Holiday Gifts for the Whole Family

A 1,000-piece puzzle lives on the coffee table for the whole break: anyone walking past adds a few pieces, and kids from about 10 keep up with the adults. Ravensburger 1000-piece boxes usually cost $14–27, with holiday scenes on sale in December. Match the piece count to the youngest helper — with preschoolers, go for 100–300.

After sledding or a walk to see the lights, a box of cocoa, marshmallows and a couple of mugs gets everyone back at one table. Gift sets with mugs start at about $20. Read the label before buying: nut-free if there are kids you don't know well, and a less sweet mix if the parents keep sugar in check.

One new ornament a year turns into a family tradition: every December they hang it and remember who gave it. A ball personalized with their last name and the year is inexpensive and fits any tree style. Glass breaks easily, so with a toddler or a cat in the house, choose wood or felt that can hang on low branches.

A gingerbread house fills a whole evening: adults hold the walls while the icing sets, kids handle the candy roof. Kits with pre-baked walls and a bag of icing are an inexpensive grocery buy in December. Check the best-before date and the ingredient list, and whether the decorations are meant to be eaten or only admired.

A calendar of their own photos hangs in the kitchen all year, and kids hunt for themselves on every page. Print services like Shutterfly make one in a few clicks; order 2–3 weeks before the holiday. Use only photos the family has shared or sent you themselves, and ask one parent for a few recent ones.

During a winter power outage or a camping weekend, a rechargeable lantern lights the whole table, and kids happily carry it from room to room. Some models double as a power bank and can top up a phone. Look for warm light (cold white tires the eyes over a long evening) and USB-C charging.

Ticket to Ride takes ten minutes to learn and 30–60 to play, for 2–5 players from about age 8. It lists at $45–55 and drops to around $30 on sale; Dixit (about $45) suits creative kids and up to 8 players. For ages 5–7, take Ticket to Ride: First Journey; for a cheap pocket option, Spot it!

On New Year's morning, kids pour their own batter and the adults only handle the coffee. A waffle or 3-in-1 sandwich maker is a mid-range buy and earns its counter space at weekend breakfasts. The deciding detail: removable, dishwasher-safe plates — fixed plates are what send these machines to the back of the cupboard.

Movie nights over the break go better when the kids are in charge of popcorn. Pair a hot-air popcorn maker with a few kernel packs and a handwritten list of family films. Hot air means no oil to splatter, but the chute gets very hot, so kids use it with an adult nearby.

Parents shoot hundreds of photos a year and print almost none. A 30–40 page book of their year gets looked at by both parents and pored over by the kids. Order at least 2–3 weeks ahead, get photos quietly from one parent, or give a photo book voucher so they pick the shots themselves.

Foosball turns every family gathering into a parents-versus-kids tournament, for 2–4 players. A tabletop model that sits on a dining table is a mid-range buy and stores under a bed. Measure the table first and look for metal rods: plastic ones bend after a few heated matches.

Matching pajamas are for the morning photo everyone in the family gets in. Old Navy's holiday sets ran about $20 per person last season, with sales lower. Sizes are the risk: get them from one parent, and include a gift receipt so anything can be swapped.

If there's a Switch under the TV, a party game gets four people playing at once instead of taking turns. Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV lists at $79.99 and has dipped to $59.99. It won't run on the original Switch, which has its own version. Run it by the parents first — screen time is their call.

A portable projector turns a bedroom wall into a movie screen for sleepovers and winter weekends. XGIMI MoGo 4 runs Google TV with Netflix built in; the MoGo 4 Laser lists at about $700 and is often discounted. Skip $50–60 projectors — 720p and dim. Look for brightness of around 450 ANSI lumens or more and a battery good for a full film.

Kids photograph the whole holiday and the prints go straight onto the fridge. Get the Fujifilm Instax mini 13, which arrived in the US in June 2026 with a 2- and 10-second self-timer, at about $95. Add two or three film packs (about $18 each) — one box goes in an evening.

A tabletop grill makes holiday dinner hands-on: everyone cooks their own portion, and kids love making mini pancakes. Tefal's 8-person raclette with a grill plate and crêpe pans is the familiar pick. Match the number of little pans to the people at the table and look for a non-stick coating. The plate gets very hot, so seat small kids farther away.

For families who camp or live with storm outages, a power station runs a router, lights and everyone's phones for hours. EcoFlow River 3 (245 Wh, 300 W) is compact enough for a car trunk. Choose LiFePO4 batteries, and check capacity: a 10 W router for 20 hours needs about 200 Wh.

A LEGO Winter Village set gets built by parents and kids together and then comes out as decoration every December. The big sets in the series cost around $130. The box says 18+, but kids from 8 manage fine next to an adult; with a toddler at home, build it somewhere out of reach.

In most families one parent always holds the camera, so there are hardly any photos of all of them together. A session voucher from a close relative fixes that. Choose a studio with props for kids and an open-dated voucher, and give it only if you're close — a stranger choosing their photoshoot can feel odd.

Holiday shows are made for families: The Nutcracker, a circus, Disney on Ice. Tickets can be bought online the night before and printed into a card. Check the age rating (often 6+) and pick a daytime show if there are preschoolers — an evening performance ends in tears.

A family cooking class or pottery workshop fills a winter-break afternoon and sends everyone home with something they made — a pizza, a tray of gingerbread, a set of mugs. It's a mid-range voucher you can buy online. Check the minimum age for kids and mention any food allergies when booking.

A night away with breakfast for two adults and two kids is a real break from the routine, and works for families who seem to have everything. A hotel package or an Airbnb gift card does the job; an escape room voucher is the cheaper version. Check how many kids are included and how long it's valid — holiday dates book up first.

When you realize on Christmas Eve that you have nothing, a Disney+ or Netflix gift card can be sent in minutes and fuels a whole break of movie nights. Print the code into a card so there's something to unwrap. First check they don't already pay for that service, and that it has a kids' profile.

A sofa throw big enough for the whole family is what everyone fights over on movie night. Go for 200×220 cm (roughly king size) so two adults and two kids fit underneath. Fleece or sherpa washes easily, which matters with kids and cocoa on the sofa.

A box of chocolates goes on the table the moment you walk in and gets shared by everyone. Ghirardelli squares or a See's Candies box are easy, familiar picks. Ask about nut allergies first, and choose individually wrapped pieces so kids don't fight over who touched which one.

Holiday visits mean long hours around the table, and a good loose-leaf tea or a bag of fresh coffee gets used up during your own visit. Pick a winter blend with spice or fruit and a caffeine-free option so the kids can have a cup too. Small tins look better than one big bag.

On the way to the skating rink or sledding hill, one big flask covers hot tea for the whole family. A Stanley Classic 1.4-liter is a mid-range buy and comes with a cup in the lid. Look for a wide mouth so it's easy to wash and a lid that works with gloves on.