My family and I do a secret Santa each year, where the 'kids' (everyone under 50) each get assigned one person to whom they give a present. The person that everyone wants, year after year, is my cousin Sam. He's not only the most enthusiastic person I've ever met and would be thrilled if you wrapped a piece of coal in an old sock, but he creates the most extensive wish list anyone of us has ever seen, so you literally can't go wrong. Included in his list every year are at least four BBQ sauce kits, New England Patriots paraphernalia of all kinds (this year, it's a cornhole board), ties (because who doesn't need more ties when the next formal event is probably in 2022?), and plenty of food and drink gear (this year: a quesadilla maker, margarita machine, and a DIY Moonshine Still Spirits Kit). I hope everyone in their family has a Sam for lots of reasons, not the least of which is the ease of finding something they'll absolutely love. In case you don't have a Sam, we've pulled together a list of some of our favorite gifts.

An average of one million extra tons of trash are generated per week from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. That said, we all need a little bit of joy right now, so we're hoping you can use the guide below to enjoy the gift-giving tradition while supporting some awesome companies that won't leave you with a wasteful or consumerism hangover (which, let's be honest, might still be better than the hangover Sam's going to get from his DIY Moonshine Kit.)

FOR EVERYONE, BECAUSE GENDER BINARIES ARE SO 2000:

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We don't have partnerships with any of these companies and don't receive anything if you buy their products. Truly, we just really like them!