Yes, yes, we know Christmas is a few hours away, and this is a bit late, but everybody knows that the big boys are always too busy to shop before the holidays.
So, if you want to roll with the big boys, here’s a last-minute gift guide for all our overworked hard-working readers out there.
1. Music streaming subscriptions
African music has had a great year with artistes gaining international recognition, Grammy nominations, and brand ambassadorship deals.
It’s been great the last couple of years and has only gotten better with time. You can stream and download all your favourite songs on Apple Music, YouTube Music or Spotify. Gift someone, or even yourself, a music subscription this season, so that next year you too can post your #SpotifyWrapped and we can all judge your bad taste in music.
Price range: From $2 – $4 for Individual plans
2. Video streaming subscriptions
With multiple plans to choose from, Iroko TV and Netflix have been giving us really amazing African content in the past few years.
Get a Nollywood lover an Iroko or Netflix subscription today.
Price range: From $7 (+ Free basic Netflix plans in Kenya)
3. Wireless headphones
You know who everybody loves: the person who buys whole package gifts.
Don’t just gift music subscriptions, get listening devices to go with it. Apple and Samsung’s earbuds may be pricey but that doesn’t mean there aren’t alternatives.
There are a plethora of wireless headphones to choose from like the Oraimo FreePods 3, which are waterproof, affordable and have 8+ hours of battery life.
Check out Jumia and your local hardware stores for some options.
Price range: From $5 to $199
4. A fan for harmattan
If you love somebody, get them a rechargeable fan for this season.
Harmattan has arrived in West Africa, and if you live there, like some of us, you know how it gets: it goes from windy and cold in the morning to dry and hotter-than-hell at noon. We’d suggest an AC, but unless you’re going full package and also paying your gift victim’s electricity bill, please stick to rechargeable fans.
The variants range from handheld to tabletop and standing.
Price range: $7 – $157
5. LED strip lights
Clubbing might be expensive but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the experience.
The holidays are often full of cheer, but it can also bring up a lot of feelings and memories that are not so great 😔. A simple thing like light affects our brains and serotonin production and a change of light and colour can elevate a person’s mood. Between seasonal depression and the pandemic, somebody you know could use some cheering up this season.
Give the gift of a lifted mood this season by buying someone or yourself multi-coloured LED strip lights. Add some music, and a couple of drinks and you’ve got your very own high-end club—only you don’t have to pay $15 for a tumbler of ice cubes mixed in with a teaspoon of gin and mint.
Price range: $4 per metre
6. Laptop stands
Laptop stands are also great gift items.
As remote work grows, we’re constantly finding new ways and postures to work. Laptop stands offer the mobility to work from your sofa, from your work desk and if you’re like certain TechCabal reporters, from the bed too.
Some come with additional features like mouse holders or extra fans to help your engines cool down while you do high-performance work tasks, or play high-powered games.
Price range: $26 – $120
7. Data subscriptions
This is probably the best one on this list.
With data, people can stream as many movies and videos as they possibly can.
This saves you the time and energy of deciding which music or video subscription services to choose from. So save yourself some stress, log on to your MTN, Safaricom, Airtel, or Ethio Telecom services and gift your loved one gigabytes of data.
Price range: As the [christmas] spirit leads.
8. Power banks
With great power comes great responsibility. With great power banks, come great…freedom.
Electricity in African cities may be relatively affordable, but that doesn’t mean it’s always reliable. Help your friends stay connected by getting them power banks this season. Know someone who uses an iPhone? They probably need this the most.
Make their wishes come true, and give them a power bank so they can go places without asking, “Who has an iPhone charger?”
Price range: $10 for 5,000 mAh
P.S TechCabal doesn’t condone Apple slander and would like the audience to know that this was not written by an Android user.
This article was co-written by Uma Edwin, a contributor to TechCabal. If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it in your WhatsApp groups and Telegram channels.
