IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Best Amazon gift ideas 2020: Amazon gift guide for the holidays

You can use Amazon's gift guide to find holiday presents like home products, toys, electronics and more — as long as you know where to look.
Gifts available on Amazon include JBL Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker, Kids Edition Kindle, iRobot Roomba Vacuum, Victorinox Swiss Army Pocket Knife and Anker Portable Charger.
Amazon's holiday gift finder features ideas for everyone on your list, no matter your budget this seasonAmazon
By Zoe Malin

Amazon is days into its deals week as Black Friday nears but that’s not all it’s got to offer right now: The extremely popular retailer overall is likewise an NBC News Shopping reader favorite, and launched this year a completely overhauled version of the Amazon gift guide hub, complete with highly-rated home goods, clothing, toys, tech and much, much more. The hub offers gifts ideas broken down by category and price point, as well as for different interests and age groups. Amazon isn't the only retailer publishing helpful gift guides this season, of course. Among its competitors doing so are Wayfair, REI, Nordstrom, Sephora and Walmart, each vying to make it increasingly easy to shop their websites. And this year and season, the competition is on for early holiday gift shopping given pending shipping delays. Retail experts and shipping companies like FedEx and UPS expect massive shipping delays this holiday season. To help you navigate shopping for gifts on Amazon, we’ve gathered some of our favorite gift options below, as well as a simple breakdown of the various categories and filters within the Amazon gift guide.

Best Amazon holiday gifts

1. iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum

The iRobot Roomba 675 Vacuum saves you time cleaning crumbs, dirt and dust off of floors, making it a great gift for those with busy schedules. Through the iRobot Home app, or using a compatible voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant, you can schedule the Wi-Fi enabled Roomba to start cleaning at specific times. It also learns your cleaning habits and offers customized vacuuming schedules, as well as suggests extra cleanings when pollen count is high or during pet shedding season. The vacuum has sensors that allow it to navigate under and around furniture, as well as along edges, and it has a Cliff Detect feature that keeps it from falling down the stairs. Additionally, the Roomba has an auto-adjusting cleaning head that changes its height to clean carpets or hard floors. It runs for up to 90 minutes before automatically docking in the included charging station, so you never have to worry about remembering to plug it in.

2. Polaroid Originals OneStep+ Black (9010)

Capture moments opening gifts and decorating your home by taking pictures with the Polaroid Originals OneStep+. The instant camera takes photos that give them a vintage look that Polaroid is known for and allows for the classic bright flash and self-timer. But the camera is Bluetooth-enabled and connects to your smartphone through the Polaroid app, too, giving you the ability to add effects to photos like double exposure, light painting, noise trigger control and more. Additionally, the app’s manual mode allows you to change the camera’s settings, getting the shot just right before you snap a photo. The camera also has a dual-lens system to switch between a standard lens and a portrait lens. You can purchase color or black and white film for the camera separately.

3. JBL Charge 4 - Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker

A portable Bluetooth speaker is a year-round must-have for music lovers of all ages. The JBL Charge 4 comes in 10 bright colors and delivers a powerful, clear sound. The speaker is water-resistant, so you can bring it to the pool or beach in the summer, and it has a built-in rechargeable battery that supports up to 20 hours of playtime before needing to be charged. You can wirelessly connect up to two smartphones or tablets to the speaker. It comes equipped with JBL Connect+, so you can connect it to more than 100 JBL speakers in order to further amplify sound, too.

4. Kindle Kids Edition

The Kindle Kids Edition gives young readers access to thousands of books and audiobooks. The Kindle now comes with Audible, too, Amazon’s audiobook and podcast platform, so kids can connect their Bluetooth headphones or speakers to the device and listen to a story. To ensure kids don’t get distracted (and to keep its build simpler), the Kindle doesn't come with games, ads or videos. There’s also a Parent Dashboard so you can add educational goals and manage the content your kids have access to, as well as adjust age filters, add books to your child's library, view reading progress and more. The Kindle has a black and white glare-free display and one charge gives it weeks of worth battery life. It comes equipped with educational features, too, like a vocabulary builder and definitions that pop up when kids come across a difficult word. The Kindle Kids Edition comes in four choices of covers: Space Station, Blue, Pink and Rainbow Birds.

