109 Carefully Selected, Unusually Special Gifts Under $50
Including frozen Italian porcini, metallic oven mitts, and some status socks and slides.
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To find the hundreds of items on this list, we first polled our extremely knowledgeable staff about the best new items to pop up on their respective beats. Then a group of dedicated editors spent months going down all manner of rabbit holes: scanning the background of home tours to track down the most special bathtub we’ve ever encountered, challenging ourselves to find teeny-tiny shops we’d never heard of in cities around the world (from L.A. to Seoul to Tbilisi), and figuring out where some of our favorite stores source from and looking there too. Beyond stores, we went up to strangers to inquire about their shoes, interviewed our hairdresser’s preteen son about what he’s into, followed a daisy chain of British zoomers on Instagram to see what brands they were following, and just kept scrolling and hunting till we could scroll and hunt no more! A careful edit of the resulting menagerie is below, including tiny sheep-shaped soaps, a pill case by Lana Del Rey, and whole Long Island spearing.
Don’t miss all of The Strategist’s holiday gift coverage right here. You can also see our picks for gifts under $200.
Pocket Capezio
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Pet Jellyfish
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It’s not a real jellyfish but rather a trippy nightlight from Brewish.
Super-Mild Weed Gummies
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Made with in-season Albion strawberries and just one milligram of THC.
Dress-up Mules
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Little ones can channel their inner Zsa Zsa Gabor with these glam Super Smalls heels.
Atypical Ballpoint
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Anterique Stationers uses an oily Mach-ball ink for a smoother writing experience.
Sparkly Putty
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A sensory toy made even more stimulating with knobby gemstones.
Padded Pink Hangers
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Hangers are a funny gift — except when they’re linen and have subtle blue piping like these.
Petite Sheep
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Austrian soap-maker Ovis made a mini-version of its classic ewes.
Local Candle
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In the shape of a fictional fort, handmade at a Harlem-by-way-of-Tbilisi shop.
Bell Cascade
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Hang it above a screen door to make an old-timey entrance.
Rare Dates
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Special-edition box by Rancho Meladuco of their biggest and sweetest dates hand-packed in a keepsake wooden box.
Japanese Hot Chocolate
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Made for Tokyo’s Dandelion Chocolate café; now available pre-batched.
Seaweed Chile Crisp
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The kelp really ups the umami quotient.
Hot Translation
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Emily Wilson’s much-ballyhooed The Iliad.
Award-Winning Bar
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Seventy-four percent dark chocolate with single-malt-whiskey essence from the Sonoran Desert.
Cookbook of the Season
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‘Veg-table: Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals,’ by Nik Sharma
Nik Sharma’s approachable, technical recipes.
Strega Nona Stamps
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In honor of late beloved children’s-book author and illustrator Tomie de Paola. Comes in sheets of 20.
Some Snails
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From a sustainable snail farm in Greece.
Frozen Porcini
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Clinton Hill Chile Crisp
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Silver Tablespoon
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It has a deep cradle to hold (exactly one tablespoon of ) liquid and a tapered tip for easy drizzling.
Angsty Pill Case
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Engraved; from the official Lana Del Rey store.
Mushroom Knife
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It has a scraping edge and a brush to clean your porcini plus a key ring and pouch for foraging.
Dinner-Party Trick
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Whip out this block of pink Himalayan salt that comes with a small stainless-steel grater.
Chocolate Hedgehogs
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The body is a date, stuffed with almonds, and the quills are made from shaved coconut.
Amanda Seyfried’s Shea Butter
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She told us she always puts this Eu’Genia moisturizer in Christmas stockings.
Back-in-Print Classic
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Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, and others dissect their writing processes; originally published in 1983.
Striking Earl Grey
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Black tea from the Nilgiri highlands of India blended with dried bergamot peel.
PB&J Tee
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Wee Olaplex
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The popular hair treatment in ornament form.
Status Running Socks
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Now with even more branding along the inside and outside of the foot.
Six Rumpled Coasters
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From those linen-heads at Merci Paris.
