If Thanksgiving and Black Friday mark the official start of the holiday season, the logic follows that they may be the best time to buy holiday gifts if you haven’t already. After all, waiting much longer to check everyone off your gifting list after this point will be cutting it pretty close — and who wouldn’t want to score some serious savings on gifts that are both fun and practical?
If you still haven’t figured out what you’re getting for everyone, though, that’s okay. We’ve hunted down some of the best Amazon Black Friday deals on products that make for foolproof gifts, from the affordable and useful to the fun and indulgent. All of these items are 20% off or more, so you know these deals are legit. Below, check out our list of great gift ideas that can win you some brownie points — but you’ll want to grab them before the deals end.
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For a truly practical gift, you can’t go wrong with a Nutribullet personal blender. If your recipient is making smoothies or shakes every morning — or wants to get into the habit — the compact size, 600-watt power and intuitive design of this blender combine to make it a kitchen must-have. Perhaps the best part is how easy this is to clean, thanks to the fact that it’s small (but still big enough for the perfect portion) and dishwasher-safe.
Promising review: “This is the perfect instant blender for mixed drinks by far usually with a normal blender I’d spend about a minute blending the ice down to smoothie-ness but this thing does it within seconds and it makes the best smoothie! its a must for a Christmas gift for anyone that like smoothies or mixed drinks.” — Chase Shuffitt
Shopping for a beauty fan who’s always on TikTok? This is a safe bet. Laneige’s cult-favorite and intensely moisturizing lip sleeping mask is adored for its cushiony formula and it’s the perfect way to smooth parched, flaky lips. It’s available in several fragrances and uses a berry mix complex to boost moisture and deliver antioxidant benefits while you sleep, while a blend of shea and seed butters nourishes lips.
The mask is meant for wear at night but several reviewers noted that they wear it during the day as well and still experience good effects. Try one or get the 5-piece set with several minis so your giftee can experience different flavors to find their favorite.
The Aura Carver was named the best digital photo frame by Wirecutter in 2023 for its stylish look and ease of setup. The frame has free, unlimited storage and family and friends can send new photos in any time through the Aura app. Since it’s a smart frame, you’ll also get features like auto-shutoff at night, automatic brightness adjustment and smart photo cropping. For example, it’ll show two vertical photos side by side so there are no ugly black bars on the sides of the screen.
This can be a great gift to help keep parents or family members in touch, especially those living farther away. The picture frame even has a built-in speaker for videos. With a 4.8-star rating across over 12,000 ratings on Amazon, this frame is worth the money.
Promising review: “Gave this as a gift to my parents who are anything but tech savvy. I set it up for them, and even with pretty sketchy AT&T WIFI have had great success. The application to upload pictures is easy to use, and can be used by all of the kids to upload pics to the cloud. I was a little worried about it, and have had some down time when the WIFI was dropping, but overall it has worked like a champ and the photo display is wonderful. A heads up if you post ‘live’ photo’s, that it will display them as live video, which may take more digital space and time to display. But the results, even with video, are wonderful, and have given my family a cool way to connect when they are not on social media.” — Jay W.
Carhartt has gotten some extra hype in the last few years, so it’s always nice to see a sale on their apparel. This loose-fit men’s hoodie has the iconic logo running down the sleeve in a way that shows it off without splashing it right across the chest. The sweatshirt is midweight, stretchable and roomy, not to mention machine-washable. Especially with us being well into hoodie season, your recipient can get a lot of use out of this thing. It comes in a bunch of colors and men’s sizes XS-5XL, with tall options available.
Normally, a finished Lego set is put on the shelf for display or disassembled and tossed back in the box. That won’t be the case with this 667-piece three-in-one set, which gives the builder the ability to build a fox, squirrel or owl, and then take it apart to rebuild into the other two possibilities. Reviewers can vouch for this being a hit among kids and adults alike.
Promising review: “Got as a gift for my son, who’s a nature (and Lego) lover. This particular set was not expensive, although its not a large kit. Excellent design and quality – as expected from Lego. Recommended.” — Wert
Released just this year, this version of the Beats Pill portable Bluetooth speaker has up to 24 hours of battery life and is dust- and water-resistant. Reviewers say the sound quality is clear, and that the speaker is impressively loud for how small and lightweight it is.
It’s perfect for your recipient to play their favorite podcasts or playlist in the kitchen or the shower and will come in extra handy to keep the vibes going during holiday gatherings. You can get it in five colors.
