Christmas Gift Ideas
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels
Do you struggle to come up with great gift ideas? I certainly do. I always want to make sure that the gift is exactly what the recipient will enjoy and appreciate—which can be hard sometimes! Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about gifts that I would like to give or receive. Pretty much anything practical, which adds beauty or knowledge or utility, but not clutter, is a win-win in my opinion.
I am offering some suggestions below, sometimes including links to companies that I either am familiar with or have heard of. Unless noted otherwise, these are not sponsored or affiliate links. I am sharing just to give you ideas. If you have other great gift ideas, please add them to the comments below!
And if you want to see what we purchased as a practical family gift this year, scroll to the very end of the post.
Gift Ideas
Clutter-free:
Candied Nuts - This is actually a favorite treat for my girls. They are quick and easy to make and you can use pecans instead of walnuts. They are great without the cinnamon also.
Loose Leaf Tea - I have been ordering from this company for many years and drink their herbal tea everyday.
Coffee - This company is owned by someone I know. We aren’t getting a subscription currently, but my husband has referred to this coffee as “nectar of the gods.”
Candles - I, personally, have a difficult time tolerating any scented candles. So, this year, I am going to make some unscented beeswax candles to add some cozy ambience to our home. If they turn out well, I will post a tutorial in the future.
Essential Oils - I have just placed my first order from this company so I cannot give a review yet. I will update once I have used their products. I have been using products from a well-known network marketing company for many years but since I have no intentions of selling the products, I am at the bottom of the MLM and purchasing the products supports everyone above me, but I get no advantage to being part of the organization. So, I decided to try some new oils. Can’t wait to see what quality they are. I also found this link on their website to give you a $10 coupon (but I don’t know whether the coupon applies to all purchases or whether there is a minimum order.)*
Handmade Soaps - whenever my daughters receive handmade soap as a gift, they treasure it like gold, and I have to convince them that it is better enjoyed being used! My favorite bar soap available locally is from White Oak Lavender Farm.
Fresh Flower Subscription - I first heard about this local company from my cousin Kelsie, who completed her summer internship on the flower farm here in the Shenandoah Valley. They ship fresh and dried flowers!
Fresh Fruit Box - Getting a box of fresh pears was always a favorite gift from my husband’s sister.
Gift certificate for a massage at a local day spa - The gift of relaxation is one of the best!
For the knitter or aspiring knitter:
Knitting Lesson Book - If you know someone who enjoys knitting, but wants to expand skills beyond knitting scarves and washcloths, this knitting book would make a great gift: Building Blocks by Michelle Hunter (affiliate link)
A handmade project bag - I will be writing a blog post about hand-sewing a project bag in the near future.
Gift card to yarn shop - My current favorite yarn is a chunky, organic cotton yarn grown and manufactured in the USA.
For the house:
Handmade dish cloths - My friend Cheri is offering beautiful, hand-crocheted farmhouse-style dishcloths. Pair a couple of these with a glass spray bottle (affiliate link), a refill bottle of Dawn Powerwash Free & Clear Spray, and a possibly a vintage bowl for a lovely gift. And for further inspiration, click here to see Cheri’s blog post on styling a kitchen area.
New bath towels and washcloths - and if you sew, you could add a loop to hang them (tutorial will be posted in the future).
New kitchen tea towels - Again, as with bath towels, my kitchen towels get stained and worn. And if the recipient will be hanging the towels to be used for hands, include a 27” piece of coordinating ribbon so that the towels can be hung in place as I describe in this post: A Pretty, Practical Way to Hang a Hand Towel
Fork blender (affiliate link): A gift from my mom this year. I use it for so many things in the kitchen! It’s perfect for smashing hardboiled eggs to make egg salad, to mix batters, and to blend butter into biscuits or other pastry dough in the place of a pastry blender.
Measuring cups (affiliate link) - My mom gave a set of these to me a couple of years ago. I use them every day! They are perfect for scooping out of wide-mouth jars and bags.
Heritage Blue Stoneware - I don’t own any of these items, but I certainly wish I did!
Handmade Baskets - Again, I don’t have any of these, but I look at them longingly. Someday, I want to get my daughters handmade sewing baskets to keep their supplies in as they build their collection of sewing tools and notions.
Maple House Co. Housewares & Antiques - Again this is another website that I go to just to look at their beautiful items!
Handmade Pottery - I found this artisan on Instagram, or rather, she found me, and I followed her back. She is doing a shop update on Friday, November 19 at noon.
Handmade Fabric Baskets - a new tutorial will be coming soon so that you can make these to gift!
Books about making a cozy home (affiliate links):
Welcome Home by Myquillin Smith - I bought this book last year, and I love the suggestions that it gives for ways to make a home pleasing to all the senses for every season. And, it can be pulled off the shelf four times a year to prepare for each season. You don’t need to read the book the whole way through at once.
Feels Like Home by Marian Parsons - I have struggled with decorating my home for two years! This book helped me determine what style my home and to appreciate it for what it is instead of wishing for the house of my dreams (an old house with lots of charming character.)
I will be adding or editing this list as new ideas come to me and, again, please share your ideas below for others to see!
This saying (original source unknown) is helpful to consider when deciding what to give family members for Christmas to keep items minimal: “Give something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.” I have made a chart for my family and I am including a FREE blank template for you to download and print.
Examples of family gifts:
My husband asks for gift cards, books, socks, or underwear nearly every year so gift-giving for him is fairly easy. And every year, I make sure that the girls have cozy things to wear in addition to other gifts—slippers, robes, etc. For stocking stuffers, I am extremely practical: lip balm, candy canes or other candy, favorite snacks, and books or CDs, etc. One year, I even gave enough new toothbrushes to everyone to last for the whole year along with favorite brands of toothpaste. Fortunately, my girls are still really excited about getting new toothbrushes.
And every year, we get a gift that is practical to be used and enjoyed by the whole family. Last year, we got plastic milk crates to put in the foyer closet to organize shoes, hats, and mittens.
This year, we got this robotic vacuum cleaner, which will save us hours and hours of cleaning (a dog and two kids make the floors so dirty)! Because it was on sale, I ordered it this past week, and our floors are clean and will hopefully stay that way most of the time now.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission on qualified purchases at no additional cost to you.