Give Smart, Not Shiny:
Five Gadgets That Buy Back Your Time and Save Your Memories
The Ultra-Flexible Phone & Pocket Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
The Galaxy Z Fold7 is the ideal investment for preserving and using those precious recipes and any documents. When folded, it’s a powerful phone; unfolded, it provides an expansive 8-inch screen: the perfect digital cookbook! The screen size is a blessing, as you can zoom in and avoid fumbling for reading glasses while your hands are covered in ingredients and spices. The ability to use multiple screens means you can watch a cooking tutorial while reading your family’s ingredients list.
The family chef committed to preserving family recipes, the “multitasking parent” who needs a tablet-sized screen without the bulk, and anyone whose reading glasses are currently glued to their nose.
Perfect for:
The Nostalgia Connection:
Why It's Perfect:
Like most matriarchs, my abuelita’s kitchen skills were legendary. Her salsa macha was perfection. Unfortunately, she never wrote the recipe down. My mother finally compiled a cookbook, but this heirloom is almost gone: its pages, constantly splattered with spices and sauces, eventually came loose and some were lost. Compounding the tragedy, my sister Tita – in an early artistic phase – used some pages to practice her kindergarten straight lines and circles. That irreplaceable generational knowledge became too volatile for the analog world; so, it was time to go digital.
The holidays are upon us. And unlike many years, the lingering financial stress our families are feeling calls upon us to provide smart, usable gifts this holiday season. It’s no longer enough to give merely for the sake of putting a check mark on our to-do list. This year, 'tis the season to give smart.
If your family is like mine (multicultural, blended, spanning multiple generations and with more demand for adaptive, problem-solving tech than ever) then you need gifts that matter. Here are five powerful pieces of gear built for the realities of modern L.A. living.
The Retro Call Companion:
Native Union POP PHONE - USB-C Wired Headset
Perfect for:
The nostalgia lover who misses the comforting weight of a landline receiver, the work-from-home pro who spends all day on long calls, and your In-Laws who appreciate a fun, functional throwback to their generation.
The Nostalgia Connection:
After I married into a SoCal family (the Smiths), I immediately heard the legendary tales of Grandma Betty. She was famous for her marathon phone calls, always stretching the telephone cord from the kitchen (where the phone was rooted) all the way to where the 15 feet of cord allowed her to go. It was a commitment to connection that modern wireless calls just don't capture.
Why It's Perfect:
The Native Union POP Phone is the perfect flashback to the Greatest Generation and their corded phones, making it a thoughtful gift. It plugs directly into any modern USB-C device, instantly transforming your sleek phone into a wonderfully tactile, ergonomic handset. The crystal-clear speaker and microphone are ideal for remote work, giving you a full, satisfying grip and bringing back that unique, physical connection to a conversation.
The AI Secretary in Your Pocket:
Google Pixel 10 Pro
Perfect for:
The professional on the go who needs an assistant to manage their calendar, the stressed-out student buried in research, and the executive craving a reliable brain to manage their digital life.
The Nostalgia Connection:
Like many of us, I spent my school years dreaming of having someone whisper the answers to my toughest algebra questions. Later, as a full-time journalist, that dream evolved into needing a clone. There were never enough hours to manage my home, meet deadlines, make time for friends and forget about "me time," that felt like an illusion!
Why It's Perfect:
The Google Pixel 10 Pro is the ultimate digital assistant, putting executive-level AI support right in your pocket. Its advanced Gemini AI is deeply integrated to take on your mental load. It can handle school homework (like summarizing complex articles or solving math problems) and triage your inbox instantly. It literally gives you back the hours you need for dinner with your family or that elusive, well-deserved "me time."
The Retro-Rock Powerhouse:
Marshall Kilburn II Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Perfect for:
The family music director who believes every gathering needs a soundtrack, the vintage aesthetic lover tired of sleek, sterile tech and anyone who wants the loudest, clearest sound to carry across a crowded yard.
The Nostalgia Connection:
The happiest day of my life, without question, was my wedding day. Among all the memories, the most unforgettable is the sight of my mom and aunts literally pushing the mariachi singer aside to belt out their favorite songs. In my family, music is the glue; from weddings to funerals, everything comes with musical notes attached.
Why It's Perfect:
This speaker is an aesthetic throwback to the era of classic rock amps, combining powerful performance with a stunning Black/Brass vintage design. It embodies that musical nostalgia but uses modern technology, offering 20+ hours of portable playtime and multi-directional sound that pushes far beyond its compact size. It’s rugged, water-resistant and features a classic guitar-strap hand
The Hands-Free Memory Keeper:
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Perfect for:
The family historian who wants to capture every organic moment, the multilingual household needing effortless communication and anyone who wishes their eyes had a "record" button for life's precious, unrepeatable events.
The Nostalgia Connection:
My most precious photograph is a mirror selfie, taken years ago, trying to capture a moment with my infant niece. It was a struggle: trying to find a decent angle with my old camera, while juggling a baby. Later, as they grew, my niece and nephew would beg for "no more pictures!" when I pulled out the camera. The problem is that traditional cameras interrupt the moment, and we miss so much by being behind a lens instead of fully present.
Why It's Perfect:
Imagine capturing those unrepeatable, organic moments without ever breaking eye contact or fumbling for a phone. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses make it effortlessly possible. With a simple voice command you can snap photos and record videos from your perspective, preserving memories exactly as you experienced them. But the magic doesn't stop there for our multicultural, multigenerational families. These glasses feature real-time AI translation, allowing seamless conversations across language barriers, making family gatherings more inclusive. They also offer live streaming, so distant relatives can join in, and AI-powered listening that can even help decipher that mumbled family joke.
