Vampire-friendly garlic press
Ototo Gracula Garlic Crusher
This cloaked crusher deftly minces multiple cloves but also pulverizes seed, nuts, and spices.
Buying Options
$25 from Amazon
$39 from Walmart
$23 from OTOTO
According to most chefs and our kitchen testers, a garlic press is one of the kitchen gadgets you can skip. (Mincing is better than smushing.) But this little plastic vampire has metal teeth to chop and mince as you twist the head, and it can tackle ginger, nuts, and other grindables as well. It’s charming, quirky, and exceptionally well reviewed.
A foot makeover
Baby Foot Original Exfoliation Foot Peel
Tingly but effective concentrations of lactic acid and glycolic acid team up for a deeply exfoliating callus treatment.
Buying Options
$25 from Amazon
This foot mask enjoyed a bout of internet fame a few years ago, in part because it’s a little weird. And it used to be much harder to get your hands—or rather, feet—on. Recipients tape their tootsies into gel-filled booties for an hour—after rinsing and waiting a few days, skin begins to slough and peel. It’s safe and immensely satisfying. The lactic and glycolic acid work even better if your feet are presoaked and pliant.
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Competition-grade cube
MoYu RS3M Maglev
This highly adjustable and smooth-twisting cube is a great starting point for novice cubers, and it has the chops to help you keep up with more-experienced speed solvers.
Buying Options
$10 from Amazon
This twist on the classic Rubik’s Cube uses magnets in its mechanism, so it’s pleasantly smooth and easy to manipulate (it doesn’t have any of that crunching noise you get with old-school cubes). Our testers deemed it great for novices and practiced cube-heads. If your recipient doesn’t appreciate this particular type of brainteaser, they can always use it as a paperweight.
A cozy headlamp
Etsfmoa Unisex Beanie with Light
This combination beanie and headlamp has a bright, rechargeable light embedded in a soft, warm hat.
Buying Options
$20 from Amazon
$25 from Walmart
Staff writer Samantha Schoech brought this genius hat to a Yankee swap last year and it became the coveted gift to snag. She later bought herself one and it became a lifesaver while putting on tire chains in a snowstorm after dark (she failed, but at least her head was warm and she could see). It’s a soft acrylic beanie with a flat, bright light that can be removed for USB recharging. It has an on-off button in the middle and runs about eight hours on a charge. Better headlamps are available, but this model is the coziest.
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Play-anywhere game
Bananagrams
This word-building game is played at breakneck speed, and it’s fun for groups of all ages.
Buying Options
$14 from Amazon
$14 from Walmart
This lightning-fast game combines the wordsmithing of Scrabble with the heart-pounding pace of Boggle. It’s easy to learn, works for two to eight players, and comes in a portable, unmissable banana-shape pouch. Because players race to finish first (rather than for points) and create their word grids freeform, the game doesn’t require a board or even a scoresheet.
Petite puzzle
Areaware Little Puzzle Thing Tonkotsu Ramen
These itty-bitty 70-piece photographic food puzzles are 8 by 8 inches, and you can assemble one in less than an hour.
Buying Options
$12 from Areaware
Give the foodie in your life something to chew on when they aren’t slurping tonkatsu ramen or gnawing a Chicago dog. These photographic food puzzles are 70 pieces, take less than an hour to complete, and would be great for travel. Want something more complicated? Check out other jigsaw puzzles we love.
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Star power
Faber-Castell Paint by Number Museum Series - The Starry Night
Patient painters can recreate museum masterpieces with these classic paint-by-number kits featuring works by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Georges Seurat.
Buying Options
Adult coloring books are so early 2010s. So we’re calling it now: The paint-by-number genre is this decade’s meditative, grown-up art pursuit. And no sets are as appealing as the Museum Series from Faber-Castell. Each package includes a 6-by-8-inch canvas, six 5 mL pots of acrylic paint, a soft brush, and (most importantly) detailed yet easy-to-follow instructions for mixing. We love “The Starry Night” miniature, but you can also choose works by Seurat and Monet, depending on your recipient’s artistic proclivities. A tiny chipboard easel is included, but each artist will need to provide their own beret.
Pine away
These rustic incense sticks smell like the Maine balsam boughs they’re made from.
Buying Options
$12 from Amazon
The contents are unassuming, to be sure: a block of wood drilled with a crude hole and 24 nubby brown logs. But the unfussy presentation belies a transportive experience. Each tiny cylinder is rendered from Maine balsam boughs that are ground, dried, and pressed. When they are lit, the resulting scent is rich, resinous, reminiscent of Christmas, and not overly earthy or cloying like some incense. The nostalgic box is charming, too, and it looks lovely without any extra wrapping.
