Holiday gift ideas for techies
Gift ideas and inspiration for the tech workers in your life (and maybe yourself) this holiday season
It’s that time of the year: the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are on, and the annual festive marketing blitz is just around the corner – or already underway. It makes now a good time to start thinking about gifts, but techies can be a tough crowd for this, as we often already own the practical things we need.
In order to help you give gifts which are actually wanted this year, Elin, of this publication, and I have put together a list of ideas in this article. Alongside personal recommendations, we’ve also crowdsourced recommendations from fellow techies on X, Bluesky, and Threads, covering:
Office accessories
Computer add-ons
Health and well-being
Gadgets
Gaming and games
Travel & wearables
Books and stationery
Kitchen goodies
Many products listed below are currently discounted in the sales, and the Pragmatic Engineer is also offering a very special Black Friday / Cyber Monday deal for annual subscriptions. Claim it here until Monday.
As always, none of the links below are affiliates (meaning I make no money from purchases), and I’ve not been paid to mention any product or category. See my ethics statement for more.
For more recommendations, see our holiday gift guide from 2023 and book recommendations from 2021.
Programming note: this week, we’ll have a podcast episode tomorrow (Wednesday), and no edition of The Pulse on Thursday. Regular programming resumes next week after Thanksgiving.
1. Office accessories
Ember Temperature Control Mug – keeps coffee or tea warm, even when it’s forgotten about because you’re focused on coding or other tasks. A hot drink stays drinkable for up to 1.5 hours, thanks to its built-in battery that charges on a nifty wireless-charging coaster.
Tumblers and coffee mugs that keep drinks at the desired temperature can make it easier to stay hydrated throughout the day. They are insulated, made from stainless steel, and make great gifts for anyone who works at a desk. Popular brands include Stanley, Yeti, and Thermoflask. You can also search for stainless steel tumblers.
CO2 monitor. One of my personal favorite recent purchases is a carbon dioxide monitor for my office. When CO2 concentration is high (above 1,000 ppm), it’s harder to focus and easier to become drowsy. A monitor detects when levels are raised, meaning you can make changes like open the window, or raise the matter of ventilation at work. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with almost any CO2 monitor.
Programmable mini-desk terminal. These are always a hit for devs, and a popular option is the Ulanzi TC001 Smart Pixel Clock 2882. It comes by default as a clock, but can be custom programmed; for example, to show a pomodoro timer (25-minute countdown).
To program it – and build your own custom matrix clocks – you need to flash a custom firmware like AWTRIX3. See more details on the Ulanzi blog, and on the AWTRIX3 getting started page.
Wired / wireless charging stations. Almost all new phones and small devices are shipping with USB-C ports, so a USB-C-only charging station is increasingly practical. There’s no shortage of options, and here’s a tasteful variant: the Oakwood Dual Dock
In his gift guide, Lenny Ratchisky recommends the Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 charger.
2. Computer accessories
Techies unavoidably spend A LOT of time with our computers, so a premium accessory often makes for a good gift.
A comfortable mouse. Given we use one all day, a mouse that feels good for your hand and that can be customized, should be a solid choice. The Logitech MX Master 3 is recommended by software dev Brian Cooley. I’m personally a fan of Logitech Mice; they come in all shapes and sizes, with both wireless and wired versions.
Quality noise-cancelling headphones. These can offer a massive quality-of-work improvement for anyone in an open-plan office, coffee shops, or who likes to get in the zone with some music. My go-to pair is the Bose QuietComfort Ultra; I have one in the office, and one in my backpack at all times. Other popular options include the Sony WH-1000XM5, the Apple AirPods Max, and the Sennheiser Momentum 4.
Mechanical keyboard. These provide superior typing and improved durability. A popular brand is Das Keyboard. Other choices include Logitech mechanical keyboards, the quiet Razer Pro Type Ultra, and many others.
Quality microphone. For those who spend a lot of time on video calls, upgrading from the built-in laptop mic can be a nice improvement for those on the other end of a call. The Shure MV7 is a popular choice. For a more compact microphone, the Yeti Nano can also work well.
3. Health and well-being
Massage vouchers. Most of us working in tech spend too much time staring at screens, so a massage voucher should be appreciated.
Experiences. Of course, a great gift doesn’t have to be an object, and a few less conventional ideas have been successes with techies, according to Candy Evans:
There is much more, like high rope courses, indoor skydiving, and even bobsledding. Get creative: it could make for something very memorable!
Escape rooms are a fun activity, usually for groups of 2-6. You need to solve a series of puzzles, usually within an hour, and work together to succeed under pressure of the countdown.
“Escape room in a box” is a companion concept, where you have an escape room experience at home, as a board game focused on puzzle solving.
WHOOP subscription. A return recommendation from last year: track biometrics such as skin temperature, blood oxygen level, and more. The battery lasts more than 2 weeks, and a subscription offers the option to upgrade to the latest models.
