Christmas gift ideas for someone you just started dating

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner—and while it can be kinda exciting to spend it with a new boo, it can also strike fear. What should you gift someone who has only just become an actual someone to you? Meaning, a few months ago, they were just a contact in your phone with a name like “Sweatpants Brian” or “Jaeger Sally Wed Night.” Now, those cryptic contacts have started to earn a real place in your heart, as well as in waking daylight, and y’all might be revving to exchange gifts this holiday season—which is both sweet, and stressful. Maybe you made it official just a few weeks ago, or maybe you haven’t even DTR’d (defined the relationship). Either way, it would be weird to hang empty-handed on the day you’re supposed to make the person you French behind the bleachers feel special.

What are the best Valentine’s Day gifts for a new partner, lover, or situationship? The key is to find them something that slaps, but doesn’t feel like they’re getting love-bombed; if your mans is gifting you an original LOTR prop on the fifth date, run. No, you should be giving them something affordable, thoughtful, and perhaps a bit cheeky. Find a present that you can carry to the bar, or could also work for at least two other people you’ve slept with, which might sound toxic, but welcome to dating in 2022. Wicked games, jabroni. 

Coffee is a safe zone

Can’t explain it, but it’s true: Hot people have insomnia, shredded nail beds, and lots of stomach problems from a life of slammin’ beans down their thrussy. We have an entire guide of gifts for a coffee-obsessed significant other, but Nguyen Coffee Supply’s Phin Kit is definitely one of the chillest, guaranteed-to-rock presents in the mix. 

Nguyen Coffee Supply

The Original Phin Kit (Filter + Coffee)

Like Betty Crocker, but baller

So a box of mediocre milk chocolate feels too cheesy, but a multi-tiered crate of super-expensive truffles feels too stuffy. That’s where The Caker, maker of seriously delicious, high-end but affordable cake mixes, comes in. This flourless chocolate cake mix not only tastes incredible—just ask the gazillion five-star reviews—but has the perfect finishing touch for a little hint of glamour: edible golf leaf topping. Make it together, or ask for a slice when they’ve baked it to relatively foolproof perfection.

The Caker

Flourless Dark Chocolate Gold Leaf Cake Kit

For someone who you wanna take to Vegas

Maybe you’re not yet sure you want your marriage officiated by an Elvis impersonator, but you do know that you’d like to hit the slots and eat cheap steak dinners together.

Studs

Cowboy Boot Stud (Single)

For the cutie who likes to keep things analog

Maybe they deleted their Insta, or they’re always talking about how they prefer movie theaters over streaming platforms. They’re dropping hints that they’re a little bit old-school, and an appreciator of the pre-NFT arts, and that makes them the perfect recipient of legacy camera brand’s Yashica’s super user-friendly little 35-millimeter number, the MF-1 . It comes with a roll of film and has a built-in flash and versatile 1/120 second shutter speed, and if orange isn’t their thing, it comes in a rainbow of colors. Get ready for the dreamy photos to spew forth.

Yashica

Yashica MF-1 Snapshot Art 35mm Camera and Film Set

Yours is a dArk fAirYtale

​“The tale of two outcasts and star-crossed lovers caught in the throes of a torrid, solar flare of a romance featuring: feverish obsession, guns, addiction, shamans, lots of blood”—you get the idea. If your boo and you are steeping in dramatic feels à la MGK and Megan Fox, why not indulge in some spooky, cremation-themed incense that actually smells awesome (notes of cedarwood, cinnamon, and grapefruit) and has a lid that handily doubles as a burning plate?  

Cremate

Middle Way Incense Tin

Sock it to them

Will these graphic socks promoting bodacious female figures and NFTs, respectively, end up cherished forever, lost in your bedsheets, or eaten by the dryer? Who knows, as you’ve only been dating for a few weeks. Love this game.  

Overall Office

Venus Socks

Flowers, but not flowers

There’s a reason that bouquets are a classic Valentine’s Day gift year after year; it feels nice to receive pretty things! But a dozen red roses can create a terrifying romance novel vibe that could perchance frighten a squirrelly sweetie who still needs some breathing room. The perfect solution: a cute, kinda freaky gift that’s referential to the flower-giving tradition without really going there, like this utterly goofy single sunflower “bouquet,” a never-wilting plush tulip vase that can hang out on their WFH desk, or a fresh bouquet of happy little boba, dumplings, and doughnuts. Live with them, laugh at them, love them.

SendFlowers.com

Single Sunflower Bouquet

Smoko

Smoko Flower Bouquet Plushie

The best gift you’ll ever give for under six bucks

All of our editors, and a solid five-star rating from nearly 32,000 happy home cooks, can attest that Maldon sea salt will change the lives of any unfortunate individual who’s still dousing all their food in crappy, granular iodized table salt. It makes cooking taste better and feel fancier, and even the box is beautiful. Plus, it costs less than a single complicated Starbucks drink order.

Maldon

Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, 8.5 oz

Tea for lucid dreaming

Looking for more interesting intel when you roll over in the morning and chat through the weird narratives of your subconscious? This tea allegedly helps summon pleasant, vivid dreams, via a calming combo of herbs and botanicals including ashwagandha, passionflower, skullcap, and kava kava. Not making any medical (or metaphysical) claims on this one, but the description says: “This formula exalts deep alpha and beta waves, creating a profound lucid dream atmosphere. It has been studied that the more the Brain enters the Alpha/Beta state, it enters into the most self-regenerative realm.” (Worth noting: Anima Mundi, which makes the tea, uses sustainable sourcing “directly from native people within Central and South America” and other small farmers around the world.)