Give the gift of a reliable morning brew with this OXO grinder that lets the user choose between 15 grind settings, with a one-touch start that remembers the last one they chose for easy operation. The stainless steel grinder, which can hold up to 12 ounces of coffee beans, also has a UV tint to keep the coffee beans fresh.
Each of these clever smart plugs turns any regular old wall outlet into one your recipient can set to turn on and off on a schedule or at their whim, without getting off the couch or even needing to be at home. Just think of the possibilities you can open up for them with this gift: They can save the day if your giftee realizes they left home without turning off an appliance, or when they want to make it look like someone’s home while they’re on vacation.
They can use either Alexa or the Kasa app or both to control the plugs, and setup is truly simple either way: All they have to do is plug one in, push a button to connect it to their Wi-Fi, add it to the phone app and live your life. And if they have an outlet or lamp switch that’s hard to reach or stuck behind furniture, these are complete game-changers.
My brother and sister-in-law love to collect and play tabletop games, so I know firsthand the long-term use a good game set can get. This Mexican Train Dominoes set comes with a convenient carrying case to take it on the go, and contains everything your recipient will need for game night, including 91 dominoes, a scorepad to keep track and more. The game is made for two to eight players ages eight and up, making it a potential fun gift for a family or couple.
Promising review: “We played with some friends last year and decided to buy 2 to gift to family for the holidays. It was an instant hit! There are lots of ways to play but we do the classic game and everyone has loved it. My mom asked to play a game every night. It does take a while when you’re first learning so keep that in mind but once everyone knows what’s going on you can get through several hands in reasonable time. The case and dominos are really nice quality and super easy to travel with.” — Hines
If you’re looking to truly splash out on a tech-related gift, there are few gifts more practical and fun than a new iPad. The Apple iPad does virtually everything an Apple laptop or desktop does, with the added bonus of Apple SmartPen capabilities. And it’s obviously more portable, too. Your recipient will quickly become obsessed with it, especially if they travel a lot or have kids in their life.
It’s possible you’ve seen some version of these overnight hydrogel masks on TikTok that start off opaque and become transparent as all of the infused goodness absorbs into skin, leaving behind a complexion that’s plump, hydrated and glass-like. These Biodance masks contain a collagen peptide that’s of a low molecular weight to penetrate deeper into the skin. They also have brightening niacinamide, moisture-trapping hyaluronic acid and galactomyces to improve skin tone and texture. They make a nice, indulgent gift for the person who could use a little self-care.
Promising review: “Amazing value for money spent. I loved the cool feel and was blown away by how relaxing it was to sleep in this mask. My skin glowed all day, I used this the same night I received it. My face looked more plump and brighter. Even the dark circles under my eyes reduced. The quality is amazing, feels like think jelly and is super easy to apply. I was impressed with how smaller my pores appeared after just 1 use. Will definitely be adding this to my self care routine.” — S. Williams
This beloved and TikTok-famed kitchen appliance by Ninja crafts nearly every frozen confection you can think of, be it homemade ice creams to fruity sorbets to slushies and air gelato with all your favorite mix-ins. It features 11 one-touch programs and the pint mixing base doubles as a sealable container that you can pop in the freezer to store leftovers. If you’re shopping for someone who enjoys a sweet treat and some experimentation in the kitchen, this is a slam-dunk gift they’ll likely want to reach for constantly.
Promising review: “I was originally unsure how often I would use this product, but I love it and use it multiple times a week! There’s tons of recipes you can find in the pamphlet it comes with and online. It’s easy to clean and tastes better than ice cream. 10/10 would recommend getting if you want a healthy sweet treat.” — Jenna
Squishmallows have become a popular brand for stuffed animals (and stuffed food, and stuffed mythical creatures, and… you get the point). This three-pack can be fun as a gift for kids, the whimsical adult in your life or even yourself. After all, it contains three medium-sized Squishmallows, but which ones, they are a mystery.
If your recipient is into beauty products and always scrolling on TikTok, they might have been curious about this viral, unique product before. No, the “snail” designation isn’t beauty speak for something else — there’s actual snail slime in this K-beauty product and it apparently works so freaking well. (Snail mucin has been used in cosmetics since the 1980s, when Chilean snail farmers observed that when their skin was in contact with snails, it was softer, and cuts seemed to heal faster.)
