Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
Sometimes it’s the smallest presents — you know, the kind of things you stuff in a stocking or give at your office’s White Elephant exchange — that are the hardest. We put together our own list of ideas, but wanted to hear yours, too. Below, readers fill us in on the gifts they like to give when they’re looking to spend a little, but impress a lot.
Scratch-offs, Mast minis, literally anything from the bins while you wait in line at Sephora, travel-size bottles of booze, Weleda lip balm, a coffee shop gift card, and for a gag, but actually quite useful, the Wine Yoke. —Heather C., New York
I buy those prayer candles from a bodega and personalize them with a large sticker of my choosing. —Abby C., Georgia
Momofuku birthday cake truffles! Shipping ’em isn't as expensive as you'd think, and it's a cute/yummy NYC gift. —Carly L., New York
Silly Putty. Because it's legit still really fun. —Megan G., Ontario
Swell bottles FTW! I’m giving them to everyone this year. Also earbuds, because who doesn't need those babies? I love Happyplugs, which are designed in Sweden and come in all different colors, including gold, starting at $19.99. —Catherine K., New York
Lump o’ Coal soap from Little Seed Farm, gift cards, or something like a travel coffee mug. —Catherine D., Tennessee
A unicorn finger puppet set. —Stephanie H., New York
Chic bottle openers! I usually get them from Fort Standard, Sarah Cecelia, Anthropologie, or I’ll scour eBay and Etsy. —Emily A., New York
Whenever I'm in need of small gift, I head over to Set Editions. One year I got my husband these tie-breaking coins, which have little sayings on them that are supposed to break up an argument, and once I got my best friend these little cards that read "Stop Talking," for when you just need that chatty guy next to you on the bus to put a lid on it. (I sincerely hope she actually used them.) —Kelsey O., England
Truffle oil. Or better yet, Soom. —Daniel A., New York
Baggu reusable bags. They come in fun colors and patterns and are always useful. Also, you can wrap a gift with one! —Chandra S., New York
“Sophisticated” holiday candles (a.k.a. $20-$30 ones, like these from Thymes) are a great life hack for making people think you are way fancier than you are. I always try to go for a scent that basically smells like a Christmas tree, but has something extra (holiday spices! teak wood! amber!). —Zachary S., California
Sugarfina candy boxes! —Hannah F., Texas
My favorite things to give are Freakers beverage insulators. Why? They are relatively cheap, so they are great for stockings or any sort of gift exchange. Why else? They literally have a design for everything, like a T-Rex riding a bike or a “ramen poodle.” —Kyle J., New York
Bone Suckin' Mustard Sweet & Hot or Matouk's West Indian Hot Sauce. —Kate G., New York
Loading comments...