Some of the best Christmas gifts you can ever remember were probably surprises. It wasn’t what you asked for. It may be something you never dreamed of or even knew about.
Face it, these Christmas surprises get harder and harder to come by as we get older. I tried together.
The DIY enthusiasts on your list are probably frustrated when trying to match paint without barcodes or paint lids. Too much or not enough light makes it nearly impossible to match colors exactly.
The Nix Mini Color Sensor is a real genius for any DIY enthusiast on your list. This little gadget has its own light and color sensors so it can capture the color of your walls regardless of the amount of light in the room. At least, it’s really close.
After scanning your original paint, the Nix app searches the color palettes of most major paint brands to show you the closest match. This app shows the color, paint brand, and color code I took to my local hardware store to get a sample of that color.
The Nix color sensor does not read whether the paint is glossy, satin, or flat.
Smartphone glass protectors are often difficult to put on, but there are now liquid glass protectors on the market. Simply clean your phone, apply liquid glass, let it sit for a few minutes, and polish. These are around $20.
Anyone who owns or maintains a car should have an OBD reader handy. This device connects to her OBD port on most vehicles and scans for error codes. If your Check Engine Light is on, an OBD reader can identify the cause and turn it off, saving you the hassle of going to the mechanic.of
A FIXD OBD2 scanner is $40.
Even if you don’t have a so-called “smart home”, you can use these smart plugs to turn on/off lights and anything else that’s plugged in by asking Alexa or Google. I have one for my porch light that turns off when it’s time to forget it. It’s about $30 for a pack of 4.
If you really want to blow their minds, check out these sunglasses with built-in speakers and mics. You can play podcasts and receive calls. It sells for around $70.
And while these are all small enough to fit in a stocking, they’re cool enough to be gifts they talk about and use all year round.
