Holiday Shopping Guide 2023

The most common questions from my friends and family this time of the year is about the holiday gifts to buy for their near and dear ones. As someone who has been a gadget nerd for many years, I spend enough time with them to be useful (or dangerous :)). Anyway, here is my list for this holiday. Some of these are what I own and love, while others are what I would love to one someday. I suggest waiting for good deals on these especially around Black Friday although these days, sale events start well in advance. One caveat, these are almost all gadgets or content subscriptions.

For the Gamer

I assume most gamers own a console of their choice (mine is a Sony Playstation 5) and likely a Nintendo Switch (I have one that I dont use much anymore). So my recommendation, admittedly a biased one is a Meta Quest 3. Yes, I worked on it but it really is a great gaming headset with a ton of game options like the brand new Assassins Creed Nexus and the upcoming epic Asgards Wrath 2.

For the Reader

I own and love a Kindle Paperwhite (11th edition). It is a brilliant device that allows you to focus on just the one thing - reading. To complement the reading experience, I suggest an Audible membership (or a Spotify Premium which now gives you 15 hours of audiobooks per month). I do all my fiction on my Kindle and non-fiction during my commute on Audible.

For the Student

Kids these days are super hard to please. For my kid, the gift that seems to work these days are a good quality mechanical pencil (my teenager loves Spoke Design pencils) or a good rollerball pen (Karas Kustoms or Retro51 which comes in many colors and prints). I also like the Science themed mugs and stuff that Cognitive Surplus offers. They are pretty awesome.

For the Music Lover

I will split this into two parts - a good pair of earbuds is a must these days. I have been using the Jabra Elite 7 Pro for over a year and cant recommend it highly enough. It pairs to two devices simultaneously, has a great battery life, is super small and delivers excellent noise cancellation. All this coupled with excellent audio quality makes these buds an all-round winner. Pair it with a Spotify Premium, Amazon Music or Youtube Premium membership and you are all set! The new Bose Ultra buds are also great if you feel like a splurge.

For the Fashionista

A good pair of Ray-Bans is always awesome. And my biased take is that the Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses are an awesome gift for the fashion icon in your life. It takes 12MP photos or neat video clips. I personally love taking clips of my 7 month old puppy. And best part - I can take my calls on it with great in-built mics and a solid speaker. I love my Wayfarer and use it everyday.

For the Analog Lover

So as many of you know, I am a huge fan of fountain pens, ink and good paper. And this is also the hardest category for me to choose something because there is just so much choice. But I will make some recommendations with a promise to write a more detailed post on this soon. For a good writing experience I suggest the Twsbi Eco. It comes in a variety of colors and writes like a charm. For a splurge, consider a Lamy AL-Star which also comes in a ton of colors and finishes. For ink, if you are feeling safe, Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo and if you feel adventurous, Jacques Herbin Emerald of Chivor. Both of these are excellent inks that will not disappoint you. For paper, I suggest Rhodia or Maruman. They come in an assortment of sizes. If you prefer a non-fountain ink pen, I suggest looking at Spoke Design, Retro51, Tactile Turn or the Mark One.

If you are looking for more recommendations, may I suggest The Verge Holiday Shopping Guide. Happy Holidays! Have a lovely time with your near and dear.