Shopping for gifts can be stressful no matter the occasion, as we all know. It can be difficult to pick something that suits the individual’s personality while also avoiding things they might already have. Striking the balance between buying gifts that are interesting to both give and receiving without driving yourself crazy is a challenge. You want to choose something that’s a little bit novel, but also instantly familiar and usable. Discover the best unique gifts to help you choose something a little different without having to search high and low.
Like a modern Trapper Keeper, this notebook folio cover collects everything a creative or entrepreneur could need into one unit. Made of recycled fabric, these are much lighter than those old notebook covers, but still repel water.
Included within are a pouch, pen loop, and pockets for filing various sized flat items. It’s available in two and three fold variants, for both A5 sized notebooks like the Rocketbook Everlast or Rocketbook Everlast Fusion and A4 sized notebooks like the Leuchtturm1917 Master A4.
If you like the idea of a notebook cover but were looking for something a little more deluxe, try a leather notebook cover.
Similar to the In the Company of Women book we included in our best office gifts for coworkers post, this book will provide daily reminders that anyone can use. These words of wisdom come from a variety of women from all walks of life and provide humor and wit when you need it most.
If you know someone who struggles with overheating in the in-between months, this hoodie will solve that problem for them. In addition to being a well-made hoodie, this garment transforms into a backpack.
This ability means it’s on hand when you might need a bag, but also gives you something to do with your hoodie once you start to get too warm. Ultimately, the price is pretty reasonable for a decent hoodie, so adding additional functionality makes this a good choice. It comes in Heather Gray, Charcoal, and Black.
If you know someone considering a smartwatch but they’re hesitating either because of the cost or because of the short battery life, this watch is the antidote. Rather than a full smartwatch, this is a hybrid, which combines the look of a traditional watch, Bluetooth connectivity, notifications, and activity tracking.
The battery life on an Apple Watch is about two days, depending on what you do with it. By contrast, the battery on these Fossil Hybrids lasts a year, after which point Fossil will replace them for free. If you just want activity tracking but still want a watch that actually looks good, this is definitely the way to go. The Fossil app does a great job of tracking all your various goals and activity, while allowing you to assign notification preferences.
When the wearer gets a text message, email, or app alert, both hands move to point to the number to which they’ve assigned that notification. It also vibrates, which can be set to three strength settings. It’s a subtle, functional solution that looks great, too. There’s a stainless steel look, as well as a black steel.
Virtually everyone loves LEGOs, even if they eventually run out of use for classic building kits. Give someone in your life a reason to get back into building with this clever ship in a bottle concept.
It could take someone years to learn how to make a real ship in a bottle, but this allows for reliving the fun of LEGO while also getting a bottled ship out of it. This is considered an expert level build and contains 962 pieces. When it’s built, it will measure 12 inches long.
Whiskey and a cigar – two great tastes that taste great together. Well, technically, aficionados of both would tell you that they should be enjoyed sparately so one doesn’t color the other. Nevertheless, it is a very relaxing thing to enjoy them at the same time and this glass was designed to help with that.
This double rocks glass includes a cigar holder in the side, making it an ideal companion for evenings in the backyard on the patio. If this sounds like your grandfather, this is an easy to give gift that he can make use of.
Do you know a beer snob who finds canned and bottled beer a bit underwhelming? This novel solution creates sonic waves that excite beer’s natural cabonation, which creates a thicker head on any beer stores in a bottle or can.
This requires only two AA batteries, although this newsest version can also be run on a USB cable, if you prefer. The special edition copper coloring is quite nice, but the standard look is cool, too.
Alternatively, if this seems like it might be too good to be true, you could always give them a mini kegerator that accepts 5 liter kegs for the same price.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not sure what you’re meant to do with mini cinder blocks, and for that reason they may fit in with your novelty gift giving ideas. That said, they are pretty fun, whether you use them on your desk as something to mess with during calls or build something decorative out of them.
They can also be given to kids for use with toy construction equipment, in dollhouses, or even for school projects. This price is for a 12 pack, but you can choose six, 24 or 48 packs, as well. In addition to cinder blocks, they also make bricks that ship with a mini pallet.
