Gifts for The Home | Holiday 2022

Elon Musk’s myopic totalitarianism about working at the office notwithstanding, more of us are working from home permanently these days. To truly enjoy the productivity boost that comes with the arrangement, it’s best to separate work from home life. A complete set of desktop work accessories definitely accomplishes that. This collection has everything you need from an organized holder for pens and office supplies, to a phone stand and computer stand, to an aesthetic cord organizer to a keyboard mat. Best of all, it’s all in solid walnut, aluminum, and suede.

Roasting garlic is one of the few kitchen jobs that justifies a specific tool. The easiest way to get the garlic out is squeezing it but the garlic itself is so hot that you’ll roast more of your skin than you will garlic. Having this roaster will save on foil and the squeezer will save on toasted nerve endings. It’s the best of both worlds.

If you’re buying something for someone who’s super into bourbon, it’s likely they’ve also turned one of their rooms into some kind of parlor. Parlors need accent pieces to really be parlors. and lazy Susans are great accent pieces — especially when they’re made from recycled bourbon barrels. These have the added benefit of personalization options.

Cookware is one area where it really pays off in the long run to invest in the high quality stuff. Those $15 pots from Walmart chip or warp the first time it gets a little too hot. Do the guy in your life the favor of ending their cheap cookware headaches and get them this Dutch oven. Their soup game will shoot through the roof.

Speakers are being put back into furniture like they were in the days of old console TVs and Victrola turntables, but now it’s all done with much better looking (and subtle) modern tech. The SYMFONISK picture frame hangs right alongside all the other wall decor, but one ups your other frames since it doubles as a speaker. It’s a collaboration between IKEA and Sonos, so you know the quality is going to be good.

Reusable food wraps are the kinds of products that people would probably use if they had them, but for many it’s an easy item to keep putting off buying. That makes it the perfect gift. This pack of wraps from United by Blue comes with a small, medium, and large wrap, so any and all of your non-liquid leftovers can be spared the environmental scourge that is excess plastic.

I’ve been reading Uncle John’s Bathroom Readers since I was a teenager and I can confidently say they’ve been more engrossing than most of the books I’ve read for school. Each edition is full of the kind of information that will make you a better bar trivia teammate. The most recent is the 35th anniversary, which goes to show there are a lot of people out there looking for alternatives to their phones when they head into the toilet.

These pants split the difference between pants for extended trips, society pants, and pajama pants for lazy days in. They feel more presentable than pajamas, so it’s acceptable to run a quick errand or two in them without getting self-conscious, but they’re so comfortable wearers won’t be racing to change when they get home.

Coup is great game because it’s easy to learn but difficult to master — especially when playing with friends who know all of each others tells. Basically, you’re supposed to lie and buy your way to victory using different character cards while other players try to call each other on their lies. It’s they type of game that can last for hours but is fast paced enough to play a few rounds while waiting for the night’s main event to start.

It’s easy to take kitchen aprons for granted. But anyone who has one knows that they’re more than an indulgence hanging on the hook in the kitchen. It’s an added layer of convenience, practicality, and protection on days when a couple of hours are spent in the kitchen. If your giftee loves working in the kitchen, they’ll be grateful for an apron, whether or not they know it right now. $65

Anyone who has a wood-burning fireplace knows how important a log carrier is. Those who have a fireplace and lack a log carrier don’t know how much extra work they’ve been putting into their fires. The right log carrier is durable enough to repeatedly move wood, but shouldn’t look shabby next to your fireplace. The waxed canvas log carrier from L.L. Bean checks those boxes.

Reed diffusers have a few legs up on scented candles. For one, it’s nearly impossible for them to burn your house down, which is a quality anyone can appreciate. They also typically have a bit better of a scent throw, along with a few more options for those scents, making them a good choice for the larger rooms in your house that might be underserved with a candle.

It feels like just about everyone got into either baking or house plants over the course of the pandemic, including the guy you’re looking to buy a gift for. When it comes to the latter, there’s no denying that not everyone has a green thumb. These stone plants (yes, they’re living, don’t let the name fool you) look truly weird. The indoor gardener on your gift list just might appreciate that after all of the failed propagation and basic looking house plants. It’s also super low maintenance like, well, a rock.