There’s a moment every Christmas in Ireland that feels nearly scripted at this stage — you unwrap a present, the paper falls off, and there it is: a Lynx Africa set, as reliable as rain in July.
Someone else gets a novelty mug with a slogan so unfunny it should be illegal, another lad gets socks with pint glasses on them, and someone will definitely be landed with a bath hamper that smells like a hotel corridor.
We laugh, we say “sound, that’ll come in handy,” but we all know half of these things end up living in The Drawer.
Every Irish household has one.
Batteries, loose screws, a tape measure, 4 biros that don’t work, and last year’s gifts nobody had the heart to throw out.
It’s not that people are bad at gifting — it’s that most gifts just… don’t get used.
Meanwhile, sitting quietly in the background, minding its own business, solving actual problems without shouting about it, is the humble power bank. And for some reason, it’s never taken seriously as a gift. Which is mad, considering it’s probably the one thing most people genuinely depend on.
Let me paint you a picture.
You’re heading to Dublin for the day, Google Maps running because God forbid you trust your own sense of direction. Your phone starts dipping into the teens.
You think, “Ah sure it’ll be grand,”
and ten minutes later you’re looking at 6%, like a countdown timer in a hostage movie.
Or you’re in an airport queue, trying to load your boarding pass while the WiFi drops out and your phone decides today’s the day to roll over and die. Meanwhile the security lad is staring like he’s judging your entire life.
Or here’s a classic:
Night out, a few drinks in, someone needs to call the taxi.
One phone’s dead, someone else’s is on 1%, someone’s “after leaving the charger at home,” and the responsibility falls on the one person who still has 40%.
Tension rises. Friendships are tested.
Now imagine if even one person in that group had a power bank.
No drama.
No panic.
Taxi sorted.
Phones charged.
Social order restored.
It’s funny — for something so small, the usefulness is ridiculous. Yet it’s rarely seen as a “proper” gift. Maybe it’s because we’re conditioned to think presents have to be fancy or sentimental or something you can display on a shelf. But honestly, in 2025, the most thoughtful gifts are the ones people actually use. The stuff that genuinely takes the stress out of everyday life.
And that’s where practical, no-nonsense gadgets shine.
Not flashy.
Not gimmicky.
Just dependable.
Ireland’s also a nation of travellers now — Ryanair trips every few months, weekends away, concerts abroad, family visits, Christmas markets, everything. And travel is one of those areas where you realise very quickly whether you’re prepared or not. A good power bank can save you from half the headaches people deal with in airports and buses — dead phones, boarding pass disasters, missed messages, all of it.
The funny part is, people don’t notice how much they rely on these things until the exact moment they don’t have one.
And that’s why it works as a gift: not because it’s “cool tech,” but because it quietly fixes annoying problems that everyone has. The person might not jump up and scream with excitement when they open it, but a week later, they’ll be silently thanking you when their phone hits 4% on a stormy Tuesday and they still manage to get home without hassle.
It’s the opposite of clutter.
It’s the opposite of waste.
It’s something that earns its place in your day.
And honestly, in a world full of random shite that breaks, gets lost, or just sits there collecting dust, there’s something refreshing about giving someone something they’ll actually use without even thinking about it.
If you ever decide to gift one, the only real “choice” is figuring out which type suits the person — but that’s a separate thing entirely. And if someone does go looking, fair play to them. There are great options out there, from simple 20,000mAh everyday models to bigger ones for camping or long days on the go.
The point isn’t “buy this now.”
The point is:
maybe the best gifts in 2025 aren’t the flashy ones. Maybe they’re the quiet, reliable things that make life a little less awkward.
Sometimes the soundest present is the one that actually does something.
lol this is funny and.. im conviced haha! great read.