Teen Easter Basket IdeasLight Therapy LampsEaster Gifts for AdultsBest Earbuds for iPhoneEaster Basket StuffersTechChristmas GiftsThe Nintendo Switch: A Thoughtful Shared GiftFor my fiancé and I, playing games is about more than just curing boredom — it’s a way to connect to each other and our friends and family.

　　By Micki Wagner

　　Buying a gift takes special consideration. And we’ve all been on both sides of the exchange, whether it’s gone well or not so well. You know when the wrapping paper comes off whether a present is a winner. In our Gifted & Approved series, we tell the stories of those winners, the best presents our editors have either given or received. We hope they provide a little inspiration and advice as you go about your holiday shopping and gift search.

　　Growing up with a little sister, I’ve become accustomed to receiving shared gifts at Christmastime. For my family, these were often bigger ticket items like the Nintendo Wii. And honestly, I quite like them since they typically lend themselves to having shared experiences with family.

　　Now that I’m coupled up, my fiancé and I usually receive shared gifts from both his family and mine (it’s how we got our beloved and Broadway tickets for Six: The Musical). Last year, we were given a shared gift that has changed the ~game~ for us.

　　The two of us love playing games, from to to . So, when my parents asked what we’d like for Christmas, we told them a — something I’d gone all throughout COVID without having and was itching for. So on Christmas morning last year, we excitedly found our own Nintendo Switch with the iconic bright red and blue controllers under the tree. And let me tell you, this gaming device is something we not only play with all the time, but it also now comes with us everywhere we go.

　　Nintendo Switch with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy‑Con

　　Nintendo Switch with Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy‑Con

　　$290 at Amazon$290 at WalmartBeing from St. Louis, Missouri, but living in New York City now, I fly back and forth a decent amount to visit family and friends, attend weddings, and celebrate Christmas (as well my Christmas Eve birthday). And my fiancé and I almost always travel with the Switch. He often enjoys playing it during the flight, but we’ll also bring it along so we can play it with our families when we visit them (who doesn’t love a competitive game of Mario Kart with the fam?).

　　Over the summer, we went with his family on a trip to the Finger Lakes to celebrate his mom’s retirement. We stayed in a stylish AirBnB in the woods overlooking a pond that we were warned was home to some snapping turtles. My fiancé set the Switch up on the TV in the living room and was excited to show his dad the Nintendo 64 game pack he’d found. We’d bought additional controllers (the watermelon pink and green ones, if you’re curious) for a moment just like this, making family fun, nostalgia, and new memories.