The 143 best holiday gifts in 2026 – obsessively tested by the Guardian US
Shatterproof wine glasses, Jellycat plushies, ‘yoga paws’ and more gifts handpicked by our experts The best personalized gift ideas 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…
Finding the perfect holiday gift can be a daunting task, filled with the stress of endless online browsing and endless tabs open. However, a team of Guardian US experts has curated a list of 143 gifts designed to make the holiday shopping experience enjoyable once again. To ensure a wide variety of options, they tested products across categories such as kitchen, home, tech, and more.
Over the course of months, these experts cooked, ate, traveled, hiked, ran, showered, and slept with various test products, even involving their mothers, cats, dogs, and children to ensure the gifts were truly suitable for everyone. The list includes crowd-pleasers like chocolate, as well as more unique recommendations, such as a butter-shaped candle. Prices range widely, from a $6 cleaning cloth for a notoriously messy laptop owner to a sophisticated trenchcoat for a stylish sister.
If you don't find the perfect gift in their list, you can always reach out to the Guardian US at thefilterus@theguardian.com for assistance in finding the ideal present for even the trickiest of recipients.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
