Video gift ideas, tips and stories from Tribute -- how to plan, record and share group video tributes for every occasion.
The best Christmas gifts for a fiance mark this in-between year: a video of friends and family on how they knew you two were it, a layflat album of the engagement photos, a wedding planner you'll fill together, an instant camera for date nights and something for the honeymoon. Below are 18 picks, each checked on the brand's own site in October 2026, sorted by the part of engaged life they fit.
The best New Year's party favors are small, a little shiny and useful after midnight: a year-in-review group video every guest gets a link to, Happy New Year party hats, champagne-flavored gummy bears, single-serving confetti, a pocket planner for the year ahead and surprise balls that unwrap into tiny gifts. Below are 9 picks with prices checked on each brand's site, plus DIY and countdown bag ideas for every budget.
Good Christmas list ideas are specific things you'll use: a group video from your friends, a video book of your year, a fleece half-zip, wool sneakers, a LEGO bonsai, a 2027 planner, a gadget that connects your earbuds to plane screens and a national parks pass. Below are 14 things to ask for, from $13 to $179.99, with prices checked on each brand's own site so the people shopping for you know what to buy.
The best family friendly New Year's Eve activities fit the kids' bedtime: a Noon Year's Eve countdown, countdown bags that open on the hour, minute-to-win-it games, a family New Year's video for the relatives far away and a time capsule to open next year. Every idea below works with toddlers, tweens and grandparents in the same room, and none of them need a babysitter or a late night.
The best New Year's Eve party ideas give guests something to look forward to every hour: an invite with a clear start time, a grazing table, a two-sided champagne and mocktail bar, a year-in-review group video at 11:30 and a confetti countdown at midnight. Below are 13 hosting ideas in the order you'll need them, from the invitation to getting everyone home.
The dreidel game is a Hanukkah spinning-top game for two or more players: everyone puts a token in the pot, then takes turns spinning a four-sided top. The Hebrew letter that lands face up tells you what to do: nun means nothing, gimel means take the whole pot, hei means take half and shin means put one in. Play until one person holds all the gelt, or until the latkes are ready.
Fun white elephant gifts are the ones that get stolen twice: a card game everyone wants to play right now, a prank box that hides a real gift, a cast iron skillet, a meme game, a 40 oz tumbler, a pocket speaker and an ugly Christmas sweater. Below are 15 picks sorted by budget, under $20, around $30 and up to $50, with prices checked on each brand's own site, plus two ideas we make for the host.
An advent calendar for Hanukkah is a countdown of eight small surprises, one for each night the menorah is lit: chocolate gelt on the first night, Hanukkah socks on the second, beeswax candles, a mini babka, a puzzle, a latke night, a night of giving, and a family video to close the holiday. Fill eight numbered bags or boxes, open one after the candles each night, and keep most gifts under $20.
The best merry Christmas video is short, personal and full of familiar faces: the family waving from the porch, every relative saying "merry Christmas" in turn, the kids explaining what Christmas means to them, or the dog in antlers stealing the scene. Record it on phones, keep each clip under a minute and send it as a link on Christmas Eve or play it on the TV Christmas morning.
The best New Year's Eve games turn the wait for midnight into a competition: year-in-review trivia, a resolution guessing game, New Year bingo, minute to win it challenges and a "guess whose year" round played with a group video. Every game below works in a living room with things you already own, and most rounds take 10 to 20 minutes, so you can stack four or five before the ball drops.
Grief during the holidays tends to show up in small places: the empty chair, the stocking nobody hangs, the recipe nobody makes the same way. What helps most families is to plan less than usual, choose one or two ways to remember the person out loud, such as lighting a candle or sharing stories at the table, and let each person grieve at their own pace. There is no right way to do this season, and you can change your mind as you go.
The first Christmas without Mom is hard in specific ways: her ornaments in the box, her recipes nobody has tried yet, the phone call that won't come on Christmas morning. Most people get through it by keeping the plan small, deciding with their siblings which of her traditions to keep, and finding one way to remember her out loud, such as cooking her dish or hanging her ornament first. You don't have to make it a good Christmas this year; getting through it is enough.
The best virtual Christmas party ideas for families keep everyone doing something together on screen: an ornament show-and-tell, Christmas trivia, a gift exchange you mail ahead and open live, an ugly sweater parade and a group video everyone records ahead of time and watches at the party. Keep it to about an hour, pick one host to run the call, and plan around the time zone of the oldest and youngest guests.
The best Christmas ideas start at Thanksgiving and run through New Year's Day: games that get the whole family talking, card messages that sound like you, a few Christmassy traditions, a gift rule that keeps the budget sane, a video from everyone who can't be there, and a countdown the kids can stay up for. This guide covers the season in 9 occasions, with the best ideas for each and 102 full guides to go deeper.
The best New Year's resolution ideas are specific, positive and small enough to start on January 1: walk 20 minutes after dinner, call one friend every Sunday, read a book a month, cook five new dinners or pick a word of the year. Goals framed as something to do tend to outlast goals framed as something to quit, and the 15 ideas below are written that way, each with a first step you can take this week.
The best Christmas party ideas match the size of your crowd: a cocoa bar open house or a cookie exchange for neighbors, a guest-video premiere for a family party, a progressive dinner for friends, and activity stations for a church or community group of 100. Pick the format first, then a theme, then one activity that gets everyone in the same room.
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