15 gifts you should buy now to get ahead of holiday shopping
Stay on top of your gift game this holiday season
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With more people opting to shop online (rather than in stores) these days because of the coronavirus pandemic, experts have predicted that holiday shopping is going to pick up much earlier in the season than usual. That means that waiting until the last minute—or even the last few weeks—could leave you desperately trying to find one of the few popular products still available or paying out the nose for rush shipping.
The smart solution is to start your holiday shopping ASAP, especially if you have your eye on one of the year's most popular gifts. Below are 15 of the top gifts that everyone will be buying this year that could sell out quickly once peak shopping season hits. We recommend snagging these items—which includes everything from the coveted AirPods Pro to the celebrity-loved Barefoot Dreams blanket—now while you still can.
1. Apple AirPods Pro
It's hard to go wrong with these top-rated earbuds.
Wired headphones are so 2019. Instead, get your music-obsessed giftee a pair of the wildly popular Apple AirPods Pro, which our experts ranked as the top wireless earbuds. When we tested them, the upgraded version of the iconic white buds performed the best in all categories, including sound quality, battery life, and range.
Get the Apple AirPods Pro from Amazon for $199 (Save $50)
2. Keurig Coffee Maker
For the coffee lovers and caffeinated giftees.
A coffee maker is one of those gifts you could get pretty much anyone on your list—which is why they tend to fly off the shelves. If you're buying one now, we recommend the Keurig K-Cafe, which our experts chose as the number one single-serve coffee maker out there. It brewed the most flavorful cup of joe in just minutes and even has an attached milk frother for when your giftee wants to get a little fancy.
Get the Keurig K-Cafe from Amazon for $153.99
3. Amazon Echo Dot
Upgrade their home with the Amazon Echo Dot.
If last year was the year of the Echo, this year is the year of the Echo Dot. It has all of the features of the Amazon Echo, but at a fraction of the price, making it the best entry-level smart speaker, according to our experts. The newest Dot, while still a tiny four inches in diameter, even has a majorly improved speaker for better sound quality and is a great gift for anyone who wants their first smart speaker or who already has an Echo and wants a complementary device for another room.
Get the Amazon Echo Dot from Amazon for $49.99
4. Gravity Weighted Blanket
It's all about comfort with the Gravity Blanket.
Regular blankets are great, but weighted blankets are even better—or at least they make for an even better gift in 2020. Of all the ones on the market (and there are a lot thanks to the growing trend), we found the Gravity Blanket to be the best. It has a super soft velvet exterior that's made for curling up in and provides just the right amount of pressure that's not too light, but not too heavy.
Get the Gravity Weighted Blanket from Gravity for $189
5. Kindle Paperwhite
For the intellectuals and the bookworms.
If you own—or have ever used—the Kindle Paperwhite, you understand the hype. It's our experts' top Kindle because it has the largest storage space, has 24 levels of illumination so you can read at anytime and anywhere, and is even waterproof. Basically, it's likely to be one of the most popular gifts this year and its already on backorder, so don't hesitate to buy one now for the reader on your list.
Get the Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon for $129.99
6. Ugg Slippers
Work from home in comfort this season.
Slippers are always a great gift—but this year, it seems they're at the top of everyone's lists as we're spending more time at home. For women, popular styles include the super plush Fluff Yeah slide (which celebrities from Selena Gomez to Madonna are obsessed with) and the Cozette slipper (which sold out at Nordstrom during their annual sale last month). For men, the Ascot slipper continues to be a top seller, with over 3,600 rave reviews on Amazon.
- Get the Ugg Fluff Yeah Slide from Amazon for $99.95
- Get the Ugg Cozette Slipper from Amazon for $79.95
- Get the Ugg Men's Ascot Slipper from Amazon for $109.95
7. Instant Pot
Make their kitchen complete with this top-notch cooking tool.
Some things (or rather, some appliances) never go out of style when it comes to gifts. Like the Instant Pot, which is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser this holiday season yet again. There are plenty of models to choose from but our favorite is the Instant Pot Ultra, which has 10 different cook settings (from pressure cooking to steaming to slow cooking) and can have a meal that usually takes an hour on the table in just 20 minutes. It's perfect for anyone who finds themselves cooking at home more often these days.
