It’s hard to know what type of useful gifts to get for someone you don’t know terribly well, or the person who has unswervingly practical tastes. You ideally want something that doesn’t add clutter and isn’t strictly decorative, and is maybe even something they never knew they needed.
There are some middle-of-the road gift ideas you may be tempted to buy in this category, but let us steer you away from some of the more obvious ones: Socks and plain chargers are practical choices but not the best gifts or stocking stuffers. Candles, coffee mugs, and hand-soap sets can be so meh they might end up in a donation box or stuffed in a cupboard. And gadgets like containers that claim to sanitize your iPhone can feel so sensible (and sterile) that they’re almost not worth giving.
To help you deviate from anything boring or expected, we scoured retailers like Amazon, Etsy, REI, and Nordstrom to round up actually useful gifts that still feel unique and surprising enough to give anytime or on special holidays, from time-savers to space-savers to travel, laundry, and beauty gadgets and accessories.
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