Getting the right technology gifts for your family can make you into a gifting hero .

But you need to pick carefully to get it right. Knowing your family’s favourite hobbies can be a great way to identify some tech additions that will be welcomed from under the Christmas tree.

Whether it’s cycling, movies, music or running that your loved ones are into, spend some time checking what kit they already have and you have the makings of a perfect present.

Here are some tech gift ideas to take the hobbies of your family to the next level.

Hobbyist Runner Gifts

If you have a runner in the family, there’s a host of running technology gifts to choose from. As always, it’s worth checking what gadgets and kit they already have so you’re not replicating anything.

A good running watch is essential and can help track performance to help runners train more effectively. The Garmin watches have been popular with the running fans in my family. These not only offer great battery life but have evolved over the years to offer a tailored running experience.

The Vivoactive 3 is the latest model I’ve tested and offers an impressive number of features. Firstly it looks good enough to wear as an everyday watch. But beneath that good looking exterior are some serious running features.

The Vivoactive3

It has a heart rate monitor, altimeter and motion-cadence detection. This may all sound a bit technical if you don’t run, but offers runners more ways to improve their performance. It also functions as a smartwatch so will pass notifications from your phone.

This means that when I’m on a run I can still be contacted by my wife or the school if the kids need picking up. I can also use the watch to control my music. Music is another area for running tech gifts. Having the right headphones for a run lets you listen to music or audiobooks (I’ve become an insatiable Audible fan in recent years).

However, care needs to be taken to ensure that the headphones don’t put the runner in danger by drowning out the surrounding noise all together.

These Trekz Air are a great gift. Not only to they connect wirelessly to your phone and sound great. But they use a conduction method to get the sound to your ears. This means that the ear canal itself isn’t blocked so the runner can hear traffic and other noises to keep them safe.

Trekz Air

I’ve had a few different pairs of Trekz headphones and these new versions are the best yet. They are lighter than previous models and feel more secure on the head.

They also come in some great packaging that makes them perfect for gifting.

Finally, trainers. Although the runners in your life will already have running shoes (quite possibly many pairs) these wear out pretty quickly.

A good tip is to see what shoes they are using most regularly and order new ones in a swanky colour to put under the tree. Just make sure you get the same size and model. I’ve used Nike Freerun Distance shoes for many years and because I go out in them most days I get through them pretty quickly.

Opening a fresh pair of kicks on Christmas day would be a welcome gift — particularly if they are in a rare or unusual colour.

Nike Freerun Distance

Road Biker Gifts

If you have someone who likes to hit the road in all weathers in your family, this is a great area to find the perfect gift for them.

They will likely already have a bike, but there’s plenty more besides to choose from. Making sure they are seen on the road with some good tech visibility products is a good place to start.

These Stix Elite and Flux 900 headlights not only offer a compact solution to seeing and being seen on the road but they also come packaged like a tasty bit of tech. They can both be recharged via USB and offer wide visibility.

The Flux lights are a little more expensive, but for that you get a much brighter light that lasts longer. Both the Flux and Stix Elite are easy to install on a bike and quick to get on and off for charging.

Stix Elite

Adding a high visibility jacket to your bike light present and you’ve got the makings of a great gift bundle.

This Specialized RBX Elite High Vis Rain Jacket makes sure the rider is seen by using high tech Platino 70 fabric.

Its soft polyamide fabric is both breathable and water repellent. The bright colour along with high reflective strips makes sure the rider will be seen on dark winter rides.

Specialized RBX Elite High Vis Rain Jacket

Smartphone Addict Gifts

If the loved one in your life always has the latest smart phone in their hand, this opens the door for a whole load of great gifts.

Picking the right one needs some careful consideration, but get it right and their faces will light up on the big day. A high end case is a great way to go. Here it’s important to note how they use the phone and what cases they already have. I’ve been looking at a whole load of cases for the iPhone X and there really is something for everyone.

If the sleek look of the original phone design is important then the diminutive Peel cases are perfect. These are hardly detectable as they slip over the phone and hug its curves.