Anima Mundi

Lucid Dreaming Tea

A candle that smells like a romantic vacation you miiiiiight someday take 

Yo, it is wayyy too early to be planning a coastal getaway with this Hinge cutie—but, maybe you want to drop a hint that that's something you'd consider in, you know, a while, if things go well. But mainly, we could all use a delightful scented candle to make our homes smell less grody. D.S. & Durga's Big Sur After Rain candle and Good + Well Supply’s Zion candle are both modern classics.

D.S. & DURGA

Big Sur After Rain Candle

Good + Well Supply Co.

Zion National Park Candle

They’re your beanie baby 

If your dates are mostly drinking Modelo at the skate park and copping their rolling papers, a fresh Carhartt beanie is perfect. (Also, you can just steal it back when you break up.)

Carhartt

Knit Insulated Logo Graphic Cuffed Beanie

Carhartt

Carhartt Men's Knit Cuffed Beanie

For the boo who’s still basically a drinking buddy

OK, so your dates have been pretty alcohol-fueled so far. Nothing wrong with that, as long as everyone’s getting home safe, practicing consent, and keeping an eye on the wellbeing of their liver. In fact, getting kinda drunk on your first few dates with a new somebody can be a sheer delight, if the company is good. But if you’re transitioning to more of a “drinks at home while hate-watching And Just Like That” energy, a dirty martini kit—complete with olives, brine, and picks—is just the right gift for saying “I like you, but I want to keep things feeling like a party.”

A smorgasbord of ridiculously good ice cream

Salt & Straw make some of the craziest, creamiest ice creams we've ever had—which is why all their scoop shops have stupid-long lines day and night. But now, you can pick a pack of pints online and have it shipped directly to your abode, so an evening of tasting flavors like Panther Coffee Chocolate Tres Leches and Mushroom Muddy Buddies awaits. 

Salt & Straw

Selection of 5 Pints

The gift that gives back

Been staying at their place quite a bit lately? Might be smart to upgrade their kitchen equipment. After all, doesn’t a perfectly poached egg on your Benedict sound like a nice thing to wake up to on a Sunday morning?

Demeyere

Stainless Egg Poaching Pan, 4 Cup

In fact, upgrade their bed setup while you’re at it

Silk pillowcases have benefits for your hair, skin, and even sleep quality, with their cooling, smoothing, acne-fighting properties. So if you’re going to be snoozing on a pillow that isn’t yours, or even just selflessly want to help your boo achieve a shinier coiffure, cocoon it in Mulberry silk. Blissy’s ultra-popular silk pillowcases come in 31 colors and patterns, and for Valentine’s Day, we’re fond of the Marilyn Monroe edition, sealed with an embroidered kiss.

Blissy

Marilyn Monroe Mulberry Silk Pillowcase

A tie-dye kit for making any and all of their clothes vibey

This is fun, because it’s both a chill, creative bonding activity for you and your new Netflix bud, as well as a way of giving all of their crusty sweatpants a second life. 

TULIP

One-Step Tie-Dye Kit

Can’t go wrong with Aesop soap

Because you're not ready to treat them to a spa day, but you can at least make their bathroom sink feel a little more luxurious. There’s a reason Aesop soap peoples every celebrity home, and the reason is that it actually makes you leave a slug trail of crypto and gold bullion in your wake. Rich people scents, baybee. 

Aesop

Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Wash

Aesop

Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash Soap

Cleverly concealed CBD joints

We love Dad Grass, maker of smokable CBD that’s for chilling without paranoid thrilling, for many reasons, not the least of which is its wildly inventive and crazy-cool array of merch. The latest drop includes this candy-heart-wrapped five-pack of bad-vibe-free joints, which are low- to no-THC and thus legal to ship straight to your door. Choose from the classic high-CBD Dad Grass or its CBG-heavy counterpart, Mom Grass.

Dad Grass

Weedhearts 5-Pack Dad Stash

A cheeky candle

OK, one more candle idea—this one of quite a different tone than the travel-themed ideas above. If your partner is a twisted little goofball who can handle a weird joke, grab them one of Goop’s infamous “This Smells Like My…” candles. The aromatic options include the room-enhancing scents of Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina or “my orgasm,” but we like this one’s theme of the legally binding contract they may someday have to sign to protect your respective family fortunes. It could happen! And, it’s a conversation piece.

goop x Heretic

This Smells Like My Prenup Candle

A Cameo from their fave weirdo celeb

Is your crush really into horrorcore rap, 90s romcoms, terrible reality television? There's truly something for everyone on Cameo, the platform that allows you to send personal greetings from miscellaneous celebs (and pseudo-celebs) to all the loved ones in your life. Grab a video from Mark McGrath, Nancy Kerrigan, Kato Kaelin, Wayne's World's Tia Carrere, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, GWAR's SawBorg Destructo, Kid N Play, groupie legend Pamela Des Barres, or a wide variety of 90 Day Fiancé stars, all for under a hundred bucks.

For the bold, a couple’s sex toy 

Because maybe you just started dating, but you met them months ago on a smash-n-dash dating app. A couple’s sex toy is a gift you will both enjoy; if you’re into prostate play, try a remote-controlled vibe by LELO, lords of the luxury sex toy realm; or if you want something you can wear during sex, there’s Eva, the portable (and less visually imposing) clitoral vibrator by Dame. A favorite among long-distance lovers and cam girls alike, Lovense’s Lush 3 App Controlled Egg Vibrator is a great choice for remote-controlled fun.

LELO

Hugo Remote-Controlled Male Prostate Massager

Dame

Eva Hands-Free Vibrator

Lovense

Lush 3 App Controlled Rechargeable Love Egg Vibrator

Happy Valentine’s Day, to your and your… cool person. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story.  

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