14 Gifts for People Who Have Everything
By Dorie Chevlen and Samantha Schoech on 16 June 2023
Everybody has one person in their life who’s nearly impossible to shop for: They own everything they could possibly want or need, they don’t like tangible gifts, or they’re hopelessly picky. Shopping for them can be a daunting task, so we’ve gathered our best recommendations—including consumable treats, subscriptions and gift cards, and small luxuries they may not splurge on for themselves—to surprise and delight even the hardest-to-please recipient.
1
The Rolls Royce of pencils
This cult-favorite pencil was once used by the likes of John Steinbeck and Chuck Jones but was discontinued in 1998. In 2010, a small California company revived the Blackwing 602, and now a new generation is obsessed. (Including our editors.) Everything about the Blackwing—its comfortable grip, its replaceable rectangular eraser, its polished appearance—is appealing, but the real star is the soft, smooth Japanese graphite, which writes like a dream, leaving crisp, dark lines on the paper. It’s like no other pencil we’ve tried, but at $30 for a box of 12, it is a little luxury—which makes it perfect for the person who has everything. In fact, these pencils could be a yearly gift for all the have-everythings in your life.
2
Gourmet salt
Any chef worth their salt keeps a container of the stuff near the stove at all times. This ceramic salt pig is a favorite for good reason: It has an easy-to-use, hand-sized mouth and an unglazed interior for absorbing salt-ruining moisture. The curve of the snout (do we call it a snout?) protects salt from errant cooking drips and splashes. It comes in red, white, or black, and your hard-to-buy-for gift recipient can put it in the dishwasher. Bundle it with a 3-pound pail of Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, the crunchy English sea salt that improves everything from brownies to pork chops and feels like a little luxury with every use.
3
Artsy plant savers
They look like art, but these ingenious straws from Sweden are actually doing the important work of keeping plants alive. One end of the simple metal tube goes into a water vessel, such as a vase, and the other goes into the soil of a moisture-loving plant. The cotton cord strung through the tube slowly soaks up water from the vessel to keep the plant moist and happy. Available in a variety of colors and sizes, they seriously simplify watering. The shipping, however, is a bit of a shock: $15 for a set of two straws turns a $50 purchase into a $65 purchase.
4
Pop secret
Just because someone seems to have everything, that doesn’t mean they have all of the best things. If your gift recipient enjoys popcorn but has been popping up feeble bags of the microwave variety, give them an upgrade with this popper and serving bowl in one. One of our favorites among the popping methods we’ve tried, this microwavable silicone bowl is dishwasher safe and collapses to about 2 inches for easy storage. With this bowl, your giftee can spark—er, pop—joy with their own kernels and seasoning. Irish butter, extra-virgin olive oil, or nutritional yeast will prove to be far superior to the Day-Glo yellow stuff.
5
Refined writing
Though your loved one most certainly has a junk drawer full of writing implements, they probably don’t have a pen this luxurious. The Caran d’Ache 849 Brut Rosé ballpoint pen is one of Wirecutter’s favorites. With a beautiful rose-gold finish—made with 1 to 2 microns of real gold—and a hexagonal shape, this pen is a pleasure to look at. And thanks to its smooth-gliding tip, jotting down a to-do list feels as stately as penning one’s memoirs.
6
Weighted comfort
For someone who’s under stress (which is basically everyone these days), a weighted blanket can mimic the coziness and comfort of a tight hug from a loved one. The most beautiful weighted blanket we’ve tested, the Bearaby Cotton Napper is stylish and as comfy as an oversize sweater. The Napper’s fat cotton yarn is knit loose and loopy, and the blanket is warm yet doesn’t overheat. It comes in several jewel tones and pastels.
7
A one-of-a-kind notebook
Sure, your gift recipient can jot their grocery list in the Notes app or scrawl their thoughts in a Google Doc, but nothing beats the analog pleasure of writing in a notebook. And although this person may already have a utilitarian notebook or pad, like one of our picks, we’re guessing they don’t have anything as pretty or personal as this handsome, two-tone offering from Papier. These notebooks are ultra-customizable: You can choose lined, plain, or bullet-dotted paper, and you can select from nine color-blocked hardback covers. There’s also an option for a lengthy monogram, such as initials or even a quote. The paper is thick, the binding lies flat, and the penning possibilities are endless.
