Lenny’s Newsletter holiday gift guide 2026

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The holidays are fast approaching, so I’m back with my sixth (!!) annual gift guide. It started out as a random post idea, but now you’d be surprised how many people ping me as early as September asking when the new list will be out.

These guides take a lot of work to do well, and ever since the first edition, my secret weapon has been my wife, Michelle. She finds the cutest stuff, makes me cut the slop, and she’s the best gift-giver I know. Dare I say, she’s got taste. 🤌

I’ve included a mix of practical stuff with a lot of fun and delight, from high-end products to very affordable items. As always, there are no affiliate links here, I’m not benefiting from recommending any of these products, and I’m an investor in only two of these companies (marked with 🏦). I’ve marked returning champions—products I’ve mentioned in past guides—with a medal icon 🎖️.

If you’re looking for even more ideas, check out my previous gift guides from 2025, , 2023 (for new parents), , and 2021. And enjoy!

P.S. If you’re based in the U.S., go vote today!

**Some fun, delightful sh*t**

Be Nice cap from artist David Shrigley. The world needs more nice. If you’re in the EU (or unconcerned with $30 in tariffs), buy directly from the artist’s store here.

Dandelion Chocolate. Dandelion is a San Francisco–based company that makes their chocolate at their own factory in the heart of the city. The founder left tech to study chocolate-making traditions in France, started making his own chocolate in his garage 16 years ago, and became one of the best-known small-batch chocolate makers in the U.S. Unlike most chocolate, it’s made from just two ingredients: cocoa beans and organic cane sugar. They have many beautiful (and delicious) gift options (the Advent calendar is a popular choice), and the site clearly states allergens for each product.

Avian Visitors. A framed e-ink display that dynamically updates to show a collage of the birds heard most recently near your home. You can order a kit that you assemble yourself or this ready-made version, while supplies last. This is a one-man hobby project, so he may sell out fast.

Applause Machine. For the underappreciated PM in your life. As the designer puts it, “for when your ideas are great but no one else agrees.” It’s like VCBrags but IRL. P.S. High price point. It’s art!

Flowers for Things I Don’t Know How to Say by Tucker Nichols. A touching gift for someone who’s going through a hard time, plus some funny entries that add levity. The spread pictured hits close to home for me and my misophonia. 🫣

BonBon’s Sour Blackberry Fish. The most delicious, addictive, memorable candy I’ve had in a while. We discovered this at the very cute Jenner Outpost while on a road trip and had to agree not to get any more bags on the return trip. Gluten-free, vegan, no dyes, possible crack.

Ugmonk 15-minute sand timer. “No notifications. No glowing numbers. Just sand moving through glass.” Can be used to give your kid a time limit without having to use a screen. Or for yourself. Thanks, Chris, for the tip.

Blunk Cups. These cups are a West Marin trifecta of “something old” (original JB Blunk design), “something new” (third-edition collaboration with Oakland artist Stephanie Intelisano), and “something blue.” Too pricey? Try this cobalt blue mug from East Fork’s Matisse Collection.

Bathing Culture certified-organic “mind and body wash.” Smells great, looks pretty, and comes in refillable glass bottles.

MD Notebook. Just a really nice minimalist notebook with smooth-to-the-pen pages. The blank version is Michelle’s go-to. Another silky-paged favorite: Mnemosyne.

For the friend always talking about microplastics

Aarke stainless-steel hot water kettle, Rishi glass teapot,and Five Mountains stainless steel strainer. Michelle and I are tea drinkers, and we stopped using tea bags about a year ago, so we only have tea advice. If you’re a coffee drinker and have plastic-free coffee equipment recommendations (especially espresso machines), please share in the comments! Caveat on the kettle: there’s black silicone on the inside of the lid but nowhere else.🎖️

Hestan for baking, and stainless steel Made In for pots. We started with one pan and are slowly replacing all our cookware with these.

