Christmas gifts for programmers tend to be quite a headache. Most programming illiterates have such a distorted image of the code gods that their well intended presents end up being completely obsolete, useless, misguided or plain offending. Offering a red sweater with white snow flakes, a knitted mouse pad or a free visit to the optician is a sure way to put a festive end to whichever your relationship is with the IT people in your life. So here’s a comprehending list of Christmas gifts programmers would sincerely appreciate:

Work related Christmas gifts for programmers and IT people:

•  offering a PluralSight subscription is like paying for advanced tuition in an online university where your friend has the chance to decide his or hers preferred mix of classes and subjects, plus access to mentors that make learning so much fun that skipping classes is out of question
• selecting some proficient and high quality peripherals is a sure bet; a good hard drive or a Solide State Drive are always welcomed by the one receiving the gift and a silent mouse or a silent keypad is more than welcomed by the colleagues, room mates and the significant other, too; if your programmer friend is into music, the Grado SR60e headphones will truly be music to his ears
• a coffee mug is a small budget option for a statement object that speaks volumes about its owner
• since the IT industry acknowledges playfulness and relaxation as a source of lucrative creativity, Nerf Guns can be your weapon of choice when trying to forever win a programmer’s heart… with a toy

Work related Christmas gifts

After work Christmas gifts for programmers and IT people:

• Google Chromecast is a media streaming device connecting the virtual universe of a smartphone to the wide screen of a TV; it doesn’t just substitute the visit to the optician, it enhances the view to movies, apps, sports and all digital data, while freeing the user from the limits of cable tv and torrent downloaded files
• VR headsets add depth to all sort of visual data displayed on smartphones or compatible tablets, so documentaries, concerts or reality shows can all become virtually real while wearing them; it’s better not to ask your frantically panting friend what’s he watching 🙂
• a Kindle Fire tablet may also bring the smile on someone’s face and keep it on long after you’re gone, if the stand up comedy show keeps broadcasting
• night flight mini drones can be used to all sorts of serious stuff, like driving the neighbors’ dog mad with barking at the night sky or photographing the one that got away with repeatedly scratching your programmer friend’s car
• if you’re in search of low budget and high impact Christmas presents with a jack, go for a 5 USB port charger, a keyboard vacuum cleaner or a pack of cable holder accessories; a pair of touchscreen gloves of a set of app fridge magnets may also do the trick
• make your presents fun and give a Tintag to your ‘ever wondering where the keys/phone/kid is’ friend; it’s a small, waterproof device that can be attached to anything that’s of value and must be reached and found before it gets out of the 200 m area it covers and into complete oblivion

After work Christmas gifts

Not work related Christmas gifts for programmers and IT people:

• contrary to popular prejudice, IT people do see the sun; an unexpected number of code guys and girls absolutely love sports and hardly miss a chance to go mountaineering, running a semi marathon or working out outdoors; all of the above would appreciate a FitBit Charge 2 bracelet or a multitasking smartwatch for Christmas
• yes, they’re technical and rigorous like a metronome, but nothing good could ever come out of their work if they weren’t creative, passionate and sensitive to vibes; they do love music and know so much about it that an audio pickup, the new black in terms of music auditions, can prove to be the perfect gift
• sure they eat either junk food, stuck in front of their minimum two monitors, or gourmet expensive restaurant dishes only IT people and a few selected other can afford, but many of them really are into cooking; you can surprise them (in a very good way) with Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook or a Kitchen Aid Mixer Artisan 
• for someone who writes a lot, on a mandatory basis, programmers have a strong appetite for reading; so go for fantasy books like Steve Erikson’s Gradinile lunii or R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones or any kind of good literature, be it paperback, ebook or audio book, since the book’s cover will be left unjudged

Passion and hobby related Christmas gifts for programmers

If you want to really nail it with your Christmas gift, think about the IT people you’re giving it to. Because the presents say so much about you, too. Browse the list, close match it with the person you’re trying to surprise and be inspired. Merry Christmas!