2025 Holiday Gift Guide and Top Ways to Save This Season

Summary of 2025 Holiday Gift Guide and Top Ways to Save This Season

by Chris Hutchins

1h 24m•November 19, 2025
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Overview of 2025 Holiday Gift Guide and Top Ways to Save This Season

Chris Hutchins (All The Hacks) shares a large, practical 2025 holiday gift guide with 80+ curated ideas across tech, kitchen, home, clothes, health, kids, games and learning — plus a detailed walkthrough of the exact tactics he uses to get 5–25% (or more) off most online purchases. Links, promo codes and discounts are collected at allthehacks.com/gifts (and show notes). Many items are personal favorites; some are community-suggested and noted as such. No paid placements dictate the list, though several sponsors appear.

Top picks, by category

(Shortlist of standout items and why they’re recommended)

Personal tech

  • Mod Retro Chromatic — premium handheld Game Boy-style console (great for retro gamers, travel).
  • Bamboo Labs 3D printers — A1 Mini ($200), A1, and P1S (enclosed, recommended P1S combo ~ $549) — great beginner-to-intermediate 3D printing options.
  • Moft Magnetic Wallet Stand — MagSafe wallet + stand (everyday carry).
  • Anker MagGo charging stand & Anker Prime power bank — reliable desk wireless charger and a plug-in power bank that doubles as charger.
  • Vintar universal travel adapter & Magix “Super Bagel” (community-recommended) — travel power solutions.
  • AirTags; AirPods Pro 3 — tracking and premium noise-cancelling earbuds.
  • Synology NAS (e.g., DS923+) — local + cloud backup/redundancy for big media/files.
  • DJI Osmo Pocket 3; Insta360 X5 — compact 4K camera and 360° capture for creators.

Kitchen, food & drink

  • Kosori 9-in-1 Turbo Blaze Air Fryer; Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro — countertop cooking staples (separate air fryer recommended).
  • Ninja Creamy — easy, high-protein / low-sugar frozen treats.
  • Countertop griddle & dual Belgian waffle maker — convenience + repeat-use favorites.
  • Ooni (Uni) pizza oven — great family gift; restaurant-quality pizza.
  • Instant Pot — versatile pressure cooker/multi-cooker (member-suggested).
  • Ratio coffee maker (pour-over machine); Breville Bambino (compact espresso); Ninja 12-cup (programmable) — coffee options for different budgets/tastes.
  • Vitamix 5200; immersion blender; Thermomix (~$1,500) — from reliable high-power blenders to the “kitchen robot” Thermomix (weights, cooks, chops — major splurge).
  • Coravin wine preserver; Zalto wine glasses; Ember mug — wine and coffee upgrades.
  • Small/novel kitchen gifts: Dash rapid egg cooker, smashburger kit, indoor herb garden kit, hot-sauce tasting set, Cocktail Codex book + coupe glasses.

Home

  • Eight Sleep (most recommended by community) — temperature-regulating sleep system; can buy cover instead of whole mattress.
  • Purple Harmony pillow (community pick).
  • Dyson cordless vacuum — high convenience; great for pet/household messes.
  • Toto Washlet (Japanese-style bidet seat) — major home comfort upgrade.
  • Aura Frames (wireless digital frame); StoryWorth (memoir subscription) — meaningful family-tech gifts.
  • Barefoot Dreams blankets; Nanoleaf / Govee TV/LED ambient lighting (member picks).
  • Dyson Airwrap / hair tools; Philips OneBlade 360 (shaving tool) — personal care upgrades.
  • FlexTail tiny air pump — powerful, pocket-sized inflator (under ~$30, great stocking stuffer).

Clothes & accessories

  • Vuori (sponsor favorite) — performance-everyday apparel (joggers, tees, Dream Knit).
  • Bonobos shirts; Quince Mongolian cashmere quarter zip; Patagonia Nano Puff jackets — dress-up and outdoor layers.
  • Arcade AI (custom jewelry via AI + designers), initial/letter necklaces (Gorjana / Maya Brenner), Bombas socks, Goodr sunglasses (affordable polarized).
  • Travel & bags: Away / Monos / Monos competitor luggage; Cotopaxi 35L weekender; Tortuga travel backpacks; 5050 Gear diaper-styled backpacks for parents; Kuyana travel case.

Health & fitness

  • Shokz (OpenRun Pro) bone-conduction running headphones.
  • Hydration: Owala FreeSip bottles; electrolyte powder: Element (sponsor).
  • Home gym: adjustable dumbbells + dumbbell-to-barbell adapter; Flybird adjustable bench; added mirrors; fixed dumbbell sets.
  • Recovery & wellness: cold plunge + sauna (Haven), GoRuck rucks, sauna/cold therapy popular in community.
  • Diagnostics (gift idea): home blood panels (Instalab, Function Health), DEXA, VO2 max tests, whole-body MRI (Prenuvo/Function) — pricier but high-impact health gifts.