5. Ugg Women's Tasman Slipper

The cold winter months call for cozy shoes to keep your feet warm, like UGG Women’s Tasman Slipper. They’re lined with plush natural wool, and the outside of the slipper is made from soft suede with an embroidered braid. The slippers have Ugg’s lightweight Treadlite Outsole, which offers increased cushioning, traction, durability and flexibility. They can be worn indoors and outdoors, as well. The slippers have an easy slip-on silhouette, and can be paired with jeans or pajamas. They come in four colors on Amazon: Black, Chestnut, Navy and Seal. If you’re looking for a more colorful slipper option, the UGG Women's Fluff Yeah Slide Slipper comes in bright shades and animal prints, and has a bump toe. This extra layer of protection around the toe makes the slippers an adaptive shoe option.

6. Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife

Victorinox’s Swiss Army Pocket Knife provides you with seven tools at your fingertips: a blade, nail file, screwdriver, scissors, key ring, tweezers and toothpick. It’s made from stainless steel, and it’s slim enough to fit in your pocket or any bag. It also makes a great stocking stuffer. The pocket knife comes in various colors and styles, from an American Flag pattern to a Translucent Pink shade.

7. Anker PowerCore 5000 Portable Charger

This portable charger from Anker has a small, tubular design, so you can bring it with you anywhere. Slip it into your coat pocket before leaving for class, or throw it in your bag when you know you’ll be out all day. The portable charger has a high power capacity, typically able to fully charge a single smartphone. The charger has PowerIQ technology, too, providing a fast charge to any phone or tablet. It comes with a travel pouch and a Micro-USB cable, which recharges the device in about two and a half hours.

Best Amazon home gifts

Winter weather coupled with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance against holiday travel, means you and your loved ones are likely spending more time indoors this holiday season. Help your loved ones embrace their inner Martha Stewart and explore our roundup of the best Amazon gift ideas for home.

Best Amazon gifts from small businesses

Yes, Amazon is a behemoth enterprise but you can still support small businesses through the platform both before and after Small Business Saturday, which takes place on Nov. 28 this year. The best part is that Amazon has featured hundreds of small brands like Hero Cosmetics, which makes pimple patches.

Best festive Amazon gifts for the holidays

Shop affordable stocking stuffers like candy cane-flavored Hershey Kisses and highly-rated copper-toned ring holders shaped like reindeers, rabbits, cats and other furry creatures. You can also snag gifts for your feline and canine companions, grab festive wrapping paper and cards and of course grab at-home essentials like Dyson vacuums and furniture like a new Zinus couch.

Best Amazon gifts for tech lovers

Working from home can be a challenge, so consider gifting last-minute tech gadgets to help work from home or virtual learning this holiday season. Consider new true-wireless or active noise-cancelling headphones from Beats by Dre or Apple Airpods Pro. Shopping for the latest games like the Nintendo Switch? Amazon has the Nintendo Switch in stock right now, along with a plethora of games and accessories like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Best Amazon gifts for kids: toys, tech and video games

It doesn’t matter if you’re shopping for dolls, action figures, monster trucks, video games, educational toys, or other types of toys this season — Amazon has some of the best variety of toy gift ideas this season.

Best fashion to gift on Amazon

In July, Amazon hosted the Big Summer Style Sale which was filled with summer dresses made of lightweight, breezy materials, perfect for socially-distant picnics. There were also cozy loungewear and activewear during the big Amazon Prime Day two-day event. This holiday season, Amazon has the best fashion gifts for the fashionista (and dapper gentlemen) on your wishlist. To help make it simple, Amazon broke it down by category, and feature picks from fashion experts from various women’s lifestyle publications and influencers like Charlie and Heidi D'amelio of TikTok fame.

Best beauty gifts on Amazon

If you’ve been eyeing the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer for your favorite beauty guru (or yourself) now is your chance to score before it sells out. Beyond hot tools such as curling irons, flat irons and the highly-rated Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer And Volumizer Brush, you can also find makeup from top brands like NYX.

Best gifts on Amazon by price point

Amazon makes it easy to stay within your budget this year, by categorizing gifts by five major price points. Of course, if you’re looking to splurge you can do that, too. But if you want to spend $200 or $10 or less this year, checkout the below options worth considering this gift-giving season.

Best gifts on Amazon by whom you’re shopping for

Amazon also broke down holiday gifts this year gender and age this gift giving season like clothing, shoes and accessories, along with toys for children and teens.

Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

Zoe Malin

Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor for Select on NBC News.