Axios Finish Line

December 10, 2024
Welcome back! Smart Brevityβ’ count: 364 words β¦ 1Β½ mins. Copy edited by Amy Stern.
- π Please invite your friends to join Finish Line.
1 big thing: Gifts outside the box
The best gift this holiday season might be virtual.
- The big picture: Americans spend an average of $1,000 every year on digital expenses, from streaming services to online subscriptions. If you're looking for gift ideas for someone that seemingly has everything or doesn't particularly like stuff, you might consider going digital, The Wall Street Journal's Nicole Nguyen writes.
There's something for everyone in Nguyen's digital gift guide:
- π For the fit friend, you could get a yearlong subscription to Strava, which offers in-depth analysis of runs and workouts; AllTrails+, which tracks hikes; or Peloton, which has a slew of workouts you can do even without the stationary bike.
- πΊ For the TV enthusiast, you could get a gift card that covers a streaming subscription like Netflix or Hulu for a year. Even if they already have the service, it's always nice to watch for free for a while.
- π§ The same goes for music lovers. They might have Spotify or Apple Music, but consider taking care of the price of that for them.
- π§βπ» Get involved! Nguyen says she likes to gift her relatives with paid password managers, which securely store all your passwords in one place. Her favorites are 1Password and Dashlane. And she bolsters the gift by offering to set relatives up with the service herself.
Tip to go: Digital gifts, which can come in the form of a gift card or an emailed code, can feel detached. Try adding a personal touch by sending a handwritten note to the recipient.
π¬ We've done Finish Line gift guides in years past, including rounding up a list of gifts that cost little or nothing and make a big impact.
- What are your out-of-the-box gift ideas? Tell us, along with your name and hometown, at [email protected], and we'll include some of your ideas in a pre-holiday edition of the newsletter to help out any readers who are still brainstorming!
π Parting shot!

The sun sets over Lake Superior in this shot taken by reader Joan Orman from the snowy beaches of Ontonagon, Mich.
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