EW's 2019 holiday gift guide

It’s the most shoppable time of the year.
By Marc Snetiker
November 20, 2019 at 12:00 PM EST
Meredith has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Meredith may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.

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EW's 2019 holiday gift guide

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

This cozy season, our gift to you is a gift guide free of gift guide ennui: We’ve done our best to scour the zeitgeist (plus several high-end elf workshops) to curate a list of exciting, practical, ever-so-pop-cultural products that holiday revelers will actually want to unwrap. Click onward for 60+ of our favorite picks in tech, toys, home, beauty, and food.

Pictured: Lagavulin Offerman Edition Aged 11 Years Single Malt Islay Scotch Whisky ($97 x reservebar.com)

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Fujifilm Instax Mini LiPlay Hybrid Instant Camera/Printer

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The modern paradox: Just as parents want to start digitizing all their photos, kids suddenly want to start printing them (in real life, on paper — the shock of it all!). Thankfully, this camera/printer hybrid quickly achieves both, leaving you plenty of extra time to scream internally about how technology is just a flat circle.

$159.95, fujifilmusa.com

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Sega Genesis Mini

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

This long-anticipated entry in the mini-console craze lets Sega step into the spotlight this season with over 40 classic pixel-perfect games including Earthworm Jim, ToeJam & Earl, Ecco the Dolphin, and your last pure memories of Sonic the Hedgehog before the (admittedly very exciting) live-action movie.

$79.99, sega.com

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Beats by Dre Solo Pro Wireless Headphones

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The first on-ear noise-canceling headphones in Dr. Dre’s signature line is a versatile, lightweight addition to the brand and confirms Beats as the hottest and best headphones in the biz, capable of making both the gift giver and recipient instantly cool — a true Christmas miracle.

$299.95, apple.com

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Beats by Dre Studio3 Wireless Headphones

Credit: Beats

Slightly more elevated than the Solo Pro, these studio-ready noise-cancelers might only seem meant for major music buffs on the surface, but the practical applications for Apple’s high-end headphone also extend to diligent students keen on concentration and exasperated adults hoping to silence roommates, neighbors, and occasional family members.

$349.95, apple.com

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Mighty Vibe Spotify Music Player

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

This portable music must-have lets users of Spotify Premium (the best 10 bucks you could spend a month, FYI) stream and store over 1,000 songs without needing their phones. Think of it as a modern-day iPod Shuffle specifically for people who have never heard of an iPod Shuffle.

$84.99, bemighty.com

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Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

If you hear the Thanksgiving-table boast “Somebody should give me a podcast,” consider calling that bluff with this easy starter microphone perfect for podcasting, YouTubing, Skyping, Twitch streaming, or doing ASMR with tortilla chips.

$99.99, logitech.com

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House of Marley Stir It Up Wireless Turntable

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

No vinyl? No cry. Earn your song redemption with this bamboo Bluetooth record player from the venerated House of Marley, touted as the most sustainably designed turntable on the market.

$249.99, thehouseofmarley.com

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Case-Mate AirPods Hook Ups Case

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

If you carry your AirPods in a bright neon charging case with secure carabiner and slim-fit grip and you STILL lose them? Honestly, that’s on you.

$19.99, t-mobile.com

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Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield (Nintendo Switch)

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The eighth generation of Pokémon takes design inspiration from Great Britain, so even as you enjoy the dynamic new additions to the Pokédex, you can trust that your clever joke about catching a Brexit has already been made approximately 150 times.

$59.99, nintendo.com

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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PS4/Xbox One)

Credit: Respawn Entertainment/Electronic Arts

This seasonal Star Wars standout follows a Jedi on the run after the infamous Order 66 given at the end of Episode III. That alone is a mainstream enough way in for casual fans to get involved with the game without having to have gone deep on Star Wars lore, but the title really shines with both a stellar performance from Shameless’ Cameron Monaghan and the kind of exotic new Star Wars planets, species, and droids you’d expect of any entry in the franchise.

$59.99, ea.com

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FIFA 20/Madden 20/NHL 20/NBA 2K20 (Multiplatform)

Credit: EA Games (4)

When the apocalypse is over and the empty world sizzles with silence and smoke, someone will still find a way to put out a new edition of Madden.

$59.99, nba.2k.com (NBA), ea.com (FIFA/Madden/NHL)

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Death Stranding (PS4)

Credit: Kojima Productions

Norman Reedus has made a career of traveling post-apocalyptic countrysides; in this ravishing PS4 game from Hideo Kojima, the Walking Dead star traverses the wasteland as a supply courier linking the United States’ surviving colonies with a communications network. It’s eerily prescient, powerfully weird, and unsurprisingly poignant — it is a Hideo Kojima creation, after all. Any gamer would be lucky to escape their own wasteland by spending a few days unraveling this must-play experience.

$59.99, playstation.com

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Xmas S.O.S. (Tech Edition)

Credit: GameStop

Completely lost? Level up whatever video game your kid is obsessed with by loading up a GameStop gift card (gamestop.com) with funds meant for downloadable content (the kids call it DLC). They’ll appreciate the premium boost they wouldn’t have otherwise had, and you’ll seem significantly more hip than you probably are.

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Mega Construx Game of Thrones Daenerys & Drogon

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The age 16+ label is no joke for this grown-up DIY model which manages to put more care and detail into the mother of dragons than Games of Thrones’ entire final season.

$69.99, mattel.com

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Disney Villainous

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The indisputable board game of the year is this deliciously addictive role-player starring iconic Disney delinquents like Ursula, Jafar, and Captain Hook. It’s not just that the gameplay is ferociously non-stop. or that essential standalone expansions are constantly adding more playable characters like Scar, Hades, and Yzma. But Villainous thrives because it encourages you to openly screw over players yet allows you to safely blame a majority of your evil behavior simply on method acting.