Coffee, tea, matcha. These are rarely a miss and many vendors offer subscription coffee or tea products. Here are two personal recommendations:
Terminal: coffee subscription for devs, built by devs, accessible from your terminal. It has an API as well, and you can place an order using SSH. Ships to the US.
Keats&Co – coffee and tea, including subscription. All profits go to charity.
Apple Watch Ultra. I got mine this year and am very happy with it. It provides basic sleep tracking, workout tracking, and notifications – and also supports payments (very convenient on vacation, or if you want to be phone-free. It motivated me to take sleep and workouts more seriously. The battery lasts around 2 days – much less than the Whoop, but I find it manageable.
Sunbasin soap and shampoo bars. These offer a lathery, soapy clean, and the shampoo comes in bar form, which is novel and makes it convenient for travel.
Sunrise alarm clock. Wake up easier with an alarm clock that simulates a sunrise. One popular edition is the Philips SmartSleep Wake-up Light. There is a large variety; just search “sunrise alarm clocks”.
Foldable walking pad. I have one at home, and it’s been a moderate success. I originally tried it as an under-the-desk walking pad – which was okay, but I felt dizzy when walking at higher speeds for extended periods. Nonetheless, plenty of techies swear by its efficiency, and they’re increasingly affordable. Just search “walking pads” for options.
4. Gadgets
Flipper Zero. When I ask techies about gifts they’ve enjoyed, the number one recommendation is still the Flipper Zero from two years ago. A multi-tool for security folks and those who enjoy hacking around with signals and hardware. Practical use cases include turning it into a universal infrared remote, a Bluetooth remote, and testing and debugging remote frequency (RF) gear like car key fobs with it. It’s also a great way to get hands-on with RF, NFC/RFID and embedded protocols, and basic firmware development.
Boox Palma 2. Phone-sized tablets with e-ink that also kind of work like a phone – except without phone calls and SMS support. It runs open Android and has Google Play support. So, you can install and use Android apps on a minimalist device that also helps with being more mindful about screentime. It has integrated speakers, a camera, Bluetooth – and the Palma Pro 2 model actually does support a SIM card for cellular data.
Daylight DC-1. An Android-based computer designed for deep focus and well-being. Uses a reflective “Live Paper” LCD display with a blue-light-free experience. It’s designed to minimize eye strain and support better sleep health. Includes backlighting.
reMarkable Paper Tablet – touted as a replacement for notebooks and other books, which enables handwriting and annotating of PDFs. It has around two weeks of battery life, and does not include backlighting.
Small 3D printer. Practical things techies can print include cable organizers, monitor risers, mouse trays, or tool holders for the desk. But then, there’s so much more you can do, as it can print pretty much any 3D model! A popular recommendation is the Bambu Lab A1 Mini 3D Printer.
Pixel dice. A nice gift for tabletop gamers. Edit how the dice behaves and lights up with a companion app. The hardware engineering details behind the dice are an interesting read.
YubiKey. A hardware two-factor authentication passkey that is generally more secure than app-based 2FA, and also more resistant to phishing. If you plan to gift one, it’s worth giving two, so the person setting up the Yubikey has a backup key – with key services like email, banking, and others – in case it gets lost.
JetKVM – control your computer remotely, with a low latency of 30-60ms. KVM stands for Keyboard, Video, Mouse: this open source gadget lets you control your machine at home, over the internet. Read a review of this gadget.
5. Gaming
Nintendo Switch 2 – an upgrade on its predecessor with better performance, more storage, and an improved Joy-Con design. It has a wide range of games, and likely the biggest collection of family-friendly and collaborative games, like Mario Party.
ModRetro Chromatic. A Game Boy-like device created by Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus and Anduril. Each game comes on a cartridge, just like with old handhelds.
The game catalog is smaller than ideal – but in July this year, Luckey shared big plans, writing:
“We have a huge slate of content coming from some of the best developers in the industry, starting with an all-new physical Tetris cartridge that will come bundled with each and every Chromatic, just as it did with every original Game Boy® released in North America. We will also be launching all-physical re-releases and remasters of classic Game Boy® titles, entirely new IP from incredible indie developers, first-time launches of Game Boy® games that were canceled before release, and even some titles that were canceled before the public ever found out about them.”
Playdate. A tiny-handled homage to old-school gaming. The crank on the side brings a new type of gaming experience, and the platform is home to lots of clever indie games. This device has become a family favorite in our home, and was also a recommendation in the 2023 gift guide.
Board games. Playing board games is a great group activity. A recent guest on the Pragmatic Engineer Podcast, Martin Fowler, is a big fan of them, so I asked which one he recommends. He said:
“It’s a tricky one because it’s a little bit like saying ‘I’m really into watching movies. Which one would you recommend?’ There are so many different tastes.
If I wanted to pick one that is not too complicated to get into, but still has a lot of richness: at the moment I would pick the game Concordia. Fairly abstract in its nature, but it’s easy to get into and it’s got a good bit of decision making in the process.”
