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Give her a gift she’ll love this holiday season.
Americans returned over $70 billion worth of goods after the 2017 holiday season, with 28% of those surveyed reporting that they returned at least one gift, according to a survey conducted by Optoro, a return optimization platform. Of those returns, a whopping 75% was clothing or accessories.
In other words, if you’re thinking of buying your wife a sweater for Christmas, don’t. Instead, opt for one of these 10 gifts that even the most discerning of wives will keep this holiday season.
If she loves snapping pics on her smartphone: Kodak Mini 2 Photo Printer, about $90 on Amazon
Long gone are the days when you brought a roll of film to the pharmacy and brought home a stack of printed photographs. But the desire for printed photos is still here (haven’t you noticed that big photo wall in your house?), which is why the Kodak Mini 2 Photo Printer is such a good gift. It allows users to print 2.1-by-3.4-inch photographs directly from Android or iOS devices. “You take so many photos you don’t have the time to print out,” Chandra Steele, senior features writer at PCMag, says, noting that the printer is one of the only of its kind available for under $100. Read more about this product here.
If she lives on coffee: the Ember Smart Mug to keep her coffee the perfect temperature, about $90
The Ember Smart Mug keeps hot drinks at a perfect 120-140F temperature for an hour without needing a charge, and all day if you leave it on the charging coaster. The Ember App allows users to set temperatures, customize presets and receive notifications. “Whether you’re wrapping gifts or reading a book, the mug is not going to go cold,” Steele notes. Read more about this product here.
Did your wife forgo sleeping to watch Making a Murderer? Is she emotionally invested in the guilt or innocence of Adnan Sayed? Does she know at least two states where Ted Bundy was charged with murder? Then the murder mystery box from Hunt A Killer is the exact experiential gift you need for her. It allows users to play the role of detectives, piecing together the clues of a small town murder to reveal the killer. “It will take you through at least five date nights,” says Kristin McGrath, an editor and shopping expert at Offers.com and BlackFriday.com. Read more about this product here.
And experiential gifts like these are one way to help ensure a gift will be appreciated rather than discarded, says Trae Bodge, a smart shopping expert at truetrae.com and MarketWatch contributor. “I’m definitely seeing a trend towards more experiential gifts, especially amongst millennials,” she says. “People want to do and see more this holiday season.”
If she’s often multi-tasking: Amazon Echo Show 5, about $90
Along with playing music, answering questions and organizing your life, the Amazon Echo 5 now has a 5.5-inch screen that can play any visual content available on Amazon Prime AMZN, -0.52% — perfect for people who like to watch shows while whipping up a meal. Read more about this product here.
Gifts like this will be popular this holiday season, experts say. Steele notes that people are really starting to accept voice assistance in their homes and that “this is the first holiday season where many virtual assistants now come with screens,” she notes. Read more about this product here.
If she is ready for a little R&R: the Parachute Cloud Cotton Robe, about $99
Who says you need to leave the house to have a decadent experience? According to McGrath, the Parachute Cloud Cotton Robe will transport your wife to a hotel or spa. Made of 100% long –staple Turkish cotton — which is a plush, thick material that never gets soggy, — this roomy robe is the ultimate accessory for a day relaxing at home. Read more about this product here.
If she loves to read: the brand-new Kindle Paperwhite, about $90
Steele suggests the Kindle Paperwhite, which displays 300 pixels per inch — a marked improvement from the basic Kindle’s 167 pixels inches per inch. The improved image saturation makes the text crisper, allowing the screen to look like an old school paperback even in bright sunlight — perfect for reading on the beach. The device is also waterproof, and has a built in adjustable light. Read more about this product here.
If she’s always on the go: Enso rings, starting at $8.99, with an additional $39.99 for engraving
Is your wife constantly misplacing her wedding ring? Or taking it off so that it doesn’t get lost? Put her mind at ease with an Enso ring. Made of silicone, Enso rings can be finished to look like metal, and are great daily stand-in for precious wedding bands. For extra personalization, they can also be engraved on the inside. “It’s really meaningful when you get someone a gift they can wear every single day,” McGrath says. Read more about this product here.
If she loves beauty products: The Super Duo set from Glossier, available for $40
Beauty products are one of the least likely items to be returned, according to the survey by Optoro, accounting for only 13% of overall returns. “Show your wife you know more than she thinks you do about beauty items by buying her a set from Glossier,” McGrath suggests. Founded by beauty blogger Emily Weiss in 2014, Glossier is currently one of the internet’s hottest brands—the brand announced that it raised $100 million in funding in March, and is valued at $1.2 billion by The Wall Street Journal. It’s best known for allowing users to sport a natural, “no-makeup” look while still looking their best. For starters, try the Super Duo, which comes with two serums—Super Bounce, which rehydrates the skin, and Super Glow, which energizes skin and restores natural glow. Read more about this product here.
Let’s be honest. If you kept every piece of artwork your kids made, you’d drown in paper. Print Art Kids takes your kid’s artwork and transforms it into usable items, such as notebooks, postcards and puzzles. Gifting one to your wife is “very heartfelt and personal,” says Bodge. Read more about this product here.
If you’re nervous about buying the wrong beauty product, then consider Birchbox, a subscription service that sends users four or five beauty samples every month catered to their specific skin and hair types. Subscribers can earn points if they buy the full-size versions of the products they like through the Birchbox website. “The stuff that arrives is stuff she’ll be excited to use,” Steele says. Even better? It spreads the Christmas joy out over however many months you pay for the service.