Giving grandpa the gift of an outdoor fire is both practical and fills a need they might not otherwise get around to addressing himself. This one ups the ante a bit with a nice, upscale crosshatch pattern, which provides more visual interest as well as a better look at the flames.
This measures nearly 26 inches square and ten inches deep. Assembly is super easy and the kit also includes a spark arrester, waterproof cover, and a poker.
Great as a gift for a musician or just anybody, this Bluetooth-enabled device gives you over 100 sound options including guitar, synths, drums, and more. The app is available on either Android or iOS devices and up to four people can jam along together at once.
Tthis is one of the world’s smallest robots, measuring just one inch in diameter. What makes this one extra special is that it’s programmable by a block-based programming language. While it’s aimed at kids, you could certainly give this to anyone who is looking to get into understanding how programming works.
My initial programming language experience focused on making some works appear on a computer monitor, so this is an infinitely more entertaining way to learn.
Mugs are an evergreen and excellent gift since just about everyone has a use for them. Help your stand out by going for this lovely nighttime themed mug by Nina Jarema.
It holds 14 ounces of their favorite beverage, and because of its delicate design, should be hand washed and kept out of the microwave.
Sometimes unique means exploring new avenues. Tibetan singing bowls are played by rubbing the outside edge with a wooden mallet, which produces a resonant harmony, or the “singing” effect. It can be very relaxing and for some help to induce meditation.
My wife has one and even if you never plan to meditate a day in your life as is the case with me, it can be very relaxing to pick it up from time to time. A unique gift for those who haven’t heard of them for sure.
Looking for gifts for bartenders? These mixology dice are a great way to get exposure to a wide variety of mixing techniques without having to go one at a time through a bartending recipe book. With a die each for spirit, sugar, liqueur, citrus, fruit, herb, spice, and bitters, this set covers the full spectrum of ingredient options.
Fun for parties, whether during the holidays or a night of cocktails in the summer. They make a variant of this in a glass tumbler, as well as a Foodie Dice set in a pouch or tumbler.
Even practical gifts can be unique. This key holder turns an entire key ring into a compact unit. Great for those with many keys, or for people who hate to have a large keyring jangling from the car ignition. There’s an included loop ring for bulky car remote keys, too. This one will hold two to ten keys, but you can buy expansion packs to hold even more.
Here’s something strange, even in its own category. This kit will let you grow purple carrots, red Brussels sprouts, stripy tomatoes, yellow zucchini, and multi-colored swiss chard.
There are plenty of plant-growing kits out there, but few allow for the opportunity to pull something unusual out of the ground. This kit comes with the seeds, peat blocks, and pots.
Packaged in a bamboo box, this tea collection features six flowering tea blossoms and a 16 ounce glass teapot to make tea time a magical experience. When the tea blossoms are dropped into hot water, they bloom into a beautiful bouquet, which is on full display in the teapot.
If you have a guitar-playing musician to buy for, this lunch box could make a fun gift. Designed to look like a Fender Deluxe Reverb, it’s a fun gift that reminds the guitarist in your life of what they love most each lunch hour.
Does the person in your life favor the woods? Do they live in a modern rustic tiny home, or perhaps a log cabin? Accessorize their woodsy lifestyle with a throw pillow that looks like a log.
This 14 inch pillow is filled with micro beads and covered in a polyester-spandex blend. Perfect for a neck pillow while chilling on the sofa.
The best blenders on the market — like the Ninja, Vitamix, and Blendtec — all suffer from the same basic issue: they’re huge. They’re very tall and take up a lot of counter space. Plus, in the case of the Ninja, at least, they’re heavy.
This KitchenAid unit solves that by utilizing an ingenious design that utilizes magnets to hold the pitcher in place. It has a 1.8 HP motor (sure, less than Blendtec’s 3 HP, but enough to get the job done) and automatic blend settings, all in a relatively compact package.
This DIY kit features everything the hot sauce connoisseur needs to make six different hot sauces. Follow the included instructions or make it up as you go. Either way, this is a good method for exploring the craft of a good hot sauce.
