100 Days of Holiday

Bokksu collects some of the best snacks from Japan and compiles them in a one-time or recurring monthly curated tasting box. I've both given and received a Bokksu and it is always a hit. Inside the unmistakable orange boxes, you'll find eats like seaweed tempura, green tea and lemon cakes along with Japanese candy such as yuzu gummies and matcha-strawberry Kit-Kats. What's more, Bokksu includes some info-packed literature explaining a bit about each, including historical and cultural significance. Bokksu boxes start at $40 a month for subscriptions and $50 for a one-time send.

CNET's Chris Wedel borrowed a pair of these glasses for an international flight, and will travel never travel without them again. "The ability to have as much display space as I need for work, and a comfortable viewing angle for watching movies or playing games, makes travel so much more bearable. The glasses are also great for working on the go once you arrive at your destination." For more details on them, you can check out CNET's review of the Xreal Air Pro 2 smart glasses.

Billed as the human dog bed, the Plufl has been getting a lot of play on TikTok and other social media channels, so we decided to try one. The "bed" actually comes in four pieces: the cover, two fairly long tube-like pillows and a slim, oval "mattress" made out of memory foam. You stuff everything inside the cover -- assembly takes about 15 minutes -- and lo and behold, you're looking at a giant dog bed (or a plush life raft that doesn't float) big enough for a human. Not only is it quite comfortable for homo sapiens, but our family canine immediately sought refuge in this much larger, roomier version of his bed. While the Plufl is slightly more suitable for small or average-size humans, as long as you aren't really tall, it should accommodate you. It comes in a few colors, and the cover is removable and washable.

BioLite has several portable lighting options, and the Alpenglow 500 is one of its more recent additions. It's a portable lantern that has multiple modes and color options. As its name implies, it delivers 500 lumens, and as CNET's David Carnoy notes, it is indeed pretty bright.

The step-down Alpenglow 250 offers 250 lumens for $15 less. Both are rated for 5 hours of battery life on the high setting and up to 200 hours on the low setting.

If you know someone who enjoys sparkling water, they'll love the convenience of churning out the fizzy stuff at home -- and it will save them money too. The SodaStream Terra is our top pick for the best soda maker for most people. It's easy to use and it has a slim design that doesn't take up too much counter space.

Lego is an absolute joy for all ages. The 2024 Star Wars Advent calendar includes six miniature figures -- including holiday versions of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker -- as well as 18 buildable toys, including favorites like the Millennium Falcon, Yoda's Jedi Starfighter and Darth Vader's Castle.

There are more-affordable portable blenders, like the Blendjet 2 and the Hamilton Beach Single-Serve, but the Ninja Blast, which lists for $60, is a step up from those models. It looks and feels more premium, and though it isn't superpowerful, it's a good option for making smoothies and protein shakes on the go or at home when you don't want to deal with a full-size blender. Additionally, you can drink right from the blender, as it has a leak-proof sip lid. Available in multiple color options and easy to operate, it has an 18 ounce-capacity and recharges via USB-C. 

Playing games with your kids can be incredibly rewarding, and so can playing games by yourself. The GoCube gives you the chance to do both. I've always wanted to know how to complete a Rubik's cube, but could never get the hang of it. The GoCube connects to your phone or tablet and takes you through the steps of solving a cube using "algorithms." It's the first time I've felt I had a handle on manipulating a puzzle cube without it being completely random. Learning a new skill as a dad, especially one that can impress your kids, is always worthwhile -- and the app even lets you play battle games with your kids to make it more family-oriented.

CNET's David Watsky tested all the top wine clubs, and FirstLeaf is his top choice for gifting to people with moderately experienced palates. If you've graduated from the Gallos and the Cupcakes and want to include more nuanced, complex and higher-priced premium wine in your life, Firstleaf Wine Club might be good for you too. Its palate quiz is one of the most involved, asking for varietal (Pinot Noir vs. Shiraz, for instance) preferences in addition to using several household name wines as taste benchmarks. 

This intelligent wine subscription service gets to know you by asking about certain tasting notes and qualities you might prefer in your perfect wine -- such as minerality -- in contrast to similar quizzes, which assume many don't know what that means. In short, this is probably the best wine club for a wine enthusiast who has the basics down and is ready to launch into expert wine-tasting territory.

Step up their VR experience by upgrading it with a Meta Quest 3, our top pick for the best VR headset of 2024. This headset allows for more-intuitive interactions, more-accurate precision, and realistic sensations, helping you immerse yourself better in the game or app. Plus, you can do more than just game on this set. You can also learn how to play the piano, attend workout classes in studios, and even attend your favorite band's concert, all from the comfort of your home.

If you know someone who wants to track their health metrics, but in a subtle way compared to using their phone or a smartwatch, the high-end Oura Ring 4 is the way to go. It can monitor their heart rate, activity and stress levels, plus sleep, and then they can see them all in the Oura app. This newest version, the gen 4, has an even sleeker feel than its predecessor. It also features a battery life that can outlast most smartwatches.

CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco says it’s her favorite wellness tracker and that “Oura’s personalized and actionable way of presenting biological readings makes its health metrics among the most useful of the wearables I’ve tested.” Read our Oura Ring 4 review.

The original Theragun Mini was already a very compact massage gun and this second-gen version is 20% smaller and 30% lighter, weighing only a pound. It easily fits in a backpack or purse and is great for travel. What's also new to this 2.0 model is USB-C charging, Bluetooth connectivity to the Therabody app on your iOS or Android device and the inclusion of three foam attachments (instead of just one) -- the Standard Ball, the Thumb and Dampener. While it doesn't have quite the power of one of Theragun's full-size devices, it's surprisingly powerful considering how small it is, with three speeds to choose from. I've tried larger massage guns in this price range, and it's just as powerful but half the size. The rechargeable battery is rated to last 2 hours at the lowest speed setting and a neoprene protective case is included. The Theragun Mini 2.0 comes in three color options.

A coffee subscription is about as foolproof a gift as it gets. As long as the person being gifted, ya know, drinks coffee and all. I've tested and enjoyed many of the top coffee subscription services including Trade, Equator and many others. One stands out as particularly giftable and that's Atlas Coffee Club. For one, the coffee comes from all over with lots of interesting roasts from Africa and Central America. Each bag arrives as if sent by a friend (in this case it has!) with a glossy postcard and some information on both the beans and the region they hail from. A three-month gift subscription starts at $60.

CNET's Lori Grunin owns all sorts of gaming laptops and consoles, but the Steam Deck OLED is her go-to gaming device. "It's not for everyone -- really just gamers who have large libraries of games from the popular Steam store," she says. And you'll want make sure that your giftee wants one, since once it's opened it can't be returned.

The more expensive OLED version is worth the extra cost over the older LCD model -- it starts at $549, versus $399 -- for the bigger, better screen, twice as much storage, faster Wi-Fi and longer battery life. 

Amazon's Smart Thermostat sets a new standard for the category. It has a clean, modern touchscreen design, and it's easy to use, whether you're adjusting the temperature at the thermostat, through the Alexa app or with Alexa voice commands with a compatible Alexa-enabled speaker or display. It earned a CNET Editors' Choice award for best value smart thermostat.