My Holiday Gift Guide

I am personally the kind of person that compiles a Christmas List for months before Christmas, so I thought I’d share with you my picks for this year’s Holiday Gift Guide, which includes some items on my wish list and some items I already own! Happy shopping! 

 

1. For those friends/family members that workout at home and are yoga enthusiasts, a new yoga mat AND a yoga bag are a perfect gift! Even if they don’t do yoga, fitness junkies who workout at home on a hard floor usually use/need a yoga mat for padding for their back and knees. Plus, if they’re a traveling yogi, a yoga mat bag is so thoughtful! I personally want the one linked in this post, because I do a lot of travel and always bring my mat (germs while traveling, rubbing all over the outside of my mat, really bother me!). [The mat, the Manduka ProLite is one I currently am having shipped to me, so I’m excited to finally own it!]

2. A 2015 life planner! Planners have become SO in depth and amazing. Companies like Erin Condren, Whitney English and Emily Ley have made beautiful, quality planners with thick pages, plenty of room for notes, meal planning, and checklists. I personally have nabbed the Emily Ley planner for 2015 and I have purchased an Erin Condren for a friend. I’m all about quality organization! 

3. Activity monitors are everywhere now! Whether they’re for all-day tracking or just workout tracking, there’s one for every body. I have a Polar watch that tracks my heart rate and calorie burn for workouts and I have purchased a Jawbone Up24 for my husband to wear everyday and night for activity/sleep tracking. He loves his and it encourages him to walk more, and now I want a Jawbone Up24 too! Plus, it comes in pink now. Totally made for me.

4. Anthropologie home accents make beautiful gifts. I lust over every single thing in there, so I don’t think there’s a wrong choice. Their candles are amazing (I have a billion of them) and I want all of their dishes. This pitcher, this cake stand, and these mugs are all on my wish list for this Christmas. 

5. Cookbooks with beautiful photos. When people buy cookbooks for gifts, they tend to buy what they think the recipient will find practical and useful. That’s great…except when some other cookbooks are more beautiful. I read cookbooks cover-to-cover and use them as display items in my home and bookshelves. I love cookbooks that have complicated yet gorgeous recipes, even if I’ll never make them. I’m just the kind of person that loves the beauty in food and would love this cookbook, this one, and this one too (though I have MANY more on my list than this). I have a huge collection of cookbooks, so this is totally my thing. 

6. A milk frother! You don’t have to buy someone an entire espresso machine system to give them the gift of a coffee experience. A milk frother is plenty and impressive! Just think about it: a coffee with a cloud of frothed milk on top makes you feel like you’re having a decadent treat, a real moment. So, give a milk frother. I have this one (yes, I have an espresso maker too, but that’s beside the point) and love it.

7. Makeup palettes from high-end brands. I’m not talking about you’re 13-year old neon makeup palettes. I’m talking beautiful, quality makeup in impressive packaging. Putting on makeup in the morning can feel like you’re taking care of yourself and starting the day on a confident foot. Giving a gift that will make a special lady feel even more special is just…special [sorry]. I love buying palettes from Urban Decay (Naked palette, buy it!), NARS, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Chanel, and comparable brands. I once read a book that said that ladies buy a Chanel lipstick to feel like they can truly own a piece of Chanel. It’s true. There’s nothing like pulling out a bullet of lipstick or a palette of colors from a luxe brand, even if you can’t afford their $3000 bag [if you can afford the bag, please send me one]. 

8. A functional but stylish backpack for a traveler. A backpack, really? I know I know. But seriously, look at this one! I know someone who owns one and now I covet it. I want it so badly. It has SO much room in it and makes a perfect carry-on or car-trip bag. Having a bag that’s comfortable to carry and fits everything you need is so important. I have cute carry-on luggage that I don’t particularly love because the straps dig into me and they feel impossible to carry on long travel days. Ugh. Hate that. So if you have a traveler in your life, buy them a cute, functional bag like this one. They’ll love you for it. 

9. CHEAP: A framed photo. I love getting pictures. I display them and switch them out all the time. Sharing memories with friends and family is a small but thoughtful gift. Buy a fun or functional frame and share a photo from your favorite time together. Another fun idea, if you have time, is to take pictures of road signs and businesses that have the same name as the person you’re gifting too. It makes a unique and thoughtful gift (I’m always seeing road signs that are the same name as my friends, and I think they’d love to have something fun like that framed, perhaps printed in black and white). 

10. GIFT CARDS and GIFT CERTIFICATES: when in doubt, buy a gift card PLEASE! I once heard Suze Orman say that you should always give cash, not a gift card. I think she’s wrong. If you know the person and know where they shop, but know that they’re picky, get a gift card BUT write a very thoughtful note, saying WHY you got them that gift card (Dear Aunt Soandso, I thought you’d love a scarf from this particular store, but I just couldn’t choose one and knew your keen eye would know exactly which one is perfect for you!). Here are some gift card/certificate ideas:
1. Barnes and Noble: I’m a HUGE book person and this is always a must for me.
2. Amazon: the land of EVERYTHING
3. iTunes: what workout addict and on-the-go person doesn’t hustle around to a soundtrack?
4. Concert and sports venues: you never see people huddled around a stack of photos, reminiscing about an object they received that changed their life; they’re always talking about an experience! If there’s a concert venue or sports arena near your loved one, call them, get a gift certificate mailed to you to gift to them! It’s thoughtful and so cool!
5. Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or a local coffee shop or Nespresso: coffee junkies unite! If you have a coffee lover, you know that a latte out is probably a treat, and thus you are giving them a treat. Here’s a HUGE one for you: Nespresso! If they own an espresso machine (I have a Pixie) by Nespresso, you KNOW they have to buy the capsules, so get them a gift card to that website so they can restock at home (cough cough, I need Pixie pods from Nespresso, please). 

 

That’s it! That’s my list and my ideas!! I hope these were helpful to you! If you have any questions, please ask me, because I think I’m a pretty good gift giver and I may have a solution for you.

Note: some links are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own. 

In case you missed it, I made a super simple pie, so you can totally make pie for Thanksgiving!