There are gifts, and then there are gifts, the ones inventive enough to surprise and delight the recipient. Some are fun; others, practical. They all aim to improve how we do or enjoy things.
Consider adding these innovative gifts to your shopping list. There’s something here for every budget.
Elevated luggage
Invented by a mom of four who sought to cut down on hotel-room chaos, have luggage racks built right in. Like a folding table, each suitcase has legs that unfold easily to elevate it off the floor. You could even use it as a snack table or laptop stand at the airport.
Other features include an interior compression packing system, an integrated TSA-approved combination lock, a telescoping handle, two 360-degree spinning wheels at each corner and carry handles on three sides. Available in five colors; 21.5” x 14” x 9.5” (width expandable to 11.5”). $399.
A smart collar
Like a fitness tracker for pets, the is an AI-powered health-monitoring device that tracks pets’ locations via GPS and monitors their vital and biometric signs.
Using AI analytics and machine learning, the smart collar gets to “know” your dog or cat over time, collecting data on activity, body temperature, pulse rate and so on. The mobile app tracks and displays subtle changes.
Users also get free access to a veterinarian via 24/7 chat, and the ability to share a link with their own vet to provide historical physiological and behavioral data. $299-$399. plus subscription fees, which start at $13.90 per month.
Secure shade
If there’s a beach lover on your list, the will keep them comfortable and safe from the inconvenience — and danger — posed by wind-borne umbrellas.
Setting up the umbrella takes about five minutes, and an anchor filled with sand keeps it from blowing away in winds up to 25 mph (40.2 kph).
An adjustable tray keeps snacks, drinks and cellphones off the sand, and the umbrella’s 7-foot (2.1-meter) canopy has an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of 50+. Available in five colors. Carry bags are included for both the umbrella and anchor. $119.99.
Cuddly calm
Talking dolls and stuffed animals have been around for decades; some even “read” books and tell stories. But uses interactivity for more than entertainment, providing kids with exercises designed to help them regulate their emotions and practice mindfulness.
The cuddly panda’s programming guides children through audible, age-appropriate “pauses,” including ones aimed at reducing anxiety, improving attention, building emotional awareness, developing compassion, and supporting daily routines and transitions, like bedtime. Caregivers can monitor on the accompanying mobile app.
Topics can be customized for anxiety, sleep and ADHD, and adults can even record their own “pauses” for children to hear.
Suitable for ages 3 and up. $99, including a storybook and stickers.
Sparkle anywhere
Sparkling water and seltzer lovers know they can either pay for the bottled stuff or use a kitchen-counter model to carbonate liter-size bottles at home. Now, , lets them make fizzy drinks on the go.
Fill the stainless steel and BPA-, lead- and PFAS-free plastic bottle with water, attach a mini capsule to the cap and screw on the lid. Then tap the cap to release beverage-grade carbon dioxide into the water and give the bottle a shake, repeating as desired for more bubbles.
The set includes a 17-ounce bottle; four refillable capsules, which carbonate four bottles apiece; a three-capsule travel case; and a prepaid shipping box for zero-waste capsule exchanges. $84.
Airborne audio
Many in-flight entertainment systems still require users to plug wired headphones into an airplane's one- or two-pronged audio jack. And the system's lack of a Bluetooth option leaves most folks with wireless earbuds or headsets with two options: Buy a cheap pair from the flight attendant or sit in silence.
The headphones change that. You plug the included touchscreen Bluetooth transmitter into the jack, and the device will connect to the headphones, allowing you to listen to high-resolution, 24-bit audio — with or without noise cancellation -- and move about freely.
The system also connects to other audio sources, like computers, cellphones and older TVs, and allows two listeners to connect to one transmitter for shared listening. The Zoom-certified headphones let you control how much of your own voice you hear on calls. Available in three colors. $449.95.
A frigid friend
Die-hard know that tap water isn’t frosty enough to provide the chilling effects they seek, and standalone cryotubs can take up too much space in small bathrooms.
Enter , a portable water-cooling unit that can transform any bathtub into an ice bath.
The wheeled unit rolls up to the tub and has a hose arm that draws in water, cools it and then returns it to the tub, reaching set temperatures as low as 34 degrees F (1 degree C) in 30-60 minutes.
When you’ve had enough, roll the modular chiller out of the way until the next session, which you can schedule in advance via the accompanying mobile app. $2,999.
Flushed for the holidays
Toilet paper — original and inventive? You bet!
It may get some laughs when they open the box, but Charmin’s new just might be the most practical gift you’ll ever give.
Although it won’t live up to the “forever” hyperbole in its name, each giant roll — measuring 1 foot (.3 meters) in diameter, weighing 2 pounds (.9 kilograms) and providing 1,700 sheets of 2-ply, septic-safe toilet paper — promises to last a whole month in an average two-person household.
The starter kit includes two Forever Rolls and a brushed stainless-steel stand, with refills sold separately. $39.99.
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