To find the more than one hundred gifts you’re about to encounter, we did not merely scan our favorite websites for new products or even just select some of the nicest things we’ve written about on the Strategist over the past year. We did those things, then dug deeper. A team of dedicated editors worked for months falling down dozens of rabbit holes to find gifts (most of which are new this year) that you likely won’t find recommended anywhere else.
On the Cover
Among other nutty tactics, we scanned every single account that a particularly stylish Danish e-commerce site follows on Instagram (then shopped on those stylish Danish sites), slunk around on the “Buy It for Life” sub-Reddit, and crept through various shops to sniff their new perfumes and glad-hand their potholders. Then we started whittling things down and debating among ourselves. Would anyone really pay $430 for that scarf? (No.) Is that pair of pants too specific or just specific enough? (The latter.) The result is a range of gifts for really and truly everyone, from Dua Lipa’s preferred plumping face masks to the first Wordle board game, as well as a handsome neck warmer for winter sprints and a kit for building indoor sand castles.
Don’t miss all of the Strategist’s holiday gift coverage right here. You can also see our picks for gifts over $50 and gifts over $200.
Swedish Turbot
Particularly good Nordic gummies that recently arrived Stateside.
Pirate Party Game
In which players of all ages can shoot cannonballs into a pop-up ship.
Menopausal Lube
From Naomi Watts’s newly launched wellness brand.
Mushroom Lube
It’s made of CBD, aloe, hyaluronic acid, and shiitake mushrooms and is meant to increase stimulation and sensation.
Proletarian Slides
Made in Bosnia and Herzegovina by EvalinVila.
Goatskin Gardening Gloves
With an extended cowhide cuff to keep out dirt.
Red Baggie
Wm. J. Mills & Co. has been making sails (and sailing accessories) in Greenport for 135 years.
Film Baggie
It has a center divider meant to separate fresh rolls from exposed ones.
Kids’ Patchwork Collar
Ideally worn over a crisp white shirt.
The Last Known Recording of Albert Ayler’s Voice
The full, never-released recordings of his 1970 concerts in France.
Dreadlock Tool
Made by Coda Craft, it’s the perfect shape, size, and strength.
Plush Socks
Meant to recall the gates of a drive-through.
Festive Saturn
A handmade glass ornament that also comes in pink and orange.
‘Stray’ Role-play
Beautiful Egg Cup
La Tuile à Loup’s ceramics are hand-thrown, hand-painted, and hand-glazed.
Wool Corn Set
Ware of the Dog also makes a Pop-Tart toy for cats.
Apple Clips
One of the more affordable (and adorable) things from the Barcelona-based kids’ line.
Subdued Purse
Lucali Candle
The scent of Beyoncé’s favorite pizzeria without the six-hour wait.
Greek Chile Flakes
Almopia peppers are smoked over a ten-day period in September, then crushed by hand.
Monogrammed Ring Dish
“Great for a gal of any age,” per the description.
The Next Tinned Fish
Siesta Co. makes neatly packaged sardines, white tuna, small squids, mussels, and mackerel.
DSA Merch
A subtle stick-it-to-the-man T-shirt.
Color-Blocked Turkey Baster
From Staff, which last made designy plungers.
‘Wordle’ With Friends
Pocket Fountain Pen
The classic Kaweco—used daily by AOC—in a festive colorway.
Giant Scrunchie
Made of silk taffeta by NYC-based brand Coming of Age.
Bluey Alternative
Inspired by the beloved French children’s story “Chien Bleu.”
Illyanna Maisonet’s Family Recipes
The Puerto Rican food columnist traces the roots of over 90 traditional dishes.
Loofah Stack
Øgaard’s little scrubbing sponges, sourced from Mexico, can be used on skin and kitchen pots.
Gerbil Couch
Designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent have, oddly enough, designed a whole furniture line for PetSmart.
Mini-Utensils
Well-Priced Crémant
The best on the market for the money, according to Chambers St. Wines.
Punta del Este Dulce de Leche
A family recipe from Narbona, a restaurant-farm-winery in Uruguay.
Last-Chance Subway Calendar
After 30 years, this is the last year Newkirk Images will produce the MTA’s official calendar.
Compact Colander
Stuff it with greens, run water through the handle, and shake dry.
One-Button Bop It
A new version of the ’90s classic in honor of its 25th anniversary.
Finishing Oil
After-Dinner Drinks
Made from Hudson Valley black currants.
Not Pickle Balls
Padel, the Mexican racquet sport, is just starting to take off in the U.S.
A Runner’s Scarf
Coriander Collab
A spice blend from CAP Beauty and Silver Lake restaurant Botanica.
Home Wall
The tiny magnetic crag lets climbers practice their routes.
Cheap Mitt
Surprisingly hefty for the price.
Bushwick Compost
Courtesy of the city’s “first bike powered food waste hauling and composting service.”
Butter Subscription
Three blocks—coarse sea salt, Vermont maple, and a rotating third flavor—will be dropped off monthly.
Deaccessioned Pink Paint
After 60 years of exclusive use in Barbie Dreamhouses, Backdrop is now selling the official shade.
Natural Flush
It goes on clear, then reacts to the skin’s natural pH.
Smoked Eel
European-style conservas from the Gulf of Maine.
Hyperseasonal Jam
From Saba Parsa, whose apricot-lemon verbena preserves won the Good Food Award last year.