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Measuring moppets
Fred M-Cups
These plastic Russian nesting dolls are really six handy dry measuring cups.
Buying Options
$14 from Amazon
“Oh, how cute … white plastic matryoshkas,” your unwitting recipient will marvel. But you know better. These little babushkas are not only traditional Russian nesting dolls but also handy measuring cups. The tallest of the three dolls is just 5 inches, and each half is cleverly labeled with six dry measuring increments, from a quarter to a full cup. The plastic is food safe and BPA free, so your recipient can use them to make batches of chocolate kolbasa and buckwheat blinis.
Pizza by piece
Nanoblock Pizza
This 160-piece plastic brick set becomes a 5 cm slice with everything.
Buying Options
$17 from Walmart
May be out of stock
When the Wordle dust settles, gamers will appreciate this 160-piece Nanoblock Pizza set. Challenging enough to be engaging but not so tricky (or tiny) as to be enraging, the Lego-like assembly is a fun distraction for whoever ends up with the fully loaded slice. Once your gift recipient has crafted their mini piece o’ pie, the assembled item is just 5 cm, so it won’t take up too much space when it’s proudly displayed.
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Swiftie era
A sparkly Taylor Swift bust rendered from shatter-resistant painted glass.
Buying Options
$25 from Paper Source
May be out of stock
Celebrate the holidays and T-Swizzle’s insanely successful Eras tour with this blown-glass Tay Tay in the Versace jacket she wore to the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. Although the little ornament doesn’t bemoan breakups or flip its hair, it won’t shatter if you accidentally knock it down during a raucous dance party—it’s made from sturdy stuff, just like the singer herself. If this ornament appeals, buy it now. The topical Cody Foster & Co. glass ornaments tend to sell out.
Pickled plasters
Bioswiss Pickle Bandages
These seemingly silly pickle adhesive bandages are sterile and sticky enough for small cuts and boo-boos.
Buying Options
$10 from Amazon
Klutzy kids often grow into klutzy adults, but that doesn’t mean their first-aid kits have to grow up too. Unlike some novelty adhesive bandages we’ve tried that feel cheap and flimsy, these photorealistic pickle bandages stick strongly to the skin for sterile wound care, and they also broadcast the wearer’s love of dill and fermentation. This is a great gift for a recipient with kiddos, two left feet, or a playful streak; a more carnivorous crew might enjoy the bacon slab version.
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A fragrant jalopy
These elegantly scented air fresheners are the antidote to the cloying, artificial smells of gas station air fresheners—but they’re a lot more expensive, too.
Buying Options
You don’t need to suffer from migraines to dread the sight—and the scent—of a tree-shape air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror of an Uber car. One of these upscale auto scents from the fragrance geniuses at D.S. & Durga may change your giftee’s tune entirely, though. Based in New York City, editor Gabriella Gershenson doesn’t have a car, but she likes this freshener so much she hangs one by her desk to gently scent her workspace. Her favorite, Wild Brooklyn Lavender, smells of lavender, concrete, and suede—an earthy floral effect, not anything like the stomach-turning scents of ye olde piquant pines. The brand also offers a handful of other evocative olfactory moods, like Big Sur After Rain and Portable Fireplace.
Croaky clean
Dependable Products Frog Sponge Holder
A loyal plastic frog keeps sponges clean and dry.
Buying Options
$9 from Amazon
We’re not saying that storing a sponge in the mouth of an amphibian makes doing the dishes any less of a drag. Well, actually we are saying that, and we’re also saying that this fellow is more than just a jester. By lifting a sponge up and out of the sink, this holder helps it stay fresh longer, as well as easier to find for quickie cleaning projects. The frog is made from a sturdy plastic that doesn’t mold and dries quickly, and his eager jaws readily held any size sponge we tried.
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Smiling socks
DivvyUp Custom Socks
These high-quality custom socks are exceedingly cute, but order up a size so the faces don’t stretch and distort.
Buying Options
$24 from Divvy Up
A person can never have too many socks, especially if they feature the face of a friend or pet. At DivvyUp, the process is easy: Upload an image of your favorite visage, select the background color or print, and let the company handle the rest. Consider different faces depending on whom you’re swapping with. For a friend from work, you might go with someone’s particularly hilarious ID photo. For a pal from college, slap on the mug of their favorite professor. And a group of neighbors will love a pair that calls to mind the squirrel that keeps attacking your bird feeders. Further customize these socks (which come in four sizes) with one of 14 colors. Made from a durable blend of polyester, nylon, and spandex, DivvyUp socks aren’t very soft—but they hold up well, and the photorealistic faces don’t pull or snag.
Fancy faux treats
Sugarfina Martini Olive Almonds White Chocolate
The white-chocolate-covered almonds dressed up as martini olives are crunchy and convincing.
