The Best Christmas Gifts for 2020

Unbelievably soft and warm (but not too warm), these couch-perfect pants are a reliable go-to for everything from binge-watching sessions to WFH days. Roomy without being baggy and with an on-trend cut, they’re the right pants for any at-home occasion (and they’re more than ready to be worn a few days in a row).

Built to withstand stress-baking and weeks of home-cooked meals alike, this ceramic-coated sheet pan could be considered an at-home essential for the winter months. With professional-grade thickness, a non-toxic coating, and functionality at up to 600°F, it’s an oven powerhouse. You can add on a matching cooling rack and a silicone baking mat as needed, too, for a complete baking, broiling, and roasting package.

This oversized tote quotes Maya Angelou and celebrates Black voices. Made of durable canvas with two internal zipper pockets (and USA-made), this bag has endless uses, but however they use it, it’s a fresh reminder to everyone who sees it to keep educating themselves and strive to be better.

For the loved one with a sweet tooth, give them this treat-filled box this holiday season. This top Christmas gift—an annual tradition from Sugarfina—includes eight of the year’s most-loved candies, all wrapped up in a festive box. They can enjoy Champagne Bears, Espresso Martini cordials, and more sweet bites, but the real challenge will be saving some of these candies for after Christmas day.

Newly available in copper and other metallics, this smart mug is a must-have for people who love their hot coffee—but take hours to finish a mug. Instead of constantly reheating their brew, they can set the mug to keep it at the optimal temperature, so their coffee is always ready to drink. Metallic options tend to go quickly, so if this is THE gift for someone on your Christmas list, act fast.

This gift is probably the closest you’ll get to one of the moving photographs in your favorite magical book series. Infinite Objects allows you to upload and edit a video, which it then “prints” and frames for you. Just like magic, you have one of your favorite videos in a frame so you can watch it over and over again. This is the best gift for anyone you have beautiful videos of or with—pick the right video, and you could bring your mom, spouse, or best friend to tears when they unwrap it.

Fans of the long-running Stuff You Should Know podcast and trivia aficionados alike will be delighted by this 2020 release, which explores a new range of topics in the same depth listeners have come to expect from the podcast. With the addition of visuals—think illustrations, sidebars, and footnotes—this book is a must-have gift for any curious minds in your life.

This genius new hair tool is the smartest hair straightener they’ve seen yet. It’s cord-free for styling on-the-go, and the flexing copper heat plates help gather hair for smoother locks with less damage. This gift set comes with a matching brush and comb, so they have everything they need for smooth, straight strands (with 50 percent less breakage, less frizz, and fewer flyaways!) whenever they choose to start doing their hair again.

Upgrade their smart home game with the latest iteration of the iconic Echo from Amazon. New for 2020, this all-new smart speaker with the Alexa assistant comes with a built-in hub, so they can connect your smart lights, thermostat, oven, and whatever else they have. With a sleek new form, better-than-ever speakers, and refreshed privacy protections, this is the best Echo yet—and it’s sure to be a must-have Christmas gift.

It’s the gaming platform of the year, and if they don’t already have one and they like video games (or just easy entertainment in a year of too much free time), a Nintendo Switch Lite is practically guaranteed to be on their wish list. Pair this with a good starter game—we recommend Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the biggest game of the year—and they’ll be calling this their best Christmas gift of 2020.

This one’s for the tea-lover with limited storage. With its matte gray finish and discreet, minimalist controls, this kettle looks great—even intentional—sitting on a counter or side table. A subtle screen displays the current temperature and set temperature, and a built-in timer counts down the necessary time for brewing coffee or steeping tea. They’ll be begging to put this kettle to work as soon as it’s out of the box.

It’s bound to be one of the biggest gadgets of the year: The new Apple Watch SE offers most of the features of previous watches at a lower price point. Its processor is two times faster than that of the Apple Watch 3 and the display is slightly larger, giving the wearer a more dramatic time-piece. It launched with several new bands, too, so you can pick the most professional (or most workout ready) band to help them reach their goals in the new year, whether they’re professional, personal, or fitness.

2020 has transformed into the year of comfort and leisurewear, and nothing will help them feel comfy and leisurely like this sweatshirt, which doesn’t feel bulky but still offers plenty of warmth thanks to Feat’s signature BlanketBlend material. It’ll be the softest sweatshirt they’ve ever worn, and it’s designed to never shrink and get softer with every wash, so it’s a comfort gift that keeps on giving.

Help them along on their sustainability journey with this new bottle from CamelBak. Sure, it has the performance and durability we’ve all come to expect from CamelBak, but it also has a genius feature: a built-in travel mug for tea and coffee. They’ll have a ready-to-use mug (with a lid, cleverly stored in the bottle’s cap) with them at all times, whether they’re planning on stopping by a coffeeshop or making their own, plus a water bottle so hydration is never an issue.

