10 Unique Gifts Your Entire Family Will Love

Looking to shower everyone on your list with unique gifts they'll love? When you factor in mondo families, the holiday shopping adds up. Even if you keep it small, buying for your own brood—plus sisters, brothers, and all the kids that go with them—adds up in a hurry.

These unique Christmas and Hanukkah gifts should ease things a bit. Whether you're looking to make a splash at home or looking for something that will suit the family down the street, these gift ideas are, well, fun for the whole family.

1. Roamio DVRs: End tears and heated family debates over who gets to watch or record their shows with TiVo's Roamio DVRs, super systems that let you record up to six shows at once. With up to 450 HD hours of storage, your fam will be able to fit everything from SpongeBob to Parks and Recreation, and you all can watch your shows anywhere, anytime. And we mean anywhere. With its livestream capability, you can watch on your iPad, iPhone, at home or on the go (Moms, read: roadtrip sanity saver). And when your pre-teen asks you to watch that episode of iCarly when Andre throws a party (oh yes...that one...), you'll be able to find it faster than you can say "Nickelodeon" with Roamio's one-remote, one-box access to NetFlix and Hulu. Now if it could only cook dinner, too... (Starting at $199 plus service, TiVo, for a list of specifications by model, click here.)

2. English Garden Bag Of Tools: In this fast age of hurried dinners, phones in faces, families don’t spend enough quality time together. This English Garden Bag of Tools has all the makings of some good family fun. Not only is it a handsome tote, but it contains tools crafted by garden experts Burgon & Ball and reusable plant markers. It’s fun to get your hands dirty together, and the bonding keeps on coming when the garden is in bloom ($36.99, restorationhardware.com).

3. Family chalkboard: Playing school, to-do lists, a family game of Win, Lose, or Draw. The uses for a family chalkboard are endless. The kids will love drawing on it, and this one, framed with reclaimed porch board, will look great in the kitchen ($75, etsy.com).

4. Ice Cream Maker: The whole family will scream for this gift. An ice cream maker is the gift that makes not just creamy goodness but memories galore ($89.95, williams-sonoma.com).

5. Hot Wheels Car Maker Playset: In an era when every other toy involves touchscreens and noises, it's refreshing to have a toy you work yourself, especially when it's something parents and kids can do together. The Hot Wheels Car Maker Playset is both new and nostalgic. Pops will love passing on a classic toy to the next generation, and everyone will dig the act of making--a lost art in this day and age ($39.99, amazon.com). 

6. Old-Fashioned Tea Set: While the boys play with their cars, the girls shall have a tea party. Or vice versa, if that’s the way your family rolls. Either way, an old-fashioned tea set is a perfect way to stoke the imagination, enjoy each other’s company, and even learn good manners ($59.95, ross-simons.com). 

7. Boxed Set Of Classic Books: Reading to children not only promotes literacy but helps them feel loved, cared for, and confident. A boxed set of classic books is a great way to bring the whole family together. Start ‘em off right with the Oxford Children’s Classics Box Set (featuring favorites for a range of ages, including The Secret Garden, The Jungle Book, and Black Beauty), or go for something they’ll pass down, like a vintage copy of Richard Scarry’s Look & Learn Library or a refreshed version of the classic 1920s My Book House collection (starting at $248).

8. Qwirkie: Whatever happened to family game night? Pop some popcorn and bring it back. Qwirkle is a simple yet oddly addictive game the whole family will enjoy. Its bright colors and shapes appeal to the little ones, while older kids (and adults) will love strategizing for the win ($24.95, yoyo.com).

9. Boom Boom! Cards Family Edition: We’re never too young to learn that we receive a lot when we give too. The Boom Boom! Cards Family Edition is a great way to enjoy one another while bringing joy to others. Each of the 26 cards features an act of kindness easily done by families and children, such as writing a thank you note to the mail carrier or trash collector or doing something for someone else. The kit comes with a chart for tracking said acts, and each time one is performed the corresponding card can be passed off to someone else. The whole deck is registered online so that your family can track your goodness spreading ($14.99, boomboomcards.com).

10. SparkPlay: Ignite their imaginations with a subscription to SparkPlay, a company that is bringing back “authentic play.” Each monthly pack comes with a theme (think pirates, dinosaurs, or superheroes) and has all the gear you need to rev up the imagination, including costumes and a guide for the parents (from $19.99 per month, sparkplay.com).