Shatterproof wine glasses, Jellycat plushies, ‘yoga paws’ and more gifts handpicked by our experts
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Nothing says holiday cheer quite like panic-browsing websites in pursuit of the perfect gift, toggling between 47 open tabs, eyes straining against your screen’s harsh blue light. But finding an item that elicits a squeal of delight from its recipient is one of the best parts of this time of year, when you have a little help.
So we’ve curated 143 presents to reclaim holiday shopping as a joyous activity. We recruited seasoned writers and shopping experts to get into the holiday spirit early, vetting gifts across categories such as kitchen, home, tech and more. For months, we cooked, ate, traveled, hiked, ran, showered and slept with test products by our side. And we roped in our mothers, cats, dogs and the kids in our lives to make sure these gifts really work for the people (and pets!) they are meant for.
Our comprehensive list spans safe bets (who doesn’t like chocolate?) to niche recommendations (butter-shaped candle, anyone?). You’ll find a range of prices from a $6 cleaning cloth for a notoriously dirty laptop owner to a sophisticated trenchcoat for your stylish sister. Happy gifting.
Don’t see anything that catches your eye? Email us at thefilterus@theguardian.com for help finding a gift for your trickiest recipient.
Curated by Emily Farris and Karen Yuan. Farris has been writing about food and lifestyle and testing cooking gear for nearly 20 years.
Yuan covers food, kitchen gear and lifestyle for the Filter US. Her dream Christmas gift is a lifetime supply of cheesy ramen, and she has never turned down an invitation to hotpot.
Curated by Richard Baguley, who has tested and written about consumer technology for more than 30 years. His favorite gift would be a good night’s sleep.
Curated by Jon Chan, who has been writing about home, outdoor and tech products since 2012. His favorite Christmas gift was a tie covered in crabs. No matter how dire the situation, a crab shuffle dance will make life a little better.
Curated by Tim Stevens. Stevens travels 200,000 miles a year and has covered travel gear, consumer technology and everything in between since 1996. His favorite Christmas gift was a Sega CD in 1992, and he considers himself lucky to have survived the console wars.
Curated by Maria Ricapito, who has covered beauty and wellness long enough to see every makeup trend come around at least thrice. This Christmas, if someone gave her one of those Ocura Life Plasma Pens to remove random bits, bumps and skin tags, she would definitely try it out and let you know if it works.
Curated by Lauren Gould. She has covered style for the Filter US for the past year, from bravely asking New Yorkers about their outfits to interviewing stylists. Her favorite Christmas gift was a Tiffany & Co silver necklace with her initials, which made her feel like Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl.
Curated by Karen Yuan, who has covered food, kitchen gear and lifestyle for a decade. Her dream Christmas gift is a lifetime supply of cheesy ramen, and she has never turned down an invitation to hotpot.
Curated by Juno DeMelo, who has covered health and fitness since 2007. If someone gave her a horse for Christmas, she would never ask for another gift for as long as she lives.
Curated by Heather Balogh Rochfort, who has covered hiking, camping and outdoor gear since 2005. Her favorite Christmas gift was technically her sister’s: a Creepy Crawlers oven. She can still conjure the smell of scorched plastic goop, which is either nostalgia or the fumes talking.
Curated by Adam Doud, who has been covering tech of all shapes and sizes for 15 years. His favorite Christmas gift is always Lego: any Lego, all Lego, nothing but the Lego. A close second is the Stargate SG-1 boxed set.
Curated by Lauren Gould, who interviewed multiple tweenagers to find out what they really want.
Curated by Tracy Allison and Nick Mokey. As Tux the tuxedo cat’s human, Allison has covered countless cat products. Her favorite Christmas gift she got was a multipack of Scotch tape at age five, which she used to try to fix a broken vintage doorknob.
Mokey is forever battling a plume of pet fur from his dog Marty and two cats, Daphne and Niles. His favorite Christmas gift was a Radio Shack RC truck he got when he was 10. Waiting for a battery to charge has never been more agonizing.
Curated by Yuan and Gould based on our readers’ most beloved items of the past year.
Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
The nine best personalized gifts, from a timeless tote bag to custom stationery
The 17 best gift ideas for the person who already has everything
German knives, English socks: 13 gifts beloved globally that Americans are missing out on
Gift ideas from the Filter US