Not a Macaron
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Eugénies, new from Ladurée, are shortbread cookies covered in a chocolate shell and filled with a jammy center.
Funky Rare Plant
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The seersucker is both groovy-looking and low maintenance.
[Editor’s note: Logee’s seersucker plant is currently out of stock, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the product page. You can also find seersucker plants on websites like Etsy and Green Thumb Nursery.]
Angel for the Mantel
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East Sussex artist Imogen van der Pols’s candles are inspired by fairy folklore.
Wasabi Root
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Spanish Vermouth
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Made from a 100-year-old solera with sun-dried green walnuts; contains notes of black cherry, mulled orange peel, and clove.
[Editor’s note: This vermouth is currently out of stock, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the product page.]
Virginia on Art
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A little book of Woolf ’s essays on painting and portraits.
Special Speckled Mug
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It’s an unusual yet pleasing color combination.
Recycled Rubik’s Cube
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Rubik’s Re-Cube
The classic brainteaser for restless hands, now made from recycled plastic.
Mahjong Rubik’s Cube
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Spearing Snack
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Long Island baitfish that are meant to be fried whole and eaten like an anchovy or a sardine.
Premium Pâté en Croûte
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From Aurélien Dufour, Daniel Boulud’s former charcutier-in-chief. The seasonal flavor is pistachio.
Irregular-Pearl Ring
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Flavor Kick
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Chotto Motto sells spiked chicken salt, the umami of Australia, with Japanese curry powder; great with fries.
Sweet Story
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About a mom teaching her son how to swim; recently nominated for a Kirkus Prize.
Better Tea
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These unbleached-cotton tea bags from the Organic Company can be used over and over again.
Tiny Pottery Set
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Tweens can “throw” miniature urns and planters with this kit.
Fake Catalogue
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Featuring a bird hot tub and a palmbrella; a reprint of conceptual artist Pippa Garner’s 1982 parody.
Prettier Nails
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This kit (which comes with cuticle oil and a polisher) will gussy up even the gnarliest of talons.
Status Signifier
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Gryffindor Lion
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These Squishmallows come in all four Hogwarts houses.
Teensy Studs
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Two-for-One Stuffie
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It transforms from a caterpillar into a butterfly.
Chanterelle Soy Sauce
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From a former chemist in coastal Connecticut who studied fermentation techniques in the Chiba prefecture.
Wiggly Spoon
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Ancán Ipil-Ipil Cooking Utensils
Carved in the mountains of the Ifugao (in the Philippines) from ipilipil, an orangish rainforest wood.
Lunch-Box Napkins
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Available in English, French, and Spanish.
Picasso-Inspired Puzzle
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MoMA commissioned Nina Chanel Abney to make this riff on Girl Before a Mirror.
Floral Socks
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Afternoon Activity
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Little ones can place anything on this sun-sensitive paper from Toysmith (leaves, Hot Wheels cars) to create artwork.
Mussels in Escabeche
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Harvested from Galician estuaries, fried, then pickled in a smoky brine.
TikTok Eye Shadow
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Urban Decay’s ten-year-old Moondust recently went viral and keeps going out of stock.
Ariana’s Revenge
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A book of cocktail recipes told through the story of Scandoval.
Toy Car of the Year
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From Air Hogs; it can drive on the wall and ceiling.
Under-Eye Erasers
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These “Faded” eye masks from Topicals will help one look less exhausted.
Stuffed Shrimp
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Happy-Hour Hard Candy
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Pastiglie Leone’s pastilles taste just like Aperol.
Whit Lit
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Interviews with and essays from the filmmaker on the occasion of a FIDMarseille retrospective.
Festive Bib
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A machine-washable tartan number from Alimrose.
Small-Batch Body Oil
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Made in the English countryside, it can be used everywhere from the face to the cuticles.
Early-Aughts Flip-Flops
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Havaianas, if you haven’t heard, are back.
Wooden Toy Compass
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A good way to amuse the kids on a hike; from Kikkerland.
Cult Amatriciana
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From the Roman restaurant Roscioli’s new Soho outpost.
