Holiday Gift Guide 2014: It's a Wrap

It’s that time of year again, but don’t panic. We’ve found gifts to delight everyone on your list, at prices from $15 to more than $100,000. So skip the malls and shop right here. Your recipients will think you spent lots of time and effort searching for the perfect present, and your secret will be safe with us.

EXTRA JUICE

Mophie’s Juice Pack Helium, an ultralight yet protective iPhone case, incorporates a battery that provides up to 80 percent extra power. We used it in the car for four hours without petering out while consulting MapQuest (an app whose only notable shortcoming is that it sucks the life out of your phone). Available in seven colors for $79.95 at mophie.com.

Want more power? Jackery offers several external battery options for charging phones and tablets on the go. Most recently the company introduced Leaf, a $49.95 snap-on iPhone case that offers up to 100 hours of extra battery time. Check out the selection at jackeryusa.com.

Mophie’s Juice Pack Helium and Jackery’s Leaf are both available for iPhone 5/5s. Neither company has confirmed plans for iPhone 6 versions but we suspect they’re on the way.

Know someone who’s constantly looking for a socket to charge a portable device? The Hub It Synch and Charge Station may be the answer. It’s capable of rapidly syncing and charging up to seven portable devices simultaneously. The sleek design includes retractable cartridge connectors to hide that unsavory tangle of cords we spy on even the most organized kitchen counters. It costs $79.99 and is available from a variety of retailers (see eggtronic.com for a list).

GALLERY OPENING

WhiteWall could forever change the way we frame family photos. This innovative lab/framing service allows you to enlarge and frame any photo through a simple point-and-click process that takes a few minutes on an easy-to-navigate website. You upload an image from your computer and then choose from various printing and mounting options. The prices are reasonable considering the high quality and quick turnaround. We were particularly impressed with WhiteWall’s handling of a large-scale image of a child, which the company printed directly under acrylic glass and framed to perfection. Prices for most items range from $10 to $800 at whitewall.com.

MONTHLY BLOOM

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “the Earth laughs in flowers,” so spread the merriment around this year by choosing a gift that is sure to bring a smile. The floral subscription service at 1800flowers.com offers several attractive options, including Bloom of the Month ($59.99/bouquet), which is a monthly shipment of the freshest flowers available, and Rose of the Month ($39.99/bouquet), which is just as sweet. You can opt for delivery of either for three, six or 12 months. We use 1800flowers.com all the time because of its exceptional service and quality.

CHEF IN A BOX

Concerned about a recent college graduate who is living on his or her own for the first time and placing low priority on nutritious eating? The folks at dCuisine have reinvented the TV dinner by preparing frozen entrees that actually rival many restaurant meals. Chef Ken Arnone creates seasonal menus using the finest, healthiest ingredients and cooks single-serve soups (butternut squash, Thai chicken) and treats such as beef short ribs and Pacific seafood stew in small batches. The meals are then flash-frozen and shipped in dry ice to stack in the freezer until dinnertime. We were skeptical too—until we tasted the food. Meals start at $15, gift certificates at $50, from dcuisine.com.

CHOCOHOLICS, REJOICE

Dear Coco—a new handcrafted brand of truffles and bars—is all-natural, dairy-free and gluten-free. It also ranks among the best and richest chocolate we’ve sampled. The honey-infused “Around The World” truffle collection includes 12 varieties with innovative flavors such as “Mumbai Masala Chai” and “New Orleans Bananas Foster.” What sealed the deal for us were the toffee chocolate bars, which come in a neat stack of eight in delicious flavors, including cinnamon clove, rosewater and pie spice. Beware: it will be hard to resist eating the whole lot at once. The Toffee Chocolate Bar Gift Set goes for $65 at dearcoco.com.

I SCREAM,YOU SCREAM

Make life a bit sweeter by sending a treat the whole family can enjoy—ice cream. Here are three options we recommend.

Create your own custom-made ice cream, gelato or fat-free/dairy-free sorbet on eCreamery.com, where you can let your fantasies run wild by choosing from more than 40 flavors and 30 mix-ins. The company even lets you design a personal label and packaging to prove it’s your recipe. An original batch of sorbet or ice cream starts at $59.99 for a half-gallon (packaged in four pint containers), and there are all sorts of options for one-time or monthly delivery, with Flavor of the Month subscriptions starting at $200 (for three months) at ecreamery.com.

Ohio’s Graeter’s ice cream has been around since 1870 for a reason. You can’t go wrong with this creamy concoction, which is available in a variety of flavors, both classic (butter pecan, chocolate chip) and seasonal (cinnamon, pumpkin). These are calories that are worth the splurge. Choose a six-pack of pints for $60 or send a 12-pack for $120 at graeters.com.

