27 holiday gifts for tech lovers and pop culture fans — on sale for up to 50 percent off

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In case you somehow missed the deluge of Christmas movies and music playing, well, just about everywhere, the holiday season has officially arrived. 

And no matter what holiday(s) you celebrate, now is the best time to start stocking up on gifts for your loved ones. Thankfully, you don’t have to leave the couch to do just that, because so many major retailers have huge Black Friday deals on popular items that would make ideal holiday gifts.

Whether you’re looking to buy presents for a romantic partner, a family member, a friend, a child in your life, or yourself, we’ve found plenty of options that should be on your radar this holiday shopping season. We’re talking fun pop culture-themed toys, immersive video games, game-changing home tech, and so much more. Read on for a roundup of our favorite holiday gifts on sale during Black Friday from Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.

If you know someone who’s looking to upgrade the tech in their home, may we suggest picking up the fifth-generation Echo Dot from Amazon as a present while it’s discounted to $40? It features vibrant sound and a clear LED display, and comes in two colors. The sound quality is “superb,” wrote according to one shopper, who added that it’s “so much better” than previous versions. 

For someone looking to add streaming options to their current television, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is a solid addition. The compact device lets you enhance the streaming quality of your television and control your whole smart home with just one remote, all for just $25 right now, half off its original price. It’s racked up more than 159,000 perfect ratings from shoppers and “makes watching TV so much easier,” with reviewers noting the voice control, in particular, as a perk.

Another must-have product that would make for a great holiday gift for the tech-savvy person in your life who is always on the go is the Apple Watch Series 3 GPS, available at Walmart for $149. The smartwatch features a dual-core processor, making it fast and convenient, so you can easily take calls, reply to texts, and track your daily activity right on your wrist. The device is available in gold, silver, and space gray, and as one shopper pointed out, is overall “very easy to understand how to use it and syncs up effortlessly to my iPhone.”

Got a reader in your life? Get them the Kindle Paperwhite from Amazon while it’s on sale this Black Friday. It allows users to store thousands of titles in one convenient device, has a 6.8-inch display, an adjustable warm reading light, up to 10 weeks of battery life, and 20 percent faster page turns. And with more than 16,000 five-star ratings from shoppers, it’s easy to see why one reviewer said, “My Kindle Paperwhite is my favorite product that I materially own at the moment.”

For all your pop culture-loving friends out there, consider picking up a gift like the Lego Harry Potter 2022 Advent Calendar, on sale for $29. Behind every door of the calendar is a surprise from the Harry Potter movies, including seven mini-figures and movie scenes to build;  the first three days make a scene from the first movie, the next three days make a scene from the second movie, and so on. With 24 daily gifts to be revealed, this is truly a gift that will keep on giving all month long. 

If you have a Star Wars fan on your shopping list, here’s a good chance they could use their own lightsaber, because who doesn’t want one? At Best Buy, you can find The Black Series Rey Skywalker Force FX Elite Lightsaber on sale for $150 that shoppers have called a “perfect replica” that is “great quality.”

And for the person who is all about Marvel, you can’t go wrong with this now-$30 Captain America Waffle Maker that cooks up a single waffle at a time featuring the design of the beloved character’s shield. “It makes good crispy and fluffy waffles every time, never undercooked/overcooked. It adds a little fun to breakfast and it makes good-sized waffles,” wrote one five-star reviewer. 

If you’re looking for presents fit for a gamer, we’ve got you covered. There’s the Microsoft Xbox Series S 512 GB Console from Best Buy going for $250 right now. It’s a fast-paced, stylish console great for so many games since you can play digital games from four generations of Xbox, with titles that look and play better than ever. Plus, the console streams 4K videos on Disney+, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Microsoft Movies & TV, and more, so you can use it to catch up on all your favorite TV shows and movies. “This little thing is powerful, looks sweet, and plays amazing,” one enthusiastic shopper shared. 

For a smaller gift idea, we also recommend grabbing a copy of the highly popular Mario Party Superstars for Nintendo Switch from Target, which is discounted a major 50 percent off to just $30. “Love that this game isn’t just fun for the adults, but the kiddos can enjoy it with us!” wrote one reviewer.

No matter who you’re shopping for this season, there are tons of fun gifts that will make for a truly memorable holiday. Check out more of our top holiday gifts that are on sale now, and be sure to add them to your cart quickly, as these Black Friday deals won’t last long.

Buy it! Ring 1080p Wireless Video Doorbell, $59.99 (orig. $99.99) at target.com

Buy it! Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Camera, $59.99 (orig. $76.99) at target.com

Buy it! Harry Potter Funko Pop! Christmas Ornament, $7.86 (orig. $9.99) at amazon.com

Buy it! Marvel Captain America Waffle Maker, $30.30 (orig. $49.99) at amazon.com

Buy it! Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo Switch), $29.99 (orig. $59.99) at target.com

Buy it! Apple Watch SE (1st Gen), $149 (orig. $279) at walmart.com