The 28 Best Gifts for the Home, From Host Gifts to Cold Plunges

Put this pair of hand-blown flute glasses to use immediately. NYE Champagne just tastes better in beautiful glassware.

Opal glass and aged brass: a timeless combo that’ll brighten up any room. Make sure to buy some bulbs to go with it.

Faribault is one of just two vertically integrated woolen mills left in the U.S. and they turn 160 next year. Make sure to share that tidbit when you gift this classic blanket (or literally any of their other best-in-class, American-made wool blankets).

Specifically made for open concept and areas with vaulted ceilings, the Pura Plus is controlled entirely through an app, which allows you to adjust fragrance intensity, set schedules and timers, and change the color of the light. It’s noteworthy for a few reasons: You can load two scents in at once and oscillate between them both, they last a crazy long time (up to 120 hours) and there are an abundance of really, really great options. As diffusers go, this one rules.

I personally tested this exact fire pit this year, so you can trust me when I say this 27-inch size in handsome, weathered corten steel is the ultimate backyard centerpiece. You’ll need to help them carry it back there, though.

A minimalist, two-piece, felt-lined, stackable case. In the larger compartment you’ll find four box pillows for storing watches; the smaller has dividers for organizing whatever other trinkets they have lying around.

If they didn’t score Oasis tickets, get them a framed Sonic Editions print to ease the sting. If they did get Oasis tickets, even better.

There are tons of nontraditional clocks out there. But the Author Clock — which replaces standard time with over 13,000 literary quotes, from Kafka to Conan Doyle — has got to be the most ingenious.

Wax Buffalo makes some of our favorite candles, but this one is particularly special: a limited-edition, cocktail-inspired scent, with a vessel that they can use as a glass afterwards. 

Old-school bar carts, with their wood, brass and leather finishes, are good for drinking Scotch alone or with a friend. This new-school bar cart from Schoolhouse, especially in persimmon, is made to party.

Super light (under six pounds) and super smart (it adapts the suction depending on conditions), this Dyson makes vacuuming fun. Seriously, they’ll thank you for their new excuse to do chores.

I was gifted one of these monogrammed bocce sets from L.L. Bean, and it’s become my go-to lawn game. A nice personal touch, without any real extra work on your end.

Honestly, anything from the collaboration between Brooklinen and Kule would make for a fantastic present. But this Turkish cotton robe in red, white and blue stripes will turn them into a house robe person. Guaranteed.

When your host hands you an expertly prepared cocktail the moment you walk in the door, the least you can do is hand them these seasonal coasters in return.

Oh this isn’t a bucket, sir. “Really?” This is so much more than a bucket.

Hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, a foreword by Steven Spielberg, all wrapped up in a stunning two-volume set that’ll look great on their coffee table.

There’s no end to the use cases for this delightful little dish. At five inches wide, it can hold a bar of soap in the bathroom, mixed nuts on a party table, jewelry on a nightstand — and with eight different colors, you might as well get one for every room.

Every good holiday party needs a board game, specifically one that’s easy to learn and addicting. Wavelength, an inventive social guessing game, will win over even the anti-game Grinches out there.

Are they always trying to convince you to read some new literary fiction? Is their bookshelf obsessively arranged? Then they need this sculptural bookstand so they can display the latest title on their TBR list for all to see.

Fresh bath towels are a gift that may not seem particularly thoughtful at first glance, but when they use these cotton waffle towels from Onsen for the first time, you can expect a plush experience.

I’ve stopped using shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles and switched to HiBar’s luxurious (and long-lasting) solid bars. This sampler set is the perfect gift, as they can test out a few options to see if they like the formulas without committing to a full-size bar. (Spoiler alert: they’ll love them.)

Candles don’t have to be a cop-out gift. Case in point: the Pasta Water Candle from D.S. & Durga and Rockefeller Center pappardelle destination Jupiter. Better wrap up some matches with it, because otherwise the recipient is going to drop everything and search for them anyway.

Earlier this year, Herman Miller revived the Rohde Easy Chair, a design from the company’s first design director, Gilbert Rohde, which dates back to 1941. The archival reissue is available in a number of upholstery options and will arrive after Christmas, but it’ll be worth the wait. Put a photo in a card for them to open.

You could give them an expensive membership to that hip new spa where they’ll fight for space in the cold plunge. Or you could just give them a spa-quality cold plunge they can use any time they damn well please.

There’s a reason I recommend Aura’s digital picture frames every year: it’s still the best gift my wife, my mom and my grandmas have ever gotten in their lives. Easy to set up, anyone can add photos from anywhere using an app, and they’re beautiful to boot.

Food storage containers: not sexy. Yeti food storage containers? Somehow sexy.

Out with the boring desk lamps! In with Gantri’s Tetris-style Task Light! Immediately liven up their workspace with this geometric, swivel-head design (and thankfully the dimmable bulb is included here).

If they’re going to go through all the trouble of actually chopping wood for their fireplace or fire pit, they deserve a waxed canvas log carrier like this. And maybe a frame for the bag to fit over, too.