Get the Instant Pot Ultra 10-in-1 from Amazon for $149.95
8. Roku Ultra
Stream favorites right from the couch with the Roku Ultra.
Anyone who owns a TV could benefit from a Roku Ultra, which delivered the best experience of all the streaming devices we tested. It has an easy-to-use remote and is compatible with nearly every TV, making it a great gift for any person on your list. Psst: If you want one, buy it sooner rather than later—the Roku sold out at many retailers on Black Friday last year.
Get the Roku Ultra from Amazon for $79.99
9. Fitbit Charge
Help them crush those 2021 fitness goals with the Fitbit Charge 4.
According to a Gallup poll, one in five people wear a fitness tracker and this year, we could all use some extra motivation to get out of our seats and go for a walk. The Fitbit Charge 4 will help your giftee to do just that. It's performs so well that we crowned it our new favorite fitness tracker, dethroning its predecessor, the Charge 3. It'd make a great gift for anyone who is obsessed with getting fit and healthy in 2021.
Get the Fitbit Charge 4 from Amazon for $145.51
10. Always Pan
Cook in style with this trendy cookware set.
Every year, there's always (no pun intended) one cooking product that everyone can't stop talking about. This year, it's the Always Pan from Our Place, which claims to replace eight pieces of cookware and can do everything from sautéing, frying, boiling pasta, and so much more. After testing it, our cooking expert loved how versatile it was as well as how absolutely gorgeous it looked with its terracotta finish and Instagrammable vibe.
Get the Always Pan from Our Place for $145
11. Nintendo Switch
Get gaming right at your fingertips with this highly coveted gaming console.
If you've been on the hunt for a Nintendo Switch this year, you're all too aware that it's been hard to find. The popular gaming console—which was a top-selling gift last year, as well—as skyrocketed in 2020 as people sought at-home sources of entertainment (hello, Animal Crossing!). Our experts have been scouring the internet for all the places you can still buy a Nintendo Switch online but stock continues to be limited, so you'll want to scoop one up while you can, or opt for the handheld Switch Lite.
Get the Nintendo Switch with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy-Con at Target for $299.99
12. Barefoot Dreams Throw Blanket
Get cozy with this super soft throw blanket.
More time at home means more time to spend cozying up on the couch with a super soft throw blanket. Of all the ones you can buy, the Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Throw Blanket is by far the most popular (and the trendiest!) with celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, the Kardashians, and Selena Gomez raving about it. The blanket will be hard to find in select colors (like the popular animal print), so if you want to get it for someone, act sooner than later.
Get the Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Throw Blanket at Nordstrom for $147
13. iRobot Roomba i7+
Make life and cleaning easier with the iRobot Roomba i7+
Home might be where the heart is, but it's also where the clean floors are (or should be). People love robot vacuums because they do your cleaning for you and make life a lot easier—which we could all use this year especially. Our experts put some of the most popular ones to the test and found the Roomba i7+ to be the best thanks to its self-emptying dock along with its smart mapping technology.
Get the iRobot Roomba i7+ Robot Vacuum from Amazon for $799
14. Loungewear
Work from home in style with some of our favorites.
Loungewear has become a hot commodity in 2020 now that many of us are adjusting to the "new normal" (a.k.a. working from home and living in sweatpants). Some of the most sought-after pieces include the super soft sets from Lou & Grey, the cult-favorite Nordstrom Moonlight pajamas, and the ever-popular Parachute bathrobe for both men and women (which some of our Reviewed writers own and love!).
- Get the SignatureSoft Upstate Sweatshirt from Lou & Grey for $69.50
- Get the Moonlight Pajamas from Nordstrom for $65
- Get the Classic Bathrobe from Parachute for $99
15. Laugh & Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen
Make learning fun with this adorable set for little ones.
One of the most popular toys this year according to our experts? This adorable playset, which is recommended for kids 12 to 36 months and has both a garden side and a kitchen side, so kiddos can cook what they "grow." Our parenting editor, Anna Lane, believes this will be a hot item amongst younger kids this year and will probably sell out.
Get the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen at Target for $79.99