Winter is our favorite season, particularly because of the yummy milk and cookies. But during the holidays, your techie friends may be focused on taking some bytes out of HTTP cookies, if you know what we mean. (We don’t — someone please explain these things to us in English.)
If you’re not tech-savvy and feeling stuck, here are the best gifts to buy for your favorite computer geek. Get ready to deck the halls with boughs of HTML and Python. Mind the latter, they’re a bit bitey.
20 Gifts Your Techie Friend Will Actually Appreciate
1. Binary Wrist Watch
Show off your old-school coder knowledge with this watch, which displays the time in binary code. Yes, it could be a little complicated to add up all the hours and minutes you need to check how long your pizza rolls have been in the oven. But that’s what the burning smell is for.
2. Algorithms of Oppression
While technology is really rad, it’s not perfect — and not just because our autocorrect assumes we love to “duck” all the time. Seriously, computer science still has some ish to work out. This book highlights important social issues, like racism and sexism, that impact our social media pages and Google searches every day.
3. Computer Science T-Shirt
“Eat, Sleep, Code, Repeat.” As nerd cliche as this is, it beats the pants off of “Eat, Pray, Love.”
4. Computer Repair Tool Kit
Know someone who likes to take things apart? Help them put their machines back together again with this tool kit. Then you can ask them how to clear out your browsing history so no one knows you didn’t actually create that red velvet cupcake recipe.
5. Multifunction Pen
This handy pen works as a screwdriver and a phone stand, and also does other stuff, like write words. This pen will have geeks feeling like James Bond. Nice job, Q.
6. Cat Thumb Drive
If you don’t have an actual cat to come and sit on your laptop when you’re working, this cute drive can keep you company. (Yes, we’re that lonely.)
7. Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Dopes your techie friend’s roommate drive them up the wall when they’re trying to code? These headphones will help keep them focused.
8. Coding Game for AI Learners
If your friend is into coding, this game somehow makes AI adorable and not out to make good on the promises of the Terminator movies. They’ll learn basic AI functions and algorithms, so they can communicate with our future robot overlords while you sip on mimosas.
9. Build-It-Yourself Computer Kit
Think of it as like a model car, but instead of an ugly, undriveable mess of plastic and glue, you end up with something you can use to hack the planet. Sorry, we’re stuck in 1995.
10. Laptop Backpack
Upgrade your commute with this surprisingly affordable backpack. It has tons of great reviews and features a charging port. We did learn the painful way that the charger is not great for our USB-powered coffee mug.
11. WiFi Range Extender
Much as you might like to blame spotty internet service on your “dropped” FaceTime calls with your mom, you really have no excuse once you get a decent WiFi range extender like this one. We suggest simply telling your parents you’ve disowned them.
12. Blue Light Protection Glasses
We hate headaches from staring at our computer screens. But we love watching hours of cat videos on YouTube. What to do? Either adopt a million cats or get some blue light blocking glasses, like these.
13. Back Support Pillow
Hunching over a computer can eff up your back — and we don’t need more ways for life to remind us we’re getting older. (Damn you, GBBO! These gray hairs are your fault!) This cushion will provide you more support than the first baker who got kicked off this season ever did.
14. Lap Desk
Work cute and comfy with this lap desk. They’ll feel like Harry Houdini when they pull a Lara bar out of the side drawer during their next Zoom meeting. (That trick works less great underwater.)
15. Cleaning Gel
Who wants to work with a grimy phone screen and crusty keyboard? This gel makes it easy to clean up all the crumbs and dust. If only we could clean out our old, embarrassing social media posts as easily.
16. Electronics Organizer
Know someone with “the drawer”? You know, that one drawer where they shove all their tangled charging cords and cables? It’s the place where perfectly good cables go to die. Only you can prevent charger loss — with this storage case.
17. Coding Coffee Mug
Yes, we’ve included a coffee mug. Almost every holiday gift list has a mug. But can you ever have too many mugs, especially ones that are this fun? Possibly yes, because we can’t fit anything else into our cupboard. (It’s full of balloons.)
18. Circuit Board Socks
Who knew that a circuit board could keep your feet warm and cozy? Or that socks could perform advanced mathematical processes?
19. USB Clock and Fan
When your computer overheats, you can still stay nice and cool with this plug-in fan. It even tells the time, so you’ll know how long you should let your machine rest before you continue to click through your 140 open tabs.
20. Flash Drive Necklace
Imagine the power move of plugging in your fabulous necklace to give an even more fabulous presentation at work. #nerdgoals
When she's not lesson planning or editing, Laken might be hanging out with her Fulbright or graduate school colleagues, writing for sites like Entropy and Lambda Literary, or eating apple peelings.
Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn and feel free to ask her how she was almost abducted by a cult while on a writing retreat in Ireland.
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