One of the greatest joys of the holiday season—other than the endless supply of tasty Christmas cookies and getting to finally slow down enough to spend time with those we cherish the most—involves seeing the joy on the faces of family and friends as they open the gifts we’ve spent time picking out for them.
While some of these gifts are things they’ve specifically requested or items we know they need, sometimes you’re just looking for something, well, a little different. With that thought in mind, here are Newsmax’s best gifts for the holiday season, giving you a few options from which to choose.
1. MyHeritage’s DNA Testing Kit
One of the best parts of Christmas is being able to spend time with loved ones, reconnecting and sharing family stories. But when you give a MyHeritage DNA Testing Kit, you’re not just giving a present to celebrate your relationship with that person. You’re also giving them the ability to have even more relationships with their extended family.
With a simple swab of the inside of their cheek, MyHeritage will help them discover their ethnic origins while also using their DNA to connect them with family members they may or may not even realize they have. MyHeritage has millions of records on their platforms, so users have a good chance to discover unknown relatives.
2. Glacce Crystal Elixir Water Bottle
Many of us realize that we should be drinking more water, giving us a higher level of health. So, you could get the person you want to live a long, fruitful life a water bottle or you can get him or her a Glacce Crystal Elixir water bottle.
The Glacce bottle has a crystal in the center and is designed to “combine ancient healing traditions with a modern mind set.” Therefore, the goal of this bottle is to not only help improve their physical health, but to offer a higher level of spiritual well-being at the same time.
3. Uncommon Goods Personalized Oak Whiskey Barrel
Perhaps the person on your gift list is more into drinking whiskey than water. What better way to honor their love of this spirit than to give them their own personalized oak whiskey barrel from which to draw their tasty treat.
Handmade in Virginia, you can choose the 2 liter or 5 liter option and you also get to select whether you want a custom barrel and stand only, enabling them to add their favorite brand of whiskey, or a rum and whiskey making kit with several flavors each. This is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
4. Kiwi Crate Subscription
If the gift you’re looking for is for a child up to the age of 16 who enjoys making things or engaging with science, you can make his or her entire year by giving not just one gift, but a gift subscription that will bring them joy month after month. Kiwi Crate offers this ability.
All you have to do is pick the line of projects of you want (such as science and engineering or art and design) and your gift recipient will receive a package full of projects they can do each and every month. This is a gift that is more than just fun, because they’ll likely learn something too.
5. Succulents Box
Subscription gifts aren’t just enjoyed by kids. Adults love them too. Especially adults with green thumbs who would really like getting new plants every month to take care of and give a home.
Succulents Box delivers one, two, or three Californian-grown succulents per month and each box contains everything the person needs to adequately care for the plants. And if you’d prefer to just send a one-time succulent delivery, you can do that too.
6. The North Face Surge II Charged Backpack
Maybe the person on your gift-giving list travels a lot. Whether they’re on the road for business or pleasure, it’s likely that they’ve experienced the one issue that many people in transit face: the lack of access to a power source to charge their smartphones and other electronic devices.
With this charging backpack created by The North Face, the problem is solved. In all, it provides three-and-a-half full charges for their cell phone, MP3, tablet, or other USB devices. Now they can see the world without having to fall out of touch.
7. Wholefully Homemade Soup Mixes in a Jar
Some of the best gifts ever are those that someone has taken a bit of their own precious time to create. And when that gift warms the body and also fills the belly, it is even better.
Wholefully supplies recipes for six different kinds of soup—ranging from Italian barley to split pea to coconut curry—that you can give to the people in your life who either don’t like to cook or simply don’t have the time to get a pot of goodness going.
All you have to do is add the ingredients to a glass jar, attach a tag with instructions about how to make it, and you’ve got a gift that is infused with nutrition (and love).