The Verge’s 2026 holiday gift guide for moms

A collection of cool, quirky, and creative gifts to show your appreciation for that special maternal figure in your life.

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Given everything moms do for us, it feels good to give back during the holidays. But where to start? How do you come up with a physical representation of how you feel about such a key and influential figure in your life? The possibilities seem as endless as they are daunting, but fear not, we’ve done the hard work for you.

To help you make the mother figure in your life feel truly appreciated, we’ve created a sprawling list of intriguing, lovingly curated gift ideas. From a ring watch and luxe portable gaming deck to a better robovac and an AI-powered bird feeder that brings nature to her doorstep, our list has something to fit all of your mom’s many facets, at a wide range of price points. So take one more thing off your checklist and get her something she’ll truly adore this year.

How much do you want to spend?

Soundcore makes some of the best wireless earbuds you’ve never heard of — and the Liberty 5 Pro may be its best pair yet. The sleek buds deliver powerful noise cancellation, good sound, and surprisingly fabulous call quality for way less than Apple’s latest AirPods Pro.

Aura’s aptly titled feeder places its camera beside the feeder instead of inside it, giving you a wider view of nature’s modern dinos. With 2.5K resolution, built-in solar panels, and AI bird identification (all without a pricey subscription), it’s the modern way to bird.

For on-the-go creators, it’s all about capturing the moment in the highest video quality possible. Insta360’s Luna Pro steadycam offers plenty of features to get the job done right, including 4K vertical video, swift file transfers, four hours of battery life, and a detachable touchscreen that doubles as a remote.

If you’re contemplating a pricey pair of sleep buds for your loved one, we urge you to halt and consider a softer (and cheaper) alternative. Piercing pillows, designed with pockets for freshly pierced ears, also work great for regular earbuds. Blissbury’s comfy and adjustable Ear Pillow is our favorite. Problem — and sleep issues — solved.

If a Kindle won’t quite fit into your favorite traveler’s tight pack job, consider the Xteink X4 Pro. The tiny e-reader is easy to pop into your bag or pocket thanks to its 4.3-inch display, and the latest model offers a backlit touchscreen for a more intuitive way to explore the literary world.

CDs are back, and it’s not just about the fantastic sound quality. Like vinyl, part of the appeal is the tactile nature of an album on disc. km5’s Cp1 accentuates the vibe with a minimalist form factor that lets you place the jacket art above the disc, plus modern extras like a rechargeable battery and Bluetooth.

Hoto’s soldering iron is super cool — and by that we mean hot, as it’s able to reach nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit in about three seconds. The cordless, adjustable iron makes the perfect gift for your favorite DIYer, especially since it features customizable presets for virtually any job.

The BYOK (Bring Your Own Keyboard) is a distraction-free way for creatives to get their thoughts down without the allure of silly YouTube videos or notifications about their dog’s flea meds. No frills, just a low-resolution LCD screen that works with most keyboards and provides plenty of power for the long haul.

The future is now, so of course we’ve got screens in sunglasses. The Viture Pro 2 are a slick pair of augmented-reality shades with speakers, micro-OLED screens, and a bonus feature: diopter-adjusting dials, which can sharpen the focus of whatever they’re mirroring from a phone or other device over a USB-C tether. Fancy!

We love JisuLife’s basic but effective cooling fan, which offers simple operation, five speeds, and an LCD battery display. Sure, you could spend a hundred bucks or more on a personal cooler, but the rechargeable 10 S is a stellar — and relatively compact — way to beat the heat on a budget.

We’re not used to talking about “budget” Apple products, but the multicolored MacBook Neo isn’t your average Apple device. The stripped-down MacBook packs enough firepower for everyday tasks, along with a pleasing screen and a terrific mechanical trackpad, giving Mom everything she needs at a manageable price.

It’s time for a smarter robovac. Thankfully, there’s the Matic, which looks less like the rambling discs that pervade the space and more like an actual robot that, well, vacuums. It doesn’t get under beds, but it also doesn’t get stuck under them, and it does a great job providing truly no-fuss cleaning thanks to its superb mapping.

If you haven’t been bombarded by the Hulken yet, it’s a rolling tote that’s blown up online. Designed to hold everything from laundry to an impromptu picnic, the durable bag is beloved for its seemingly bottomless capacity and colorful style, making it a thoughtful gift for fashionable moms on the move.

There’s no shortage of mobile gaming controllers, but few are as stealthy or as compact as the MCON. The sliding gamepad quickly attaches to any MagSafe- or Pixelsnap-ready phone, letting you game with a set of satisfying controls that feel more natural than most rivals.

Govee’s latest lamppost is a nifty gift for any mom looking to light up the yard without invasive procedures. The water-resistant lamp offers 360-degree lighting with adjustable colors at up to 2,000 lumens, built-in motion sensors, a long power cord, and Matter compatibility for versatile smart control.

So what if you’ve heard “Golden” more times than you can count? Netflix’s massive animated hit is a lot easier to gift now that it’s officially available on 4K Blu-ray disc. The story about three pop stars who band together to save humanity from a demonic boy band is an instant classic, with fantastic music and striking animation.

