Few people on your Christmas list will be easier to shop for than the techie. With so many great new Christmas gadgets on the market, you have your pick of everything from mega splurges to budget-friendly stocking stuffers.
Ready to start shopping for Christmas tech gifts? Check out this guide to picking the best tech gift this year.
Set a Budget
The first thing you’ll need to do when preparing for Christmas shopping is to set a budget. It might seem like a no-brainer, but many people falter in the face of sales.
Around two-thirds of people make purchases they didn’t plan to make because an item was on sale. That means willpower itself is no match for a tempting sale.
Start by setting a budget for the people in your household. These are the people you expect to see on Christmas morning.
If you have people staying with you from out of town, add them to the budget only after you’ve set aside ample funds for your family. You want to include them in your gift exchange but they may not have high expectations of the quality of the gift you offer.
Leave your splurges for spouses and children since you know what they’re more likely to use. Next, include gifts for your family out of town. These are the gifts you plan to mail well in advance of Christmas.
Make sure you choose smaller items that are lightweight. These items can quickly break the bank if you choose items that are too heavy to justify sending across state lines.
Last, add a budget for coworkers, teachers, neighbors, and anyone else you don’t have a close personal relationship with. The budget for token gifts should be small.
Never plan to mail a token gift. These should be handed out in person or at an event where you can properly greet the recipient.
What’s the Best Christmas Gadget to Buy?
The best tech gifts to buy depends on where a person falls on your list. Working in concentric circles, the people living in your household should get the highest dollar value gifts while your favorite cashier at the post office gets the lowest-priced gift.
Here’s an overview of some of the best gifts you can get based on the type of relationship you have with the recipient.
Spouse or Children
Most of the time, you already have an inkling of what your spouse or children want the most. You’ll know if your husband’s computer has a cracked screen or if your kids are old enough for earbuds.
Spend time browsing Christmas tech gifts that help supplement their existing lifestyles. With the growing number of telecommuters, everyone needs a good set of headphones.
It’s not a matter of whether they usually wear headphones or not, it’s more a matter of making sure the option is there.
Online school and telecommuting to work also mean having a reliable laptop. Families can no longer afford to have a laptop break because it could mean missing days or even weeks of school.
You need to make sure you have the most durable technology in your home that can withstand the daily wear of all ages. Brands like Lenovo offer options that fit even the tightest Christmas budgets.
It’s also a great idea to look into Christmas tech gifts that benefit the entire family. For example, many families are automating their homes.
Smart doorbells and home automation centers allow the entire family to stay connected. There are even smart refrigerators with family centers to help everyone track their schedules from day-to-day.
Consider a family gift if the tech lovers in your home already have the latest gadgets.
Visiting Loved Ones
Visting loved ones probably won’t expect you to splurge on a large flat screen for them to take back home with them. They’re the easiest gift recipients because they won’t expect the latest tech.
You can save money here by buying practical tech items. Again, quality headphones, travel gadgets, and other holiday-themed items are your best bet.
These gifts don’t require you to know the person’s shopping habits. It also doesn’t matter if these gifts don’t get used often.
Parents
Choose a gift for tech-loving parents that integrates easily with their existing systems. It’s a great idea to upgrade your mom’s surround sound as long as it doesn’t mean replacing her TV.
You also want to make sure you know what charging ports are required on the new technology before offering it to her. Some tech gifts are a pain because they render all your existing cables obsolete.
This means the gift recipient has to end up spending more money just to use your gift. Make sure you do the research so you are offering turnkey tech products like a Kindle or Alexa when buying products for your parents.
Out of Town Loved Ones
Mailing tech gifts aren’t always cheap. Most items larger than the palm of your hand are problematic.
Choose items that are no larger than an ink pen to mail to family members out of town. You want tech gifts like a clip-on UV tracker that measures healthy levels of exposure to the sun. This Christmas tech gift is only an inch long making it easy to ship out of town.
Christmas gadgets also need accessories. Don’t forget about stocking stuffer options like cell phone cases and travel bags for smart devices.
These accessories are typically lightweight and affordable making them an amazing choice to send off as Christmas gifts this year. You can also buy multiples if you already know what devices you’re buying for. Buying multiples takes the angst out of Christmas shopping while keeping you from forgetting anyone important.
Where to Find the Best Christmas Gadgets
Shopping online is, by far, the most convenient way to find Christmas gadgets. Look for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to find the best prices on your favorite tech items.
Here are the categories where you’ll find the best tech deals during these sales holidays.
Fitness
There’s always new wearables on the market during the holiday season. These devices range from Apple Watches to fitness trackers.
If you’re buying for a tech lover who also loves to workout, holiday sales are a great time to get new gadgets at low prices. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a Peloton to make an impression.
With the growing number of digital fitness tracking apps available, an iTunes or Google Play gift card can also go a long way.
Beauty
Check out beauty gifts during the holiday sales. At home spa gadgets like facial exfoliators and massagers are perfect for busy professionals.
These gifts are great ideas because they provide the option for self care. Turn the gadget into a gift basket filled with other beauty accessories.
Beauty gift baskets are easy to create on a budget especially when shopping at discount stores or in the clearance section of your favorite big box store.
Computers
You’ll find some of the best deals on Lenovo laptops during the holiday season. Give the gift of the latest computer by waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday steals.
There are usually prices so low you can by laptops for more than one person on your list. These computers range in function from the basic word processing Lenovo Ideapad to the high speed Lenovo Legion 7i gaming laptop.
Make sure you understand how the recipient plans to use the laptop before making a choice. The best computer option is one that fits the lifestyle of the person you give it to.
If they have a job that relies on complex graphics, getting a basic computer doesn’t allow them the flexibility to check up on work while at home. The same applies to the opposite situation.
A high tech gaming computer won’t make sense for a college student who prefers their phone or tablet for games. The purchased features will go unused making it a wasted investment.
New computers are constantly being released. Don’t attempt to buy for what you think the person will want in a few years. It’s always best to buy based on their current computing needs since they’ll likely upgrade in a few years anyway.
Entertainment
Entertainment gadgets are always being updated. Provide the latest Apple TV or Firestick as a compact Christmas gift.
These fun options are easy to send in the mail but might not be compatible with every TV. Make sure you know the person’s TV model before splurging on entertainment tech.
The Best Christmas Gadgets
Shopping for Christmas gadgets is easiest when you wait for the biggest sale days of the year. Tech gifts are available at mind blowing prices on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
If you can’t wait until these times, prioritize your recipient list according to your budget. Aim for multiples of fun accessories for people on your list that you don’t know well.
Paired with a holiday card, a token gift becomes the best way to say Merry Christmas. For more information and tips, visit our blog for updates.