Games, kids & learning

  • Board/puzzle favorites: Theory 11 Box 1/2 (escape-room-like), Coyote, Coup, Monopoly Deal.
  • Puzzle boxes & mini escape kits: Clue Box, Puzzle Potato.
  • Adult LEGO kits & LED kits — immersive hobby gifts.
  • Kids: Uki learner skateboard; Melissa & Doug wooden playsets; Tonie Box / Yoto (screenless audio kids’ devices); LeapFrog Magic Adventures globe; Magic Treehouse books; Lakeshore trace-and-draw projector.
  • Subscriptions/learning gifts: MasterClass (sponsor partner), Trade Coffee / Atlas Coffee Club, Lovevery play kits (Montessori subscription).

How Chris saves money — step-by-step tactics you can use

(Combine these for 5–25% savings or more)

  1. Price tracking

    • Keepa (Amazon extension) — view price history and avoid impulse buys at peaks.

  2. Shopping portals / cashback

    • Compare portal rates (Cashback Monitor historically; Chris recommends SaveWise now).
    • Rakuten preferred for broad coverage — current onboarding bonus ($50 after qualifying spend via All The Hacks referral); can route cashback to points (Bilt/Amex) for transfers.

  3. Browser extensions with aggressive deal sourcing

    • Capital One Shopping — sometimes surfaces targeted, high-value offers (e.g., deep discounts on big-ticket items).
    • SaveWise extension — compares portal rates, shows miles / points / historic bonuses.

  4. Card-linked offers (use credit card promotions)

    • CardPointers (syncs offers across cards) — shows your active Amex/Chase/Citi/Bank-card merchant offers and tells you which card to use at checkout. Frequently saves significant dollars (Amex 40% offers, etc.). Promotions for All The Hacks audience available.

  5. Buy discounted gift cards

    • Retailers sometimes sell gift cards on discount; reseller marketplaces (GCX) or broker buys can yield 5–30% off certain brands. Chris occasionally opens short windows to resell wholesale-level gift cards via allthehacks.com/giftcards — check there when the episode launches.

  6. Stack the tactics

    • Example stack: wait for price dip (Keepa) → click through best shopping portal (SaveWise/Rakuten) → pay with card having an active card-linked offer (CardPointers) → use discounted retailer gift card if available → check promo code / live chat for an extra discount.

  7. Simple remaining methods

    • Search promo codes (Honey, RetailMeNot), ask live chat for brand promos, or use affiliate/podcast codes from reputable hosts (often better than random codes).

Sponsors & notable promo codes mentioned

(Links and full codes are in the gift guide show notes)

  • DeleteMe — removes personal data from data brokers (20% off at allthehacks.com/deleteme).
  • Element — zero-sugar electrolytes; free sample pack with purchase at allthehacks.com/element.
  • Gelt — tax/CPA platform; skip waitlist via allthehacks.com/gelt.
  • Copilot — personal finance tracking app; use allthehacks.com/copilot with code HACKS2 for a 2-month free trial on iPhone/Mac.
  • Superhuman — email productivity app; All The Hacks listeners get their first month free at allthehacks.com/superhuman.
  • CardPointers & SaveWise — audience discounts available through the All The Hacks members page and show links.

Family & experience-focused holiday traditions (from Chris)

  • Family pajamas on Christmas morning (Hanna Andersson).
  • A playful “numbers under cups” game (family tradition — surprises range from money to silly challenges).
  • Everyone buys a single ornament per year — tree becomes a family story map.
  • Cookie-decorating / (future) gingerbread house party with neighbors.
  • Toy-drive shopping trip with kids to teach giving.
  • Gratitude rounds at meals; nightly gratitude with his daughters.
  • One “bigger gift per family” rule when families aren’t all together: draw names and give one more-considered gift instead of lots of small ones.

Quick action checklist (what to do next)

  • Browse curated links, promo codes and the complete list: allthehacks.com/gifts and allthehacks.com/deals.
  • Before buying:
    1. Run the Amazon product through Keepa (if applicable).
    2. Open SaveWise/Rakuten and/or Capital One Shopping to check portal rates.
    3. Check CardPointers for relevant card-linked offers and pick the card to pay with.
    4. Search for discounted gift cards (GCX or the temporary sale on allthehacks.com/giftcards) if you’re buying big-ticket items.
    5. Try the brand’s live chat to ask for a promo code if no good deals show.
  • Consider experiential gifts or family activities (often higher long-term value).

Final notes

  • Many items were personally used or tested by Chris; community-suggested items are noted throughout the guide.
  • All links, promo codes and discounts collected at allthehacks.com/gifts (and /deals). Use those referral links if you want to support the show — but always choose the best deal you can find.

Enjoy the season — whether you gift gear, experiences, or your time, these suggestions and saving tactics should help you find thoughtful presents and stretch your budget.