The 20 Best Holiday Gifts Under $250

7 minute read

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No matter how hard you try — or if you just, somehow, plain forgot — there’s always going to be some last-minute shopping during the holiday season. Whether you need a gift for an unexpected guest (your brother didn’t tell you that he was bringing home his new significant other, surprise!) or you’ve procrastinated too long over getting something that doesn’t project an inner problem for your therapist, finding the right presents for the loved ones can be a challenge.

There’s no need to fret or stress, however; the editors of TIME have done the work for you. Ranging from a perfectly festive champagne saber to a luxurious face oil, any of the inspired items below would impress and delight. Read on for the 20 best holiday gifts to shop now, all priced at $250 or less.

A Champagne saber

Recommended by TIME’s Raisa Bruner, a fancy gift for the fancy bubbles drunker in your life. “I’m not kidding,” Bruner adds of her hat-tip, and why should she be? Sabrage is an art form.

Buy now: California Champagne Saber Company rosewood sabrage sword ($159.95)

A pair of Apple Airpods Pro

Bestow the Internet’s favorite (and most memed) wireless headphones to someone you love this holiday season. TIME’s Patrick Lucas Austin writes that they’re “probably the best Apple product since it decided tablets should be a thing.”

Buy now: Apple AirPods Pro ($249)

A LoLoLucky cat statuette

This adorable statuette is a tongue-in-cheek take on the classic Maneki Neko lucky cat. From the ever well-curated home goods store Coming Soon, the lucky cat is now wearing sunglasses (this is 2019, after all), with the shades designed “to reflect the luck you create yourself.”

Buy now: Coming Soon LoLoLucky ($190)

A PhoneSoap pro

Brace yourself for a distressingly true fact: your cell phone could well be ten times dirtier than a public toilet, and a host for potentially dangerous bacteria. A way to feel better about your group texts, then? The PhoneSoap pro, which uses sanitizing UV-C light to kill off germs.

Buy now: PhoneSoap pro ($119.95)

Read more: The 20 Best Holiday Gifts Under $100

A Bottle of Supernal’s cosmic glow oil

This healing face oil not only imparts a healthy and dewy glow, but comes in a gorgeous, Insta-worthy glass bottle.

Buy now: Supernal cosmic glow oil ($108)

Some Stretch’d vouchers

A way to induce a 2020 fitness routine without suggesting a gym session on January 1st, New York-based Stretch’d offers personalized stretching sessions to help with flexibility, comfort and toning in a relaxing environment. (As GQ noted, there’s a Billions cameo to boot.)

Buy now: Stretch’d vouchers (from $104.50 per full body session)

A mini Kitchen Aid mixer

A powerful Kitchen Aid mixer, just smaller, that’s perfect for your foodie friend with a tiny apartment. They can still bake full batches of cookies with it, don’t fear — if anything, their lack of relative kitchen space just serves as the reason to eat them quicker.

Buy now: Kitchen Aid mini series tilt-head stand mixer ($179.99)

A Casper glow light

As featured on TIME’s 2019 Best Inventions list, give the gift of better quality sleep with this subtle, soothing glow light.

Buy now: Casper glow light ($129)

A Theragun

And as also featured on TIME’s 2019 Best Inventions list, athletes, fitness obsessives and anyone suffering from aches and pains will love this deep muscle massager. In fact, think about all the gift wrap you’ll be doing in the next few weeks and consider buying one for yourself too?

Buy now: Theragun Liv ($249)

A Telfar shopping bag

From one of moment’s most revered fashion labels, this handsome and roomy tote made of vegan leather holds everything you need for a busy day out — and perfectly fits a 13″ MacBook Pro.

Buy now: Telfar medium shopping bag ($202)

A Gold Rush nugget bucket

A perfect gift for the aspiring prospector in your life, this kit allows you to pan and search for gold from the comfort of your home — so rock on. No gift guide is complete without a Shark Tank product cameo, after all.

Buy now: Gold Rush nugget bucket ($109.95)

A Canon mini mobile printer

Do you really want to keep scrolling back 400+ photos in your camera roll for the perfect shots of last summer’s picture perfect beach vacation? No, so invest in a Bluetooth-compatible mini printer to keep hard copies at hand.

Buy now: Canon mini mobile printer ($128.99)

A Denby teapot

From a classic British tableware brand, TIME’s Alex Rees recommends this earthy, hand-crafted teapot — and Taylor’s of Harrogate Yorkshire tea bags to go with.

Buy now: Denby textured teapot ($103.94) and matching mugs ($16.00 each)

A “12 Nights of Wine” gift box

Yes, 12 nights of wine, each glass’s worth delivered in a fancy test tube-esque vial. Any questions?

Buy now: Vinebox Naughty & Nice bundle ($220)

A bottle of unisex perfume

A scent designed to appeal to anyone in your life, Le Labo’s Santal fragrance promises to embody “a defining image of the spirit of the American West and personal freedom.” You really can smell like freedom, then.

Buy now: Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Perfum ($189)

Read more: The 20 Best Holiday Gifts Under $50

An Aerogarden Harvest 360

For the person with a green thumb in your life, here’s a handy way to grow plants or herbs sans soil — because the future is now.

Buy now: Aerogarden Harvest 360 ($149.95)

An LED smart light bulb starter kit

Take mood lighting into the 21st century with this Philips home light bulb hub (and colored bulbs). Synced with a smartphone or smart home device, you can set lights on timed routines and set custom “light scenes” throughout your home. Again, the future is now.

Buy now: Philips Hue ambience LED smart light bulb starter kit ($159.99)

A Kenzo knit sweater

Creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon left the French fashion label this past summer, but the aesthetic they developed remains strong (and in the capable hands of their successor, the Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista). Centering Kenzo’s classic logo, this classic wool sweater is equal parts sleek and cozy and will keep someone you love warm.

Buy now: Woolen Kenzo Paris jumper ($195)

A Y: The Last Man Omnibus graphic novel

Ahead of the much-anticipated TV adaptation (set to premiere on FX in 2020), read Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s incredible graphic novel series in full with this special omnibus edition. As the title suggests, the series explores what it’s really like to be the last man in the world post-“gendercide” with wry humor and sharp sociocultural insight.

Buy now: Y: The Last Man Omnibus ($150)

Meanwhile, if you’re ready to break the bank — or if your Gold Rush nugget bucket worked out — consider a few gifts that top the $250 mark: a 50 ml bottle of cult skincare brand Vintner’s Daughter’s active botanical serum ($305), for example, or a Dyson AirWrap hairstyling tool ($549.99). There’s a Nintendo Switch ($299) to mull over, a timeless Shinola Runwell watch ($550), Bose noise canceling headphones ($349.99), a Jacquemus Chiquito mini bag ($270) or a classic Fortnum & Mason vegan Christmas gift hamper ($325).

And how about an Adirondack log cabin dollhouse ($719.95)? It’s just right for the person who has everything, except an Adirondack log cabin dollhouse of course.

 

 

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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com