The kit includes a spice pack with cayenne, ancho, curry, and chili New Mexico powders, brown sugar, guajillo, chipotle, and arbol peppers, apple cider and white vinegar, six bottles with lid and dashers, six customizable labels, funnel, gloves, cleanser and instructions.
To add a little life to a desk of coffee table, try this adorable terrarium set. It includes a dormant Marimo moss ball which will grow at a rate of one quarter inch per year. After the easy assembly, the only necessary maintenance is to change the water once every three weeks — the enclosed ecosystem will take care of the rest.
This set includes dormant moss, filter media (pebbles, carbon, filter moss, soil), decorative mushroom, decorative bark, planting chop sticks, and glass corked bottles.
Even if you’ve never had it, once you learn about it, you know there is nothing at all wrong with raclette. How can you say no to scraping off a hunk of melted cheese onto your food? This set will allow grandpa to throw together a raclette dish anywhere.
This is a cooking vessel powered by tealights, which means you can use this while camping, when the power is out, or when firing up any other cooking implement is too much work.
Is the decor at your friend’s house in need of an update? Throw pillows are a cheap and easy way to freshen up a room. Go for the nautical theme with this set of four sea creature pillow cases featuring a seahorse, coral, starfish, and seaweed.
Made of linen, these have a vintage look that will fit in many bohemian beachside cottages. These are just the cases, though, so you’ll need to grab the cushion inserts, too.
Who doesn’t love cheese? It’s the best. It’s even better as a gift, when you can explore new cheeses without the guilt of having made the wrong decision. This is a British assortment and includes a total of 30 ounces of Sage Derby, Coombe Farm Cheddar, Crumbly Lancashire and Royal Blue Stilton.
If British cheeses won’t cut it, there are others, such as French and Italian. Or go for the gold and get all three.
For those who love the outdoors, this handy lantern uses solar panels to recharge when away from reliable power sources. At a full charge, you’ll get five hours of high level lighting, ten hours low lighting, or six hours of flash level lighting. It’s also chargeable via a micro USB cord, which is included.
Like the Ozobot, this gift focuses on the STEM explorations of kids of all ages. This module allows kids to maintain their own “bio-energy pet” that is a fuel cell powered by soil. You can augment the power with other things from the fridge, soils, and other organic material to determine what generates the greatest power.
The companion app will aid kids in tracking their experiments. This one kit teaches kids about energy, microbiology, and scientific observation all at once.
If the espresso lover you’re shopping for has been dreaming of having a machine at home but can’t spare the counter space, consider this novel solution.
This manual lever machine requires no power whatsoever but still produces professional-level espresso. Because it requires no power, it’s not just limited to home use, either. Espresso machines can go for a lot more than this, so even at this price, it’s worth considering.
Sure, everyone is into cornhole lately, but what if you’re looking for something a little different for grandpa? These giant dice measure 3.5 inches square (2.5 inch versions are also available) and are perfect for throwing around your yard to play a variety of dice-based games.
In fact, they come with a dual-sided scoreboard for playing Rollzee (you know, Yahtzee) and Farkle. Each set includes six dice and a carrying bag.
Who doesn’t need an adorable little night light? This one happens to be in the shape of a cactus that is nearly a foot tall and glows with eight LED bulbs. It uses batteries, so you can put it anywhere you like and even hang it on the wall.
Another novelty gift idea, this is particularly well-suited to current and former law students. Whether they’ve passed the bar, given up on the legal profession, or are struggling to study, this box will let them know they could’ve had it so much eaiser.
Inside, you’ll find a textbook entitled Law School in 96 Pages, Heroes of the Coutroom trading cards, flash cards, trivia, and a college diploma. See how easy that was?
If you’ve often noticed that there’s never a plug available for your phone when you’re sitting at friend’s house, you could get this gift for them and you. This handy device simply adds two USB outlets to any lamp without changing anything about the lamp’s operation.
Great for areas of the home where a plug is behind a piece of furniture, or for staying in that charming bed and breakfast that hasn’t quite added additional outlets yet. This could also be useful for people on your list running an AirBNB.