Vera Salt. Did you know sea salt can be full of microplastics? Here’s Huberman talking about it. Vera Salt is 100% microplastic-free, “hand-harvested in the foothills of Spain.” Fancy. This has become our go-to sea salt. 🎖️
Seatopia. Frozen high-quality seafood delivered to your door. Lab-tested for mercury, microplastics, and more.

Ophora water (test results) and Loonen water (test results). Loonen’s sparkling water is just as bubbly as our previous favorite brand that tested high for PFAS.
Fashionable 100% organic cotton clothing from Wax London, Pact, Nads, Industry of All Nations, Faherty, and Mate. For kids: Colored Organics, Pehr, and Mushie. 🎖️

For friends/colleagues who need to touch grass

Online comedy classes from The Second City.They’ve got improv, stand-up comedy, public speaking, and more. The stand-up class is excellent for getting your creative juices flowing, even if you never plan on performing your tight five.
Solgaard carry-on luggage. We’ve used this “carry-on closet” suitcase for years and love it. The MoMA edition has fun colors as a bonus. Tip: Don’t lose the interior closet insert, because you can’t buy a new one without buying a whole new suitcase (we learned the hard way).

K9 dog backpack. We used this every weekend to ride our bikes with our dog before we had a kid. Sorry, buddy.

Garrett Leight sunglasses. I’ve done cheap sunglasses my whole life, and after getting this really nice pair, I’m going the quality route from now on. I just have to not lose them.

The Architecture of Trees by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi. A hearty book to page through when you need a detox from slop scrolling.

Pendleton grab-and-go throw. So cozy. To save some bucks, you can skip the leather carrier and just get the blanket.

Tern electric bike. For riding with your kiddos around town, especially a hilly one. Cargo e-bikes are expensive as hell, and this is among the pricier models, for good reason. Bosch battery system, smooth and easy ride. No kids but have a small dog? There’s an attachment for that.

AllTrails gift subscription. I’ve been a paid subscriber for over five years now.
Giftable Bay Area experiences:
1. Redwood Nights in Fairfax. Like The Moth but with twinkle-light-strewn towering redwoods, and deer families stopping by to eavesdrop on the stories.
2. Lightscape at the San Francisco Botanical Garden
3. Outstanding in the Field. They tour all over the U.S. and are opening the new season soon.
4. Candlelight concerts in San Francisco (and beyond). Covers of your favorite songs “surrounded by a thousand candles.”

For your friends with kids

Botanic and Luxe 2–4T Bear Robe. Cuteness overload after a warm bath or shower.

Kids’ Glerups slippers or Blundstone shoes. Cuteness overload, continued.

Shameless-plug alert: Charts for Babies and All the Feelings (pre-order), written and illustrated by my wonderfully creative wife, with the goal of introducing the visual language of math at an early age. Yes, I’m biased, but they’re great. Best way to incept your kids into STEM.

Yoto Mini 4th Gen. I recommended this last year, and so many people grabbed one and loved it. We continue to be huge fans, and they just came out with a new model with a larger on/off/pause button. If you’re not familiar with Yoto, it’s a screen-free audio player for kids, with hundreds of music and story options. 🎖️

Rey To Z hat. Get custom hats for your kids and their grandparents, whatever the kids call them.

Little Moonjumper custom blanket. Our favorite new-baby gift. Parents treasure it. We did—thank you, Sarah.
The Hideaway Carry-On Duffel. This has become our go-to travel bag for our kid. It’s cleverly designed, with specific pockets and openings for everything you can think of. They also have a smaller version. 🎖️

Original sketches by Mo Willems, like this one from I Really Like Slop!, and other original children’s-book artwork from Books of Wonder.

