36 Christmas Gifts for 16-Year-Old Boys

Give a teen who trades photos with friends a Polaroid Now, and his favorite moments turn into prints he can pin up.

He chooses which shots are worth keeping, and once the color film in the box runs out, he'll need refills.

College visits are coming up for plenty of juniors, and a slim Samsonite backpack carries the day's essentials from one campus tour to the next.

Its trim shape stays close behind him through crowded halls, with a charger and notebook inside, and it keeps looking right long after the tours are done.

A teenager with a weekend job outdoors gets a Carhartt cuffed beanie that looks right with his work gear.

The same workwear name shows up on the older guys he works beside, so the hat matches the job. Between tasks, he folds the cuff up or pulls it down over his ears.

This adidas body spray set gives a high schooler a choice of scents for every morning.

He can spray on a different one after gym class and see which he likes most. Rotating between them lets him settle on the one he keeps reaching for.

Friends who finish each other's sentences can put that knack to work in The Mind, where the whole table plays as one team.

Everyone wins or loses together, so each round turns on how well the group reads one another. Over winter break, he can deal a hand on the bedroom floor and see how far they get.

Aim matters in PC shooters, and long nights with his squad call for a mouse he can rest his hand on for hours.

The Razer DeathAdder Essential has a contoured body that settles under his palm, and the cable means no battery quitting halfway through a round.

This wired Acer gaming mouse fits a high schooler who plays PC games with his friends.

Online matches fill his free time, so a mouse made for play earns the desk spot. After school, he plugs the cord into his PC and joins his squad's next match.

A high schooler with a phone full of photos can print his favorites on the KODAK Dock Plus.

He picks which moments get printed, so shots of his crew stop vanishing into his camera roll. Then he tucks the prints around his mirror frame, where friends spot them when they stop by.

The Wacom Intuos pen tablet suits a 16-year-old whose sketchbook is full and who wants to draw digitally.

He draws with the pen and the lines show up on his screen. It needs a PC, Mac, Chromebook or Android device.

Beats Solo 4 headphones put a music-loving high schooler's playlists and videos right at his ears.

His songs and videos already live on his phone, so he pairs the headphones and listens anywhere. On the bus to school, he slips them on and starts the next podcast episode.

If the boy on your list writes essays at his desk most evenings, give him a keyboard he can call his own.

Schoolwork and group chats run through his laptop, so a separate board spares him hunching over its built-in one. The MX Keys Mini sits beside his mouse, ready for the next assignment.

The Anker Zolo is a magnetic power bank for a 16-year-old whose phone dies before the day does.

He can keep it in a hoodie pocket for long afternoons with friends. Check that his phone takes a magnetic pack before you order.

Apple Pencil Pro gives a high school digital artist a stylus for the tablet he already draws on.

Instead of smudging lines with a fingertip, he holds it like a pen and inks his characters stroke by stroke. Over winter break, he can redraw a favorite album cover in his own style.

Snapped onto a MagSafe iPhone, or any phone in a magnetic case, the UGREEN power bank keeps a busy high schooler's phone going on long days away from home.

After practice he heads out with friends, and the pack rides on the back of his phone while it charges. Just check that his phone takes a magnetic pack before you order.

Pulled from a stocking on Christmas morning, KontrolFreek FPS Freek Galaxy caps go onto the sticks of a teen gamer's Xbox controller.

Shooter matches with friends fill his evenings, so the change lands right where his thumbs steer and aim. They stay on the gamepad for every lobby he joins after that.

The Oakley Tincan cap is a closed-back hat with a stretch fit and a metal logo on the crown.

It works for a sporty-gear fan turning 16. He can pull it on over a hoodie for practice or weekend outings.

This slim zippered wallet holds a high schooler's cards, cash and keys in one small pouch.

He can clip it to his keys and drop it in a pocket. After practice, it keeps everything together.

The Under Armour Undeniable 5.0 Duffle is a gym bag for a teen who lifts before school.

His day starts in the weight room, so the duffel holds his lifting gear and class clothes.

When the teen you're buying for hosts friends over the holidays, Exploding Kittens gives the group a board game to crowd around.

His crowd turns every hangout into a rivalry, and a night of rounds gives that trash talk somewhere to land. The box stays on the coffee table until the last friend's ride pulls up.

A sharp-eyed teen who argues with friends over whether a hoodie is navy or black gets that debate as a party game.

He picks a square in secret, then hunts for a short hint that steers his crew toward it. At a birthday sleepover, he can let a friend who keeps missing take the next turn choosing the secret color.

Giant UNO brings the card game in supersized form to a high schooler with younger siblings at home.

The maker rates it for ages 7 and up, so his kid sister can play alongside him. On a rainy Saturday, they can spread the big cards across the living room floor.

This mini pool table gives a 16-year-old a way to shoot billiards on a desk or coffee table.

Cues, balls and a triangle come in the set, so a rack starts right away. He can play friends between homework sessions.

The Crew suits a teen who would rather beat a game with his friends than beat them.

Once homework is done, he can deal a round on a Friday night and see how far they get.

His house is where friends tend to land, and this PRO-SPIN kit turns the dining table into a place to rally.

The net grips the edge of a table or desk, so nobody needs a full-size setup in the basement. Two play while the others line up to face the winner, and the net comes off when dinner needs the space.

Opened on Christmas morning, this ProsourceFit mat gives his martial arts practice a cushioned spot at home.

After each class, he can unfold it and go over the new form while it is still fresh, then fold it flat behind his closet door.

This belt keeps a drink at the hip, so a teen training for a spring road race can stay out longer.

He already tracks his routes on his phone, and a quick sip partway lets him push past his usual turnaround. Along a riverside path, he can drink at a bench and carry on without heading home.

A YETI Yonder bottle works for a teen who wants plain water close at hand on a long day.

It clips to his bag, and the leakproof lid keeps a damp backpack out of the picture. He can rinse it in the dishwasher after weekend pickup games.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens makes a practical Christmas gift for a teen boy.

He can read it over winter break before the new semester. It then sits on his desk beside his planner.

Spy x Family, Vol. 1 makes a Christmas gift for a teen manga fan starting a new series.

He can read it on Christmas afternoon. Later volumes can line up beside it on his shelf.

The Martian by Andy Weir makes a Christmas gift for a teen boy keen on space.

He can tear through it over the winter break. Afterward, it is easy to lend to a friend from school.

Between run-throughs at jazz band rehearsal, a teen drummer can reach into his band bag for a STANLEY IceFlow rather than leave the kit for the hallway fountain.

The same bottle comes along to gym class the next morning and sits on his desk through homework.

The X Rocker Eclipse gives a 16-year-old console gamer a proper seat of his own for long sessions.

It gives him somewhere better than the rug to sit through online matches with friends.

This alcohol marker set lets a high school sketcher bring color to the comics and characters he draws.

He already fills notebook margins with heroes, and markers take those pages from pencil to full color. After homework, he can sketch a new comic page and fill each panel with color.

Brush strokes on a Buddha Board give a teen who sketches with care a looser way to draw, where nothing needs finishing.

He plans every pencil line in his sketchbook, so a brush lets him try out rough shapes instead. The quick figures he roughs out at his desk become a warm-up before homework.