A (realistic) way to upgrade your video gaming

Don’t panic. You don’t need to buy a kitchen’s worth of new gear or spend a fortune on fancy table settings you’ll rarely use. Here’s everything you actually need ahead of the big dinner.

Anyone—not just those with experience and a steady hand—can perfectly line up a screen protector every time with this Wirecutter favorite.

Deal price: $180 | Street price: $250

With Costco membership

Our top smart thermostat pick is the simplest, smartest, and most energy-efficient model you can find. It takes the guesswork out of your home's cooling and heating by adjusting to your schedule, balancing temperatures according to your preferences, and continuing to operate when nobody's home. This deal also includes a temperature sensor, which you can use to more effectively regulate the temperature in trouble spots of your home

Deal price: $74 | Street price: $100

A warm and lightweight blanket can be the key to a cozy fireside cuddle or an outdoor movie marathon. Enhanced with a nylon shell that’s densely knit, yet breathable and quick-drying, our runner-up pick is perfect for the outdoors. It's slightly less comfortable and a bit stiff due to the synthetic polyester insulating fill, but the Original is half the price of our top pick, this throw's down-filled cousin.

Deal price: $120 | Street price: $170

Costco membership required

If you work directly from your external drive, handle large files, or simply need more than 4 TB of storage, we recommend the Seagate Backup Plus Hub. It’s faster than most desktop hard drives we tested, and it took roughly 20% to 30% less time on average than our top portable drive pick to perform all of our real-world transfers. It requires a connection to both your computer and an outlet, so it’s not as portable. But, the Plus Hub’s two front-mounted USB ports capable of charging small devices are a thoughtful perk.