Make An Adventure
Skipping hotels and airplanes in favor of tents and outdoor adventures is so 2020. A tent that affixes to the top of most vehicles, the Roofnest Sparrow will revolutionize your vacay -- and it comes complete with a mattress, ladder, and solar panel mounting area. Even better? Roofnest is donating $100 per tent sold to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation to help the families of firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty. ($2,895, Roofnest.com)
Make An Adventure
If that's too big for your backpack of a budget, the Nemo Firefly Tent -- with its tiny weight, roomy interior, sturdy construction, and quick setup -- is the perfect all-around shelter for the backpacker looking to shave ounces without sacrificing space. ($350, NemoEquipment.com)
It weighs barely a pound, but this comfy and supportive portable Helinox Chair Zero will be worth every ounce after a long day hiking in the high country -- or at a socially distanced outdoor event. ($120, Helinox.com)
You and the boo can sleep like royalty on the Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Inflatable Backpacking Sleeping Mat, the most comfortable insulated, inflatable sleeping pad on the market. ($160, SeaToSummitUSA.com)
Find Inner Peace and Wellness
Want to do Kegels with even less effort? Send your hoo-hah to boot camp with Down Under There's Vaginal Trainer, which lets you tighten your highway to heaven while you go about your daily business. ($50, DownUnderThere.com)
The amazing Malibu-based Green Gorilla is the only CBD company to be USDA Organic certified. Gift sets come in a gorgeous green box and are perfect for holiday giving. Partial proceeds go to help first responders (in the form of complimentary CBD oil to help them with overall wellbeing). ($133 set, ILoveGreenGorilla.com)
Find your inner Zen with the Buddha Board. Just brush water onto the slate and your images appear, and as the water evaporates, watch your art (or swear words) slowly fade from existence. An infuriating Etch-a-Sketch for some, mindfulness for the rest of us. ($15 and up, BuddhaBoard.com)
Balance body and mind with Altwell's CBD Tinctures that deliver 10mg of broad-spectrum CBD per mL, and comes in lemongrass, mint, pineapple, or unflavored. ($40, Altwell.com)
Or get all the health benefits of CBD with Crop Beauty's new skincare products (imagine a Sephora for CBD that ships). ($10 and up, CropBeauty.com)
Find Inner Peace and Wellness
Marcella Moda NYC Face Masks are lovingly handmade in Europe using 100 percent soft cotton and feature a filter, a nose wire, and adjustable ear loops. You can even get them in an array of rainbow colors. ($14, MarcellaModaNYC.com)
A handy tool that you can use to avoid directly touching public, germy surfaces (elevator buttons, door handles, ATMs, etc.), KeySmart Cleankey + Carabiner attaches to your keychain and helps give you peace of mind in the time of cholera (er, COVID). ($25, GetKeySmart.com)
In a world preparing for doomsday, the Judy Emergency Preparedness Kit, with supplies that can support a family for up to 72 hours in an emergency, has your back. The company will even donate a kit to another family in need with each purchase. ($45-$200, Judy.co)
Why make the tough choices when you can let the sturdy Natico Decision Maker and Paperweight do the dirty work for you instead? ($25, ThatSweetGift.com)
Tired of being torn between holiday traditions? This Ugly Chrismukkah Sweater (not pictured) lets you share your holiday traditions including Christmas, Hanukkah, and making fun of sweaters your bubbie sent you. ($32, ModernTribe.com)
Redo Your Abode
From a company founded by BIPOC, Sabai's Essential Sofas are comfortable, customizable, and environmentally sustainable -- fabrics are made from natural fibers and recycled materials. Even the shipping materials can be reused as produce bags. Indeed, this is the essential sofa. ($1,095 and up, Sabai.design)
Until we're allowed to frequent our favorite bars again, drink at home with style using Kegworks' Shaken & Stirred Essential Cocktail Set ($50, Kegworks.com)
Since sheltering in place, some of our most intimate relationships are with our houseplants. Horti, a subscription plant service, will not only send a plant to you, it will also provide you with easy-to-follow instructions to make sure it's well taken care of. ($15 a month, HeyHorti.com)
Redo Your Abode
This versatile and trendy Always Pan (in pastel colors!) that all the Insta-gays use replaces eight pieces of traditional cookware. Top that. ($145, FromOurPlace.com)
For the Queer Eye star Tan France's Etsy Collection, the style guru collaborated with 13 Etsy sellers to create a wide-ranging queer cheer collection including housewares, loungewear, coffee, incense, blankets, and candles. (Prices vary, Etsy.com/collections/Tan-France)
Stuff Their Stocking
Is there anything queerer than a stained-glass booty? No, there is not. These Boy Butt Ornaments from artist Patrick Hurley are beautiful pieces of art that also function as great conversation starters. We recommend hanging them in a window facing out for all your neighbors to see. ($55, PizzaDonkey.BigCartel.com)
This isn't your mother's sex 101 guide. Accompanied by Elizabeth Renstrom's whimsical, color-popping photographs, Zoe Ligon's Carnal Knowledge: Sex Education You Didn't Get in School goes deep on everything from G-spots to gender fluidity. ($20, Bookshop.org)
Artist Paul Richmond's Cheesecake Boys: An Adult Coloring Book is an equal opportunity take on the pinup girls of yore. And they are begging for some shade in this adult coloring book full of whimsical wardrobe malfunctions. ($15, PaulRichmondStudio.com)