Are you looking for gifts for creatives? They almost assuredly need something like the Cameo. Capable of cutting a wide variety of materials like paper, vinyl, fabric and others, it comes with software that will let you plan your own designs.
Once you’ve decided exactly what you want cut, just print it out as you would on a normal printer. No more scrounging around at the art store in hopes that they have just the perfect sticker or stencil. This will give anyone the ability to generate the designs they need down to the pixel.
For the discerning child or the nostalgic former-child, these high-quality toy cars harken back to an era of better toy craftsmanship. Whether actually used as intended or merely as a desktop display piece, this is a fine and unique item to give as a gift for anyone who likes cars, toys, or old-fashioned quality.
You might also consider offerings from Candylab Toys.
Providing 30 minutes of shaving on a full charge, this travel razor makes it easy to shave on the go. Great for frequent travelers, but useful for even those that aren’t, this is an unusual combination of technology.
Perfect for all ages, this comic follows the adventures of the Guardsmice, soldiers and guides who protect their kingdom from treachery. In Fall 1152, three Guardsmice are sent to find a missing merchant mouse, which leads to a far more dangerous revelation.
Clearly inspired by the Redwall series, but very much a story of its own with outstanding, lush illustrations. There’s also the sequel Winter 1152 and The Black Axe to keep you reading.
For more along these lines, I can also heartily recommend the entire Saga series and Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. Mouse Guard is child friendly and appropriate, but these two are very much not, so choose according to your intended audience.
Looking for a gift for a vinyl lover? While I cannot recommend a Crosley turntable (though they probably won’t destroy your records), I can happily recommend this entertainment shelf for anyone who has a decent turntable already. The top shelf will hold the audio equipment while the shelf underneath stores records.
If the moss terrarium idea elsewhere on this list wasn’t interesting enough, how about a pet T-Rex in his own terrarium? These come with adoption papers to let the recipient know they are the proud parent of a tiny dinosaur.
Anyone can throw a single, flat shelf on the wall and call it a day. Spice up someone’s interior design with these hexagonal shelves. Great for holding small plants and knicknacks, they’ll add visual interest to any room or create an instant feature wall.
These are available as singles or in sets of three in 10 different colors. They measure 12 inches tall by 14 inches wide and 3.5 inches deep and are handmade in the U.S.A.
Lost in all the chatter lately about Instant Pots and air fryers (both of which have their place, like as firefighter gifts) is the absolute utility of the classic rice cooker. Rice can be tricky to cook, leading people to do ghastly things like use Minute Rice. That goes double if you’re trying to make sushi at home or more exotic types of rice where the cooking time varies.
A rice cooker will make all of these things perfectly, every time. It will also then keep that rice perfectly warm for hours. Anyone who enjoys rice will appreciate having a real-deal rice cooker.
Life is stressful and if you know someone who could use a bit of relief, try these Stress Less cards aimed at easing tension and anxiety. Each card represents an exercise that can easily be done anywhere you are since they’re small enough to carry around.
Using visualizations and the practice of taking a few minutes each day to intentionally slow down, users of these cards can help manage stressful periods and stay grounded.
If you’re buying for parents of a newborn or even those soon-to-be, this combination night light and sound machine sleep aid device for babies makes a lovely gift. This plush owl (or penguin) projects a star light show from its tummy while it plays your choice of a heartbeat, bird song, or one of ten lullabies.
A velco strip on the back allows you to attach it to the side of a crib or stroller, while a 30 minute auto-off function means you can set it and leave the baby to drifting off to sleep.
The holidays are a festive time of year and for many, that means cracking open a bottle of spirits or five. Some folks live to regret this the day after Christmas or on New Year’s Day, or they have put their years of alcohol-based regret behind them.
If this is the case for someone you know, gift them a bottle of this non-alcoholic gin alternative. This concoction was developed by drinkers who know the satisfying taste of real gin and sought to create a zero proof spirit to be enjoyed even if you’re in recovery, pregnant, or just over hangovers. Mocktail lovers will enjoy it, too.
