Buying presents for friends is one of the best parts of Christmas. You know what they like--and depending on the friend, you can also buy ridiculously impractical things for them just for the laugh. If you're still undecided, check our list for cool ideas to get you into holiday shopping mode.

[Also check out our gift guide for the significant other]

Dino Mugs: Fact: Dinosaurs are cool. That’s why these mugs (¥50), designed by contemporary artist Sui Jianguo, are sure to be crowd pleasers. You can get your dinos in green, orange, purple or blue, all available from the UCCA gift store.

Get It: UCCA Store | 798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 酒仙桥路2号798艺术区; Tel: 8459-9715

Tea: Tea is a great, healthy gift that can be savored all year round. We love the beautiful packaging of the high quality TWG teas, available at Wild Honey, especially the haute couture series (¥228) and keepsake tin teas (¥328).

Get It: Wild Honey | Fortune Mall, 7 East Third Ring Rd, 东三环中路7号财富购物中心; Tel: 6530-9149

Art Supplies: Buy your artistic friends these colorful sketchbooks (¥35 for a set of three) from the UCCA, then pair them up with an assortment of pastels, colored pencils or art markers from Baihua Art.

Get It: Baihua Art | 10 Wusi Dajie, 五四大街10号; Tel: 6522-2511

Chocolates: When it comes to gifts, you can never really go wrong with chocolates. Comptoirs de France stocks an absolutely delicious selection of flavors. This box, with eight chocolates, is just ¥108.

Get It: Comptoirs de France | 1/F, East Lake Club, 35 Dongzhimen Waidajie, 东直门外大街35号东湖别墅; Tel: 6461-1525, check listings for more locations

Cookbooks: Want your friends to cook for you? The Bookworm stocks an assortment of great international cookbooks (around ¥280). For Chinese food, check out recently published Feeding the Dragon ($24.99 from Amazon).

Get It: The Bookworm | Sanlitun Nanjie, 三里屯南街4号楼; Tel: 6586-9507

Glass Gifts: Nestled at the foot of the Mutianyu Great Wall, Schoolhouse Glass makes gorgeous bowls and vases, most for under ¥1,000. We found a gorgeous necklace for ¥115, and you can get cool glass animals—including this incredible octopus—for ¥180.

Get It: Schoolhouse Glass | 12 Mutianyu Village, 慕田峪村12号; Tel: 6162-6506