Fun (But Not Kooky) Glasses Holder
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Made from wooden beads designed by Ina Seifart.
[Editor’s note: This glasses holder is currently out of stock, but we’ll update this post when it’s available again.]
Little-Doodad Holder
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The owners of the concept shop Iko Iko spotted these at a store in Japan and brought them to L.A.
Side-eye Stickers
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Grouchy goldfish and fluke say things like “I’ve seen better” and “Yikes.”
[Editor’s note: This book is currently sold out everywhere, but you can sign up for restock notifications on the Brass Monkey Goods product page.]
Brian Dillon’s Likes
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The writer on all of his art-world fascinations.
Snoopy String Lights
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He’s dressed up as Santa and sweetly clutching Woodstock.
Beyoncé’s Setting Spray
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By Patrick Starrr; what Queen Bey used to get through all of the Renaissance World Tour.
Mini-Dogs
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Truly miniature, each one is just one inch long and designed by Diana Rojas. The bun depicts realistic flakiness.
Sardine Holder
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This terra-cotta Lateira, made in Portugal by artist Rui Pereira, perfectly fits a single tin of fish.
[Editor’s note: This single Lateira is currently out of stock, but you can get a four-pack of them for $100.]
Nutcracker Knee-Highs
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For up to age 6 from 125-year- old Barcelona sock brand Cóndor.
Horny Patch
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Ingredients include raw hemp; best applied to the forearm.
Giant Mushroom Hat
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Cult Apricots
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Andy’s Orchard’s Blenheims are sought after annually by savvy fruit hunters.
Angelic A5
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A chita pattern adorns this notebook from 100-year-old Lisboan stationery shop Emílio Braga.
Italian Toothbrush
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Ceviche Knife
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Deadstock AA
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Tights from a simpler time (a.k.a. before American Apparel’s 2015 bankruptcy).
More Than a Necklace
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A photographic history of nameplate jewelry.
Dramatic Oven Mitts
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Heat protection all the way past the elbows.
HBCU Bobblehead
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There’s this Howard University Bison and a Morehouse Tiger and a Morgan State Bear.
Toothpaste Squeezer
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Viral Lips
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Hailey Bieber’s popular peptide lip treatment promises to plump them up.
Efficient Cutlery
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Japanese-made interlocking outdoor-eating set; the knife doubles as a bottle opener.
Pleasant Spritz
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A rose-scented essential-oil spray meant for faces, bodies, and bedsheets.
Baby Curry-Leaf Plant
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Useful for a home cook who makes South Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine.
Emo Boys
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Lots of photos of Jimmy Eat World, Jawbreaker, and the Get Up Kids; forward by Chris Carrabba.
Spiral Toothbrush Holder
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From a new stainless-steel-forward design studio in Seoul. (DM @tudes_official for U.S. shipping.)
IYKYK Tennis Hat
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Honoring the bagel (when the set ends with a score of 6-0) from a local tennis line.
Spanish Hiking Socks
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From Thunders Love; made in a small village in northwestern Spain.
Bebé’s First Flash Cards
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Spanish and English ABC’s from Mudpuppy.
Finnish Hand Towel
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Featuring Sniff, a character from the popular Moomin series. Apparently he’s greedy and somewhat cowardly.
Immersive Bluey
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She finally has her own video game, which allows fans to explore the Heelers’ dreamy mid-century-modern house.
Fusion Desserts
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The Dusky Kitchen blogger’s take on Filipino American sweets.
Kitchen-Sink Toy
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A lot’s going on in this Miniland Sensorial Reef (multiple sea creatures, an octopus rattle, fish sounds), but that’s just what babies like.
Snuffle Mat
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Place little treats within the carrot greens to stimulate your bunny’s foraging instincts.
Tool Mag
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The third edition of this French zine is all about things that fold.
Liqueur Seeds
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Make absinthe, rue, and anise from a windowsill garden with this set from Piccolo.
Tiny Turntable
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Kids can drop a rhyme and the internal DJ on this Fisher-Price set will actually mix it into a song.
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