Consumers are expected to spend $630 billion this holiday season, at least $20 billion more than last year, according to the National Retail Federation.
You’ll likely be among the shoppers and may be struggling with what to buy your loved ones. Gift cards always suffice, but why not buy something more memorable?
Here’s a guide to help you find the perfect gift for every type of person in your life.
Local finds
Want to support your community this holiday season? Consider these products, all made or sold locally.
For couch potatoes
• Lovesac. Prices vary. Available at lovesac.com or the Lovesac retail store at Downtown Summerlin, 2120 Festival Plaza Drive, Las Vegas.
Lovesac, the maker of high-end beanbag chairs and modular sectional couches, collaborated with the Stitch Factory downtown on a pillow for the Lovesac’s Native Collection. The pillow was designed and created by the Stitch Factory and uses fabric created from Stitch Factory-housed designer Mad Hatter Warped & Woven.
For the spa set
• Beauty Kitchen by Heather Marianna. Prices vary (for instance, $12.95 per month for a sample size box of beauty products; $34.95 per month for a VIP beauty box). Available at heathermarianna.tv.
Las Vegas local Heather Marianna found a significant following by posting YouTube videos of herself doling out beauty advice and recipes. Now, she has created a line of all-natural beauty products she distributes in a monthly goodie box. The product line includes soap cupcakes, colored bath bombs, champagne-scented bath soaks and sugar scrubs. Marianna also makes a “pawfume” for dogs and recently teamed with reality-star-turned-adult performer Farrah Abraham to release a “Mommy and Me” spa kit.
For sports fans
• Las Vegas Sports Gallery. Prices vary ($25 and up). At the Plaza, 1 Main St., Las Vegas.
The sports memorabilia that once adorned the iconic Las Vegas Club now is available to decorate your home. Available items include a signed Michael Jordan North Carolina Tar Heels basketball jersey; a framed Pete Rose #14 Montreal Expos jersey, flanked by a photo of Rose as a Philadelphia Phillie and his official Cincinnati Reds baseball card; two seats from Comiskey Stadium in Chicago; and an autographed bat collection used in World Series games from 1946 to 1958. An added bonus: The Plaza will donate 10 percent of every sale to the UNLV Libraries Special Collections, which archives historical materials documenting the development and impact of Las Vegas.
For the globally conscious
• Handmade Ugandan necklaces. Prices vary ($15-$30, plus shipping). Available at hope4hearts.org or Sin City Yoga, 1231 S. Main Street, Las Vegas
Hope for Hearts, a Nevada nonprofit, paired with a girls academy in Uganda to create and sell eco-friendly necklaces, handmade from recycled paper. Las Vegas resident Cristen Jacobsen started the charity in 2007 to help homeless and orphaned girls in Kampala, Uganda. St. Elizabeth Girls Academy each year works with more than 200 girls living on the streets to teach them technical and vocational skills so they can be independent and self-sufficient. “A Hope for Hearts necklace is the gift that gives twice,” Jacobsen said. “That special someone receives a beautiful, handmade necklace, and an orphaned child in Uganda receives an opportunity to turn her life around.”
Shop by age
Infants and toddlers
• Fisher-Price Bright Beats Dance and Move BeatBo. $39.99. For ages 9 months to 3 years. Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers.
BeatBo can be your baby’s first best friend. Press BeatBo’s tummy or feet, and he sings, dances and teaches ABC’s, colors, counting and more. His large, multi-color LED belly flashes lights, while his hips shake and his head nods. Record a phrase, and BeatBo will remix it into his favorite song. Through play, BeatBo introduces babies to colors, letters, rhythm, cause and effect and more.
Preschoolers
• Fisher-Price Smart Toy Bear. $99.99. For ages 3-5. Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers.
Smart Toy Bear is an interactive learning friend with the brains of a computer but no screen. The more your child plays with Smart Toy, the more it adapts to your child’s likes and dislikes. It talks, listens and remembers what your child says so it can have conversations, tell stories and play games. It knows the time of day, weather and world events, and includes an accelerometer so it can respond when your tyke tosses it into the air. Wi-Fi content updates keep the bear current and changing. It’s not only fun but aims to help your child grow socially and emotionally. Also available: Monkey
Boys
• Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex (For ages 3 and up). $99.99. Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers.
