24 Perfect Gifts For The Pickiest People In Your Life

For the most part, we actually enjoy buying gifts during the holiday season. As professional shoppers, we delight in finding that one trinket that’s going to surprise all of the loved ones on our gift-buying checklists — and for the most part it’s like shooting fish in a barrel, if we do say so ourselves. But there are always those outliers whose names get crossed off last — the ones that have us hemming, hawing, and endlessly scrolling to find that just-right thing that will satisfy their highly exacting tastes.

You know the type. If you’re going to get this person a t-shirt, you can’t get them just any t-shirt — it has to be made in the USA, from organic cotton and sold at an indie shop, not a department store. A simple wall calendar just won’t do, either — it has to be modern art museum-approved. But look no further, harried shopper: when it comes to those hard-to-please folks in your life, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up 24 gifts that will actually pass muster with your pickiest loved ones, so click through to finally check that last name off your to-do list.

Haeckels Exfoliating Vegan Seaweed Block

**The Giftee:** Your dietarily-restricted Secret Santa at work

Your clean-beauty, clean-diet co-worker will really appreciate this miniature luxury: a plan-based, travel-size exfoliating soap bar infused with coriander, pepper, seaweed, and aloe.

**Haeckels** Small Exfoliating Vegan Seaweed Block, $, available at Goodee Shop

Funny Astrological Pencil Set

**The Giftee:** Your boss, who asked about your sun sign during your job interview

Yes, this really happened; and no, your boss isn’t crazy — she’s just really into astrology. We bet she’ll get a charge out of these cheeky pencils.

**ThePoshShopCo** Funny Astrological Pencil Set, $, available at Etsy

Aerie Buffalo Fleece Dog Jacket

**The Giftee:** Your mom, who *really and truly* doesn’t want any gifts this year — but loves that damn dog

When you’re getting completely stonewalled by a loved one insisting that they don’t need any presents this holiday season, you can either, a.) take their word for it, or b.) go for their Achilles Heel — Fido. This irresistibly cute buffalo plaid fleece will look too cute on their furry friend, and will circumvent any naysaying. (Plus, they can get a matching one for herself — when they decide they want presents again.)

AE ABO Fleece Dog Sweater, $, available at American Eagle Outfitters

Pasta Grannies: The Secrets Of Italy’s Best Home Cooks

**The Giftee:** Your newlywed cousin

Your freshly-nested relative will appreciate a cookbook reminiscent of your Mema to kick off a lifetime of cozy, home-cooked meals. (Help her preserve the illusion of married life just a *little* bit longer, okay?)

**Hardie Grant** Pasta Grannies: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks, $, available at Amazon

Dusen Dusen Arc Bath Towel

**The Giftee:** Your color-happy cuz (not the newlywed, but her carefree sister)

Clothing and homeware brand Dusen Dusen has long been the darling of non-shrinking-violet design enthusiasts, thanks to its signature graphic and psychedelically-toned prints. Their geo-patterned bath towel will brighten up the bathroom of your favorite cousin, who’s newly famous in your family for the bright yellow Converse sneakers she wore to her sister's rehearsal dinner.

**Dusen Dusen** Arc Bath Towel, $, available at Cara Cara

Nils Pojël Self-Watering Pot

**The Giftee:** The friend who is about to be completely outnumbered by her plants

These days, entering your plant-happy bud’s sunny apartment is like walking into an actual greenhouse, with seedling perched on every conceivable surface. You’re worried she’s going to lose track of all the flora and fauna she’s responsible for, but this self-watering planter will help.

**Nils Plöjel** Self-Watering Pots, $, available at MoMA Design Store

Jacobsen Salt Co. Salt Set with Wooden Stand

**The Giftee:** Your dad, who already has every hot sauce under the sun

The extreme flavor-chaser in your life has already amassed enough hot sauce to last seven lifetimes — maybe it’s time they moved on to salt collecting?

**Jacobsen Salt Co.** Infused Salt Classic Set With Wooden Stand, $, available at Verishop

Spacey Studios Gift Card

**The Giftee:** Your best friend, who is living alone — at last

A gift card to this just-launched affordable art website is the perfect gift for the friend who finally, *finally* moved into her own place. She’ll get a kick out of browsing the minimal, reasonably priced artists’ prints, depicting abstract color stories and natural forms.

**Spacey Studios** Gift Card, $, available at Spacey Studios

Penguin Minis Puffin in Bloom Boxed Set
**The Giftee:** Your niece, who prefers reading by flashlight than watching by laptop glare

Give the wholesome gift of a special mini-set of classic Penguin books including *Anne of Green Gables*, *Heidi*, and *A Little Princess*, with cover illustrations by Anna Bond, the artist behind the whimsical stationery brand, Rifle Paper Co.