The HoverAir X1 is the hands-off drone your mom didn’t know she needed. Marketed as a “selfie drone,” the autonomous X1 is super light, fits in a small bag, and includes five predetermined flight paths for snapping photos based on your location, with a sixth pattern you can customize.

Built for jet setters, Anker’s 100W travel adapter features a durable design, a handy LCD display to track charge percentage, and compatibility in over 200 <a href="https://warsaw.today/russias-unfriendly-countries-list-now-targets-individuals/” title=”Russia’s ‘unfriendly countries’ list now targets individuals”>countries. It doesn’t support AC plugs, but it does have four USB inputs for all your portables, including a trio of USB-C ports.

Digital photos changed everything, but there’s still something wonderful about the visceral touch and nostalgia of analog. Fujifilm’s Instax Mini Evo provides an intriguing hybrid that bridges these worlds, with a retro design, intuitive dials and controls, and the ability to filter like it’s 1989 (or 1889?).

The Varmblixt hits the sweet spot between style and usability. Its donut shape is a vibe, one you can adjust with the included Bluetooth remote to showcase a vibrant palette of colors. A separate hub, meanwhile, adds Ikea, Google, or Apple smart home support, making for a chic yet versatile way to illuminate any living space.

You can help your mom celebrate Miffy’s 70th birthday with Casetify’s artsy iPhone cases, each of which is adorned with stamps, postcards, playful stickers, and — more importantly — the famous Dutch bunny’s adorable figure and iconic blue dress.

Give the gift of prolonged hearing (and brain health) with these fashionable yet functional earplugs from Loop. No one should go anywhere without accessible hearing protection, let alone concerts or other loud events, and Loop’s covert plugs stand out with a commendable 12dB of noise reduction.

Mom works hard, and she deserves some self-care. Even if you can’t send her to a spa, you can bring a bit of luxury home with CeraVe’s fragrance-free eye cream, which is designed to reduce dark circles and remove unwanted puffiness.

Dock & Bay’s blankets are well suited for the new parents in your circle. They provide a soft space on which to entertain young kids, whether at the park or on your hardwood floors at home, and they’re incredibly easy to pack. Plus, they have a water-resistant bottom and come in an array of fun colors.

For the coffee- or tea-loving mom in your life who’s always headed to the microwave for a heat zap, Ember’s fancy-schmancy smart mug is a luxurious way to keep things toasty. With the ability to set the temperature on the mug or in the app, the Mug 3 makes it simple to keep liquids perfectly hot indefinitely.

Experienced moms know blowing up balloons manually is for the birds. Balloon Buddy’s plug-in air inflator makes filling birthday balloons a cakewalk (sorry, not sorry), helping busy parents maximize efficiency so they can move on to other tasks.

If you’re after a luxe PC handheld to satisfy Mom’s gaming habits, the Ally X20 is a sweet machine that supports Xbox, Steam, Epic, and more. Highlights include a luscious 7.4-inch OLED screen, a rotatable trick D-pad, and plenty of power, all housed within a refined translucent body.

For the mother, father, or other dedicated organizer in your life, enter the P-Touch Cube. The modern label maker offers simple operation and compatibility with iOS and Android, letting users design and personalize custom labels and ribbons on their phones for a fun way to put a label on it.

If Mom loves nothing more than the clickety-clack of keys as she types her latest email or novella, Wobkey’s Crush 80 Reboot Pro is a radical gift. The packable, tenkeyless board feels straight out of an ’80s computer lab, with satisfying feedback, 10 color options, and extras like RGB lighting.

You probably never thought ring watches would be a thing, let alone a cool thing, but here we are. The G-Shock Nano 5600-1 is based on Casio’s beloved DW5600 from ’87, and if it’s not the cutest and most durable little sports watch in the world, we’re not sure what is.

The new Fitbit Air provides the same great fitness tracking we’ve come to expect in a comfortable design that virtually disappears on your wrist. Google’s AI Coach can be overly assertive, but the tracker’s great battery life and metrics for everything from sleep to blood oxygen make it an excellent gift for anyone who needs a healthy hand.

If you want to gift your mom something completely different, Bandai’s silly Cup Noodle model offers accurate 3D-scanned details, right down to the egg, shrimp, and “mystery meat.” It’s sure to surprise and delight any hobbyist, especially those with a sense of whimsy.

For any mom after a travel-friendly hair dryer, the Laifen Mini is a must. Affordable, attractive, and powerful, it puts out up to 110,000RPM of drying power in a packable design that weighs well under a pound.

SwitchBot’s futuristic block, which is designed to activate physical switches from afar, is as useful as it is eccentric. Also available in a rechargeable configuration, the app-controllable button pusher clips onto almost anything with a switch and lasts up to 600 days on a single 3V CR2 battery.

Nothing can replace our furry friends, so for pets that tend to wander, only the best tracking tech will do. Enter the Fi Ultra, which uses Starlink technologyd zones

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Source: www.theverge.com