$34.99 (Villainous), $24.99 (Wicked to the Core; Evil Comes Prepared), target.com

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Hasbro Marvel Legends Series Avengers Power Gauntlet

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The entire EW office lost its damn mind over this massive bejeweled electronic fist from the Thanos (by Thanos) collection. Just imagine how your actual children will react. Be warned that it’s as geekily cool as it is absolutely gigantic.

$99.99, hasbropulse.com

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Lego Stranger Things: The Upside Down

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

Any former kid would tell you that there’s no source of euphoria quite like a giant Lego set. This season’s 2,287-piece de resistance is an astonishing, flippable, fascinatingly detailed recreation of the Byers house, the construction of which would make any Stranger Things fan Millie Bobby Proud.

$199.99, lego.com

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Blockbuster Retro Puzzles in VHS Video Case

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

Throw movie night back a few decades with these joyful jigsaws that pay as much homage to classic films like Animal House, E.T., and Sixteen Candles as they do to those chunky plastic Blockbuster VHS cases that almost definitely contributed to climate change.

$8.99, walmart.com

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: The Illustrated Edition

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

The fourth book in Jim Kay’s ambitious reimagining of J.K. Rowling’s masterwork will entertain and educate as much as any toy. After you’ve pored through the first three books, let Goblet of Fire take you away with Kay’s gorgeous artwork which includes magnificent new illustrations of three of Harry Potter’s best near-death experiences.

$47.99, scholastic.com

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Osmo Creative Starter Kit

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

If you’ve got an iPad or Amazon Fire to spare, this ingenious tech toy for budding artists animates your tot’s dry-erase drawings into adorable interactive adventures. And if you take our recommendation and your kid grows up to animate a Pixar movie in 20 years, EW reserves the right to demand royalties.

$69.99, bestbuy.com

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Pictionary Air

Credit: Pictionary

You’ll never triumph nor tank so hard on family game night than with this oh-so-extra extension of the classic Pictionary formula. Instead of sticking to paper and pen, you use smartphones and the fabric of space time to draw pictures in the air that are almost certainly going to be far more hilarious than intended. If the digital future is going to consume us all, might as well have fun with it.

$19.99, mattelgames.com

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Funko Pop!

Credit: Funko (4)

No toy company serves a bigger variety of pop culture interests than the Bobblehead heir apparent, Funko. The signature collectible Pop! line continues to grow in surprising directions, with some of this year’s highlights including Britney Spears with a snake, Rodney Dangerfield with a golf club, Patrick Mahomes with a football, and Don Draper with institutionalized misogyny.

$10.99, amazon.com

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Sesame Street Love to Hug Elmo

Credit: Sesame Street

A lifetime after he wanted to be tickled, Sesame Street’s cutest resident now just wants to be hugged. So do it. Hug him. Hug Elmo like your child’s entire happiness this Christmas depends on it.

$29.99, target.com

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Play-Doh Foam

Credit: Hasbro

Adults, listen up: Many moons ago, a vat of Play-Doh’s new Foam was sent to the EW office, where it has since been repurposed for stress balls, intricate if short-lived pop culture statues, and relaxing bouts of intense taffy-like elongation. It’s all to say that the great Instagram slime craze has led to the creation of this satisfyingly supple, shockingly therapeutic foam compound. Buy one container or buy a dozen, but trust that for adults, it’s a little gift that goes a long, long, and depending how far you pull it, loooooong way.

$3.99, hasbro.com

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A Is for Audra by John Robert Allman and Peter Emmerich

Credit: Doubleday Books for Young Readers

A true necessity for any kid’s bookshelf is this clever book of short poems dedicated to an alphabetical runthrough of Broadway’s most iconic leading ladies. Everyone from Audra McDonald to Liza with a Z gets a brief moment in the spotlight (after spending their careers in one) and may just inspire your budding thespian to go down a YouTube spiral that changes their playlists — and potential musical theater careers — forever.

$18.99, indiebound.org

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Disney and Pixar Buzz Lightyear Star Command Spaceship Playset

Credit: Disney/Pixar

If your child thought Toy Story 4 was too light on the Lightyear, let them come to the narrative rescue with this primo playset featuring Buzz and his cozy one-bedroom spaceship.

$79.99, mattel.com

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Xmas S.O.S. (Toy Edition)

Credit: Fat Brain Toys

If you have absolutely zero knowledge about the pop cultural taste of the child you’re spending money on, stick to safe educational gifts. The expansive collection at Fat Brain Toys (fatbraintoys.com) lets you shop by age and interest — and if you still don’t know either of those answers, you must ask yourself whether the real gift this child needs is a better relationship with you.

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Juniper Books Banned Books Set

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

In a world increasingly afraid of common sense, a completely sensible gift is this stylish packaging of once-controversial literary classics (next year’s contenders for which already include the U.S. Constitution and Peppa Pig Goes Apple Picking).

$195, juniperbooks.com

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Homesick Candles 

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

Homesick is wicked hot in the wax community thanks to their scented reminders of cozy state vibes representing everywhere from Seattle to New York to Philadelphia. If lighting them all doesn’t summon up nostalgia, at least you’ll summon up Tom Hanks from 1993.

$29.95, homesick.com

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Click & Grow Smart Garden 9

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

To all the plants you’ve killed before: Honor their memory with this incredible automated tabletop garden that does all the work to add fresh green life to your house of murder.

$199.95, clickandgrow.com

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Pottery Barn Friends Peephole Frame

Credit: Justin Fantl for EW

Short of surprising someone with an entire apothecary table, treat a Friends fan to this simple posh apartment accent that lets any door look like Monica’s even if the rest of the place looks like Joey’s.

$29.50, potterybarn.com

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