The holidays are coming.
Yes, I know. We are still technically in the part of the year where people are pretending they have plenty of time.
But eventually, somebody is going to look at the calendar and go:
“OH SHIT. CHRISTMAS IS HOW SOON?”
And suddenly everybody is scrambling around trying to figure out what the hell to buy for their friends, family, partners, kids, coworkers, pets, or themselves.
And since I’ve recently joined a few affiliate programs—and have also been invited to participate in some—I figured, you know what?
Fuck it. Let’s make one giant holiday shopping post.
This is a big-ass collection of stuff from a bunch of different advertisers and programs. There’s a pretty damn wide variety here, so whether you’re looking for something practical, something fun, something weird, something educational, something for a music lover, something for a kid, something for your home, or something for yourself, there may be something worth checking out.
And yes, this is an affiliate marketing post.
That means some of the links below are affiliate links. If you click one of them and make a qualifying purchase or otherwise complete an eligible action, I may receive a commission. That doesn’t necessarily mean you pay anything extra. It means the company may compensate me for sending you their way.
So with that out of the way…
LET’S GO SHOPPING.
🎁 Gifts, Gifts, Gifts
Let’s start with the obvious category.
Gifts.
Because honestly, sometimes the hardest part of holiday shopping isn’t spending money. It’s figuring out what the hell to spend the money on.
One option is Giftlab, which is specifically the kind of thing worth browsing when you’re trying to find something for someone and your brain has decided to completely stop functioning.
And if you’re shopping for something more personalized or simply want something that doesn’t feel like you grabbed the first random thing you saw at a store, there are plenty of other options throughout this guide.
That’s really the point of this whole post.
Browse around.
You don’t have to buy everything. Hell, you don’t have to buy anything.
Maybe something here gives you an idea for something you can find somewhere else.
💇 Hair & Beauty
If you know somebody who is really into hair, beauty, skincare, or self-care, there are several options here.
For example, Amazonliss – Smooth & Silky Hair is promoting smooth and silky hair for up to four months.
There’s also Ashimary Hair and Zlike Hair if you’re looking through hair-related options.
And for skincare and beauty, there’s MISSHA US.
Basically, if somebody on your holiday shopping list has a bathroom cabinet that looks like it belongs to an entire Sephora department, you have some places to start.
🎧 For the Music Lovers
Now this section is obviously going to get my attention.
I’m a musician. I make music. I play saxophone. I write songs. I obsess over music.
So yes, I’m absolutely going to include some music-related stuff.
If you’re shopping for somebody who plays an instrument, writes music, listens to music constantly, or generally has the personality trait of “I need more music shit,” check out Muzician.
There’s also The Music Stand and Virtual Sheet Music.
And if your music lover is more of a listener than a player, there’s HiBy Seeds II Earphones, which is currently being promoted with a $10 savings offer.
So you’ve got options whether the person you’re buying for wants to make music, learn music, read music, or just listen to the damn stuff.
📚 Books, Audiobooks & Learning
Obviously, as an author, I’m legally obligated to have a books section.
Okay, not legally.
But I’m doing it anyway.
If you know someone who loves books, check out IndieReader.
And if they’re more of an audiobook person, there’s Libro.fm.
Honestly, audiobooks can be a pretty damn good gift because the recipient doesn’t have to find a place to put another physical object in their home.
They just need headphones.
Which brings us right back to the music section.
Everything connects.
🧠 Educational Gifts
Here’s a category I particularly like because not every gift has to be something you eventually forget about.
Sometimes you can give somebody knowledge.
Amen University – Professional Brain Health Courses offers professional brain health courses.
There’s also ACoBS – Prove Your Benefits Expertise for people interested in benefits expertise.
And for younger learners, GameU Orbit offers self-paced STEAM learning covering things like coding, design, robotics, and more, with a seven-day free trial followed by $25/month.
Not every kid needs another plastic toy that makes noise for three hours.
Maybe give them something that makes their brain make noise instead.
🧸 Toys & Kids
Speaking of kids…
There are plenty of toys and games to choose from.
Check out Joyrealtoys for some really fun toys and gifts.
There’s also Print Games Now for printable games.
And, again, if you want to go in the educational direction, GameU Orbit from the previous section gives you another option.
