for durability and silicone gripper palm for a great grip.
- Free People’s Park Project hat ($36) supports projects in U.S. national parks. The Parks Projects contributes directly to one of more than 50 nonprofit groups protecting parks and public lands.
- Keep the tunes going while you hydrate with the Asobu Bluetooth Water Bottle Speaker ($44.99). It comes in black and teal and the top of this insulated 17-ounce water bottle is a Bluetooth speaker. The lid can be washed without damaging it.
- Eco-friendly phone cases from Pela come in a variety of styles and colors to fit any personality. And there’s no price listed with this one because with Pela, you choose what you pay. Pela also sells phone grips, watch bands and AirPod cases.
