19 Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Truly Desperate

Wirefree earbuds have drastically improved over the past few years. They're easy to pair with little to no Bluetooth disruptions, have long-enough battery life to get through most listening sessions, and they won't drain your wallet. All of those reasons are precisely why we love the 1More ColorBuds. They're small and will fit most ears, the earplug-like sound blocking will cut ambient noise down, and they sound great for the price. Read our review for more details. Now that a lot of folks are working from home, good earbuds will make everyone's lives a little easier.

For the budding filmmaker, or really just anyone looking to get a smooth, clean take, this lightweight gimbal lets them capture glorious video with their smartphone. It’s foldable, has a magnetic grip, and gets 15 hours of battery life. It may be pricier than its predecessor, but it’s still affordable for a gimbal. Read WIRED writer Scott Gilbertson’s review here.

Yes, you really should be using a password manager, and so should your giftee. It will let your loved one simplify and secure their digital life. They can consolidate all their accounts in one place and easily generate and save robust passwords for their many, many logins. There are a bunch of password management options out there, but 1Password is our top overall pick. Just make sure this is something your giftee will actually use, so they don't wind up with all their sensitive passwords stored in a service they won't pay for after a year.

Gift subscriptions are a great last-minute gift option. Atlas Coffee Club is our favorite coffee subscription for single-origin beans. They also roast it right before shipping, which means your giftee will get more flavor from every cup. You can also schedule for it to be delivered every 2 or 4 weeks.

We're all alone in our houses—why do we need to brew more than one cup of coffee at a time? It’s hard to deny the convenience of a Keurig, but Keurig pods produce mountains of waste in the form of landfill-bound K-Cups (and no, even the ones the company says are recyclable can’t really be recycled). Enter the Braun. This high-end machine alternates between a full pot and a single cup with ease and doesn’t leave any plastic waste behind. Oh, and it’s also been certified by the Specialty Coffee Association.

Or perhaps your giftee prefers the convenience of having a jug of java in the refrigerator, quickly accessible during that afternoon slump. This pitcher makes it simple to brew a big batch of cold-brew coffee. They can just put some ground coffee into the filter, add water, and let it sit for a day. If they’re more of a tea person, we also like this classy Primula teapot and some delicious loose leaf tea.

Most small children get overwhelmed with presents around the holidays—it's easy for even a spectacular present to get lost in the pack. With a kids' gift subscription, you'll look like a genius as timely small packages arrive month after month. The Kiwi Crates are consistently one of our favorite gift crates for a wide variety of age ranges, with carefully curated activities that require minimal adult supervision.

In the absence of hair salons, facials, and massages, painting your nails is a fast, easy way to take care of yourself and still stay safe at home. Olive and June's nail polishes have big, wide brushes and a tool that makes it exponentially easier to do them alone without help. The prices vary, but these boxes come with a variety of tools and polishes to choose from. For more at-home grooming options, check out our guide.

Bidets had quite a moment this year. As many people panic-stockpiled toilet paper in the early days of the pandemic, others turned to a more civilized method of posterior hygiene. They've come a long way from the intricate setups of yore. This one has customized pressure and angling, and it helps cut down on the amount of TP needed. Nothing says, "I love you more purely than you can imagine" like a device for keeping their heinies clean.

Scratch that, we lied. There is actually one device that can demonstrate even more clearly how much you care about someone, and that's the Squatty Potty. Everybody poops, and there's a good chance it's not always pleasant. A squatty potty is a funny gift that's good for a laugh, but it can be really helpful. It fits right around the toilet and helps you mimic a squatting position, which reduces the bend in your colon. Squatting is how our ancestors did their deed. Everything goes a little smoother with a squat.

Do you have a work spouse? Want to give them a slightly passive-aggressive gift? This is one of WIRED writer Louryn Strampe's favorite cheap gadgets, and a necessity as we've all adjusted to working from home (and eating snacks, lots of snacks, at our desks or kitchen tables). Push out the microfibers and use them to clean out the crumbs from the keyboard. We also have plenty of other gift ideas for people you like but don't know very well in our Under $25 Gift Guide.

So many people got into gaming this year as a fun activity that's easy to do at home. This beautiful brawler was a huge hit at the WIRED (virtual) office and in the gaming world at large. It’s a colorful, creative hack n’ slash dungeon crawler with roguelike elements. (If those gaming terms mean nothing to you, just know that this thing is fun as hell.) You can gift it directly on Steam if your person is a PC gamer. There’s not a great way to gift games on other platforms, but luckily there’s an easy workaround …

Yeah, technically these are just gift cards, but they’re also a great way to tell your loved one, “I recognize that you are a gamer and I am OK with that because I love you.” The link below is for Steam if they're a PC gamer. But you can get various denominations from Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox.

Is your grandma still stuck watching broadcast? Introduce her to the joys of Frankie & Grace or Broadchurch with this little dongle, which is still our favorite streaming stick. It plugs right into a TV’s HDMI port and picks up a solid Wi-Fi signal. They’ll get a clear 4K picture and the thousands of apps available on Roku (including the big ones like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO Max). If you’re interested in getting more specific, here’s our guide to picking the best Roku player.

Is it even a gift guide without an Instant Pot? Say what you will about these ubiquitous devices, but families who have been cooking every meal, every day, for the past eight months will appreciate all the help they can get. Channel the pressure of last-minute shopping into this pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, and slow cooker—all in one. You can make just about anything in these pots by merely clicking a preset button. For more ideas, check out our guide to planning and cooking meals in quarantine.

If you're really out of time, you can't go wrong with a Spotify subscription. You can buy your music-loving pal six months of premium Spotify for $60. Unlike Apple Music, it works with every phone, tablet, smart speaker, and computer. You can buy digital gift cards from places like Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and even PayPal. Your giftee can redeem them here.

Are we suggesting you buy a WIRED subscription for your friends, family, neighbors, and the coworker you barely know whose name you drew for Secret Santa? Yes, we are! For $5 (discounted), you get 12 print issues of the magazine and unlimited access to the website with no ads at all. That money helps fund the kickass journalism (and actual product testing) we do here—and no one needs to know you only spent $5 on their gift.