In today’s post I wanted to share with you a holiday gift guide for young adults. My three children are now young adults, so I thought I would share some ideas with you! I have six categories of types of items to share with you.

The first category is the PRACTICAL GIFTS. Let’s be real, most young adults are poor. When kids are little they don’t want things like socks for Christmas, but young adults get excited to get practical gifts that they did not have to purchase themselves. Practical items could be kitchen items like maybe some specialty kitchen gadget like an instant pot, rice cooker, or fancy blender. Or you could get something as simple as a Yeti type cup – water bottle, coffee mug, or wine cup. Another practical item would be coasters. I only thought of this because this is something I purchased for my college age son this year. He doesn’t have coasters for his apartment, so I thought purchasing some fun coasters was a great gift idea for him. For my daughter, I like to find higher end makeup or skin care products which I know she loves and might not spend the money on herself. Lastly, if the young adult on your gift list enjoys coffee you could get them coffee items like a French press, pour over coffee pot, or maybe an Aeropress which makes espressos. You could add some specialty coffee or syrups along with it.

The next category of items would be SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES. Many young adults these days got used to using their parents’ subscription to Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming services so a year subscription might be appreciated. Or maybe they will continue to use their parents’ accounts! You could also get them extra streaming services instead like Disney +, HBO Go, Peacock, or YouTube premium. Other streaming services they might enjoy getting as a gift are Spotify Premium, Audible, or Skillshare. Another type of subscription service that would be great for young adults is the meal kit services. Many times young adults are still learning how to cook and honing their kitchen skills. These meal kit services will help them with meal ideas and teach them some cooking skills.

The third category of gifts would be EXPERIENCES. Again, many young adults don’t have a lot of extra expendable income, so some sort of experience would be much appreciated. Perhaps they love to travel and you could get them a plane ticket voucher, or even more fun plan some sort of trip that you could take together! Another idea is gift cards or passes to fun things to do with friends like Top Golf, one of those ax throwing venues, escape rooms, or if you have an extra adventurous young adult perhaps something like skydiving or bungee jumping.

The fourth category would be SEASON PASSES to venues you know they would like to frequent. Perhaps a gym, rock climbing gym, or yoga studio. Our son is on the rock climbing team at his university and always appreciates getting a year membership to a local rock climbing gym as a gift. A local amusement park is another great idea for young adults. Or perhaps passes to a favorite sporting event. Lastly, you could get season passes to a local museum you think they might enjoy.

The fifth category is probably the easiest route and that would be GIFT CARDS. Most people in general appreciate gift cards, particularly if you know of coffee shops, fast food restaurants, or clothing stores they like. 

The sixth and final category is FUN ITEMS! These are items that they would likely not purchase for themselves, but would really enjoy having. Maybe put together a gift basket of fun food or snacks. You could even make this themed – like maybe a movie night theme, hot sauce basket, or just a variety of snacks you know they enjoy. Another idea along the same lines is fun or specialty drinks. If age appropriate you could even get alcohol and perhaps assemble items for a specific drink, like items for a margarita or for a Moscow Mule. Another fun idea would be plants. I believe plants are still really popular right now among young adults! You could get them a fun board game that is geared towards adults. Also, you could get them a nice Charcuterie board with some non-perishable items that could go onto the board. I know Charcuterie boards have been pretty popular and I think they continue to be! Lastly, this is mostly for women but receiving jewelry is always fun as well. I have shared the company Ana Luisa on my YouTube channel before and highly recommend their jewelry company! I have partnered with them for YouTube content, but purchased items from their website even before partnering with them! They are a great sustainable jewelry company with beautiful and simple pieces which fit almost any woman’s style.

Some of these items could work well for teenages too! Young adults and teens can be difficult to purchase gifts for so I hope this gave you some diverse ideas about things you could get for the young adult on your gift list!