When we choose a gift that actively preserves the past or supports a more balanced future, we’re not just putting a box under the tree; we’re investing in the happiness of the ones we love.
So, which one will you buy? All are at verizon.com/deals or you can visit your nearest Verizon store for more gift ideas.
The ultimate value of these devices isn't in their processing power; it’s in the emotional return
By Guadalupe Vicon-Smith
The Ultra-Flexible Phone & Pocket Tablet: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7
Perfect for:
The family chef committed to preserving family recipes, the “multitasking parent” who needs a tablet-sized screen without the bulk, and anyone whose reading glasses are currently glued to their nose.
The Nostalgia Connection:
Like most matriarchs, my abuelita’s kitchen skills were legendary. Her salsa macha was perfection. Unfortunately, she never wrote the recipe down. My mother finally compiled a cookbook, but this heirloom is almost gone: its pages, constantly splattered with spices and sauces, eventually came loose and some were lost. Compounding the tragedy, my sister Tita – in an early artistic phase – used some pages to practice her kindergarten straight lines and circles. That irreplaceable generational knowledge became too volatile for the analog world; so, it was time to go digital.
Why It's Perfect:
The Galaxy Z Fold7 is the ideal investment for preserving and using those precious recipes and any documents. When folded, it’s a powerful phone; unfolded, it provides an expansive 8-inch screen: the perfect digital cookbook! The screen size is a blessing, as you can zoom in and avoid fumbling for reading glasses while your hands are covered in ingredients and spices. The ability to use multiple screens means you can watch a cooking tutorial while reading your family’s ingredients list.
The Retro Call Companion:
Native Union POP PHONE - USB-C Wired Headset
Perfect for:
The nostalgia lover who misses the comforting weight of a landline receiver, the work-from-home pro who spends all day on long calls, and your In-Laws who appreciate a fun, functional throwback to their generation.
The Nostalgia Connection:
After I married into a SoCal family (the Smiths), I immediately heard the legendary tales of Grandma Betty. She was famous for her marathon phone calls, always stretching the telephone cord from the kitchen (where the phone was rooted) all the way to where the 15 feet of cord allowed her to go. It was a commitment to connection that modern wireless calls just don't capture.
Why It's Perfect:
The Native Union POP Phone is the perfect flashback to the Greatest Generation and their corded phones, making it a thoughtful gift. It plugs directly into any modern USB-C device, instantly transforming your sleek phone into a wonderfully tactile, ergonomic handset. The crystal-clear speaker and microphone are ideal for remote work, giving you a full, satisfying grip and bringing back that unique, physical connection to a conversation.
The AI Secretary in Your Pocket:
Google Pixel 10 Pro
Perfect for:
The professional on the go who needs an assistant to manage their calendar, the stressed-out student buried in research, and the executive craving a reliable brain to manage their digital life.
The Nostalgia Connection:
Like many of us, I spent my school years dreaming of having someone whisper the answers to my toughest algebra questions. Later, as a full-time journalist, that dream evolved into needing a clone. There were never enough hours to manage my home, meet deadlines, make time for friends and forget about "me time," that felt like an illusion!
Why It's Perfect:
The Google Pixel 10 Pro is the ultimate digital assistant, putting executive-level AI support right in your pocket. Its advanced Gemini AI is deeply integrated to take on your mental load. It can handle school homework (like summarizing complex articles or solving math problems) and triage your inbox instantly. It literally gives you back the hours you need for dinner with your family or that elusive, well-deserved "me time."
The Retro-Rock Powerhouse:
Marshall Kilburn II Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Perfect for:
The family music director who believes every gathering needs a soundtrack, the vintage aesthetic lover tired of sleek, sterile tech and anyone who wants the loudest, clearest sound to carry across a crowded yard.
The Nostalgia Connection:
The happiest day of my life, without question, was my wedding day. Among all the memories, the most unforgettable is the sight of my mom and aunts literally pushing the mariachi singer aside to belt out their favorite songs. In my family, music is the glue; from weddings to funerals, everything comes with musical notes attached.
Why It's Perfect:
This speaker is an aesthetic throwback to the era of classic rock amps, combining powerful performance with a stunning Black/Brass vintage design. It embodies that musical nostalgia but uses modern technology, offering 20+ hours of portable playtime and multi-directional sound that pushes far beyond its compact size. It’s rugged, water-resistant and features a classic guitar-strap handle, making it easy for "las tías" to grab and carry the party anywhere.
The Hands-Free Memory Keeper:
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
Perfect for:
The family historian who wants to capture every organic moment, the multilingual household needing effortless communication and anyone who wishes their eyes had a "record" button for life's precious, unrepeatable events.
The Nostalgia Connection:
My most precious photograph is a mirror selfie, taken years ago, trying to capture a moment with my infant niece. It was a struggle: trying to find a decent angle with my old camera, while juggling a baby. Later, as they grew, my niece and nephew would beg for "no more pictures!" when I pulled out the camera. The problem is that traditional cameras interrupt the moment, and we miss so much by being behind a lens instead of fully present.
Why It's Perfect:
Imagine capturing those unrepeatable, organic moments without ever breaking eye contact or fumbling for a phone. The Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses make it effortlessly possible. With a simple voice command you can snap photos and record videos from your perspective, preserving memories exactly as you experienced them. But the magic doesn't stop there for our multicultural, multigenerational families. These glasses feature real-time AI translation, allowing seamless conversations across language barriers, making family gatherings more inclusive. They also offer live streaming, so distant relatives can join in, and AI-powered listening that can even help decipher that mumbled family joke.