For families with kiddos, Babiators, adorable baby-and-kid sunglasses that come with the most amazing guarantee I've ever heard of: they replace them if they got broken or lost ($20). Also: THEY'RE BABY SUNGLASSES, people.
For everyone you know who cooks ever, a set of sharp, colorful knives for a steal. They won't know these have been missing from their lives until they try them, but they'll love them ($45).
If you know anyone with a long commute or who drives a lot, a gift subscription to audible.com, where they can download audiobooks to their phone for listening anywhere. It's the gift of a cure for road rage, and that is priceless ($45 for three months, in addition to other packages).
A darling watchdog doorstop ($24).
A personalized family of wooden peg dolls, because it's adorable ($190; won't be there for the holidays, but a gift certificate for these would be awesome under the tree).
A handy tote bag for making grocery/dry cleaning/toy/shoe schlepping feel a little less annoying ($79).
A salt plate, because if this exists, I am obligated to tell you about it ($45).
For those with less salty tastes, a marble slab board for rolling out pastries and making your food look fancy ($50).
Expensive, but so awesome: a printer that turns your iPhone photos into Polaroids. Amazing for the way everyone lives and takes pictures these days ($300).
Not exciting in theory, but guaranteed to make someone's life better: a smoke detector that lets you turn off false alarms with a wave of your hand, instead of an open-the-doors and-windows-all-hands-on-deck-frantic-towel-flapping situation ($130).
(Top image via Kate Spade; knife image via Dinner A Love Story; audiobook illustration via NPR; Impossible Instantlab photo via Daily Candy.)
