Color Changing Cinema Lightbox
Brooklyn Lighting Company • $37
A guaranteed Gen Z showstopper. Posters of Ariana Grande or Steph Curry will eventually lose their cachet, but this light box, with fully customizable letters and colors, can always keep up with the times.
Instax Mini 9
Fujifilm • $56
Because who’s really got iCloud space for 2,000 photos in the camera roll? The Instax comes in five different hues and will have your moody adolescent permanently cheesing. Plus, gives them a chance to learn what “film” means. Which … seems important?
Various Complete Skateboards
Almost Skateboards • $105
Skateboarding teaches diligence, perseverance, dedication, resilience, inclusivity, community and a whole host of other admirable concepts that any (good) parent would like to see their child embrace. And for those of you who know what we’re talking about from personal experience, the fact that Almost was founded by skate legends Rodney Mullen and Daewon Song should give you a nice dose of nostalgia.
HERO5 Black
GoPro • $219
For the youngin’ who can’t sit still, the HERO5 will take crystal-clear 12MP photos and 4K videos of whatever rough-and-tumble adventure he or she dreams up. Not to mention it stays waterproof down to 33 feet below the surface.
Wilderness Expedition
Nols • $2,000-30,000
Be warned: your kid’s going to get back from one of these trips and talk your ear off about it for the next three years. Worth it, though. Nols offers a heavy list of outdoor expeditions for younger folks, from Baja Coastal Sailing to sea kayaking in the Bahamas to backpacking through Alaska. As much an emphasis on making friends as pitching tents.