Transport your child to a prehistoric world with the Fisher-Price Imaginext Ultra T-Rex. Three power pads engage different movements and launch the dino’s lights and sounds. Make the T-Rex walk, open and close his mouth with chomping sound effects, raise up to his full height of 2.5 feet or shoot projectiles from his mouth. His eyes and spikes also light up. The package comes with a jail, a trap door, weapon storage, a glider, a boulder launcher and four boulders, a tethered projectile claw, and three figurines with helmets and accessories.
Girls
• FurReal Friends StarLily, My Magical Unicorn (For ages 4 and up). $119.99. Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers.
This is the pet of any girl’s dreams. StarLily responds to voices and touch with more than 100 sound and motion combinations. She moves her head and hoof; lights up her horn; flutters her wings; sits, stands and lies down; and dances to music. Girls also can play a musical game and decorate a wishing tree with StarLily on a special app.
Tween boys
• Lego Star Wars Darth Vader Minifigure Clock. $24.99. Available at department stores, big-box stores and online retailers
Feel the power of the dark side with a Darth Vader Minifigure Clock. The 8-inch-tall timepiece features a digital screen, lighted display and alarm fashioned to resemble the Star Wars character. The snooze and backlight functions are activated by pushing down on the minifigure’s head. Also available: Stormtrooper, Boba Fett or Batman
Tween girls
• “The Natural Beauty Book,” by Klutz. $21.95. Available at book sellers, big-box stores and online retailers.
With a philosophy that “if you feel good, you look good,” the Natural Beauty Book offers step-by-step directions for manicures, facials, foot massages and other beauty treatments. It features more than 60 simple recipes for bath salts, tub infusions, hair rinses and more, all made using easy-to-find ingredients from a kitchen cupboard. Attached to the book is a home spa kit, with a loofah, a nail brush, a pumice stone and vials of fragrant essential oils. The focus of the text is natural beauty, and the package is a celebration of girls of every type.
Teens
• Guitar Hero Live. $99.99. Available at toy shops, big-box stores and online retailers.
Guitar Hero Live makes you the rock star. Create an avatar, then use guitars, drums or other instruments to play music in front of “crowds” that react to your performance. The game also includes GHTV, a continuous broadcast of music videos to which you can play along in real time, discover new artists and challenge people around the world.
Available for: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Sony PS4, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii U
Women
• Holiday 2015 Advent Calendar. $49.99. Available at usa.loccitane.com
Forget chocolate — give an advent calendar filled with beauty supplies. Featuring a selection of the company’s best sellers, the calendar is filled with 24 miniature-sized products, including hand cream, perfumed soap, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm and eau de toilette.
Men
• Jack Black grooming tools. Prices vary (for instance, $35 for a beard-grooming kit; $200 for a limited-edition luxury shave set). Available at department stores, online retailers and GetJackBlack.com
Treat the man in your life to a little pampering (that has nothing to do with the rock star actor by the same name). Jack Black’s all-natural, cruelty-free products are multifunctional and effective. Shave creams soften and condition skin. Face moisturizers include built-in sunscreen. Body washes double as face soaps and shampoos. All of the products are fast-absorbing, nongreasy and fragrance-free. Choose an old-school shaving kit with a shave brush and double-edge razor or a beard-grooming kit with beard lube, beard oil and a comb.
Senior citizens
• Animal eyeglass holders. Prices vary ($15-$35). Available at Sears, eBay.com, amazon.com
Keep track of glasses by placing them on a whimsical stand fashioned in the shape of an animal — dog, deer, horse, moose, bird, giraffe and more. The stands are made from carved wood, and the glasses sit on the animal’s nose as if they were being worn. Each stand holds most standard glasses and sunglasses. Check out versions made by WisdomCraft or Peeper Keepers. A memorable and practical gift.
Shop by personality
For hipsters
• Jurassic plate. $75.70. Available at luluandgeorgia.com
Don’t let his tiny arms fool you; this Tyrannosaurus plate can hold plenty of treats. The porcelain dinosaur stands about 8 inches tall and is perfect for serving hors d’oeuvres, olives, nuts or cheeses.
For beer lovers
• Microbrew of the Month Club. $27.95 a month, plus $15.00 shipping and handling. Available at beermonthclub.com
Sample America’s best craft beers. Each month, a dozen 12-ounce, hand-crafted beers from two lightly distributed U.S. microbreweries will be delivered to your doorstep. You’ll receive four beer styles each month. Selections are made by a panel of brewmasters, and detailed tasting notes and brewery profiles are included.