Get Zoom Ready
The fastest yet, the 2020 iPad Air offers plenty of options and can replace your bulky desktop computer so you can work from the beach or backyard. ($600 and up, Apple.com)
Recirculated air got you looking like dried fruit? Hydrate your skin naturally while helping to bring clean drinking water to school children in Kenya with Urban Hydration's complete line of skin, beauty, and hair care products. (Prices vary, UrbanHydration.com)
Everyone's a star in video conferencing with the Lume Cube Broadcast Lighting Kit. Your next viral video will also have the perfect lighting. ($130, LumeCube.com)
The Galaxy Z Fold2 5G is an amazing completely foldable phone that turns into a tablet when opened. Why have a computer at all when you can have a phone/tablet combo? ($1,000, Samsung.com)
Give the gift of glowing skin with Kovo Essentials' Illuminating Booster Serum 33, a lightweight, plant-based oil serum containing CBD oil, gotu kola, and arnica flower. ($110, KovoEssentials.com)
From America's fave gay Filipino-American beauty guru's new brand, Patrick Starrr's ONE/SIZE Visionary Eyeshadow Palette offers the perfect shades. Now if only Starrr could give us all a makeover. ($42, OneSizeBeauty.com)
Dress to Impress Yourself
Rihanna's done it again with her size-inclusive Savage X Fenty by Rihanna Men's Pajamas created in collaboration with Christian Combs. Of course, as RiRi says, people of any gender identity can wear them, which is perhaps why they keep selling out (try Poshmark instead). (Prices vary, SavageX.com)
Celebrate your pride and tell the world you loved the multiple Emmy-winning series before it got huge with this Beatles style Schitt's Creek Pride T-Shirt. ($35, SchittsCreek.shop)
Whether you're out protesting or just kicking around, these gender-neutral NiK Kacy Combat H8 Boots from the gender-fluid footwear designer take you where you want to go. ($360, NiKKacy.com)
Merrell partnered with Peruvian artist Ilustronauta to create the Women's Antora Rainbowhigh-tech trail runners inspired by the vibrant colors of the Andes' Montana de Siete Colores, also known as Rainbow Mountain. ($110, Merrell.com)
Feel like your best self in this cool, gender-affirming Woman Up Tank (not pictured) from the Black-owned Stuzo Clothing line. ($30, StuzoClothing.com)
Don't Forget the Kids, Pets, and Parents
These unique Tiny Teethers (combine forgiving silicone with natural wooden beads into innovative necklaces, pacifiers, and more that your baby can chew on -- and each piece is designed to be as eco-conscious as it is beautiful. Sadly, baby not included. ($12 and up, TinyTeethers.com)
Don't Forget the Kids, Pets, and Parents
Turn your child's iPad into a hands-on STEAM learning tool with the award-winning Osmo Genius Starter Kit with Family Game Night. You can now include everyone in a night of fun with games like Words, Numbers, Tangram, and Newton. Or just revel in a toy that fosters a love of learning and distracts them for hours while you work. ($139, PlayOsmo.com)
Sundays Air-Dried Food for Dogs is the absolute reinvention of canine cuisine. Made from 90 percent fresh meat and free of chemical additives and synthetic ingredients, this subscription-based human-grade food conveniently pours like a cereal and requires no refrigeration. Best of all for fur parents, they'll personalize each box with your dog's name and photo. (Prices vary, SundaysforDogs.com)
Created by and for LGBTQ+ folks, the Queer Agenda Game will help your chosen fam or Zoom dates laugh their way through quarantine. ($25, FitzGames.com)
Transform into a mermaid, a princess, a Barbie, or a car in a flash with the Blankie Tails collection of Disney favorites -- and maybe get some for the kids as well. ($20-$25, BlankieTails.com)
Show off your adorable family configuration with these Gaby & Tali Customized LGBTQ Family Pride Shirts. ($22, Etsy.com/shop/GabyAndTali)
Got a hard-to-shop-for sib? Let them play a Viking or a bear in a flash while keeping their face warm by donning a Beard Head Hat from the Stubbles Collection. ($20, BeardHead.com)
Just Have Some Damn Fun
What's the next best thing to drinking with a queer Grammy winner? Boozing it up with Brandi Carlile's XOBC Cellars XO Sparkling Rose, of course. Carlile's Sparkling Rose pairs well with good music and great friends, and some of the proceeds go to Carlile's Looking Out Foundation. (Prices vary, XOBCCellars.com)
Want more than just wine? With the cool TCM Wine Club you'll receive a set of 15 curated wines, some movie-themed. Then, you'll get a new case every three months. Even better: TCM offers tips on which movies go best with which wines! ($80-$150/case, TCMWineClub.com)
These extremely delightful and queer Ash + Chess Cards make every occasion better. They're created by a Richmond, Va.-based stationery company from queer and trans power couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham. ($5, AshAndChess.com)
With Bob Mould's Distortion: 1989-2019 the gay alt-rocker releases a collection of his work spanning three decades on 24 CDs. There's also a series of four vinyl boxed sets on the way, the first one covering 1989 to 1995. ($110, DemonMusicGroup.co.uk)
Pop in the season 3 DVD of the hilariously mismatched detective duo in Shakespeare & Hathaway Private Investigators working in Stratford-Upon-Avon (the birthplace of the actual William Shakespeare). This DVD set is a must because of Sebastian Brudenell, the detectives' receptionist slash undercover operative (played by Patrick Walshe McBride) who is flamboyant, fearless, and fabulous. ($35, AcornOnline.com)