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If you want a little more protection then the Ullu clip on cases or official Apple Silicon cases are worth checking out. These minimal cases offer protection without compromising the device’s slick design.

If it’s a gift for dad, something a bit more high end can work really well. The leather Nodus cases are a good gifting option. Not only do they holster the phone in natural leather but come in presentation boxes that look great.

For something more executive the Mujjo clip cases look very smart. This is a leather clip case which has the option of offering a pouch for credit cards. These Mujjo cases stand out from the robust design and super clean lines of the supporting materials.

Knomo cases sit somewhere between looks and practicality. They offer a lot of protection and have folio designs that can replace the need for a separate wallet. They also offer wireless charging options compatible with their bags and clothing.

Snakehive cases are also worth looking at. They offer really good value, coming in much cheaper than the competition. But again as a gift they look the business.

Made in London and with a patent leather feel, they punch above what their price tag might suggest. Finally, if your loved one is forever dropping their phone the NUguard KX Case offers really good protection. I use this when I take my iPhone X out for a run so I don’t have to worry about drops and spills.

Avid Gamer Gifts

There are a lot of gifts you can get for the game fans in your family. Find the right one, though, and they’ll enjoy it long into next year. A good area here is gaming headphones.

Most gamers will just use the cheap ear buds that came with their system for online chat. A good gaming headset will not only make sure they are heard more clearly by their friends but also make their games sound better for them as well.

The Arctis 3 Bluetooth headset is a great option here. They sound great and are really comfortable on the head. They also combine wireless connectivity for the likes of PlayStation and Xbox as well as a wired connection for the Switch.

Arctic 3 Bluetooth

This also means if the battery runs out you can simple plug them into your PlayStation or Xbox controller and carry on playing. They also help avoid picking up other sounds in the room with their bidirectional ClearCast noise cancelling.

Finally, buying a subscription service to PlayStation Plus is another nice option. This not only adds online play and game sharing features to your PlayStation 4 but also adds free and discounted games that can be downloaded instantly. If you are going this route it’s important that you get the code in ahead of Christmas day and download any games you want to avoid having to wait before playing.

Of course, you can only do this if the PlayStation is going to be new as well — either you’ll give the game away in more ways than one.

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To help you get your gaming console all setup for the big day, I’ve put together this guide for parents on what you need to do ahead of time to avoid disappointment. It also includes some tips on other gifts you may want to consider. This includes additional controllers, charging peripherals as well as the best games your family will get more of over the Christmas period.

Media Lover Gifts

If someone in your family is always lost in movies and sound, there are some super tech gifts for them. Again, you need to check out what they already have in terms of kit.

A good place to start is with the headphones or ear buds they are using. The ones that come with music devices or smartphones limit the quality of sound delivered to the ear. Wrapping up a high end pair of headphones can open the door to a new world of high fidelity listening.

I've been impressed with the Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear headphones . They look really good — which for a gift is important. But what really stands out is the sound quality. Along with the speaker components is a noise cancelling system that does a great job of filtering out background hums and buzzes.

Libratone Q Adapt On-Ear headphones

You can control the level of this noise cancelling as well as volume and track selection with the touch sensitive panel on the body of the headphone. This is an unusual feature but one you soon get used to and feels futuristic to use.

Finally, a good feature for families is the City Mix function. This enables you to set how much background sound you hear in your headset over the music and ensures the kids can hear traffic and the like when walking around town. Another great gift in this area are subscriptions. If you’ve not already got a Netflix or Amazon Prime account in the family, this is a gift that can go on being enjoyed right through the year.

It’s worth checking which films and series you most want to watch and which service they are found on. Also, as I mentioned in the running section, an Audible subscription can be another nice way to extend the family’s media consumption from screens to the written word. I was initially a little sniffy at how it would feel having a book read to me, but it only took a few hours for me to be won over.

My family now all listen to audio books and it’s become a really positive part of our media diet. I like that it give the kids something to do that doesn’t involve screens. I also now get through a book a month just by listening while I run.