The Amazon Echo is the ideal gift for everyone on your holiday list

Gift giving can be great. You get to watch as the person you love unwraps an item chosen just for them. But the fact remains that buying that perfect present takes some serious work. (Groan.)

What kind of gift will accurately show your love for your mom and not make dad feel left out? What the heck does dad even like? What do you get for the uncle who has everything or the otheruncle who also has everything?!

SEE ALSO:Amazon is bringing Alexa voice controls to your car, even when it's offline

Consider a present that can bring joy to everyone in your life at once.

No, it’s not a bag of chocolate-covered gold doubloons — we’re talking about the Amazon Echo. Here’s why this hands-free smart speaker is the perfect present for everyone in your household.

The impossible-to-please audiophile

Ah yes, the music expert. The person in your life who’s constantly asking you if you’ve heard the newest band (that no one’s ever heard of, by the way) and always comments on those cheap headphones you own. Well guess what, impossible-to-please-audiophile: You’re about to meet your perfect musical match. Amazon Echo plays all the songs and alternative takesof songs from Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and more. Plus, with the easy phrase, "Alexa, play music everywhere,” Amazon Echo will play music across every device in your home at once.

You can also search for music by lyrics and time period or just have Alexa choose a song for you. While you’re at it, couldn’t hurt to buy some new headphones, too.

The tech-savvy cousin who is always trying to impress his friends

For the cousin who has absolutely zero chill in his life, Amazon Echo is here to make the holidays just a little bit more bearable. The tech-obsessed relish control; with Amazon Echo, you have full reign over your household with one hands-free, voice-controlled device. All they have to do is ask Alexa. Echo is compatible with smart lights, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and way more. You can ask Alexa to put on your favorite movie and turn up the volume — y’know, so your cousin can drown out the groans of his brothers while he watches Battleship Potemkin for the billionth time.

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The laziest person you know

You know when you've been binge-watching Netflix for eight hours straight and the streaming site sends you some shade about your viewing habits? Yeah, we've all been there. Self care days are essential. For those who like to spend the entire weekend horizontal and who just can't even, the Amazon Echo is the ideal lazy Sunday companion. Android users can now use Alexa to send text messages for them, so you don't even have to reach for your phone to communicate with the outside world. Simply tell Alexa to send a text message, give her the name of your contact in your phone or provide the number, and you're good to go. No head lifting required.

The student who’s currently in beast mode

Studying for a test is a lot different than it used to be. For example, if you wanted to look up facts about dinosaurs, you’d have to crack open an encyclopedia and copy down the limited amount of information on the page. You could also use the internet, but that meant nobody in the household could make a call for the rest of the day. Now, we have Amazon Echo, which will tellyou factoids about any dinosaur from any period: Stegosaurus, diplodocus, parasaurolophus, and even the tiny-armed tyrannosaurus rex. They can even use Amazon Echo to set the mood for studying — which is a thing apparently — by asking Alexa to “play classical music.”

Since cramming on an empty stomach never ends well, there’s value in knowing Echo can order pizza with a single voice command, too.

Mom, who just wants to check in on her sweetie pie

One of the most accessible features of Amazon Echo is that it can help you make calls without lifting a finger. Your mom (who loves you verymuch by the way) can ask Alexa to make a call from anywhere in the house and Amazon Echo will follow through. Something Echo can’t do, though, is convince her you’re doing fine on your own and totally getting enough sleep.

That friend who always sleeps through their alarm

There are two kinds of people out there: The ones who set one alarm and those who set seven. For the friend who seems to be immune to that beep beep beepsound in the morning, consider the wake-up power of the Amazon Echo. You can set alarms and timers, and ask Alexa what you have on your calendar for the day just in case that extra 15 minutes might cost you a college degree.

Credit: andi_graf / Pixabay

The person who loves to shop

Amazon is a goldmine for stuff. You can also order millions — literally millions — of products through Amazon Echo just by asking Alexa. Whether that friend of yours is obsessed with keeping their house stocked with paper towels or just wants a second pair of brown leather brogues for “emergencies,” Echo has them covered. Alexa can even track deliveries to keep your friend from worrying sick over the ETA of those precious paper towels.

Your Type A friend who’s actually more of a Type A+++

You know who we’re talking about: They color-code their daily schedule, meal-plan, and match their socks to their belt for some reason. With Echo, your overachieving friend has a means to easily track their life by way of an easy-to-use hands-free device. They can track their calories through with FitBit, ask Alexa what’s on the calendar for the following week, and even have Audible books read to you.

The foodie friend

Everybody needs a friend that will slap the fast food burger out of your hands and make you a delicious home-cooked meal instead. Amazon Echo will work with your foodie bud to turn their kitchen into a tech-forward culinary wonderland. Echo can set timers, find recipes, convert kitchen units, and even scan the area for great restaurants — just in case disaster strikes the kitchen.