How to Wow Your Family This Christmas
The Ultimate Holiday Hack: The Gift Everyone Will Actually Use
Finding the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday list can feel overwhelming. Who has time to figure out which Lego set your brother-in-law would love or whether your sister actually uses the candles you give her—or just stashes them in a drawer?
But fear not!
I have a foolproof strategy to give everyone on your list a gift they’ll actually use: a charger. What kind of charger? I’m glad you asked!
Over the past decade, chargers have consistently improved. And every year, the top-of-the-line models from last year are now affordable enough to give to everyone on your list.
Here are the most useful charging advancements from recent years to consider. (If you don’t care about the details and just want recommendations for chargers to buy this year, feel free to skip ahead.)
A Quick Note on “Watts”
Understanding watts is key to choosing the right charger for speed and compatibility. Both charging bricks and cables have maximum wattage ratings, and your charging speed is limited by the lowest-rated component. As a general guide:
15+ watts: Charges a phone quickly.
30+ watts: Charges a phone very quickly and can charge most laptops slowly.
45+ watts: Charges most laptops.
65+ watts: Charges nearly everything.
90+ watts: Charges laptops quickly.
Gallium nitride (GaN)
Gallium nitride has largely replaced silicon in modern chargers. GaN chargers are smaller, more powerful, and produce less heat. Belkin has a more detailed explainer here.
The easiest way to spot a GaN charger? It’s compact yet incredibly powerful. One standout is Anker’s Nano Charger.
Wireless Charging (Qi & Qi2)
Wireless charging remains one of the most under-appreciated innovations of the last decade. Nearly every smartphone today can charge just by sitting on a flat surface. Pause for a moment to consider how futuristic that would have seemed just 10 years ago.
You simply set your phone down, and it charges. Amazing!
A few years ago, I went all-in and bought Twelve South’s PowerPic for everyone in my family. (It was half-off at the time but still pricey.) The PowerPic is a 10-watt wireless charger that doubles as a photo frame. I added a picture of my son to each frame and jokingly told my family their phones would charge fastest with his photo inside. Many of them still use it—though they’ve updated the pictures.
More recently, magnetic chargers have solved the issue of misaligned devices. Last year, I gifted everyone a Belkin MagSafe charger to keep their devices perfectly aligned for optimal charging.
High Quality Cables
If your family doesn’t need any of the fancy nonsense I’ve mentioned above, they’ll still need some quality cables. For anyone with older iPhones (pre-iPhone 15), grab USB-C to Lightning cables. For everyone else, you can’t go wrong buying USB-C cables.
Christmas 2024 Recommendations
Anker MagGo Power Bank ($25) A wireless charger, portable battery, and phone stand in one.
Anker USB-C to USB-C Cable (2 for $6.39): Durable and reliable.
Anker 45W USB-C Charger Block ($16): Powerful enough to charge most devices efficiently.
Yes, all my recommendations are from the same brand. What can I say? I love Anker. Their products are consistently high quality, and their Black Friday deals are fantastic.
For the record, I don’t use referral links or have any financial incentive. I genuinely just like their stuff.
I’ll send out an additional post this Friday with the best deals I find.
Hey you finally wrote an article perfect for my kids tx! I will be looking out for your Black Friday deal 🫡