Per reviewers, consistent use of this incredibly hydrating serum can help address dryness and breakouts and just generally improve the look of the skin. Plus, the snail aspect will certainly make this a conversation starter when your giftee opens your gift.
Promising review: “I received this as a gift one time over a year ago, and since then I have probably repurchased this product at least 4 or 5 times, it’s that good. It takes my dry, tight skin to feeling silky smooth and hydrated in a matter of seconds. Something I love about it this is you can use this multiple times a day if need be. I recommend this product to all my friends, even those with oily, acne prone skin. If I had to choose only one skincare product to have, it would be this one.” — Molly P.
This one is also a higher-ticket item, but if you’re willing to splurge on a gift, this is a truly useful option that won’t go unappreciated by remote workers, music fans or others who uses headphones daily.
Bose infused their signature high-fidelity sound and powerful noise-canceling technology into these over-the-ear wireless headphones that offer 20 hours of listening per charge. Enjoy 11 levels of active noise canceling and a microphone system that allows the listener to take calls and be heard, even in noisy environments.
Promising review: “This is my 2nd pair of BOSE headphones. 1st set was tested and true! I’ve had them over 15 years and they still work great. I like the new ones as to how they fold easily for the storage case. I purchased a 3rd pair for a Christmas gift. My wife loves em!” — Jamie Steeves
“Honestly the prettiest music experience I’ve had with headphones… I love the purple.
Very comfortable too.” — Carissa
Is there any better gift than providing some pain relief? This popular muscle massager features all the same percussive therapy power as the full-size Theragun, but packed into a more compact version that can make it easier to target smaller areas like the arches of the feet, tops of the ankles, calves and shoulders. It reaches 16 mm into the muscle and features advanced sound insulation for an ultra-quiet performance. Users can choose from three attachments and three speeds. Whether your recipient has plantar fasciitis, arthritis, an intense workout routine or more, this is a versatile and useful gift idea they can use at home and on the go.
It’s also HSA/FSA eligible!
Promising review: “This was a gift for my brother. He wanted a massage gun and the reviews drove me to this brand and size. He loves it and the size is perfect for travel use too!” — BluePnut
A walking pad can be a winner with fitness junkies and exercise newbies alike, and this gift won’t take up too much room in their home — the sleek under-desk treadmill wheels away neatly after use. It has a maximum load of 265 pounds and revs up to over six miles an hour. The pad also automatically tracks the user’s distance and calories burned and they can control the speed with the included remote.
Act fast, though: HuffPost readers love to buy these on sale whenever we cover them, so it’s fair to guess that this steep discount may not last long.
Promising review: “I bought this as a gift for my husband who is an avid runner, but unfortunately works a remote desk job so he is confined to a small space most of the day. He absolutely loves it! He’s been able to get his steps in during the work day and it is so easy to wheel around so we can both use it. It even has a collapsible bar that you can use for a light jog or speed walking. It is easy to store and perfect for small spaces!” — Victoria
Ralph, an eau de toilette by Ralph Lauren, has notes of magnolia, green apple and white musk that combine for a fun, fresh, floral scent that can bring a bit of spring and summer to your giftee’s colder months. The distinctive blue bottle makes this a gift they’ll want to both display and use, and with the generally high ticket price, you won’t want to miss out on such a steep discount.
Promising review: “i bought this as a gift for my sister for Christmas. She loved it and wears it a lot. The scent is nice but not too heavy and really smells good on her. I will purchase again for the next gifting occation.” — antz
A reusable water bottle or container is one of the most useful things you can gift someone — they can use it at the office, around the house and even at some coffee shops that will use customers’ containers. If your recipient doesn’t yet have one, Yeti would like a word. Select colors of the 20-ounce Yeti Rambler, a stainless steel, insulated tumbler, are on sale for Black Friday.
We can’t overstate how beloved this tumbler is, as it’s earned a 4.8-star average rating across over 91,000 reviews). The tumbler is BPA-free, dishwasher-safe and designed to prevent condensation. It also fits inside a standard-size cup holder, so you don’t have to worry about them taking it on the go.
While the classic version of the LifeStraw personal water filter for emergency preparedness isn’t on sale for Black Friday, we did find this stainless steel drinking straw from the same brand that serves a similar purpose. The straw, which is reusable for up to 1,000 liters, is more compact and comes with a carrying case but still filters out microplastics, bacteria and parasites from water. Like the classic version, it’s great for emergency preparedness, but also comes in handy if your recipient is traveling and has concerns about the tap water at their destination.