Despite my (relatively) advanced age for a skateboarder, I’m contemplating picking it up again after almost 20 years off from riding. Since having insurance doesn’t assuage my fears of seriously maiming myself, this solution will help me and anyone in a similar position.
The idea here is that they keep the wheels still while you figure out exactly how to position your feet and kick the board for ollies, kickflips, heelflips, and eventually treflips (maybe). Ollies form the basic foundation for just about any trick, so the sooner you learn how to ollie, the sooner you can unlock everything else.
If you’re looking for the boad, too, go for a basic complete setup like the Element Team Quadrant complete, which is prety similar to what I had back in the day.
If you’re buying for someone who plays guitar or wants to learn, this interesting-looking guitar may inspire them to stick with it. As a guitarist, I can report that having a guitar you like to look at will go along way to enticing you through hours of arduous practice.
This is a great guitar for beginners or as a secondary, and is finished in mahogany on the sides with a rosewood fretboard. If you’re looking for something with an accessories bundle, I recommend checking out the Orangewood Rey Guitar Pack, which is cheaper even with all the added extras.
Essential oil diffusers fill your home with calming scents that can relieve stress while they cover normal household odors. This one is constructed of bamboo and offers four modes: continuous mist and interval mist, each in a two hour or one hour mist time.
There are also color changing LEDs inside, which can be used on a fading pulse or set to a given color. While aromatherapy has been said to help alleviate allergies and cold symptoms, the benefits of the fragrance alone makes this worth considering. Don’t forget the essential oils.
Ever since his big-screen debut, everyone has wished they had their own R2-D2 companion droid. Now you can make that dream come true for the person on your list with this app-controlled bot. Using the Sphero Edu app, you can access the full range of R2’s movements, including a holograph.
There’s even a “Watch With Me” feature wherein you can watch Star Wars and R2 will react to them. Don’t worry, they make a BB-8 version, too.
I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, where it is basically illegal to fail to interface with the Sasquatch myth. Regardless of where you reside, this goofy action figure will make a good addition to desk and mantle alike.
It’s over seven inches tall, which, it should be noted, is not thought to be the actual measurements of the very real Bigfoot that is totally out there somewhere. Definitely.
If you want something deciedly silly, you might also consider this anatomical plush heart. This 100 percent polyester toy measures ten by eight by four inches, so it’s quite the large human organ.
Alternatively, if you sometimes think the person you know could use one, you could give them a brain or even a kidney.
For more game ideas, this book features 70 different games that run the gamut from old-fashioned parlor-style games to ones that require the use of tech like Google Earth.
These games are somewhat family-oriented, but they don’t have to be, and all of them are customizable to house rules to make them more fun for creative gamers. There’s also a variant that requires exploring outside, too.
If you’re bored of the trifecta of Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, and Joking Hazard as gaming outlets for being a terrible person, have him try this one. The publisher bills it as a ‘party game of lies, deceit, and accusations’, so that pretty well puts it in league with the others in some moral sense.
The idea is that in every set of players, there will be werewolves outnumbered two-to-one by villagers. Werewolves decide how to kill off the villagers at night while posing as humans to avoid detection during the day. There are numerous wrinkles to make that even more difficult than it sounds.
If grandpa is the type who may soon be headed out for a day of hunting, fishing, or general reverie, he needn’t spark up a fire at all just to be able to eat. Send him out with this camo-patterned cooler that comes with 50 ounces of the following meat and cheese:
Six ounces of elk sausage
Six ounces of venison sausage
Six ounces of ‘Roadkill’ sausage (blend of elk, venison, wild boar, pheasant, rabbit and pork)
Don’t send anyone on out into the wilds (or to the office, for that matter) without proper hydration. And don’t let them forget the serious matter that is dihydrogen monoxide. That stuff is in everything and everyone who consumes it eventually dies.
This handy warning bottle is made of food grade stainless steel and holds 34 ounces of liquids. You might also consider the hydric acid variant.
For a more irreverent gift, try this humorous pizza cutter. You will no doubt notice that it takes the form of a circular saw, bringing a real sense of power to the business of slicing some pie. The blade is laser-etched just like the real thing and the whole unit is dishwasher safe.
