The retail opportunities that immediately follow Thanksgiving and its celebration of family (and food) are like a kickoff to the gift-giving holiday season. Deep discounts make it the perfect time to cross off everyone on your shopping list, and you’ll even have the chance to treat yourself. Free of crowds and offering the opportunity to find great deals without leaving home, Cyber Monday is an irresistible extravaganza of slashed prices. The sea of sales means you’ll score big if you know how to shop smart - so here are some of the day’s best picks.

Nintendo Wii U Skylander Console and Super Smash Bros. Wii U, $249.99 The goal for holiday gift-giving? To be a special little someone’s hero when he or she unwraps the coolest gift, ever, naturally. You can officially consider yourself a hero when you give them this set of the Nintendo Wii U Skylander Console and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a duo that will have the kids over the moon with excitement, not to mention occupied for days playing it. The price is down 38% from $399.99.

Dell XPS XPSU12-8000 12.5” Touchscreen Ultrabook, $899.99 A touchscreen notebook-tablet hybrid is one of this year’s It items - you don’t want it missing from under your tree. Beyond being a just-what-they-always-wanted gift, Dell’s XPS Touchscreen Ultrabook with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD is as useful and necessary as it is fun, making it an understandable must for yourself, too. Now’s the perfect time to grab one for them and one for you: at $899.99, the Ultrabook is 40% off its $1,4990 price.

Samsung Galaxy S5 SM-G900A (4G Unlocked), $399.99 It’s time to up your phone game, and probably time for someone on your list, too. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is bigger, sleeker and bolder - plus more efficient, more user-friendly and more loaded with features. On Cyber Monday, you can score on an S5 in black, white or gold with 4G unlocked for 33% off its $649.99 price tag.

GoPro Hero3+Black, $339.99 This year’s most buzzed-about item is too cool and too fun not to snatch up. The GoPro can be mounted onto just about everything (from mountain bikes and helmets to eagles) to capture any activity at high velocity with incredible-quality film. It’s a gadget that will change how you run or hike, and it comes with serious bragging rights. Make someone on your list’s gift dreams come true by grabbing a GoPro at 15% off its normal $400 price.

Samsung Galaxy Tab® 4 NOOK, $149.99 Barnes & Noble's NOOK e-reader gets a major tech upgrade by partnering with Samsung for this edition of their 7-inch tablet. This one comes with front- and rear-facing cameras, built-in GPS (enabling location-based apps), Multi Window mode for multitasking and $200 of bestselling content. Temporarily 25% off.

$100 iTunes Card, $75 Want your music shopping for the next few months handled? Want to give a friend or family member the ultimate ticket to going crazy and buying all the albums they want right now? Snag a $100 iTunes card for 25% off. That’s $100 worth of music for $75, which is a pretty great deal considering how long this will last even a devoted iTunes fanatic.

1/3-Ct Round-Cut Diamond 14K White Gold Stud Earrings, $119.99 A hint of sparkle is always just what she wants (or what you want) this time of year, so there’s nothing better than finding a beautiful, classic pair of diamond studs for a deal. These radiant 1/3-carat diamonds, set in 14K white gold, make for a treasure-forever pair of earrings. The best part is that they’re a whopping 80% off their $500.

Michael Kors Fulton Large Crossbody in Black, $134.99 The Fulton crossbody from Michael Kors is the best of both style worlds: it’s a timeless, versatile wardrobe staple, and it’s particularly on trend thanks to its sought-after designer. Deceptively spacious yet compact and sharply cut yet soft and buttery, this leather bag promises to please. All the more pleasant is its $134.99 price, which is 28% off its regular tag of $188.

Cole Haan Antonia Large Satchel, $328 If you’re in the market for a roomier bag but still want something perennially chic and from a coveted label, look no further than this satchel from Cole Haan. The sophisticated bag is big enough for office days yet understated and luxe enough for nights out, and the rich leather boosts the must-have factor. Its $328 price is a 60% off deal you don’t want to miss.

50% off Select Books on Amazon Books are one of the greatest gift options because they have a level of ease comparable to buying a gift card, yet your pick will actually have some thought in it and your recipient will probably be pretty excited to dig into a new read. Don’t bother shopping anywhere else for the books you need: the ultimate powerhouse of selection, Amazon, is offering 50% off select books in all categories, from cook books to children’s.