Greenfield makes its ice cream from scratch in small batches using milk, cream, sugar and eggs plus other all-natural ingredients. Choose from more than a dozen flavors, including our favorites: salted caramel and peanut-butter chip. You can order a sampler pack of 10 pints for $74 and you can customize the labels with your own message. Memberships start at $48 for two pints a month for three months at greenfieldicecream.com.

COPY THAT

Impress the techie on your list with a cutting-edge 3-D printer from Maker Bot. The easy-to-use equipment can design and print anything from toys to tablet cases to coffee mugs. The fifth-generation Desktop MakerBot Replicator Printer sells for $2,899 at makerbot.com; you can also buy a compact version for $1,375, and owners can sign up for classes at MakerBot stores to “learn how to create the things you want and need.”

A TOAST TO THE TWENTIES

Restoration Hardware has created a bar cart based on a light-bulb testing machine it found in a 1920s-era German factory. Stock it up with whiskey, wine and crystal glasses for the ultimate gift for someone who appreciates a good cocktail. The price is $1,995 at restorationhardware.com.

DAILY REMINDER

The handwritten daily planner has fallen out of favor with the embrace of electronic calendars, but some people still prefer paper. For them, a planner from Smythson of Bond Street is the perfect gift. Each year the iconic luxury leather-goods company rolls out a new line of vibrantly colored pocket and desk diaries and organizers. We especially love the Soho Diary (about $390), whose stunning design makes jotting down dentist appointments almost enjoyable. Visit Smythson.com, where you’ll find other beautiful leather goods and stationery that will enchant anyone who craves a little luxury.

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD

There is something glamorous and dignified about pulling a heavy, gorgeous fountain pen out of your pocket or bag. Pens continue to be fantastic gifts, perhaps even more so now that technology has made the handwritten word so rare. We love the U.K.-based Pen Shop, which offers everything from the basic Montblanc to a $150,000 gold Caran d’Ache Caelograph fountain pen. Don’t worry: it comes with a lifetime international guarantee at penshop.co.uk.

BACK TO BASICS

Nothing feels better than watching a small child’s imagination ignite, and this colorful set of wooden cars from Nova Natural spark lots of elaborate pretending in every youngster who comes to our house. Nova Natural also offers a slew of other simple and beautifully made gifts, such as colored pencil sets, brightly colored wooden rattles and amber necklaces for teething infants. A set of six wooden cars is $69 at novanatural.com.

FOR THE TOT WHO HAS EVERYTHING

Before you dismiss this miniature Range Rover as a tacky toy for the nouveau-riche, consider the joy it will bring to you and your guests as you enjoy glasses of wine on the porch while your children drive around the backyard for hours on end. One weekend last summer we watched as the Avigo Range Rover Sport captivated kids of all ages. We’re especially impressed with the durability and stability of this little set of wheels, which is designed with fun sound effects, working doors and chrome wheels and tailpipes. It travels up to 4.5 mph in forward and reverse and features a speaker jack that lets children listen to their favorite songs on the road when they connect a portable music player. The Range Rover retails for $399.99 at toysrus.com.

ULTIMATE STOCKING STUFFER

The Four Seasons hotel chain now has its own custom-designed, retrofitted Boeing 757 (everyone on board gets a flat-bed seat), and it is offering the experience of a lifetime: an around-the-world trip, with stops at up to 10 destinations. Experiences can include diving with a marine biologist in the Maldives and learning to make sushi in Tokyo. The Four Seasons accommodations and unparalleled service don’t hurt, either. You can arrange this unforgettable gift for $119,000 per person at fourseasons.com.

LITTLE SHOP, BIG IDEAS

Lon Little Shop claims to “meticulously select products from the best designers and brands in the world,” and having visited this tiny Boulder, Colorado store, we can attest that it delivers on that goal. Here you will find exquisite and unusual gifts, ranging from original artwork (we love the “With Love” numbered heart prints) to backpacks to brass bell ring holders that look like mini sculpture. Don’t worry if you have no plans to visit Boulder: all of the items are available at lonlittleshop.com and shipping is free. 

MAKE THAT A RED EYE

For the strong coffee lover, nothing tops a beautifully made double espresso, and for espresso machines, no one tops the Italians. Illy’s Pasquini Livietta espresso and cappuccino machine is built to fit compactly on most kitchen counters but has the commercial-strength power needed to steam milk and brew espresso at the same time, so your guests won’t have to wait while you make the foam. It goes for $1,075 at Illy.com.

Jennifer Leach English is BJT’s editorial director.