Buying Options
$9 from Sugarfina
Sometimes the creation of whimsy requires nothing more than making one food look like another. Here, white-chocolate-covered almonds masquerade as martini olives—and we are smitten. But unlike so many other novelty sweets, these are certified kosher and don’t include artificial flavors. And though they shouldn’t necessarily garnish a martini, as a gift they pair well with a nice bottle of vodka.
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Unkillable kitchen plants
TabEnter Decorative Refrigerator Magnets
These dainty cactus-shape magnets are more than strong enough to hold up a postcard or shopping list.
Buying Options
$7 from Amazonfor 12
Real plants make risky presents. They require sunlight, water, attention—and they still might die. But not plant magnets: Not only do they serve an important utility, holding up photos and grocery lists on the fridge, but they also require no care whatsoever. These cacti magnets are especially cute and, according to customer reviews, strong for their diminutive size.
Sing along
Kidwill Wireless Bluetooth Karaoke Microphone For Kids
Despite its name, it’s not just for kids. This combination karaoke mic and speaker can also record songs and change your voice with up to five effects.
Buying Options
$20 $15 from Amazon
(limited colors)
True, there’s no replacement for a proper karaoke night. But the lucky recipient of this portable karaoke microphone can at least recreate the party at home, albeit on a smaller scale. Kidwill’s wireless karaoke mic, which connects to a music source via Bluetooth or a 3.5-millimeter audio cable, has a long-lasting battery to amplify voices for several hours of crooning fun. A lot of cheap karaoke mics are sold online, but of those priced under $25, this mic has some of the best reviews we’ve found. If you’re at a loss for what to sing, check out Wirecutter’s Spotify playlist of our favorite karaoke songs.
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Power shower
30 Watt Bath Wine Holder
Keep your bath wine handy with this stick-on, silicone wine glass holder that affixes securely to any smooth surface, sans suction cups.
Buying Options
$13 from Amazon
$15 from Target
We’ve been saying this for years now, but it still holds true: There’s no time like the present to drink in the bathroom. This silicone wine holder affixes to dry, nonporous bathroom tile or a shower door—or, hell, to the window near a desk (we’re not judging). It holds a glass and, hopefully, keeps relaxation—or at least a nice pinot—close at hand.
Stick ’em up
Sugru Mouldable Glue
This moldable, hardening silicone putty can be used to make repairs or create hooks, pulls, and knobs.
Buying Options
$15 from Amazon
Sugru glue works like something you’d expect to find in a sci-fi novel: Just roll and squeeze the silicone rubber into the desired shape, place it where you want it, and in 30 minutes the putty hardens. Your gift recipient will be able to fix broken parts, make new components, or DIY whatever they can imagine. Winnie Yang has used this glue to mend a broken ceramic plate and a plastic knob on an old AC unit—by her own admission, “not particularly sexy or exciting” projects. But those seeking inspiration can find even more ideas online for what to do with the glue.
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For the sushi lover
Rainbow Socks Sushi Socks Box
Inside this clever package are two pairs of stretchy cotton-blend socks inspired by a cucumber maki and salmon nigiri.
Buying Options
$20 from Amazon
Socks are an objectively good present. Those who disagree have never pulled on a pair fresh from the dryer on a cold day. And though plain crew socks would probably be the least-desired present at a white-elephant exchange, socks in the shape of sushi rolls are a different matter entirely. With cute designs that are fun but not garish, these sushi socks look as good in their packaging as they will on your loved one’s feet.
Pop secret
This collapsible popper and serving bowl is made of microwave- and dishwasher-safe silicone, and it produces superior popcorn.
Buying Options
$25 from Amazon
$25 from Urban Outfitters
Popcorn is hard to get wrong. But for those who don’t want to deal with space-hogging air poppers or annoying-to-clean stovetop methods, a dedicated microwave bowl might be just the thing. A favorite among the popping methods we’ve tried, this silicone bowl is dishwasher safe and collapses down to about 2 inches for easy storing—and it can pop up a bowl of the good stuff in just about two minutes.
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Itty-bitty waffles
Dash Mini Waffle Maker
This cute, mini waffle maker effectively produces one well-cooked 4-inch waffle at a time. It comes in novelty shapes like snowmen, skulls, or pineapples, too.
Buying Options
$23 from Amazon
$33 from Walmart
$13 from Sur La Table
Wirecutter has recommendations for great waffle makers. But on occasion everyone just wants to make something adorable and small (about the diameter of an Eggo waffle). This mini waffle maker is nonstick, for easy waffle extraction, and it’s small enough that storage isn’t a problem. It comes in several poppy colors and prints, as well as interesting shapes like a heart or a pumpkin. And though it may lack the longevity of our picks, it does come backed by a one-year warranty.