Lightweight Lipstick
Go from a sheer wash of color to something more bold in a few swipes.
Fish Tote
A thermal bag from Japanese brand Puebco.
Supersize Pitcher
Designed to hold a half-gallon by a company that also has a spring-water-delivery service.
Ozzy Osbourne’s Eye Shadow
A collaboration between Rock and Roll Beauty and the Prince of Darkness.
‘Ghetto Gastro’ Cookbook
The Bronx-based culinary collective’s cooking manual–cum–manifesto.
Ionic Trellis
File Storage
Parisian graphic-design and architecture studio Saint-Lazare made these for Zara Home.
3-in-1 Syrup
Made from dark maple, sorghum, and apple-cider syrup.
Takashi Murakami Pancakes
For flipping flowers in the shape of the Japanese artist’s most-famous motif.
Fancy Japanese Tea Bags
Sheer Print
A hangable version of issue No. 241’s cult-favorite Danielle Orchard cover.
Knockout Turkish Delights
The first snooze-inducing gummy from CBD-edibles brand Rose Los Angeles.
Baby Brush
The soft goat’s hair gently detangles.
A Pound of Grits
Ground in small batches from one of the few Black-owned southern brands that produces grits.
The Best New Mascara
Plumping Face Masks
Dua Lipa keeps multiples in her fridge.
Frick Madison Cap
It’ll be a collector’s item when the museum moves out of the Breuer next year.
Andy Baraghani’s First Cookbook
It focuses on everyday Persian recipes like Sticky, Spicy Basil Shrimp.
High-Shine Styling Gel
It effectively holds down fly-aways without any stickiness.
Dried Taiwanese Pineapple
From Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry’s dried-fruit line that supports local farmers.
Kate Moss’s Tea
“It’s meant to ‘gently wake the body and all its senses.’ ”
Skin Softener
It takes over 60 roses to create one drop of this product, which acts as a cleanser, exfoliator, and moisturizer.
Leaves for Burning
From a 120-year-old family business on Awaji Island, the birthplace of Japanese incense.
Block of Chocolate
Formed in antique soap molds, then filled with hazelnut butter.
Clown Cuffs
Our staff has, believe it or not, been spotting these (and matching Elizabethan collars) around town.
Little Kid’s Loafers
As seen on stylish TikTok kid Phoenix Broaster.
Midwest Aperitif
Created from regional botanicals in Chicago and southwest Michigan.
Bowl’s Bonnet
Cotton covers for storing leftovers.
Nice White Paint
It promises to never crack, flake, or yellow.
Ceramic Colander
From the California-based home-goods store where nothing is over $25.
Rosey Onesie
A sweet baby’s bodysuit in organic cotton.
Ernaux Homage
It supports independent publisher Seven Stories Press.
California Soul Food
The recipes in Chef Tanya Holland’s latest cookbook (including Collard Green Tabbouleh and Zucchini-Scallion Waffles With Toasted Pecan Romesco) are influenced by the migration of African American families.
Dressy Dishwashing Gloves
Lighter Storage
Made with 3-D-printed plant-based plastics.
Boomer CBD
Hemp joints, packed to look like a cassette tape, with permission from the George Harrison Estate.
Millennial CBD
Each is packed with 3.5 grams of calming flower sourced from a female-owned hemp farm.
Poppy Panties
Not Orange Wine
Instead, an orange aperitif that isn’t too sweet to sip on its own.
Set of Spreaders
They’re cherrywood and made by spoon guru Jonathan’s Spoons.
Cyborg Hand
Thames & Kosmos’s mega cyborg hand arrives in 203 pieces.
Three-Inch Basquiat
A new addition to the Funko Pop! Icons collection.
Cactus Tumbler
One of a set of desert-themed tumblers designed for Ichendorf Milano by Alessandra Baldereschi.
Statusy Sunscreen
Skin-care brand Necéssaire’s first entry into the protection space.
A Book About a Plunger
Inspired by Julio Torres’s HBO special, My Favorite Shapes.
Street Photography Standard
Jamel Shabbazz’s reissued classic now has even more interviews and images.
Silk Ankle Sock
Fairy Finder
WowWee’s toy lights up and glows whenever it stumbles upon one.
White Soap
It’s safe for both the house and the body.
Creative Growth Baggu
Featuring the cheapest John Martin art you’ll ever find.
Indoor Sand Castles
The included sand doesn’t dry out, meaning you can use it over and over until you can get to the beach again.
Fresh Sauce
Inclusive Baby Bottle
It simulates an actual nipple’s elasticity, texture, feel, shape, color, and milk-flow rate and comes in five skin tones.
Tiny Stew Pot
Sulfur Mask
Borosilicate Honey Dipper
Handmade by London-based designer Max Frommeld.
Pocket Pad
Each page in this little notebook from Japanese stationery line Stalogy can turn into a sticky note.
Glitter Tears
Kombucha Vinegar
From Wilder Ferments, which bottles its homemade tonics and vinegars on the coast by Fort Bragg.
Root Veggie Vinegar
Launched after two years of experimenting with enzymes and yeast; tastes good with beans.
Korean Rice Wine by Way of Brooklyn
By way of Brooklyn. It’s brewed with rice, nuruk, and filtered New York City water.
No-Mess S’mores
Includes some highly realistic-looking “roasted” marshmallows.
At-Home Insalata Verde
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s first cookbook.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
