Sometimes you just want to make life a little easier, less stressful, or even a bit healthier for the ones you love. We’ve scoured the shops to find the best presents you can give to those who want to take a step back, relax, and breathe just a little bit easier.
1. Vitruvi Stone Diffuser
Soothing smells emanate from the elegantly designed Vitruvi Stone Diffuser line, which comes in a playful color palette that feels fresh. The diffusers are a non-toxic way to emit lovely wintertime scents like bergamot and frankincense or lavender and eucalyptus.
Buy it: Vitruvi, $123
2. Trace Softcover Notebook
Move over, adult coloring books. We want to trace. There’s something strangely calming, even meditative, about bringing these illustrations from Kyle T. Webster to life as we follow his ingenious lines. Pair it with the Squire Rollerball Pen from Baron Fig ($55) for an even more special gift.
Buy it: Baron Fig, $15
3. CBD Gummy Bears
These precious gummy bears add a bite of magic and calm with 20mg of broad spectrum CBD oil sourced from select strains of hemp cultivated in the U.S. Want to spice it up a little? Drop one into your champagne flute this New Year’s Eve.
Buy it: Penguin CBD $55
4. HidrateSpark3
Billed as the “world’s smartest water bottle,” HidrateSpark keeps you hydrated and in style with colorful hues and lighting technology that reminds you to drink up. A clever, easy-to-use app lets you track your intake, too.
Buy it: HidrateSpark, $59.95
5. Layers No.1 Weekly Planner Book
Get organized with this undated weekly planner (finally—one that removes the guilt if you don’t use it for a month!). The inside sheets are made from music sheet paper, as the book is created by a family-run music book maker in the U.K. The book itself has special binding so it lays flat, too, so no more fighting against floppy pages.
Buy it: The Completist, €20
6. Monthly Houseplant Box
Subscription boxes can be annoying; you never know what you’re getting. But this one is different. This one brings life—life!—into the house. Sign up for a monthly houseplant, air plant, or succulent. Shipping is included, and you’ll get a custom collection of plants and plant products on the regular. Houseplants are grown in California and come with care instructions and round-the-clock support.
Buy it: Cratejoy, $11.25/month
7. Octopus Multi Key Holder
This solid brass key chain made in Japan has six easily removable individual key rings (just remove the key you want by sliding the center button) so you don’t have to fight to get that house key to your friend when it’s time for her to cat-sit.
Buy it: Michele Varian, $25
8. Roomba i7+
Few things are more relaxing than a clean room. Enter the trusty Roomba, which continues to reinvent itself with dependable yet innovative technology. One of Roomba’s latest models, Roomba i7+, is the first robot vacuum to empty itself with the Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal system. It also comes with two anti-tangle rubber brush rollers and Imprint™ Smart Mapping technology, which adapts to your home for customized cleaning.
Buy it: Roomba, $563
9. Post-Poo Drops
No one wants to go to the bathroom right after the party guest who’s been in there, well, too long. Thankfully Aesop has you (or that smell) covered with these somewhat surprising Post-Poo Drops. The botanical bathroom deodoriser effectively neutralizes unpleasant smells with crisp notes of citrus peel and discreet florals.
Buy it: Aesop, $31
10. Buffy Sheets
Oh so soft and naturally dyed, these sheets will help even the most restless of sleepers get a solid night of Zs. They’re hypoallergenic and 100% plant-based, so you can rest easy in more ways than one. All sets include a fitted sheet, top sheet, and two pillowcases. Choose from colors like the new light blue and blue, launched this fall and developed by natural dye and textile experts like Brooklyn’s Maria Elena Pombo and Seattle’s Kathy Hattori.
Buy it: Buffy, $175–$225
11. Decision Coin
For that friend who’s always paralyzed with indecision. You know, the one who can’t even make up his mind about what to watch on Netflix, let alone where to grab drinks. Perhaps this will help. The 100% solid brass coin is engraved on both sides with “Yea” or “Nay.” It makes a great stocking stuffer.
Buy it: Bespoke Post $22
12. Little Panic, Dispatches from an Anxious Life
If you’re looking for a book to help you through a tough time or want to hear from someone you can relate to when it comes to anxiety, look no further than Amanda Stern’s Little Panic, Dispatches from an Anxious Life. Amanda’s raw yet approachable memoir tells the story of her own childhood and how she coped with what she later realized was panic.
Buy it: Grand Central Publishing, $17.99
13. Portable Aromatherapy
There’s no shame in taking a moment to breathe, especially during the hectic holiday season. The ESYM Scent Pod gives you a breath of fresh air and serenity with scents like lavender you can keep in your pocket or purse for a whiff of stress relief at any time.
Buy it: ESYM, $26
14. Timex x The Met Nisada 40mm Watch
Just need to disappear for a while? The Timex x The Met watch features a rendition of the classic Modern Easy Reader with a captivating detail from The Actor Nakamura Fukusuke I as Asahina Tōbei, a woodblock print created in 1854.
Buy it: Timex, $99
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