15 awesome gift ideas our editors love for the holidays
— Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. However, our picks and opinions are independent from USA TODAY’s newsroom and any business incentives.
Every year, Reviewed editors spend countless hours digging deep into brands, products and more to craft many, many gift guides for as broad a group of people as possible and as specific as mothers, fathers or kids.
We’ve reviewed many of these products and personally recommend countless more as well to check the boxes on your wish or gift list. But now, we’ve decided to let our writers and editors, along with editors in the USA Today Network share what’s on their list this year.
Whether it’s what they’re giving, what they’re hoping to get or their favorite product that they think everyone should have, here are our editors’ top gift picks this year.
top-ranked coffee maker
“I've said it before and I'll say it again: Invest in good products, treat them well, and they will treat you well in return. After buying three inferior coffee makers that all died before their time, I finally caved and bought the Technivorm Moccamaster. It's an absolutely gorgeous machine that makes a perfect cup of coffee every time. Thanks to its superior heating element, it gets water to the ideal temperature reliably, quickly, and quietly. Handmade in Switzerland, it's the coffee maker you want to leave out on the counter for everyone to admire.” -David Kender, Reviewed EIC
Get the Technivorm Moccamaster on Amazon for $242.10
2. Adorable dog glasses
“I love these glasses. I own them and have gifted some of the other items in this series sold by Uncommon Goods.” -Philana Patterson, USA Today Money Editor
Get Bad Dog Tumblers from Uncommon Goods for $35
3. Magnetic(!) baby pajamas
“Magnificent Baby magnetic sleepers. When you’re up for the fifth time at night, changing or feeding or soothing a baby, the last thing you want to do is fuss with a zipper or match up a dozen or more snaps on your baby’s sleeper. Enter magnets! Put that baby back to sleep faster, so you can close your eyes and pray for sleep, too. Magnificent Baby makes Magnetic Me sleepers in a bunch of cute designs, including a super-sweet new Aspen winter design. A mom-friend sent me a year’s worth of these for my babies, and it’s the first thing I gift my mom-friends, too. A word to the wise: Heed the washing instructions to close the magnets before washing and dryer, or air-dry, because they’ll otherwise stick to the washer and dryer walls, which can be a fire hazard.” -Mary Nahorniak, USA Today Director of Audience
Get magnetic baby sleepers for upwards of $33.94
4. A deluxe classic board game
“The thing I actually want and/or would give: the Scrabble Deluxe set from Winning Solutions. This solid wood Scrabble board is amazing, with beautiful detail work all around and a built-in lazy susan so the board can rotate to face whomever is playing. It's the nicest Scrabble board I've ever seen, and it's the perfect gift for the competitive wordsmith in your family. My advice: pair it with a Scrabble dictionary and have some proper "no phones allowed" time. If Scrabble isn't your thing, they have luxury versions of Clue and a truly exceptional edition of Monopoly that you can marvel at while your relatives bicker over how "Free Parking" is supposed to work.” -TJ Donegan, Reviewed Executive Editor
Get the Scrabble Deluxe set on Amazon for $109.99
5. A smart water bottle that glows
“I’ve never had trouble drinking enough water, but I would drink a bunch in the morning and then again at night, forgetting to take even a sip during the day. This smart water bottle glows throughout the day when I’m not on track to meet my daily intake goal. It pairs with my phone to track my water on an easy to read calendar. The water bottle can also be paired with my Fitbit (can also pair with Apple Watch, other wearables) to adjust my water goal depending on how active I am each day. It’s a little pricey, but worth every penny. I’ve noticed a change in how much energy I have throughout the day, and I think I can contribute it to being more hydrated.” -Alex Ptachick, USA Today Audience Editor
Get the Hidrate Spark 2.0 water bottle on Amazon for $45
6. Boozy gummy bears
“I can never really find a one-gift-fits-all type of present out there, but this year, I may have found something close: The Sugarfina Champagne Gummy Bears. I know what you're thinking: gummy bears? with Champagne? I thought it was a gimmick, but these traditional gummy bears are actually made with real Dom Perignon Champagne. And believe it or not, you can actually taste a little bit of the Champagne! They're delicious! I brought some to a party with a bunch of wine geek friends, and they were a huge hit. So for the holidays, who doesn't want something a little sweet? And this way it's also a nice way to toast your friends (or whoever you're gifting them to)! Cheers!” -Alicia Cypress, Reviewed Managing Editor
Get the Sugarfina champagne gummy bears starting at $8.50
7. A popular streaming device
“My pick would be the Apple TV 4K. I know there are other great streaming devices out there, but I have had an older version of the Apple TV that I got from a family member and it's awesome. It has all the streaming services that I use like Netflix, HBO, MLB.TV and more. My favorite feature, though, is I can easily airplay from my Mac laptop too. But now I'm looking to upgrade, as it's an older generation device and is a bit slow at times, plus some of the apps do are not supported anymore, so I'm hoping to get a new one this year.” -Connor Whooley, Reviewed Editor