Once. For your type A parent friends trying to get their kid to read. It worked for ours.
Nanit. The best baby monitor on the market. Delightful reminders, video compilations, and it just works. A great way to watch your delicious turkey-shaped baby. 🎖️

For the home-and-healthmaxxers

For home air filters, we’ve settled on the IQAir HealthPro Plus for the living room (godawfully ugly, sometimes we hide it), Dyson and Blueair for bedrooms, and this Coway Airmega for smaller rooms, like my office.
Lightwork Home Health. A whole-house toxin health assessment. They come to your house to test your air quality, water, EMFs, lighting, mold, and household products. Not cheap, but we did this (they comped us a visit) and it was eye-opening.
Aranet4 CO₂ indoor air quality monitor. High CO₂ levels allegedly impair your cognition, so I have one of these puppies in my office and open windows when I see it go above 1,000. I’ve also heard good things about this Airthings device. 🎖️
Daylight Labs Deep Amber incandescent lights. The most beautiful and practical light for evenings, to help you slow down at the end of the day. They plug into any standard light socket, or you can grab a couple of the cute wood light fixtures. By the creators of the Daylight computer (a recommended gift in 2024).

Blissoma SPF 30 mineral facial sunscreen. My go-to (face) sunscreen. Zinc-based, no scent, doesn’t turn me into a white-bearded Santa Claus.
Wild Roman face moisturizer. They just got a 98/100 Yuka score. High-quality ingredients, small-batch, and it comes in a glass jar. And smells great. Created by Sahil Bloom. 🏦
Waterpik. I’d always been afraid of these, but my dental hygienist told me it’s the most impactful intervention you can make for your teeth and gum health. I floss with DrTung’s Smart Floss in the evening and Waterpik in the morning. Do it in the shower with warm water—so easy.
Matic robot vacuum. The Apple/Dyson/Tesla of vacuums. Not cheap, but the best and the most delightful. They also just launched the Serene, a quieter, limited-edition version. 🎖️🏦

Kawabon leather/merino wool tray.Cute place to store art supplies.Also works for keeping your keys and wallet near the front door.
CANARY Cardboard Cutter. For opening your packages. I’ve had this on the gift guide since day one, and it’s the item readers thank me most for helping them discover. Some people prefer this smaller version. 🎖️

For the sleep optimizers

Manta silk sleep mask.It looks ridiculous, I know, but after trying a lot of different sleep masks (including my longtime favorite, WAOAW), I think this is the best. Reader Tamara Winter swears by the Sleep Crown Classic, though it’s often sold out. 🎖️

Mack’s earplugs.I’ve tried a bunch of fancy, and even custom, earplugs, but I keep returning to these. So cheap, so easy, so effective.
Moon Juice Sleepy Magnesi-Om. An acupuncturist I’ve been frequenting suggested this, and more than anything I’ve tried, it has helped me sleep better and deeper. It includes a low dose of plant-based melatonin “extracted from organically grown alfalfa and chlorella,” and maybe it’s a placebo, but I do feel like it works. I alternate this with magnesium supplements from Designs for Health.

Oura Ring 5. The model that came out earlier this year is a lot thinner and holds a charge for about a week. It’s been really helpful to see how my sleep is affected by changes I make.

Coyuchi organic cotton sheets. Expensive, but we’ve slowly been replacing all of our sheets with these. You spend so much time on bedsheets, it feels worth it. They also just started creating mattresses 😅. 🎖️
Hooga clip-on blue-blocking amber light. I previously recommended this as a nursery light in my 2023 new-parents gift guide. It still works great as a warm reading light in our kid’s room but also as my own book light. We have several. 🎖️
I’m a big fan of the Avocado side-sleeper pillow. Michelle loves the Tempur-Pedic small profile—so much so that she takes up half her suitcase with it when we travel.

For the workaholics

Mateína Yerba Mate. No sugar, tastes great, and arguably one of the healthiest sources of caffeine. Co-developed with Huberman.
Breath by James Nestor. This book rewired how I think about breathing, which has impacted how I work, speak, and sleep. It’s a quick and engrossing read. To go deeper, our friend Gopika teaches Sudarshan Kriya, on one of the core breathwork techniques described in the book, in the Bay Area (also available online), and I recently discovered these Moonbird devices that help you (and your kids) practice different breathing techniques.

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