Thanksgiving is barely over, postelection anxiety has just begun, and maybe you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of checking off every dad, mom, co-worker, and teen on your holiday-shopping list. In that spirit, we present the 46 gifts ahead, all neatly organized by price and less than $50.
A Book of Tweets
Bind every tweet she’s ever sent, because the internet is a fickle place.
Bargain Red
A classic red lip — for only a dollar.
Pre-Brexit Flag
To commemorate a time before “Leave,” an EU flag with the inclusion of the U.K.
Party Hangers
For the host juggling lots of guests’ coats, consider these oversize-animal-head coat hangers.
Pooh Parade
It’s one thing to collect Disney Tsum Tsum characters; quite another to stack them in lots of crazy, fun displays.
Icelandic Volcano Soap
Contains charcoal as well as volcanic sand, ash, and soil, said to absorb toxins and produce collagen.
Night Nurse
The British version of Nyquil, called Night Nurse, is so much better, but you’ll have to get someone to bring it back for you.
Noodle Pin
This playful accessory is straight out of BoJack Horseman.
Speak, Memory
Sigrid Calon’s memory game: 52 paired cards in fluorescent, Risograph-print-inspired patterns.
Travel Spork
A lightweight titanium spork, available in great anodized colors, for the practical backpacker.
Hedgehog Table Brush
An unusually shaped beechwood tabletop brush is a memorable hostess gift.
Cricket Bolognese
Futuristic vine-ripened tomato sauce loaded with ground insects. And of course, it’s gluten-free.
Juggling Lessons
A gift with a quick payoff: The fundamentals of the basic “cascade” pattern can be mastered in a half-hour.
Vintage Sardines
Aficionados of aged canned fish — the flavors deepen over time — know that 2013 was a very good year for sardines
A Jar of Lemons
For those not quite ready to batch their own salt-preserved Meyer lemons, this Inna version is the next best thing.
Succulent Soap
Cold-pressed cactus soaps — in scents like cherry blossom — for the guest bathroom.
Neo Measuring Spoons
Levoon handles squeeze together to scrape off excess ingredients and show portions as small as millimeters.
Handy Pens
These standing wooden ballpoint pens stay upright when not in use.
3-D Shark Model
No glue or tools required to assemble this great white, which comes with laser-cut wood sheets and crafting ideas.
Cheese of the Year
The most exciting cheese match-up of 2016: Cheesemakers Jasper Hill use Transmitter’s H1 Harvest Zinfandel beer to create its peachy, creamy, and smoky Transmitter Willoughby cheese.
They may not get excited about seeing a nail clipper in their stocking, but just wait until they experience the satisfying heft and springiness of this Green Bell model, made in the city in Japan famed for producing samurai swords.
Alex Katz’s Orange
For the grown-up just learning to paint: Alex Katz uses this particular pigment of cadmium orange by Rembrandt’s Artists.
John Mayer Laundry Detergent
Yes, that John Mayer.
Salt Therapy
The healing treatment du jour: a lamp carved from Indian rosewood and 100 percent pure Himalayan salt.
The End of Back Hair
The Razorba is a plastic wand that grips any disposable razor and shaves those hard-to-reach places.
The Millennial’s Brooch
Kids these days will love accessorizing their white Stan Smiths with a flash of Pop-art-inspired shoelace charms.
Oh, the Places You’ll Go
The Atlas Obscura celebrates over 700 of the world’s strangest sites, like Spain’s Baby Jumping festival.
Prettier Scissors
From a new brand launched in the name of more thoughtfully designed desktop goods, scissors that look like a bird.
Inflatable Lounger
It works as patio furniture or an extra bed for guests.
Brad Pitt Has the Munchies
Brad Pitt eating scenes — the seafood bisque in Fight Club, etc. — reimagined in Fat Brad, the Cookbook.
Keepsake Saltine
A pewter saltine cracker — just because — from artist Herbert Hoover, who casts his work in New York City.
Pussy-Grabber Defense
Arm a woman you love with TigerLady retractable handheld claws that’ll also snag her assailant’s DNA.
Really Strong Rum
138-proof rum created by a supergroup of bartender luminaries, including David Wondrich and Martin Cate.
OCD Fruit Bowl
Type A’s can display highly organized fruits with the Platform bowl, which stacks in up to four tiers.
Swedish Puzzle
Designer Clara von Zweigbergk was inspired by a similar one she made from watercolored chipboard at age 8.
The Periodic Table of Trash
It includes an array of New York City trash in categories such as Food, Hygiene, Municipal, and Vices.
Dead-Celebrity Dinner Plates
For Prince and all the other stars gone too soon, a tribute in the form of vintage-style plates created by L.A. artist Angela Rossi.
Vintage Shave Cream
The cream is infused with smoky-scented and naturally antibacterial hinoki wood and moisturizing sweet almond oil, but really it’s all about the packaging.
1930s Wallet
Coach splashes on a floral inspired by a 1930s French paper sample.
Yodeling Lessons
At the Unicorn, Jess Labus teaches Swiss yodeling for beginners and experienced singers.
Beaded Flowers
An everlasting bouquet of vintage French daisies; Japanese brass vase sold separately.
All-the-Way Wineglasses
For your Aunt Sue who prefers an extra-full wineglass, these borosilicate glasses with hollow stems are just the thing.
Next-Level Wine
These newly released Enlightenment maple wines are fermented exclusively from raw maple syrup and well water and aged for over two years in a single Tuthilltown bourbon barrel.
Handsome Toothbrush
Like classic tortoiseshell sunglasses, for the man who prefers to look stylish even in the bathroom.
Wooden Coffeemaker
Made of ash trees from Canadian forests, this new pour-over model may be the most minimalist coffeemaker yet.
Digital Tape Measure
The handyperson in your life can forego clunky tape in favor of the newest Bosch laser measure GLM 20, which shoots a beam of up to 65 feet with the push of a button.
*This article appears in the November 28, 2016, issue of New York Magazine.
The Strategist is a new site designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best notebook, black T-shirts, fashion-editor-approved jeans, toothbrush, and apartment décor. Note that all prices are subject to change.
If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