8
Fast film photos
Yes, the hard-to-please person on your gift list already has a smartphone with a high-quality camera. Even better, though, is our new favorite find, the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo. It’s a hybrid camera that offers all the analog charm of instant prints but gives you digital control over Instax Mini film printing thanks to a small LCD screen. Through a smartphone app, even the moderately tech savvy can fiddle with additional features such as remote shooting. Just don’t forget to include plenty of film—it typically costs about 60¢ per photo—so your loved one can snap freely.
9
A one-of-a-kind notebook
Sure, your gift recipient can jot their grocery list in the Notes app or scrawl their thoughts in a Google Doc, but nothing beats the analog pleasure of writing in a notebook. And although this person may already have a utilitarian notebook or pad, like one of our picks, we’re guessing they don’t have anything as pretty or personal as this handsome, two-tone offering from Papier. These notebooks are ultra-customizable: You can choose lined, plain, or bullet-dotted paper, and you can select from nine color-blocked hardback covers. There’s also an option for a lengthy monogram, such as initials or even a quote. The paper is thick, the binding lies flat, and the penning possibilities are endless.
10
Caffeine fiending
The coffee drinker on your list may already have a French press or a drip maker they like, as well as all the mugs they’ll ever need. Instead, deliver them some beans they may not have tasted before. Atlas Coffee Club is the most global-minded of our recommended coffee subscription services, sourcing not only from coffee-growing giants like Brazil and Colombia but also from less-expected destinations such as India and Peru. Since Atlas works directly with local farmers, it’s able to experiment with how the beans are produced; one recent project involved using anaerobic fermentation to draw out more-complex flavors. Your lucky gift recipient can choose their roast and grind preference, and you choose how many deliveries you’d like to sponsor (one or two bags per month, for three, six, or 12 months). Each delivery also includes a postcard with fun facts about that country’s coffee industry, so your giftee can learn as they sip.
11
Handsome hydration
Since water bottles have a tendency to be lost or left behind, it’s hard to acquire too many of them. Encourage the person on your shopping list to drink more H2O by giving them a splurgy, beautiful bottle, one that is also a joy to drink from. The Purist Mover is one of the best water bottles we’ve tested, with an elegant exterior and a glass-lined interior that prevents flavor transfer.
12
Unmatched sleep tracking
Sleep, or lack thereof, is a modern obsession. Give the person who has everything the gift of knowing the ins and outs of their unconscious patterns. We’ve tested and admired the original Oura Ring and found that it accurately monitors sleep, activity, recovery, temperature trends, heart rate, and stress. Data nerds and health nuts alike will find it fascinating. It’s compatible with Apple Health, Google Fit, Health Connect, Natural Cycles, and Strava, and our testers report that the titanium ring with embedded sensors is comfortable enough to forget about. The latest model, which we’re now testing, has enhanced sensors, blood-oxygen monitors, and the ability to potentially detect illness by alerting the wearer of metrics that are outside their baseline.
13
Endless fizzy water
By using a soda maker to carbonate their own seltzer, your gift recipient will save money they would have spent on store-bought soda (and they’ll also be helping the environment by creating less packaging waste). On top of that, a soda maker is fun to have on hand for creating bubbly drinks at cocktail parties or just providing more-exciting hydration. For all of these reasons, the Drinkmate OmniFizz Special Bundle, the top pick in our soda maker guide, is a great gift. If you think your giftee won’t want to participate in a mail-in cylinder-exchange program, be sure to buy the soda maker alone rather than in a bundle with CO2 included.
14
A portable modern light
Equal parts flashlight and statement piece, the battery-powered Marset FollowMe Portable Table Lamp, by Spanish industrial designer Inma Bermúdez, can stay lit for five hours (or 20 hours at quarter-brightness). The LED bulb delivers a warm and comforting glow, so this lamp is delightful on an al fresco table, as a child’s night-light, or as a worry-free candlelight alternative. And even the person who has everything may not be able to find everything, including their flashlight. As power outages become more common, the Marset lamp can take both the frantic rummaging and the existential dread out of an evening or two sans electricity.