Get the Apple TV from Best Buy for $179.99
8. A pooch for every day calendar
“If we're being honest, I really want this Dog-a-Day Calendar for 2019 and I'm also planning on buying this for various friends as well. I got the one from 2018 as a gift last Christmas and let me tell you - it's made my year so much brighter. Every day I had a new, adorable dog to look forward to and let me tell you, some of them were SO CUTE I would end up taking them out of the pile and hanging them on my wall. I may or may not cry every time I see the chihuahua from March 6th 2018, but it's the perfect present for the puppy lover in your life. Even better if they bring it to work and put it on their desk - it'll make them want to get to work (kinda) to see the new dog and make them popular around the office for the cute canines.” -Melissa Rorech, Reviewed Editor
Get the Dog Page-A-Day calendar on Amazon for $11.09
9. Awesome total-package headphones
“I bought Sony headphones which are originally like $300 but were down to $113 for BF. They're around $118 now. They're big comfy (hopefully) over-ears with wired pass-thru and wireless Bluetooth and ANC, so kind of like the whole headphone tech package—unless you want portability or true wireless or something. They're a gift for someone who is commuting a lot for school, has noisy roommates/office mates, but likes over-ears and has expressed frustration with wires, so they seemed perfect. I am pretty loyal to Audio-Technica, and I doubt the ANC is as good as the Bose QuietComforts, but these seem like they're still "audio quality" facing primarily, so I am excited to gift them!” -Lee Neikirk, Reviewed Editor
Get the Sony XB950N1 headphones on Amazon for $118
10. Socks for vegetables
“I'm giving all my besties avocado socks for the holidays. The inspiration came from a friend who complained that while he wanted to make avocado toast, his avocados weren't ripe. Avocado socks claim to speed the process. Do I believe this little knitted avocado apparel actually works? Uhhhh, not really. But do avocados deserve some warmth and love before we turn them into guacamole? Oh yeah.” -Cindy Bailen, Reviewed Editor
Get the Avocado Sock from Surlatable for $17
11. Some incognito gear
“The most positive feedback I've ever gotten from a Christmas gift was from these fake mustaches.” -Jon Chan, Reviewed Editor
Get a 36-pack of self-adhesive moustaches on Amazon for $9.99
12. A fantastic food processor
“A Cuisinart food processor. I WANT it badly enough that it's on my wishlist, but don't NEED it badly enough to actually buy it, to date. I've already got a little baby Cuisinart food processor, but it's no good for anything more than a cup or two of ingredients.” -Andrew Winson, Reviewed Editor
Get the Cuisinart food processor on Amazon for $157.95
13. More socks, but for feet this time
“In my expert opinion, you cannot go wrong with gifting anyone socks. Everyone needs socks and every somehow loses their socks, but no one goes out of their way to get themselves a good quality pair of socks. That's why they make the ultimate gift. I have received wool socks, fuzzy socks, and patterned socks many times throughout the holidays, and I think of the gifter every time I put them on. I was recently eyeing these incredibly soft socks from Frye and have not stopped thinking about them since. Anyone would be grateful to be gifted these high-quality pairs.” -Courtney Campbell, Reviewed Editor
Get the the Supersoft sock set from Frye for $30
top-rated yoga mat
“This holiday season, one of the gifts that I hope to receive is the Lululemon Reversible Mat. I've had plenty of yoga mats purchased from Marshalls and TJ Maxx that served me well, but they always end up getting too slippery and sweaty when I go to a heat yoga class (Those classes make you sweat PROFUSELY). Not only is this annoying, but trying to perfect doing crow pose on a slippery yoga mat has led to some epic falls, which are only funny when I am in class with a friend who can laugh with me. Otherwise, it's highly awkward as hardcore yogis look at me while I slip and slide on my mat. Hopefully I will find this under my Christmas tree this year and will go into 2019 without falling all over the place in yoga class.” -Kate McCarthy, Reviewed Editor
Get the Lululemon reversible mat for $68
favorite carry-on bag
"It was love at first sight when I saw the blush colored Away Carry-On on Instagram. Then, when we tested luggage at Reviewed and the checked bag won for our best hard-sided suitcase, I knew I had to buy one. However, I have not purchased this suitcase yet, which is why I would LOVE to receive it as a gift this year. People buying me gifts: if you are reading this, please read it over and over again until you add to cart and purchase for me, okay thanks bye." -Samantha Matt, Reviewed
Get Away's The Carry-On from Away for $225
Prices are accurate at the time of publication, but may change over time.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered this holiday season. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 15 awesome gift ideas our editors love for the holidays