**Puffin** The Puffin in Bloom Minis Box Set, $, available at Amazon

Brightland Awake Olive Oil

**The Giftee:** Your *Bon* *Appetit*-subscribing, *Great British Bake-Off*-watching aunt

She’s on top of every food trend and is a student of instructional, feel-good cooking and baking shows. Wow her with a premium olive oil that’s both aesthetically pleasing *and* delicious.

**Brightland** Awake Olive Oil, $, available at Brightland

Tigre et Tigre Kamari Nail Polish
**The Giftee:** Your über-hip, Depop-happy intern who’s obsessed with “vintage”

Coming of age in the late '90s and early 2000s gave us a lifelong obsession with dark nail polish that we still, to this day, cannot shake — and, surprise surprise, it’s coming back around. Tigre et Tigre’s chic brown vegan nail polish is “10-free” — i.e., devoid of the most common toxic lacquer ingredients — and will satisfy the retro (tear!) early naughts leanings of your hipper-than-you'll-ever be intern.

**Tigre et Tigre** Vegan Nail Polish In Kamari, $, available at Tigre et Tigre

Lorena Canals Tray Basket

**The Giftee:** Your sister-in-law with a serious case of wanderlust

Imagine your annoyingly disparate daily odds and ends — keys, sunglasses, moisturizer — tastefully corralled in this braided, brick-red tray. Designer Lorena Canals manufactures this eye-catching piece in India using fine cotton and natural dyes, and a portion of the brand’s sales go towards children’s education efforts in Northern India.

**Lorena Canals** Tray Basket, $, available at Nordstrom

Click and Grow Smart Garden

**The Giftee:** Your wannabe-green thumb boyfriend

Poor dude. He tries so hard to be a plant lady, but it’s just not going to happen. (For, uh, several reasons.) However, this countertop herb garden won’t be deterred by his light-challenged basement cave — it self-waters and has built-in lights to ensure healthy and happy greenery.

**Click and Grow** Smart Garden, $, available at Click and Grow

Stendig 2020 Calendar

**The Giftee:** Your design-obsessed brother-in-law with the *really* minimal apartment

How does he do it? From a perfectly-preserved salmon-colored mid-century sofa to the glossy, spotless teak dining table; his studio is out of the pages of a fancy design book. There’s not a lot of decor allowed in the pristinely appointed space — this classically designed wall calendar is one of them.

**Stendig** Stendig Calendar 2020, $, available at Need Supply

Cotopaxi Cubre Fleece Jacket

**The Giftee:** Your sister, who hated participating in 4-H when she was little but recently joined a singles hiking club

The social good-driven brand has our number with rugged, outdoors-y clothing and accessories offering both protection from the elements and a colorful infusion of style. We’re partial to their punchy, colorful take on the ubiquitous fleece jacket.

**Cotopaxi** Cubre Full-Zip Fleece Jacket, $, available at Cotopaxi

Herb Essntls Cannabis Infused Body Lotion

**The Giftee:** Your try-anything-once dog-walker

Whether it’s oil-pulling, CBD, or adaptogenic herbs, this person is always on the next woo-woo wellness-treatment tip. Satisfy their alterna-medicinal tendencies with this luxurious, cannabis-infused lotion.

**The Dreslyn** Herb Essntls Cannabis Infused Body Lotion, $, available at The Dreslyn

AHMA Single Bok Choy Chinese Cabbage Earring

**The Giftee:** Your ever-accessorized, multiply-pierced work-wife

Recently-launched Etsy store AHMA specializes in mix-and-match hoops adorned with pearls and offbeat charms. We’re opting for a single dangler bearing a tiny glass bunch of bok choy — perfect for that A#1 colleague who jumped on the multiple-piercing bandwagon big time a couple of years ago and switches up her piercings weekly.

**AHMAMade** Single Bok Choy Earring, $, available at Etsy

Henning x For Days T-Shirt (with Subscription)

**The Giftee:** Your militantly eco-conscious older sister

Former fashion editor Lauren Chan’s elegant plus-size workwear collection was a much-needed addition to the extended-sizing marketplace, and we’re eyeing the brand’s impeccably tailored trench coats, blazers, and wide-leg trousers. What we’re going to gift this year, however, is Henning’s collaboration with closed-loop t-shirt company For Days, a brand that recycles your old t-shirts and replaces them with new (recycled) ones. $65 gets you a perfectly cut white Henning tee and a lifelong t-shirt subscription — in other words, it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving.

**Henning** Henning x For Days T-Shirt, $, available at Henning

The Rihanna Book

**The Giftee:** Your design-obsessed bestie who thinks that coffee table books are meant to be stacked underneath plants and valet trays

This epic, torso-sized tome chronicling Rihanna’s life in photos will fit in seamlessly in your friend’s perfectly appointed studio apartment — whether or not she actually takes the time to read it.