Deals on Sporting Goods on Amazon Considered all the sports fans on your list covered with Amazon’s conveniently curated round-up of sporting goods and athletic wear, all with whittled-down prices. You’ll find everything here for the golfer, the runner, the hunter, the gym rat or just the die-hard sports fan. Think 55% off a Spalding basketball, 60% off a Callaway driver and 77% off an MLB track jacket.

Deals on Home, Kitchen and Garden on Amazon Perhaps one of the most essential areas to shop on Cyber Monday is that of home goods: there are gifts galore to be found, not to mention essentials you might need to pick up for all the entertaining you’ll do this season. Amazon saves the day with deals on everything from cooking and entertaining needs to gardening and cleaning finds, like a 16-piece cookware set at 61% off, 37% off a Hamilton blender, 58% off a picture frame ornament and 50% off a Mr. Coffee coffee maker.

Deals on Electronics on Amazon Chances are that at least a few (or all?) of the gifts you need to pick up fall under the electronics category, since this can include the simplest item, like speakers, for your grandma or the most complex, hot techie item of the year for your nephew. Amazon’s electronics gift guide will find you pretty unbelievable discounts for the musician, editor, gamer, computer junkie, student, you name it. Think 20% off an electric guitar, 45% off earbuds and 46% a flat-screen TV.

35% Off and Free Shipping at Alternative Apparel Alternative Apparel is one-stop shopping for cool yet understated, well-made basics, meaning anything from its inventory is a surefire crowd pleaser. No one on your list - or you, yourself - could resist the comfortable, wear-everywhere appeal of soft sweatshirts, smooth leggings, breezy tanks, lightly printed shirtdresses, cozy scarves and relaxed sweatpants. Stock up on Cyber Monday with 35% site-wide and free shipping with code CYBER35.

Spend and Save at Shopbop and East Dane Shopbop has secured go-to status in the fashion world with a diverse yet edited selection of designer clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories ranging from affordable to high-end. East Dane is the brother site to the fashionista’s favorite destination, offering its own expertly assembled mix of office and off-duty clothing and accessories from just about every designer you can think of. The two sites are doing an enticing spend-and-save promotion for Cyber Monday so you save on gift shopping and wardrobe upgrading: save 15% when you spend $250, 20% when you spend $500 and 25% when you spend $1,000.

Deals in eBay Holiday Gift Guide If you need a little help with your shopping, eBay has you covered with a masterfully categorized gift guide full of items both unique and essential, affordable and luxurious. And the discounts are up to 50% off, so no matter what you decide on, you’ll be saving. Find clothing for him or her, electronics, housewares, toys and clothing for kids, designer handbags, sporting goods and more, plus list of gifts under $50, $100 and $150.

20% Off at Kohl’s Kohl’s is known for bringing on the blowout for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The store drops its already low prices on clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, lingerie, sleepwear, electronics, home décor (basically everything) to prices you can’t resist. This year, those prices will get even lower, just when you didn’t think that was possible. Take 20% off site-wide with code CYBERTAKE20 and enjoy free shipping on orders over $25.

20% Off at Yoox Discount designer haven Yoox is like a perpetual online sample sale. Style mavens in the know spend hours cruising the site to pick up the likes of Valentino, Calvin Klein, Proenza Schouler, Stella McCartney, Dolce & Gabbana and Elie Tahari at unbeatable markdowns. The label lover’s paradise is getting in on the Cyber Monday fun: take an extra 20% off all orders with code YOOXGIVING!

25% Off Select TOMS Styles Can you do better than TOMS for gift-giving and treating yourself? It would be hard, considering that TOMS shoes have become a must-have staple no matter what your style is, and their comfort and cool factor are matched by their charitable roots: for every pair of TOMS shoes bought, a pair of shoes is provided to a child in need. And that’s just one of the missions that the company actively pursues in its socially conscious production. So give back a little this year and treat your loved ones to TOMS - the deal is extra sweet with 25% off select styles when you use the code CHEER.

This post is part of our 2014 Holiday Gift Guide partnership program. Gothamist receives revenue from the links in this article if you click to buy, but the product choices are ours!