The holidays don’t have to mean choosing between “fun” and “educational.”
Sometimes you can get both.
🔬 Science, History & Weird-Ass Stuff
Now we get into one of my favorite categories.
WEIRD SHIT.
If you know somebody who loves science, history, unusual objects, or generally has the reaction of “what the fuck is that?” whenever they open a gift, take a look at Mini Museum.
There’s also NHR Science.
And that’s where I think this kind of shopping gets fun.
Because you don’t necessarily have to buy someone the most expensive or mainstream thing.
Sometimes the best gift is something they would have never thought to buy for themselves.
Something that makes them go:
“Holy shit, that’s actually cool.”
And lastly, for the adults in the room, if you want toys of your own, too, you can check out Enjox Toys.
🚲 Outdoors, Bikes & Adventure
For the outdoorsy people, there are several options here too.
Kingbull Bike is one option for people interested in bikes.
There’s also Mooncool.
And if you’re shopping for someone who would rather have an experience than another physical object, check out Breakaway Experiences.
Experiences can be great gifts because, unlike another object sitting on a shelf, you’re giving somebody something they can actually do.
🎣 Gear & Outdoor Stuff
For the people who spend their free time outside, there’s also Piscifun, which is currently promoting getting your gear ready for fall.
And if you know someone who spends more time outside than inside, this is exactly the sort of category I’d look at.
Because you know what outdoor people love?
More outdoor gear.
I don’t make the rules.
🏠 Home, Lifestyle & Random Useful Stuff
Sometimes you just need to buy something useful.
Not sentimental.
Not profound.
Not some gigantic holiday surprise.
Just…
“Hey, this thing is useful.”
That’s where some of these other advertisers come in.
Check out Argendon, CUNFON, Distacart, and FliKEZE.
There’s also Loftly and Sunaofe US.
I’m intentionally keeping this category broad because the whole point of this post is that there are a lot of different things here.
Sometimes you don’t know what you’re looking for until you see it.
📺 Tech & Entertainment
For the tech and entertainment crowd, check out Aurzen and Valerion US.
These are worth browsing if you’re shopping for someone who likes home entertainment and technology.
And then there are things like the HiBy earphones mentioned earlier for people who are more focused on personal listening.
Again, there’s a little bit of everything here.
🐶 Gifts for the Four-Legged Members of the Family
Let’s not forget the pets.
Because let’s be honest.
Some people are going to spend more time thinking about what their dog wants for Christmas than what their uncle wants for Christmas.
And I completely understand.
For pet-related shopping, check out ZEAL Pet Food.
Your pet may not understand the concept of affiliate marketing.
They probably just understand:
FOOD.
And honestly, that’s probably healthier.
🖼️ Art, Posters & Decoration
If you’re shopping for somebody who likes decorating their room, apartment, office, studio, gaming setup, or whatever weird little corner of the world they’ve claimed as their own, check out Poster Master US.
And for something a little different, there’s Connection Collection.
Because sometimes somebody doesn’t need another practical gift.
Sometimes they just need something that makes their space feel more like theirs.
✍️ Professional & Digital
Not every gift has to be wrapped in paper.
Some things are digital.
For example, there’s eSign.
There’s also PrimoLearn.
And if you’re shopping for somebody who is trying to improve professionally, learn something new, or build a skill, educational and digital products can sometimes make a hell of a lot more sense than buying them another physical object.
🧘 Wellness & Lifestyle
There’s also Heal Conscious, NeuroScent, and Celsius Herbs.
And if you’re interested in something involving nutrition tracking, there’s Nutrinixy – AI Calorie Tracker.
As always with anything involving your health or wellness, do your own research and make sure a product or service actually makes sense for you before spending money on it.
🦷 The Practical Stuff
Sometimes the most boring-looking gift is actually the one somebody uses constantly.
For example, there’s Triple Bristle.
And honestly, there’s something satisfying about giving someone a gift that’s actually useful.
You know that thing they’ve been putting off buying?
Buy it for them.
Problem solved.
💇 More Beauty Options
If you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet, there’s also Janet Howard and MorningBlues to browse.
Again, I’m deliberately making this a giant collection rather than pretending there’s one magical gift that’s going to work for everybody.
