Pick an age. Find something that fits the teen you know.
Christmas
Birthdays and every day
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Clothing and accessories
Stud earrings from the Swarovski Una Angelic line, worn in pierced ears to finish an everyday outfit or a dressier look.
Why we like it
Simple enough for a choir concert dress code yet bright enough to catch the stage lights, these clear crystal studs from Swarovski's Una Angelic line make a polished last touch.
They look just as right with jeans and a sweater the next day.
A tinted balm that bridges skincare and makeup, smoothed onto the lips for a soft wash of color and reapplied throughout the day.
Why we like it
Halfway between lip care and makeup, LANEIGE's Lip Glowy Balm goes on as a sheer wash of color, a gentle step for a girl not ready for lipstick yet.
Tucked into a stocking beside a bigger gift, it suits school days and parties alike.
Electronics
An instant camera that prints each photo moments after the shutter clicks, giving physical snapshots to pin up, share or keep in an album.
Why we like it
Lunch-table snapshots come out of the Polaroid Now as prints to tape inside her locker before the bell, and the bundle includes film for her first sixteen shots.
Friend groups shift, and a photo on that door holds onto who shared the table.
Electronics
Headphones with noise canceling that hushes surrounding sound, so music and podcasts come through without the hum of a busy room.
Why we like it
Soundcore Q30 noise-canceling headphones fit a high school girl with a playlist for every part of her day.
She switches on noise canceling to tune out the chatter around her and follow every lyric. On the bus home, she can pull them on and replay an album she found that morning.
(price and availability terms)
$71.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Soundcore Q30 noise-canceling headphones for music, blue)(price and availability terms)
$71.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Soundcore Q30 noise-canceling headphones for music, pink)(price and availability terms)
$71.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Soundcore Q30 noise-canceling headphones for music, beige)Clothing and accessories
A wristwatch from Fossil, worn daily to keep track of the time and finish an outfit, from casual looks to dressier ones.
Why we like it
This Fossil watch hands a teen shaping her own style a grown-up accessory to wear on her wrist every day.
She already chooses her own earrings and bags, so a watch joins the pieces she picks out each morning. On a babysitting night, she can glance down to see when the parents are due back.
Electronics
Camera that takes a photo and prints it as a physical snapshot on the spot, using instax mini instant film, sold separately.
Why we like it
Ready to shoot the moment the wrapping comes off, this Instax Mini 13 bundle packs 60 shots of film along with accessories.
Its opening shots on Christmas morning can be her family in pajamas around the tree.
Clothing and accessories
A PANDORA necklace bearing the brand's logo, worn alone or layered with other chains to finish an everyday or dressy outfit.
Why we like it
Clear cubic zirconia stones catch the light on this silver PANDORA logo necklace, which is simple enough for an ordinary school day, worn on its own or layered with thinner chains.
It reverses, too, giving her two looks from one necklace.
Electronics
A photo printer that turns pictures saved on a phone into prints to keep, hand to friends or display on a wall.
Why we like it
No tape is needed for the HP Sprocket's prints: she peels off the sticky backing and presses a phone photo onto a notebook, a mirror or a card.
She chooses the keepers from her camera roll, and the printer is portable, so it can come along to the next hangout. A silly selfie from the bus ride can be on her planner before first period.
(price and availability terms)
$89.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (HP Sprocket photo printer for phones, black)(price and availability terms)
$89.89 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (HP Sprocket photo printer for phones, purple)(price and availability terms)
$89.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (HP Sprocket photo printer for phones, pink)
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Outdoor and sports
A stunt plane to take outdoors to an open field or park and fly through aerial tricks and sweeping turns.
Why we like it
The Sky Viper Vector puts stunt flying in the hands of a 14-year-old hooked on planes.
The maker rates it for ages 12 and up, so the controller stays in his hands. At an empty field after school, he flies laps until every trick comes out clean.
Building sets
A LEGO Technic building set for assembling a remote-controlled model of the Porsche GT4 e-Performance from 834 pieces, then driving the finished car.
Ages 10+ (Brickset) 834 pieces · set 42176
Why we like it
His bedroom wall of Porsche posters belongs to a teen who wants to see how those machines work underneath.
This LEGO Technic kit has him put that machine together himself, at his own pace. The finished GT4 e-Performance then drives down the hallway with him steering.
Electronics
A left and right pair of Nintendo Joy-Con 2 controllers, held in the hands to steer and play video games on a compatible console.
Why we like it
Any teen whose friends crowd his couch for Nintendo games can pass a spare Joy-Con 2 pair to whoever waits a turn.
He chooses which multiplayer titles his crew plays now, so more hands on the controls means nobody sits out. The extra controllers wait beside his console for the next friend through the door.
Electronics
An instant camera that turns each shot into a physical print, sold together with a film pack so shooting can begin right away.
Why we like it
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.
Science and discovery
A telescope for looking at the night sky, letting someone find the Moon and bright objects overhead and study them up close.
Why we like it
Which glowing dot is a planet?
With the Celestron Travel Scope, he gets to answer that himself instead of looking it up online. It packs into its own backpack for a camping weekend, and the Moon makes an easy target on the first clear night.
Electronics
A gaming headset worn during play that connects to a compatible game console or PC, such as Xbox or PlayStation, keeping game audio private.
Why we like it
Halfway through a co-op mission, a teammate's warning about the next ambush has to reach him fast.
This wireless Turtle Beach headset carries every callout with no cord to snag when he leans back, and it works with a PS5, Xbox, PC or phone, whichever one he games on.
Clothing and accessories
A slim Samsonite backpack worn on the shoulders to carry everyday essentials to class, the office or around town.
Why we like it
College visits are coming up for plenty of juniors, and a slim leather Samsonite looks right on a campus tour in a way a worn school bag does not.
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.
Clothing and accessories
A cuffed knit beanie from Carhartt, worn pulled down over the ears to keep the head warm on cold walks and outdoor chores.
Why we like it
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.
(price and availability terms)
$19.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Carhartt cuffed winter beanie, navy)(price and availability terms)
$19.99 at Amazon.com*See price at Amazon.com* (Carhartt cuffed winter beanie, green)
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Books
A paperback boxed set collecting every novel in a young adult murder mystery series, suited to teen readers who enjoy detective stories.
Why we like it
A reader who likes spotting clues before the detective does gets a whole murder mystery series to work through over the holidays.
She can keep a notebook of suspects and theories as she goes, checking her guesses at each reveal. Once finished, she can pass the books to a friend and compare who spotted the culprit sooner.
A fashion wristwatch from Nine West, worn to check the time at a glance and add a finishing touch to an outfit.
Why we like it
Flowers on the dial make this Nine West watch read as jewelry first, so it slips in among the bracelets on her wrist.
During an exam, when phones stay in backpacks, it still shows her the time, and it looks polished enough for a job interview.
A card game that reworks poker into a team effort, with everyone at the table working together toward a shared result instead of competing.
Why we like it
You know a teen whose card games with friends end in squabbles, and The Gang puts them all on one side.
He studies faces around the room, and here every hunch about another player's hand moves the whole crew toward a win. The deck gets shuffled again right after a round slips away.
A gift set of body sprays, each with its own scent, to spray on after a shower or before heading out for the day.
Why we like it
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.
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