Sip among the stars
The Unemployed Philosophers Guild Heat-Changing Constellation Mug
Constellations emerge on this star-covered ceramic mug when it’s filled with hot liquid.
Buying Options
$20 from Amazon
This is a perfect gift for fans of astrology, lovers of Greek mythology, or anyone who simply likes beautiful things (surely your friend group includes someone who fits one, if not all, of those descriptions). The mug holds 10 ounces and reveals 11 constellations after hot liquid is poured in. And it’s microwave safe, so when your recipient’s coffee cools, they can nuke it to bring back the lost stars.
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Fancy-pants salt
Maldon Sea Salt Flakes (3 pounds)
This is the crunchiest, flakiest finishing sea salt, beloved by professional and home cooks alike.
Buying Options
$25 from Amazon
$25 from Walmart
Salt may seem like the last gift someone would want to trade for. But one taste of Maldon’s delicate, crunchy flakes will shatter that perception. A favorite among home cooks, celebrity chefs, and members of our own kitchen team—one of our kitchen editors even has a tattoo of the flakes on her forearm—Maldon salt is just prettier and tastier than the normal stuff. Gabriella discovered this mondo bucket a few years ago, and now it’s her go-to affordable hostess gift.
Sweet potato
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 watch it light 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. It is cute and perfect and sweet, and it must be protected at all costs.
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Cutlery-cradling cats
Truegood Cute Cat Chopsticks Rest
These five ceramic kitties prop up chopsticks between bites.
Buying Options
$9 from Amazon
These cute porcelain cats perform a small but important task: keeping chopsticks off the table. That might not seem like a hugely important job; after all, you can always wipe a table clean of whatever sauce a chopstick might track. But these cats are so adorable that anyone who owns them will look for excuses to whip them out—as a rest for spoons, forks, or even pencils. (And speaking of eating utensils, this set also includes a stainless steel spoon.)
Clinging sloths
Fred Social Climbers Wine Markers
Made of 100% BPA-free, phthalate-free, food-grade silicone, these cute sloths hug stems and prevent errant sips.
Buying Options
$12 from Amazon
$1,199 from Little Red Hen
May be out of stock
When you’re drinking wine with a group, nothing is more annoying than setting down your glass and then realizing you have no idea which is yours. It’s doubly annoying when you discover the mistake the hard way—say, when you expect a taste of dry pinot grigio but are greeted by cloyingly sweet moscato instead. Sold in a set of six, each silicone sloth charm is a different color, so everyone will be able to tell which glass belongs to them.
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Feline footwear
Jeesona Cat Socks
The pointed kitty ears on these cute, stretchy cotton socks come to just above the ankle. Each set includes five pairs.
Buying Options
$12 from Amazon
A dear friend sent staff writer Dorie Chevlen this five-pack of cat socks when she asked her to be her maid of honor. And if she’d been on the fence before, this pushed her to the side of virtue. (Just joking! Every maid of honor lives to serve.) Each sock features a sweet cat face at the top and paw prints at the bottom, and the stretchy cotton stays soft and comfortable even after months of wear. And if your giftee isn’t into cats, you can also choose an owl, dog, llama, panda, or sloth print.
Dramatic disses
Shakespearean Insults 2024 Day-to-Day Calendar
Each of the 365 insults and nasty names contained in this page-a-day were written by the bard himself.
Buying Options
$18 from Amazon
This page-a-day calendar has 365 of Shakespeare’s best barbs, so you can read through long-forgotten lines while you check the date, which is even harder to remember than deciphering Old English. Should your recipient’s honor ever be challenged, they’ll be ready to tell that “threadbare juggler” or “poisonous bunch-backed toad” just what a “lump of foul deformity” they are.
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New York’s finest
New York Coffee Cup
This ceramic version of the classic New York City to-go coffee cup is nostalgic and dishwasher safe.
Buying Options
$16 from Uncommon Goods
Whether your white-elephant exchange includes New Yorkers or just lovers of design history, this ceramic facsimile of the ubiquitous Big Apple paper coffee cup will make a welcome addition in whatever latitude it lands. It’s an especially nice gift for NYC expats, and its dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
Sudsy fun
Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly
This jiggly, Jello-like shower gel has a refreshing citrus-rosemary scent and a velvety lather.
Buying Options
$10 from Lush
This shower jelly from Lush is luxurious and hilarious at the same time. With the wobbly, jiggling consistency of Flubber but an elegant scent profile of citrus, rosemary, and geranium, it’s as moisturizing as it is entertaining. It can be used like a bar of soap (sudsed in the hands and then transferred to the body) or broken off and smushed into a loofah. And in case you’re curious, this strangely sensual video shows just what this idiosyncratic soap can do.
We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.
This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.
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