For booze connoisseurs
• Personalized Mini Oak Whiskey Barrel. $64.95. Available at wineenthusiast.com
This isn’t just a piece of decor. It’s a functional — albeit miniature — whiskey barrel with spigot and bung. Hand-made from American white oak, it’s designed to properly age your chosen beverage, be it wine, beer, tequila, rum or any other spirit. Personalize it with a name, distillery and location. Holds up to 5 liters, is reinforced with steel hoops and sits on a wooden stand.
For gardeners
• Water Garden. $59.99. Available at backtotheroots.com
Bring the garden inside with a self-cleaning fish tank that grows food. The setup creates a closed-loop ecosystem: The fish feed the plants, and the plants clean the water. The kit includes a tank and gravel, organic seeds and grow stones, natural fertilizer, a coupon for a Betta fish, fish food and a submersible water pump.
For athletes
• Rock ’Em socks. $18 and up. Available at rockemapparel.com
Goodbye boring, white sports socks. These Nike Elite Basketball Crew Socks are customized with funky designs. Made with dri-fit fabric that pulls away sweat to help keep feet cool, the socks have a reinforced heel and toe for enhanced durability, a left/right specific design for a better fit and arch compression for support. Choose from geometric, camouflage, striped or graphic designs, or pick among your favorite sports team mascots.
Available for: Men, women and children
For millennials
• ECOlunchbox Three-in-One. $26. Available at ecolunchboxes.com
This plastic-free, waste-free nesting lunch box is perfect for a millennial on the go. The food-grade, stainless steel bento container makes it easy to pack an entree and two side dishes, keep them separate and prevent food from squishing. The snack container also can be used separately, freeing up more space in the main compartment. And it is dishwasher safe.
For home chefs
• MasterPan Open Frying Pan. $99.99. Available at specialty shops and online retailers
Cook a complete breakfast for four or a steak dinner with all the trimmings in one pan. The MasterPan Open Frying Pan features five compartments in which to cook different items. The center section heats 15 to 20 percent hotter for grilling meats, and the handle is oven-safe at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for up to an hour. The die cast aluminum pan is made with two layers of nonstick coating to ensure that nothing sticks, and the pan can be cleaned easily with warm water and a soapy sponge. Say goodbye to piles of dishes.
For foodies
• Zingerman’s Bacon Club. $189 for six months. Available at zingermans.com
This isn’t typical store-bought bacon. Try premium varieties such as Kentucky Dry Cured Bacon, Arkansas Peppered Bacon, Nodine’s Juniper Smoked Bacon and Balinese Long Pepper Bacon, delivered straight to your home. Each shipment contains 12 to 16 ounces of artisan bacon, along with recipes and histories about each cut. The first installment also includes a pig magnet. Company officials say their bacon is so delicious, they’ve converted six vegetarians to date.
For gamers
• Logitech G502 Proteus Core. $79.99. Available at electronics shops, big-box stores and online retailers
The Logitech G502 Proteus Core is an all-in-one gaming mouse, with 11 programmable buttons, a comfortable design and customizable weights. Fine tune the optical sensor to your playing surface for better accuracy, precision and responsiveness, and choose whether you want click-to-click precision or hyper-fast scrolling.
For techies
• TAP-EX3 Touch Screen Range Extender. $199.99. Available at ampedwireless.com and amazon.com
Having trouble connecting to wireless devices? You don’t necessarily need a new router. Instead, try upgrading your existing hardware. The TAP-EX3 extends the range, speed and multidevice capabilities of almost any router on the market. It boosts Wi-Fi coverage up to 12,000 square feet and helps eliminate dead zones. Just plug it in, select your Wi-Fi network and connect to the new extended network on your devices. Stream video without lag, game without buffering, download faster and regulate smart home devices — all at once.
For yogis
Yoga Sak. $49.95. Available at yogasak.com
Simplify your yoga workout with an all-in-one bag. The Yoga Sak is an adjustable backpack that features multiple pockets for keys, wallet, phone and other essentials. There’s a built-in water bottle holder and a compartment to carry your yoga mat, towel, shoes and other necessities.
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