Help them take their new always-be-cozy attitude on the go with this unbelievably fuzzy tote bag. (“Soft as a teddy bear,” if you can believe it.) Available in two winter-ready colors—and with monogramming available for $12 per letter—this is sure to be their go-to winter bag for errands, weekends away, and more.

New from Google this year, this sleek, compact speaker has incredible sound quality that no one will believe comes from a speaker so small. It will look great on a bookshelf, side table, or dresser, appeasing anyone who dreads visual clutter, and the powerful sound will fill the room even from an out-of-the-way position. Best of all, it comes with the smart Google Assistant, so they’ll have a smart speaker they really love hearing from.

This one’s for the food-lovers (and Julia Child fans) in your life. (But let’s be honest—isn’t that everyone?) This nicely bound book is a collection of Child’s best quotes, including some of her best lines about eating and food. At 160 pages and a neat, almost square shape, this is a compact, meaningful gift that they’ll love tucking next to their cookbook collection.

This all-in-one food processor—new for 2020—might be the last kitchen tool they ever need. Sure, it’s pricey, but it’s a food processor with chop, slice, shred, and dice functions and an automatic cooker with steam, sauce, soup, slow cook, and risotto features. The work bowl has an 18-cup capacity, and the tool comes with 200 built-in recipes: All together, this allows home chefs to cut and cook with the same tool, saving time, effort, and space.

The smartest iPad yet, this sleek tablet is the perfect Christmas gift for an on-the-go remote worker, a tech-savvy at-home schooler, or anyone who just loves the latest and greatest. With quicker speeds, better cameras, and more apps and features, it’ll make anyone happy—and keep them engaged with their new gift for the next few hours.

They’ll be able to grow herbs (and even small vegetables) inside, effortlessly, all year long with this smart planter. The clever layout allows them to grow four types of plants at once, and the built-in lamps use LED technology to provide an edible plant–specific color spectrum that helps plants grow faster. The lights are even automatic, so as light naturally shifts in the room, they’ll adjust accordingly to ensure the plants have optimal light. Give this to green thumbs, home chefs, or anyone looking to improve the quality of the ingredients they use—the ability to grow their own at home will make anyone happy.

Forget weighted blankets—a weighted robe is their new stress-busting, self-care best friend. This supremely plush and fuzzy robe, new this year, has a three-pound weighted wrap inside the collar to put pressure (the good kind) on their neck and shoulders, using that stimulation to promote stress reduction and relaxation. Paired with the unbelievable comfort of slipping into a warm robe after a hot shower, they’ll be a little less stressed in no time: Consider this the best two-in-one Christmas gift of the year.

The new Echo Show from Amazon is about to be the technology at the heart of their home, and they’ll be doubly grateful for the smart home tech and ease-of-use this gift offers. With new swivel technology, the screen will pivot as they move around the room, keeping recipes, video calls, or shows always in-view, so they’re not chained to a single spot within their home. Beyond that, an upgraded camera and speakers and the always-learning Alexa voice assistant make staying in touch easier than ever.

From hauling gear for an outdoor workout class to holding their essentials for a weekend getaway, this sturdy, dynamic bag can handle it all. They can carry it as a backpack, an over-the-shoulder tote, or a handbag, depending on where they’re going and what they’re bringing, and the smart two-opening system makes loading it up a breeze—it’s a Christmas gift they’ll use for years to come.

Roomy, dangerously comfortable, and unexpectedly dynamic, this is the Christmas gift they’ll wear over and over again. This 100 percent cotton garment is designed to be a sleep shirt (hence the name), but works fabulously as a beach or poolside cover-up, and all they have to do is add a belt to make it a cute sundress or leggings for an oversized tunic look. However they wear it, they’ll appreciate your sharp gift-giving every time.

Help them upgrade their at-home coffee game with this espresso machine and milk frother, which is probably one of the most affordable you’ll find. New this year, it’ll allow them to make lattes at home—and they might even find a few new favorite coffee drinks, too.

If they haven’t gotten into puzzles yet in 2020, it’s long past time they start one. Puzzles are one of the best at-home, distracting, meditative activities out there, and these puzzles are particularly gorgeous, with high-quality art paper and random-cut pieces. At 1,000 pieces, this puzzle will keep them entertained for hours, and they’ll get a kick out of the meta imagery, which feels a little more 21st Century than standard puzzles.

If not wearing shoes while at home all day is wreaking havoc on their feet, help them out a bit—and reinvigorate their love for shoes at the same time. This adorable pair of slip-on mules is perfect for wearing around the house and yard, and when it’s time to go back to work, this pair is sure to be the most-complimented shoes they own.

2020 hasn’t been easy. If they’re taking it as an opportunity to rethink their approach to their finances or start moving toward new goals, help them out with a subscription to one of the most-loved budgeting apps out there. You Need a Budget (or YNAB) is a budgeting game-changer, with users starting to save money almost instantly—it’s the sort of useful gift they’ll appreciate right away and for weeks and months to come.