What does a programmer want for Christmas?
Let a teenage programmer help you pick the best gift this Christmas.
I’m assuming you’re here for one reason, and one reason only. You’ve found yourself stumped. You have an introverted programmer on your hands, and have NO CLUE what to get them. You don’t want to spend $1,300 on a new laptop, like some articles have suggested, but you also don’t want to spend $10 on something that doesn’t help your programming pal.
Let’s find you the perfect gift for a reasonable price.
NOTE: I have no affiliation with any of these products. I do not make any money, nor have any financial incent to promote these items. These are based off of reviews and research. Your programmers deserve the best, not the most expensive.
The hardest part about programming for hours on end, is the fact that we come out with headaches, migraine, and eye strain. Let me introduce to our closest friend, the blue blockers.
Blue blockers take away any eye pains, migraines, or headaches from what I’ve experienced. I’m even wearing mine as we speak. They’re affordable, and a must have. These links below are some of the better ones I’ve found in order of price! (All available through Amazon)
- Readerest Blue Blocking Reading Glasses($15.99–$16.99)
- Gamma Ray Blue Light( $15.99 — $17.99)
- Cyxus Blue Light Blocking Computer Glasses ($17.99)
- PROSPEK Blue Light Filter Glasses($39.45)
One of my biggest pet-peeves is having one of the loudest keyboards on the market right now with Tt esports stating, “they are the loudest Cherry MX switch variety”. I love it, it’s responsive, and has type 10s of thousands of lines of code in the last few months, but as the end of the day, I find myself getting annoyed at the constant “click” and “clack” that comes from it. My major prospective next purchase is a quieter keyboard.
Quiet keyboards allow me to breath. I don’t have to worry about keeping anyone up, and I especially don’t have to worry about getting a headache at the end of the day. Below I have affordable keyboards. There are better keyboards, but they cost $300+ and I simply don’t see a need for their features. These links below are some of the better ones I’ve found that aren’t pricey in order of price! (All available through Amazon)
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NOTE: I ignored wireless, as I and many other programmers use Macs, which sometimes require adapters for USB C ports, and it becomes a huge mess.
- Macally USB Wired Keyboard($19.99)
- LANGTU Membrane Gaming Keyboard($32.99)
- BFRIENDit Wired USB Keyboard($32.87)
Note: Requires Bluetooth. But this is my personal fave.
- Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard($29.99) - With $10 discount
Wow I feel like a nerd. Too bad nerds run the world; on to the next item people!
It’s been too many times that I’m procrastinating at my computer and run across the “20% remaining” notification annoying me while I’m trying to watch a dog skateboard on TikTok. Personal issues aside, lets get your programmer a charger. Not just one, but 3. Let me introduce you to the mama of all chargers: ESTAVEL Wireless Charger. I know, I know… A catchy name. Name aside, this mamba has wireless charging for compatible phones, AirPod charging, Apple Watch charging, and even an Apple Pen charger. Not all items need to be Apple. Samsung can work on these as well!
Compatible Devices:
【Apple】iWatch 5/4/3/2; Aripod Pro/2/1; iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Mini, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XS MAX, iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus;【SAMSUNG】Galaxy S10, S9/ S9+/ S8/ S8+/ S7/ S7 Edge/ S6 Edge Plus/ Note 10 10+/ Note 9/ Note 8/ Note 7/ Note 5/ Note FE/ W2017(SM-W2017)/ Kelly(SM-W2018)/ Galaxy S Lite(SM-G8750) and more, 【LG】G7 V30 V35 V40; G2, G3, G6, Lucid2(VS870), Optimus F5(AS870), Vu 3, Spectrum 2, Optimus G Pro, Optimus Vu II, Optimus LTE 2【GOOGLE】Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, NEXUS 4, NEXUS 5, NEXUS 6; Other Qi enabled Phones
Wow these phone charge names suck.
Let me introduce the one and only “Wireless Charger”… Captivating name. Moving forward. It’s compatible with a large range of devices, and is extremely effective for it’s price!
Compatible Devices:
IPhone 13/13 mini/13 Pro/13 Pro Max/iPhone 12/12 mini/12 Pro/12 Pro Max/11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max/XS MAX/XR/XS/X/8/8 Plus/SE2/Airpods Pro; Samsung Galaxy S20/S20+/S10/S10+/S10E/S9Galaxy Note 20/20+/10/10+/S9/S9+; Google Pixel 4/4XL/3/3XL, Google Nexus 7 ; LG G7/6/6 plus/S6/S6 Edge/S6 Edge Plus/Moto Droid Turbo, Nexus 5/7/4, Nokia Lumia 1020/920/928Droid Mini and Other Enabled Phones etc
Big purchases.
These next two items are more on the pricier spectrum. They’re not pricey without reason, however, as they really do improve the daily health and overall working conditions for the programmer at hand.
Ergonomic chairs are life savers. We sit hours on end without standing sometimes, and this leads to extreme back and bum pain. Ergonomic chairs are the light at the end of the tunnel, as they’re designed to fix these issues.
Some of these chairs are over $1,000 and simply, I see no reasoning behind it when I can grab a medicine ball and sit just as happily. Being healthy and staying happy doesn’t mean spending an arm and a leg on a chair. Without further ado, my pal, the chair.
Writing this article, I’m so incredibly happy to be back in my ergonomic chair. I spent about $130 on an ergonomic chair, and it’s saved me 10x that in chiropractor visits. In fact, I’m sitting in the “Homall Gaming Chair”. Sitting happily at $129.99, this is by far one of my best purchases. Although, sadly being the lazy guy, I had to build it myself.
The only downside that I’ve noticed, as Keegs on Amazon beautifully states, “ Your a̶s̶s̶ is literally suction-cupped to this leather panel. Where do you think that fart is going the second you feel the urge?” The dang leather. It gets hot, and if you’re expecting a nice breezy chair, this is not it. Regardless, for the price and looks, it’s a perfect chair for me.
Thankfully your bum doesn’t have to drown.
Our here, the Oline ErgoPro Ergonomic Office Chair, comes to save the day. Well… with a slightly higher price. Coming in at $299.95, this chair is accompanied by it’s sleek design, breathing back, and comfy seating (no more bum drowning).
Conclusion
We’ve viewed some of the best items I could find, all of which I would personally crawl on my knees for a week straight for. Weirdo. Okay Okay, back to the conclusion. I hope your programmer enjoys whatever you get them, but take this from a programmer, if it doesn’t help us, we’re most likely not going to use it.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you find that special gift for that special person in your life. If you enjoyed this, you may like my other works (especially if you’re a programmer)
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