Forget stocking stuffers. Andrew Jackson might be your only friend when it comes time for that big holiday buy. Here's our guide to finding cool holiday gifts under $25.
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| Axe Detailer Shower Tool |
Axe Detailer Shower Tool
Pack of 4, $19.96, amazon.com
In ancient Rome, men regularly exfoliated themselves using lye soap and fistfuls of gravel. (Note: This is patently untrue.) The Axe Detailer Shower Tool works the same way, combining both scrub and lather action with its two-sided design. And yes, it may look like a shower puff, but it's not. It's a tool. And it's better than rocks and chemical burns.
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| Zibra Open It |
Zibra Open It
$11.99, enjoyzibra.com
Sick of using your teeth to open packages? Get a Zibra -- it has all the tools you'll need to open anything. Think MacGyver-like skill minus the safety pins, lighter fluid, and bubble gum. The Zibra combines a cutting tool, a dual-head screwdriver, and a retractable blade.
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| Book Owl Slim Reading Light |
Book Owl Slim Reading Light
$9.99, book-owl.com
This super-slim light clips like a bookmark to whatever page you're reading. Lithium battery-powered, it's got 15-hour burn time, and the LED light bulb will never need to be replaced. Perfect for dark alleys, seedy movie theaters, or any other spot that inspires you to crack open a book.
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| Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler |
Panasonic Heated Eyelash Curler
$14.99, panasonic.com
Still haven't gotten her anything useful? Powered by one AA battery, this eyelash curler separates and bends each lash with a heated comb instead of pressing lashes between two plates. It gives eyes that smoky, natural look without tugging or pinching, and it's still small enough to fit in a cosmetic bag. Right, you don't get it, but she will. Think of it as a power tool for makeup.
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| Air Fork One |
Air Fork One
$9.99, perpetualkid.com
Skip pretending your kid's fork is an airplane just to get him to eat -- with Air Fork One, your child is too fascinated by his silverware to even ask for you to add the annoying sound effects. The stainless steel fork is dishwasher- and kid-friendly, encouraging picky eaters and aspiring jet pilots alike to gobble up their Chef Boyardee.
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| Ames Walker Travel Socks |
Ames Walker Travel Socks
$11.49, ameswalker.com
If the travelers in your life are tired of walking off the plane with kankles, give them Ames Walker's travel socks, graduated compression socks that are made out of microfiber nylon and apply decreasing pressure from the ankle to the knee. This maintains the blood flow rate from the heart to the lungs to reduce chances of deep vein thrombosis -- not something anyone wants to bring on an exotic vacation.
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| Chanel Nail Polish in Midnight Red |
Chanel Nail Polish in Midnight Red
$23.00, bloomingdales.com
Why? Because it's a shade as classic and chic as a strand of pearls from a brand synonymous with haute fashion. Also, it's a sexy alternative to the black polish that seems to be en vogue these days.
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| Dr. Cool & Dr. Hot Bags |
Dr. Cool & Dr. Hot Bags
$16, uncommongoods.com
Despite the fact these products come in dopey-looking fake IV bags and have equally ridiculous names, they work extremely well. The "Dr. Cool" ice pack works as expected -- just chill it in the freezer and wrap it around a body part -- but the "Dr. Hot" heating pack is something special. Just push a simple disc to activate a chemical reaction that gets hot and stays that way for more than a half hour. To reset and reuse, just place the bag into boiling water.
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| Kidz Bop 80s Gold |
Kidz Bop 80s Gold
$12.99, amazon.com
Like a CIA psych experiment gone horribly wrong, kids like to listen to the same thing over and over again until their parents end up bleeding from the ears. With this record, which features a chorus of children singing Reagan-era hits like "Livin' on a Prayer," at least you'll be able to sing along, too.
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| Great Grilled Cheese |
Great Grilled Cheese
$10.48, barnesandnoble.com
You don’t have to be an Iron Chef to prove your prowess in the kitchen; in fact, you don’t even need prowess, just a loaf of bread and some cheese. Cheese expert Laura Werlin's Great Grilled Cheese is loaded with simple, unique recipes that move America's favorite sandwich beyond diner fare to sophisticated repast.
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| Webkinz Collective Lil'Kinz Mini Plush Stuffed Animals Cow |
Webkinz Collective Lil'Kinz Mini Plush Stuffed Animals Cow
$8.35, amazon.com
As if you needed more proof we're entering a postapocalyptic age where robots have taken over, there are Webkinz, stuffed animals that connect to the Internet. Log on to the Webkinz site, enter an "adoption code," then join a virtual world where kids can play educational games with other kids. Granted, this kind of thing used to be done at a place called the playground, but the robot overlords are gaining power.
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| SIGG Water Bottle |
SIGG Water Bottles
Starting at $20, mysigg.com
The company behind this Swiss-engineered line of water bottles likes to tout how environmentally friendly its product is -- they're made from recyclable aluminum instead of those landfill-clogging disposable plastic bottles -- but it's the fact these bottles are lightweight, durable, and come in more than 144 different designs that will have other people at the gym asking you where you got that cool-looking water bottle.
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| Sucré Dark Chocolate Lovers Collection |
Sucré Dark Chocolate Lovers Collection
Starting at $16, shopsucre.com
Sucré adds southern spice to chocolate, offering varieties like "Magnolia," which features pecan ganache and praline liqueuer, and "Avery," which has malt flavors from the Avery Mines, a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico. That'll get her blood going.
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| Mile High Mobile Cell Phone Charger |
Mile High Mobile Cell Phone Charger
$22.50, mile-high.net
Don't shove a tangle of wires into your carry-on -- just throw one of these little kits into your bag. It’s a battery operated cell phone charger for Blackberry, Nokia, Motorola and Samsung phones, and the end of outlet dependency.
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| Nautica Harborside Towels |
Nautica Harborside Towels
$14.99, nautica.com
They're not officially "gym" towels, but so what? These are the right size for wiping your face between reps, plus they're made from bamboo, which fights bacteria and mildew so they won't stink up your gym bag.
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| Prepara Ice Cream Pint Sleeve |
Prepara Ice Cream Pint Sleeve
Starting at $8.99, Yahoo! Shopping
The Prepara Ice Cream Pint Sleeve slips over her favorite pint of ice cream so she can finish it off without frostbitten fingertips or, even worse, melted fudge chips in her Chunky Monkey.
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| The North Face Lightweight Running Quarter Socks |
The North Face Lightweight Running Quarter Socks
$12.00, Yahoo! Shopping
Running with bad socks is like wearing jeans a size too big without a belt -- everything just keeps falling down. The North Face running quarter socks won't disappear below your shoe, which also prevents cuff chaffing while soaking up sweat.
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| Every Man Jack Body & Shave Kits |
Every Man Jack Body & Shave Kits
$15.00, everymanjack.com
Hygiene doesn't have to break the bank. The Every Man Jack Shave Kit box set includes Body Wash, Face Wash, Shave Gel, Face Lotion, and an EMJ toiletry bag.
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