Wes Kao's Newsletter Holiday Gift Guide 2025

Gift ideas for the operators, leaders, and builders in your life (including yourself)

👋 Hey, it’s Wes. Welcome to my bi-weekly newsletter on managing up, executive communication, and standing out as a high performer. To level up faster, check out my intensive course on Executive Communication & Influence for Senior ICs and Managers. You’ll learn alongside mid-career operators from orgs like Netflix, Stripe, Meta, OpenAI, Figma, etc. → Save your spot

Read time: 5 minutes

As an annual tradition, this week’s newsletter is a special edition where I share my top holiday gift ideas.

If you want my normal posts on becoming a sharper operator and leader, check out these popular articles:

• How to give a senior leader feedback (without getting fired)

• Signposting: How to reduce cognitive load for your reader

• Picking your battles when you are hyper-rational

• The unspoken skill of finesse

For everyone else, onward…

As usual, there are no affiliate links and I’m not an investor in any of these companies. These are simply products I personally use and believe are worth sharing.

Here’s the criteria for most of my purchases:

• Quality. I’d rather have fewer yet higher-quality items.

• Value. It’s an excellent value for how much utility it gives me.

• Form and function. It has to work well and be aesthetically pleasing.

• Delightful to use. It needs to be something I will reach for and love reaching for.

1. See’s Candies

I grew up in California, where See’s Candies is from, and I assumed everyone knew this delightful institution. Imagine my shock when I realized that most people haven’t heard of this brand. It’s a tragedy. There’s probably some aspect of nostalgia, but IMO See’s Candies is highly under-rated. My favorites are the dark caramel pattie—it’s dark chocolate with chocolate caramel on the inside.

For Christmas, I’ll usually get an box of assorted 1-2 lb box of chocolate and cylinder of Almond Royale to share. But I also insist on getting a separate box of the dark caramel patties that’s only for me. I save this precious box to stretch out the joy for as long as I can.

2. La Sportiva Bushido II shoes

A few years ago, I was going to hike the Chief in Squamish, British Columbia, and almost wore my All Birds from 2017. I am really glad I didn’t do this. Have you seen the soles of All Birds? There is literally zero grip. I’m pretty sure I would have died lol.

I asked my former coworker, who is one of the most outdoorsy people I know, if she had recommendations for good trail runners. She mentioned these shoes. I am obsessed with the amount of traction they have. I reach for these all the time, and use them for normal walks around my neighborhood.

For context, I have narrow feet, so if you have wider feet, these might be too narrow for you. Also, these shoes are very not waterproof, so if you want shoes that are waterproof/water-resistant, you may want to skip these or treat them with a waterproof spray.

I rarely ever re-buy a sneaker, but I bought another pair of Bushido’s recently. That’s how good they are. I believe there are different versions, so I can’t speak for newer iterations, because the ones I have are the Bushido II’s.

My husband Zak got the men’s Bushidos and he loves them too.

3. Round Lab Birch Juice sunscreen

Early in my career, I worked in the beauty/skincare industry. The Round Lab Birch Juice sunscreen is what industry insiders would call an “elegant formulation.” The texture is incredibly lightweight, easy to spread without tugging, and easy to absorb, so it doesn’t feel like you have anything on your skin. Plus, it’s fragrance free, which I like because I have an incredibly strong sense of smell and am picky about scents.

Normally, I buy one bottle at a time, but I actually got FOUR BOTTLES at once because it was a better deal on at Korean beauty site, and I was very confident that Future Wes would want to use multiple bottles of this stuff.

Zak loves this sunscreen too. He used to use Cerave’s Daytime SPF lotion, which he recommended in last year’s holiday gift guide, but now thinks that sunscreen is primitive compared to this Round Lab one. As two people who are very into sun protection, we both ogle at finding this sunscreen and are glad it exists.

4. Epicurean cutting boards from Crate & Barrel

Like every other person in their thirties and forties, I am now trying to reduce the amount of microplastics I’ve apparently been consuming my entire life. You thought you were safe and healthy by drinking tea? Joke’s on you, because there’s glue (plastic) on tea bags, and apparently everything else you come in contact with.

I used to have plastic cutting boards, but since learning that I’ve likely consumed the equivalent of multiple credit cards worth of plastic, I started looking for plastic-free alternative cutting boards. Wood is a classic choice, but I didn’t want the upkeep of oiling the wood or worrying about it cracking.

Enter: These Epicurean cutting boards. They’re made from a composite wood material, but are dishwasher safe and require no upkeep. I got a set of three sizes, and will probably get more.

These come in multiple styles, including options with grippy “feet” to prevent slipping, little grooves to catch juice when you’re cutting fruits/vegetables, etc. I got a minimalist version without rubber on the bottom because I like how simple it looks, but it does slip a bit. I’m okay with this, but if it bothers you, you may want to get the version that is non-slip.

5. IKEA fabric clothing storage

This clothing storage box/bin looks and feels more expensive than it is. It reminds me of the Monos packing cubes I recommended in my 2023 gift guide.

It’s high quality, feels sturdy, and comes in a nice neutral grey. Of all the IKEA clothing storage box/bin options, this one is by far the most aesthetically pleasing. I got multiple to put off-season clothing in.

This comes in different sizes, and I like the medium size (instead of the larger sizes because it’s easier to handle and keep clothing in certain categories. It’s easier to have all sweaters in one, then pants in another, etc. You could do a big size and mix items, but for me, I would probably end up forgetting what’s in the bin and needing to pull everything out to see what’s in it.

6. Tovolo classic popsicle molds

These were a Wirecutter recommendation for best popsicle molds, and they’re pretty great. I like how simple they are. There’s a practical little ledge on the popsicle stick that catches drips, and creates a semi-seal when the popsicles are forming. It’s relatively easy to take the popsicles out.

To recap, here’s the holiday gift list:

1. See’s Candies

2. La Sportiva Bushido II shoes

3. Round Lab Birch Juice sunscreen

4. Epicurean cutting boards from Crate & Barrel

5. IKEA fabric clothing storage

6. Tovolo classic popsicle molds

What’s calling out to you from this list? Hit reply because I’d love to hear from you.

Wes

PS For more inspiration, here are my holiday gift guides for 2023 and 2024.

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