This time of year has a lot of happy and bright things to be excited about, but it can be stressful if you don't know what to get your mom, dad, best friend, coworker, or kid's teacher as a holiday gift. Whether you enjoy or dread buying gifts for people, it's safe to say that we all want to give our loved ones things they will enjoy and appreciate. But there's a lot of noise, junk, and bad deals disguised as good deals to sift through as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Let us at Engadget help you get through it. Here you'll find all of our Christmas gift guides collected in one place, so you can more easily find the best Christmas gifts you need this year. Are you looking for white elephant gift ideas? Are you struggling to find a good gift for the father figure in your life? Are you looking for a good board game for your own family? We've got you covered with gift ideas for all of those scenarios and more. We'll update this post as our gift guides hit the internet, so check back for even more gift ideas throughout the season.
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Best White Elephant Gift Ideas
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According to legend, the king of Siam gave a white elephant to courtiers who had bothered him. The recipient had no choice but to simply thank the king for such an opulent gift, knowing that he probably could not afford the maintenance of such an animal. This would inevitably lead to financial ruin. This story is almost certainly false, but it has given rise to a modern holiday staple: the white elephant gift exchange. These gift ideas will not only make you laugh, but they will also make your recipient feel (a little) overwhelmed.
Read more: The best ideas for giving white elephants
The best board game gifts
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We could all use more time away from screens of all types and sizes, and board games are a fun way to do so and bond with friends and family. You can find many unique sets now, from word puzzles to crime novels and relaxing games that show the beauty of the little things in life. From games with giant monsters to games with haunted mansions, we're sure that at least one of our suggestions will be a hit with you and your loved ones.
Read more: The best board games to give as gifts this season
The best retro gaming gifts
It seems like a million new video games come out every week, but for some of us, nothing beats the classics. If you know someone who likes retro games but doesn't feel like scouring eBay and local stores for gear to add to their collection, we're here to help. We've rounded up some of our favorite gift ideas for the nostalgic gamer in your life, from video scalers for vintage consoles to retro-themed books and artwork.
Read more: The best retro gaming gifts for the holidays
The best gifts for coffee lovers.
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When it comes to making a great cup at home, coffee nerds are constantly learning and love trying new things. Whether the person you're shopping for is a newly indoctrinated pour-over lover or an obsessive about every brewing parameter, we've compiled a list of the best coffee fanatic gear you can get this holiday season.
Read more: The best gifts for coffee lovers.
The best kitchen gifts.
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There are few things more rewarding than preparing good food for your friends and family. But after a while, it's easy to get bored with the same tried and true recipes. And what better way to inject some fun into your favorite home chef's routine than with a new kitchen utensil? To help you find the right gift for the cook in your life, we've put together a list of our favorite kitchen tools in a wide range of prices and categories.
Read more: The best kitchen gifts
<h2 class="caas-jump-link-heading" id="best-tech-toys-for-kids”>The best technological toys for children.
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We're all going through a budget crisis this year, but the good news is that when it comes time to give gifts to the young (or the young at heart), you don't have to spend a lot of money. Our list of our favorite tech, science, and design toys is packed with items under $100, with plenty of reuse so the fun can extend well beyond the holiday season.
Read more: The best technological toys for children.
The best gadgets for your pets.
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In Engadget's Slack rooms, our pets are high on the list of topics we chat about, right behind work-related tech topics, crazy current events, video games, and food. We've bought a lot of high-tech and low-tech things to keep our furry friends fed, occupied, safe and happy and we've rounded up the best of what we tried here. Maybe you're shopping for your own little boy or girl, or maybe you have an obedient pet parent on your list; Either way, the devices gathered here will make excellent gifts, in keeping with the enthusiastic tail wags (or distant meows) of our own fur babies.
Read more: The best gadgets for your pets
Check out the rest of our gift ideas here.
