Or from your kids, cousins, etc… trying to keep it simple. What do you request as cheap homelab related items?
I just have those nice Monoprice Slimrun cables so far.
Cable organization things for racks?
Tools (usually pretty expensive)?
Gift cards?
Or just avoid it altogether?
simple idea: Label maker
not so simple: Highpoint NVMe RAID AIC with 8 x 8TB m.2 to go with it
My wife was asking me for ideas and I asked for 7000kwh to power my lab for the next year :D
Off the top of my head: Electric screwdriver, pcie NICs, media converters, maybe some hard drives, bulk USB drives for imaging PCs, patch cables, front bezels for my servers, patch panels, blank panels for the rack, a desk mat, an electric duster, magnetic screw bowl, maybe some certification study material. All of these can be under $100 and most are easy to pick out for friends and family that aren’t technically inclined.
I’ve reached the age where I buy myself something special for Christmas like I do everyone else on my list. This is how I make sure I get what I want for Christmas.
A raspberry pi 5 would be a neat little stocking stuffer.