We all have that friend or family member. The one who’s just absolutely impossible to buy for. Whether it’s because they’re a minimalist or because they’re rich enough, they really do have everything they want or need. Which makes buying gifts for them feel like pulling teeth.
And yet the obligation remains. We’ve done some expert-level Googling to root out all the best gifts for people who already have everything to help you figure out what you can get them this year. (And maybe next year, too.)
Temperature control smart mug
One of the few physical items on this list, even a minimalist will appreciate finding this temperature control mug under their tree (unless they already own one, maybe check their cupboards first). Like a regular insulated mug that’s achieved its final form, it won’t just keep things cooler or hotter for longer, it will actually let you choose the specific temperature you want your drink to be and keep it there for an hour and a half. The mug is bluetooth-enabled so you can control it with your phone, so if you know a ridiculous gadget person it’s got that going for it, too.
Cooking classes
You know what a lot of rich people don’t know how to do? Cook—or cook something that’s actually worth eating, at least. Either they never needed to learn, never had time, or live off some sort of tech bro nightmare slurry and/or sad but nutritionally complete “food is fuel” type meals. You can fix that for them! The Chef & the Dish is a network of chefs around the world that run online cooking classes your giftee can attend from the comfort of their own home and learn to make amazing food. With the options of one-on-one or group sessions and a range of price options you can set your loved one on the path to deliciousness (so it’s really a present for your whole family/friend group). The thing all those price options have in common is that they’re a bit on the higher side, so maybe this is a group gift.
Annual National Parks pass
The ideal gift for people who don’t want more stuff for environmental and anti-capitalist reasons, an annual National Parks pass will grant them unlimited access to 2,000 sites of natural beauty and the knowledge that the money you spent on them is helping to maintain and preserve those sites. If you want to get a two-person pass, you’ll have to buy a 2023 pass before the end of the year (they last for 12 months so you’ll still get a year’s use out of it) as they’re phasing out the shared passes after that, so buy quickly if that’s your plan.
Self-watering plants
Speaking of nature-themed gifts, I present to you one of the other few physical objects on this list: self-watering houseplants. When people say they don’t want physical objects as gifts, plants are often an exception because they’re a living thing rather than another useless knick-knack (you should still check with the giftee, first). The thing about house plants is that they’re so hard to keep alive—in some cases literally harder than an actual pet (I don’t know why people say you shouldn’t get a pet until you can keep a plant alive when plants sometimes die out of sheer spite)—which is where Easyplant come in. The pots are set up so you fill the reservoir once a month and then the pot itself maintains the correct water level for your finicky little Audrey, so no over/under watering deaths, and they also have a help service you can contact if your plant is struggling with yellow leaves or other signs that it’s not doing well.
A day at the spa
Moving back into gifting experiences, a day at the spa may actually be the platonic ideal. Think about it: no new clutter to stress them out, no obligations to go and do a thing, just a few hours or a whole day lying around, experiencing pleasant physical sensations that leaves you feeling brilliant when it’s over. Spa finder is set up so you can buy someone a gift card that’s usable with any of the global spas in their network, so it’s a great option because it gives them flexibility regarding when and where to use your gift.
Masterclass Membership
If your giftee inexplicably prefers a more active, cognitively stimulating experience, then membership at Masterclass may be the answer. With 180 classes available on subjects including violin lessons, dog training, and filmmaking, there’s going to be at least several somethings your relentless high-achiever will enjoy, and with people like Serena Williams and Amanda Gorman signed up to teach their specialty fields the standard’s going to be high.
Cocktail kits
Though technically a tangible object (or several), cocktail kits don’t really count because almost everything in them is going to be consumed pretty quickly, and it’s still really more about the experience than the actual contents of the box. Enchanted Cocktails offers themed kits for around $30, like The Birthday Cocktail Kit and The Grinch Cocktail Kit, which both look incredibly fun and also deeply alarming (re: the incredibly bright colors). They also offer a monthly subscription box, which clocks in at around $25 per month. There’s a lot of choice depending on your budget—they also make a light-up cocktail fountain which I kind of want?
Black literature subscription box
We all need to be reading more Black authors, especially those of us who are white, and the people at Black Bookz Club have gone to the trouble of selecting a book for each month, pairing it with lovely items from small Black-owned businesses, then packaging it all up in monthly subscription boxes. If your giftee is a reader, this is a particularly thoughtful gift for them because having a new book just turn up at your house, especially when there’s a nice face mask or tea to enjoy with it, is genuinely really exciting. They have a range of subscriptions, so you can get just one box if that’s where your budget’s at or pay for three- or 12-month subscriptions.
Acts of Service Care Package
This is a great one if your person is far away from you and you won’t be seeing each other any time soon. The Acts of Service Care Package has a large selection of different teas from four different Asian woman-owned businesses. Ideal for the minimalists, environmentalists, and people who care about labor practices, each tea brand has taken different steps towards sustainability, ethical sourcing, and reduced waste. Even the box it comes in is environmentally friendly: made from 100% biodegradable materials, it’s also embedded with wildflower seeds, ones that are hardy enough that they’ll grow basically anywhere. It’s a useful, comforting, clutter-free gift that does some good beyond making its recipient smile.
Donate to the National Network of Abortion Funds
If you’re a regular reader, then we don’t need to go into detail about the state of abortion rights, both in America and worldwide. If the person you’re buying for really doesn’t need anything, then it’s time to spread the wealth around and give it to someone who does by donating to the National Network of Abortion Funds (or a similar organization outside of the United States). This is a great gift because it serves two very different demographics of recipients. Either you’ll do this for someone you actually like and who’ll appreciate it, or it’s a spite gift for someone you hate whose position on reproductive rights belongs in the toilet. If you’re feeling really spicy, tell the dishonorable giftee what you got for them at a family gathering and watch the fireworks go off.
Frankly every suggestion on this list could have been a non-profit, charity, or mutual aid fund. If your giftee really has everything, instead of buying them something they don’t need and might not even use once they’ve got it, find a cause they care about and spend your gift budget on that instead. World’s on fire, might as well use obligatory gift giving season for good instead of feeding the capitalist machine.
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