Hello! The 2019 Holiday Gift Guides are up! Unlike many other bloggers, I made a conscious decision to avoid posting this during the Thanksgiving holiday/Black Friday madness … a time for family, friends, gratitude and reflection. I hope you were able to unplug and soak in all the wonderful moments.
Now that the poultry-induced fog has finally cleared, many of you are probably thinking, the holidays are only about three weeks away, and I still don’t have gifts for all those special people on my list! No worries, that’s where I come in 🙂
But before we get started, a quick note — as many of my followers already know, my gift guides aren’t your typical Black Friday/Cyber Monday free-for-alls … while I do try to find items at a good price, my focus is on quality, functionality, beauty, and purpose. A gift should be unique to the recipient, bring them joy, make them feel loved, appreciated, and most of all, known.
Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t buy things that are somewhat trendy or hip … you can … just know why you’re buying the item for this person on this occasion. For example, the gift guide for him below includes Apple wireless earbuds … at first glance you might think, ok … well, almost everyone has or wants those .. they’re not so special, what gives? Well, speaking from experience (I have a pair and my hubby has a pair) … these two little buds are a game changer … they have genuinely made our lives easier and many aspects of our day more enjoyable. I work out six days/week. I run … I do circuit workouts with pushups, dips, lunges, plyometrics … I do barre routines. Wanna guess how much easier it is to do all those things without holding a phone with wires dangling all over the place? Like I said, game changer. My hubby feels the same about his workouts … and a huge portion of his day at work is spent on calls … when I bought him his earbuds last Christmas … after his first week using them at work, he said, “honey, BEST Christmas gift ever.” So, don’t misunderstand me … get the popular item … IF it will be truly valued, appreciated, and used by the recipient!
So, sorry to write a novel there … but I think it’s important to know where I’m coming from with these guides … and what my philosophy is on gifting.
One more quick note — I linked to (almost) all the items in each guide directly below the corresponding guide … there are two exceptions:
- In the “for him” guide — the socks in that guide were unavailable to include in the widget below. These socks are from a company called John’s Crazy Socks, which was started by a young man with Down Syndrome and his father. His story is so heartwarming, and I urge you to check it out even if you’re not necessarily interested in gifting any socks this year … it will lift up your soul and bring a smile to your face. You can find the polar bear socks in the guide below here.
- In the “for the Littles” guide, the polar bear stuffed animals in the lower left-hand corner are from a company called Cuddle + Kind … for every doll purchased they provide 10 meals to children in need. Their designs are all hand-knitted, and they’re just beautiful! You can find the polar bear dolls I included in the guide here. And right now they are offering 15% off, which hardly ever happens with this company! Use code Kind15.
Ok, on to the guides!
Shop the Guide
My goal with the “for her” gift guide is to make her feel pampered and appreciated.
— Keep her warm, cozy, and pampered: Wrap her in a luxurious blanket … give her a classic cashmere wrap that she can wear while lounging on the couch, or over a dress on an evening out … make bath time more enjoyable with a stunning gold bath caddy that has plenty of space for her bath essentials, a book, cucumber water (or a glass of wine).
— Surround her with beautiful things: a gorgeous vase, a pretty monogram trinket dish, or teach her how to create beautiful things with the Terrain gardening book (I’ve learned so much about wreath making from this gorgeous book)!
— Give her timeless treasures she’ll cherish for years: a unique, buttery leather purse, a classic watch with intricate details, or stand-out designer heels that still go with everything … even jeans and a tee. And if you’re not able to stomach the price-tag, I linked to another pair that are a fraction of the price, and look almost the exact same!
— Give her practical yet beautiful items she’ll use all the time: Sorel boots that will keep her warm and dry, and look like a model on the ski slopes … a whimsical set of cheese knives sure to be a hit whenever she entertains at home … a feminine floral pitcher that’ll make her smile whenever she sees it, whether being used for her berry and lemon infused water, or as a vase for fluffy white hydrangeas.
Whatever you choose, just make sure it suits her personality and needs, and she’ll love it!
Shop the Guide
For guys, it’s all about function! In case you haven’t figured it out, men like to solve problems … so get him a gift that solves one:
— Make his daily routine easier: wireless earbuds allow him to workout or chat on the phone hands free … Sorel boots let him brave the elements for all that shoveling you ask him to do, and snowman building the kids ask him to do … get him the coolest cooler to store all his goodies when he heads out fishing or to the beach …
— Guys like to be comfortable and stylish too: go for a cashmere sweater because, yes, men like cashmere too … and I have it on good authority (my hubby went crazy over mine), that men like big fur blankets too (I bought this one, and he’s basically taken it over) … or get him a classic watch so he can rely on his smartphone for one less thing, and look like he’s entered adulthood.
— Guys tend to shun emotion, but they’re sentimental too — they like classics that evoke a bit of nostalgia, and while they probably won’t wear a t-shirt with the names of all their kids surrounded by a big red heart, they do like subtle details that remind them of the people they love: nothing says classic like a pair of Ray-Ban aviators (let him live out his dream of being Maverick every day) … or take his favorite photograph and have it turned into a painting (this company does a fantastic job) — frame it with the stylish, yet masculine frames I found above … snag this super-cool vintage inspired Polaroid camera and let him have a blast taking impromptu photos that he can easily display in his office or around the house … or personalize things and have a leather bracelet engraved with a personal message, his initials, or the initials of loved ones.
Or just go for something fun and unexpected: we love this wooden, compact Backgammon game … it’s perfect for travel or to just have at home and store easily … for the guy that travels snatch up New York Times’ 36 Hours World, which catalogs 150 itineraries of the world’s most intriguing cities, from Abu Dhabi to Zurich.
There’s something for every guy in here … so have fun picking!
My Guide for the Littles is all about fun, discovery, and learning! They’re not mutually exclusive, and that’s what these goodies prove.
— Did you know there’s a wealth of research demonstrating that children who learn to play a musical instrument significantly out-perform their non-musical peers in math, science and English? Plant the seed early and get them excited to play … Livi is learning the violin and Emme is fascinated by it! She has a very basic guitar now, but we’re upgrading to this one for Christmas … I’m so excited to see how she does with it!
— Let their imaginations run wild with a workbench, or rocket “playhouse”
— Encourage an active lifestyle by getting a bike or tricycle — I love these over the brightly-colored plastic ones.
— Encourage them to learn practical life skills too — go for the wicker pull basket and have them bring it along to the farmer’s market, or get them their very own luggage and teach them the skill (yes, it actually is a skill!) of packing for a trip (this is particularly good for families that travel frequently) … my girlies love to work in the kitchen with me — an apron is the perfect gift for encouraging help, whether it be baking, unpacking the refrigerator, or unloading the dishwasher (they’ll be excited to throw it on whatever the task)!
— Littles like comfort too! Some super-soft fluffy earmuffs or soft-knit slippers will be their new favorite!
Remember, kids will show interest when they receive encouragement — many of these gifts will require engagement from you … and that’s truly the greatest gift you can give them!
And there you have it! Happy shopping, and gifting 🙂
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