Gift guides are pretty common around this time of the year; it’s also a time when we buy a lot of things ourselves. The holiday season is consumer season, whatever you may feel about it. If you’ve got a developer in your life, here are some gifts they’d appreciate that are maybe a little bit different.
A comfortable foot rest
We work at our desks all day long and a decent foot rest can go a long way to help posture and ease restlessness. I recently got one for myself and it has worked wonders for me, truly.
Front-end Fundamentals
Although we’re digital folks, there’s something about being able to reach for a book and quickly flip through it to refer to something that is just magic. This is a starter pack from a company that specializes in Development and Design books; and it’s awesome.
A funny tee
Could be a gag gift or part of a larger gift pack; but t-shirts almost never go unappreciated, and a developer joke tee is always fun. Plus, we always want to take a nap.
Eloquent Javascript
Another hefty but awesome book that almost any modern developer could use in their arsenal. Javascript is the future.
Coffee Subscription
But can you really code without some coffee in your system? Help your coder (who is also a coffee addict) try out some new good coffee beans while supporting Canadians at the same time.
A few weeks of a meal prep delivery service
When you work from home or you’re a coder, grocery shopping and figuring out meals can mean time away from writing quality code. I’ve tried this meal prep delivery service (GoodFood) and it’s pretty great! You get a complete meal that feels thought out and all you have to do is cook it. Everything comes portioned and the instructions are super clear. You can go from zero to enjoying your meal in less than 45 minutes.
Alfred Powerpack Mega Supporter
If they have a Mac, get them this Powerpack. Alfred is an amazing app that can supercharge anyone’s workflow, but especially a developer’s; give them the Powerpack for Alfred and you’ve just saved them hours in their day, plus they’ll have so much fun geeking out over it.
AirPods Pro
I think this one is fairly self-explanatory. Also, I’m not sure I could publish a gift guide this season without these on it. The AirPods were pretty great, but the AirPods Pro are in-ear, which makes them awesome.
Clean, nice smelling candles
You might think the developer in your life won’t appreciate a candle, but seriously, we spend so much time at our desks. A nice smelling candle (that also sounds like a tiny crackling fireplace because of the wood wick) can really level up a person’s desk game – and we’re all about upping our desk game.
New headshots
The people with the most outdated headshots who also spend literally more than half their life online..are typically developers (I too am guilty of this, mine is 4 years old now). Help your developer out and gift them some new headshots from a local photographer,
A great board game
If you know me, you know I love a good board game. Captain Sonar is my current favourite. We developers spend a lot of time alone in front of screens, a fun game that brings together folks and gets us out of our bubbles is fantastic. Play Captain Sonar, you’ll love it and so will they.
That’s it, 11 gift ideas, hopefully some of them were ideas you hadn’t thought of or products you’ve never seen. I could get a lot more elaborate and talk about experiences and other great things you could gift, but sometimes we just need something easy to show folks we care. This is a gift guide for just that. Small, mostly under $100 gifts that bring a little usefulness or happiness into a person’s life.
Remember, the mark of a good gift is not how expensive it is. The mark of a good gift is how well tailored it is to the person you’re gifting to. A $10 gift that illustrates just how well you know someone is far more valuable than a generic $100 gift basket.
Also, always include a note that explains your gift (why you picked it). A small (handwritten) note can elevate a small candle to a treasured item that makes a person smile every time they light it.
Happy gifting, y’all.