Because there isn’t.
People are different.
Their interests are different.
Their budgets are different.
And their definition of a good gift is different.
🛍️ A Few More Places to Browse
There are still some advertisers in this collection that don’t fit neatly into one little category.
There’s Anthbot US.
There’s Nexbie.
There’s Promeed.
And there’s Unice, which is currently advertising up to $90 off with a Fall code.
There’s also Tsarbomba.
So if you’ve made it this far and you’re thinking, “Okay, but what the fuck do I actually buy?”
My answer is:
Browse.
That’s what this list is for.
🎄 Don’t Forget Yourself
Here’s something I think gets lost during holiday shopping.
You don’t have to spend the entire season buying shit for everyone else.
If there’s something you’ve wanted all year, and you can reasonably afford it, you are allowed to buy yourself something.
Seriously.
You don’t need to justify every purchase by saying it’s “for somebody else.”
Sometimes you are the somebody else.
Maybe it’s a new gadget.
Maybe it’s something for your hobby.
Maybe it’s something for your home.
Maybe it’s something you’ve been staring at for six months thinking, “I’ll get that eventually.”
Eventually is a pretty fucking vague date.
💰 And Yes, This Helps Me Too
I want to be transparent about the other side of this.
I’m an independent creator.
I write books. I run blogs. I make music. I make a podcast. I create all kinds of weird shit online.
That stuff takes time and, unfortunately, time doesn’t magically pay for itself.
Affiliate marketing is one of the ways independent creators can potentially make some money from the audience and content they’re already building.
So if you click one of these links and buy something, I may earn a commission.
That’s the deal.
I’m not going to pretend otherwise.
At the same time, I’m not telling you to buy something just because I have an affiliate relationship with it.
If you don’t want it, don’t buy it.
If it isn’t useful to you, don’t buy it.
If you find a better price somewhere else, go get the better price.
Seriously.
I’d rather somebody make a smart purchase than buy something they don’t need just because I put an affiliate link in a blog post.
🎁 The Holiday Shopping Philosophy
My general philosophy with gifts is pretty simple.
You don’t need to find the most expensive thing.
You don’t need to find the most impressive thing.
You don’t need to buy the thing that everybody else is buying.
You need to find something that makes sense for the person you’re buying it for.
If they’re into music, get them something related to music.
If they’re into books, get them books.
If they’re a giant nerd, embrace the nerdiness.
If they’re outdoorsy, get them something they can actually use outside.
If they’re a kid who loves science, maybe encourage that curiosity.
If they’re obsessed with their pets, yes, you can absolutely buy something for the damn pet.
And if you’re completely lost?
Gift cards exist for a reason.
There is no shame in admitting:
“I have absolutely no fucking idea what you want, so here is money.”
Honestly, some people prefer that.
🎅 Final Thoughts
So there you have it.
My giant, ridiculous, big-ass holiday affiliate shopping guide.
We’ve got hair.
Beauty.
Books.
Audiobooks.
Music.
Earphones.
Education.
STEAM learning.
Toys.
Games.
Science.
History.
Outdoor gear.
Bikes.
Experiences.
Home stuff.
Tech.
Pets.
Posters.
Professional tools.
Wellness.
And a bunch of other random shit that doesn’t fit neatly into a category.
That’s kind of the fun of it.
The holidays are different for everybody.
Some people want the traditional Christmas experience.
Some people celebrate other holidays.
Some people don’t celebrate at all but still like buying presents.
Some people are shopping for family.
Some are shopping for friends.
Some are shopping for coworkers.
Some are shopping for pets.
And some of us are just sitting here thinking:
“Fuck it. I’m buying myself something.”
Whatever you’re doing, hopefully this giant collection gives you a few ideas.
And if one of these links leads you to something you actually want, great.
If you buy through one of my affiliate links, thank you—it can help support the independent creative work I do online.
But most importantly:
Don’t go broke trying to make the holidays perfect.
Buy what you can afford.
Buy what people will actually use.
Buy things that bring some joy.
And if nothing on this list catches your attention?
That’s okay too.
There will always be another giant shopping list on the internet.
Probably written by somebody using significantly less profanity than I did.
Happy shopping, everybody.