6. Travel & wearables
A light, sturdy backpack for commuting. Tom Karlo, PM at Meta, recommends the Dyneema Daypack as light and durable.
Cadence magnetic travel containers. Leakproof travel-size jars for storing liquids like shampoo, body wash, and vitamins, or even jewelry. Both the jar and the lid are magnetic, making them easy to keep track of. Very useful when travelling, and also handy at home.
Bellroy Tech Kit – a pouch for keeping cables, an adapter, and a mouse, in one place when traveling.
Meta glasses. Launched in September, these are the best smart glasses on the market. A review by The Verge concluded that they offer better battery life, but “still have the tricky issue of being a camera, right on your face.”
It’s new technology, novel, and something many techies might not get for themselves, but which could definitely be interesting for AR enthusiasts. Software engineer Alvin Sng – who works at Factory AI – used his pair to record a “day in the life” video at Factory AI.
Airtags. Always a useful gift for friends or family in the Apple ecosystem for tracking objects and also wandering kids. Obvious use cases include luggage, keys, autos, and more.
Car jump starter + power bank + flashlight. I got one of these when my car’s battery died, and it’s been around ever since. It’s my go-to power bank when I need to plug something in, and serves as a reserve flashlight.
7. Books and stationery
Books are always a great gift for the holidays, when there’s usually more time to read. Specifically for tech, I previously shared 100+ recommendations. Since that article, a few books have been published that I’ve enjoyed:
From my collection of titles:
Tidy First by Kent Beck. A short, impactful read. Check out an excerpt: Dead code, getting untangled, and coupling versus decoupling
The Engineering Executive’s Primer by Will Larson. Read an excerpt: Getting an engineering executive job.
Frictionless by Nicole Forsgren and Abi Noda. AI can generate code in minutes, so why does shipping software still take forever? This book answers that question, and offers practical advice on how to reduce friction in dev teams. Released just last week.
Engineering management for the rest of us by Sarah Drasner. An approachable, practical title about how to be a better engineering leader.
AI Engineering by Chip Huyen. Probably the best book on AI Engineering. Read an excerpt: The AI Engineering stack.
The Software Engineer’s Guidebook by myself, is now available in hardcover and makes for a good gift. More on why I wrote this book.
The Scaling Era: An Oral History of AI, 2019–2025 by Dwarkesh Patel. An educational overview of the evolution of LLMs. Worth reading to understand more.
Find further recommendations on Amazon and Goodreads.
Stone paper notebooks. Stone paper is a tea-proof and waterproof sheet – which makes this format really practical. Some people love the feel of writing in them and others don’t, but you won’t know until you try! Popular brands include Moyu (erasable notebooks), Daily Bliss, and Karst Goods.
Analog TO-DO list. Analog is an offline TO-DO system that works like this:
Write 10 tasks on a “Today” card at the beginning of the day
Mark tasks as “in progress”, “delegated” or “completed”
Move unfinished tasks either to a new “Today” card, or to a “Next” or “Someday” card
With so many digital TO-DO lists, an offline version feels refreshing!
2026 journal / planner. For those in your life who are organized and like to plan – and also perhaps for those who do neither, but would like to be less chaotic.
Small, portable photo printers. Turning your digital snaps into physical objects with a printer can be a lot of fun, and transforms them into permanent momentos. Instax, Polaroid, and HP Sprocket are popular portable options. It’s also easier than ever to print photos and create photo books online if you don’t want to buy a printer.
Elin uses a Canon Selphy CP1500 for postcard-sized and credit card-sized photos, and it comes with a nifty collage feature:
8. Kitchen goodies
One place to escape the screen is the kitchen, and, although it’s not an obvious source of gift ideas for techies, there are many cool kitchen gadgets that are useful, day-to-day.
The Scizza. If scissors and a pizza slicer had a baby, it would be the Scizza. We got one from a friend, and it has become a family favorite, and a source of amusement for guests – followed by “where can I get one?”
Soda machine. Why buy soda when you can make your own and choose the flavours? There’s a growing selection of domestic soda makers like Sodastream, and Aarke, which is more high-end and looks gorgeous.
Origami Dripper Coffee Brewer. An aesthetically pleasing way to brew coffee. See a guide on how it’s done.
Airfryer. One of the most useful kitchen tools I own; it makes cooking healthier (no oils), convenient, and fast. Popular brands include Ninja, Cosori, Philips, Instant (by Insignia), Tefal, and Breville.
Useful kitchen tools: These should be welcome items for people who don’t yet own them.
The Chef’s Press. For people who enjoy roasted food, this helps prepare delicious meals.
Takeaways
I hope this list of seasonal gift ideas is useful. For tech professionals, the perfect gift doesn’t have to be a cool gadget; it could equally be something that pulls us away from the screen! And in keeping with the sentimental tone of the season, perhaps the best gift of all which we can give is spending time with those we care about most.
If you have more suggestions, add them in the comments!
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