Sure, you could send them all gift cards again (or worse, a stale fruitcake from the gas station), but we have some better ideas for travelers, drag queens, fur babies, fashionistas, and so much more. (Hint: click "more" for prices and links.)
($60, AquioBottles.com)
(VoltHeat.com)
It combats deforestation and reduces rape (82 percent of rape in Africa happen while women and girls are gathering firewood) because for every bag sold in the West, a bag goes to the developing world. ($39, WonderbagWorld.com)
The result: Tiwal 3 Inflatable Sailing Dinghy, a sailboat that can be assembled in under 20 minutes and transported in a small car. ($5,400 and up, Tiwal.com)
Unlike other translators that require one to stop and enter each sentence word for word, one simply talks into this device as if engaging in real conversation. ($350, Hammacher.com)
But, hey, even if you just take it to outdoor concerts, it'll l keep you warm and cozy, and comfortable. ($80) www.kijaro.com/kubie
A little larger than a golfball, Evo uses optical sensors to follow lines that kids make with just markers and plain paper, so they don't even need a screen to start their STEM education. Evo works on a color-coded language so kids use colored markers or stickers to tell it what to do. (Red green red green, for example, is the tornado code and makes Evo spin around.) Add a computer or smartphone and kids can use Ozobot's programs to do advanced codes (that create sounds, lights, routines). There are two new wearable skins (unicorn and racer) that Ozobot and Mark Hanna (America's Got Talent alum) created (if your niece is like mine, she'll dig the YouTube videos of Hanna's fluidly, funky robotic moves in a dance-off with Evo, with its own dance pattern programmed completely with Ozobot's OzoBlockly visual code editor). ($99 Evo, $10 Skins, ozobot.com)
(Aiwa.co)
The Foundmi Collectible Bluetooth Tracking Keychain (in Star Wars, Marvel, and DC Comics characters) are fun and functional trackers to prevent that. (Foundmi.com)
Look no further than the Spire Studio, a portable recording studio with built-in mic, wi-fi, one-touch soundcheck, and no annoying cables. Working with its mobile app featuring loads of recording and editing tools, Spire Studio helps you record up to eight tracks, mix them in the Spire app, and produce professional-quality sounds with ease—whenever and wherever inspiration may strike. ($349, spire.live)
($25, Amazon). Or, try Vertellis Conversation Cards, which has family, holiday, or relationship editions. ($20, Vertellis.com)
(Gap.com)
SleepPhones (that come wireless with cordless induction charger) are thin speakers tucked within a padded headband so there’s nothing in your ears but perfect sound. ($40 and up, SleepPhones.com)
Rice's Local Hive Honey lets you treat honey like fine wine, with 16 different local varietals of raw, unfiltered honey. Each region (including Florida, Northeast, Southern California, Colorado, and more) brings something new to the tasting menu. A great hostess gift, too. ($5.99 and up, LocalHiveHoney.com)
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