**Phaidon** The Rihanna Book, $, available at Amazon

Finisterre Furlong Sweater

**The Giftee:** Your off-the-grid, eternally WWOOOFing brother

UK-based Finisterre was founded by Tom Kay, who grew up surfing the stormy coasts of England’s Cornwall county. The brand’s consciously-made outdoor goods are cozy, insulating, and made from earth-friendly fibers like cotton and Econyl, and we bet this cozy sweater will be a hit with that backpacking member of your family.

**Finisterre** Merino Wool Furlong Sweater, $, available at Huckberry

Mueller Stainless Steel Thermal French Press

**The Giftee:** Your coffee-snob partner

Do not even bother wasting your money on one of those expensive coffee-pod machines. Instead, indulge their habit with a fine double-walled French press that will keep their carefully measured brew hotter, for longer so they can sip away all day.

**Mueller** Stainless Steel Double-Wall French Press, $, available at Amazon

Swedish Stockings Tora Shimmery Tights

The Giftee: The one in your going-out crew who’s really serious about recycling

It’s hard to find eco-friendly hosiery out there — so hard, in fact, that earth-conscious brand Swedish Stockings purports to be the only sustainable player in the tights game. For that special someone who likes to dazzle and recycle, we suggest these spangly tights.

J.Crew Tora Shimmery Tights, $, available at J.Crew

Stella & Dot Heart to Heart Tote

**The Giftee:** Your dedicated, "captain-of-the-Pismo-Beach-disaster-relief" student babysitter

The jewelry and accessories brand launched a capsule collection in conjunction with Dress for Success, a non-profit that provides support and professional wardrobe staples for women re-entering the workforce. 20% of the sale proceeds will be donated through February 2020. The collection is full of empowering statement tees and heart-motif accessories, and this top-handle tote bag is the perfect gift for any charitably-minded friend. (PSA: the heart applique *is actually a pocket* — throw a little extra cash in there.)

**Stella & Dot** Heart to Heart Tote, $, available at Stella & Dot

Grammar Split Infinitive Button-Down

**The Giftee:** Emily Ruane, Refinery29's shopping team fashion writer (aka ME!)

NYC-based Grammar’s button-downs are so much more than your average wrinkle-prone work blouse. The brand uses crisp, organic, GOTS-certified cotton to construct their pieces in New York’s Garment District, in fashion-forward silhouettes that riff on the conventions of the white shirt. This will definitely impress that person who’s always looking for the perfect button-down. (It me.)

**Grammar** The Split Infinitive Shirt, $, available at Grammar

Old intro:

Shopping for holiday presents follows a simple flow — identify the giftee, then find a gift that works. But sometimes, it happens the other way around. Making our way through store after store, we end up gravitating toward something without a person in mind, but putting it back on the shelf isn't an option. Yes, some gifts are that good.

It's easy to dismiss potential presents-to-be if there's no obvious future owner. But, sometimes all the fun is in buying the item, then figuring out the lucky winner who gets to have it. Ahead, we’ve rounded up all the eye-catching goodies we've come across this season, and the perfect people to give them a home for the holidays. They may seem quirky, but we swear — there's a bow-wrapped soulmate for everyone on your list.

Sacai x Nike LDWaffle Sneaker

For those that missed Nike’s almost-instantly sold-out collaboration with high-faluting Japanese apparel brand Sacai earlier this year, we have good news: they’re still available for the price of a piece of furniture on Farfetch.com. (We heard through the grapevine that new colorways are on the horizon for 2020, so make sure you’re following Nike on Twitter now, people.)

Leigh Miller Pearl, Amethyst, and Glass Earrings

This California-based designer’s sculptural glass and semiprecious stone jewelry stands on its own as a miniature body of artwork — the fact that we can wear it on our bodies is a merely an added bonus. Asymmetry is one of the brand’s specialties, and these wabi-sabi danglers are a perfect example of this artistry.

**Leigh Miller** Gold-plated pearl, amethyst and glass earrings, $, available at Net-A-Porter

Gap Upcycled Puffer

**The Giftee:** Your suburban-dwelling aunt who’s getting concerned about what she’s been reading in the news about climate change

We were so excited to see the old-school basics brand jumping on the repurposed-fabric bandwagon with the launch of a neon-hued puffer made from a 100% recycled fill, shell and lining. It’s a great choice for the more old-school shoppers among us with a growing environmental consciousness, but may not be ready to leave their tried-and-true comfort zone.

**Gap** The Upcycled Puffer, $, available at Gap

Kiki de Montparnasse Velvet Robe

The Giftee: That person in your life with really, really, really expensive taste

For those with $900 to burn, may we suggest a silk-lined velvet robe that will presumably only be worn indoors? In all seriousness, though, anyone with a benefactor would be thrilled to unwrap this ultra-luxurious dressing gown — they won’t be one bit mad at the rich velvet fabrication or luxe silk lining.

Kiki de Montparnasse Velvet Robe Blue, $, available at Kiki de Montparnasse