Suffice to say, our writers and editors are experts at finding the perfect present. (As proof, take a look at our carefully curated list of over 60 gift guides for every type of recipient — brothers, sisters, moms, dads, kids, and more — at every budget.) So you might be wondering: What do the people who think about holiday gifts all year long give their hard-to-shop-for family and friends? We posed that question to our team, and they shared some of the things they’ll be gifting to their loved ones, along with some of their tips on how to pick a gift that’s sure to surprise and delight. Scroll on to see what our writers and editors are gifting this year (unless you’re related to someone on staff and don’t want your holiday surprise spoiled).
Ailbhe Malone, senior editor
The toughest person to buy for on my list is my ever-so-slightly granola brother-in-law. He likes to go camping in Scotland with just a tarp, and is into foraging for fungi, and making “vegan” smoked salmon. So, I’m considering this foraging knife from our gardeners gift guide. (It’s even got a little brush at the bottom specifically for cleaning your mycological finds.)
Kitty Guo, writer
Now that my parents are empty-nesters, they’ve entered their outdoorsy era. This year alone, they’ve made multiple trips to Joshua Tree, Mammoth, Kings Canyon, and Death Valley. To take along on all their adventures, I got them this Rumpl picnic blanket printed with a scene from Zion National Park, which we visited when I was a kid, and my mom always talks about going back to. It’ll keep them warm whether they’re watching meteor showers or just watching TV.
Arielle Avila, writer
My sister has admirably taken her newfound hobby of surfing very seriously. She already has her winter gear set, but I still wanted to gift her something surf related. After spotting a new ocean-themed coffee-table book on her dresser recently, I thought she’d appreciate a year subscription to this surf journal.
Liza Corsillo, senior writer
My longtime best friend Farah has a toddler who adores Minnie Mouse. So as soon as I saw that Disney was doing a collaboration with Steiff (one of the many the German plush-toy company are doing at the moment) to celebrate the 100th anniversary, I snapped this up. As a kid my aunt, who lived in Germany, used to bring us Steiff toys as gifts, and I have loved the brand ever since. John Derian has some incredible giant Steiff stuffed animals on display at his store right now. But in any size, Steiff animals equal holiday magic to me — and Minnie’s vintage styling and puffy high heels really get me.
Sam Daly, deals editor
A few months ago, my mom hinted at her interest in the Trtl travel pillow since she’s begun to make semi-frequent red-eye flights to visit my sister in college. It’s been our best overall travel-pillow pick since 2017, so I’m confident I won’t need a return receipt.
Tembe Denton-Hurst, writer
I love to give clusters of gifts. So instead of one big ticket thing, I grab a bunch of affordable or mid-priced items to make a sort of gift basket. For one of my closest friends: a pair of bright-red Comme Si socks, striped bowtie pasta, a copy of Hope by Andrew Ridker (a favorite read of the year), and a pair of tapers.
Dominique Pariso, writer
I had given my mom a bottle of Kayali’s Pistachio Gelato perfume for Mother’s Day, and she has already requested a refill. My mom prefers to smell like a candy shop and, as the name would suggest, this one has notes of pistachio gelato, as well as cotton candy and whipped cream.
Lauren Ro, writer
My husband is normally very difficult to shop for, but he’s been on a fitness kick recently, so I have a couple good options this Christmas. He’ll be training for the marathon next year, so I’m thinking of getting him a few things from our excellent roundup of the best gifts for runners from my colleague Jeremy, including these designed-in-Brooklyn statusy socks, protein-packed overnight oats, and a more-intense massage roller.
Jeremy Rellosa, writer
My parents love bird-watching. They have a ton of bird houses and bird feeders in their backyard, and they’re always spotting different birds from their bay window. But the pictures they take are always grainy, zoomed-in iPhone photos — much less spectacular than the colorful birds they’re identifying. This feeder, which has a remote camera that takes up-close snaps, is the perfect gift for them.
I’m giving this to a friend who visited Santa Fe this year. Logan Maxwell Hagege’s art — often consisting of desert landscapes and portraits of the people who live in the American West — has a refreshing graphic style to it that I find unique. I often get lost in this coffee-table book of Hagege’s paintings.
Kelsie Schrader, managing editor
My mom usually wants for nothing, but this year she explicitly asked me and my siblings for this backpack to carry her many work things from place to place. Someone she works with had it and raved about it — for good reason. We’ve named it the best waterproof laptop backpack, one of the best work backpacks, and a top backpack for commuters, and the brand also has Eric Ripert’s stamp of approval. It’s worth the money.
Maxine Builder, editor
My mom is also very much the mom who insists that she doesn’t need or want anything — and she rarely gives us good hints about what she wants instead. This year, however, she texted each of us individually to say that she wanted two orchestra tickets to see Turandot at the Met. So that’s what we got her, immediately. (My little tip about giving concert tickets is to make a physical ticket that’s personalized to the event and print it out; you can find some not-too-ugly options on Canva. I did this for my dad last year, when I got us tickets to see Dead & Co., and it was nice to have something to open on Christmas Day.)
Ambar Pardilla, writer
My mom has been dropping not-too-subtle hints that she’d like a lounge set (not new pajamas, as she has reminded me repeatedly). I’ve been sending her links to ones I think she’ll like. The Long-Long Set from Lake is the odds-on favorite. The Pima cotton will be cooling. There’s a comfortable looseness to top and bottom. I can imagine my mom in the set, on the couch, with the remote in hand.
My abuelito used to have a cup just like this one — it was tiny and mighty, and would keep whatever water was inside teeth-clattering cold. The cup was lost to time (the most likely story is someone, somehow, misplaced it). But this is a close-enough replica that I’ll be giving (I won’t spoil for who though). Maybe it’ll become a future heirloom, too.
Jen Trolio, senior editor
Anyone I know who’s into cocktails — or who I think will appreciate a fragrance that’s wonderfully verdant and earthy and fresh, and not at all floral — is getting a Dirty Girl Martini candle from Poured Candle Bar. I am usually not much of a candle person, but I’ve recently become smitten with “olives in brine” and “juniper-infused gin” notes of this one and want to spread the word. (The brand’s Negroni Nights scent is also a winner.)
Winnie Yang, senior editor
I first heard about this Japanese company’s hand-hammered titanium cups from Ruth Reichl’s newsletter, where she mentioned coming across them at the restaurant SingleThread in Healdsburg, California. She linked to a less-expensive cup on Amazon, but I did a little sleuthing and found the actual cup maker on SingleThread’s website. My husband likes to unwind with a cold drink at the end of the day, and I think — slash, hope — that this insulating cup will make the nightcap feel a little more special. The Lord of the Rings–chalice look should also appeal to him.
Kat Gillespie, writer
While I aspire toward giving handmade gifts accompanied by thoughtful cards to those on my list this year, it is seeming increasingly likely that everyone just gets a bottle of Method. Which is fine, because a tipple of this with soda and ice is genuinely one of the most delicious things ever.
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