So happy to hear this year’s stripped-down gift guides are helpful! Two things I wanted to note before we dig into kid ideas today:
First, they’re not as conducive to internet gift guides, but don’t discount the joy in giving experiences. I actually went back and added a few ideas to yesterday’s grown-up guide, and have included a few here! Some of the best gifts I’ve ever given or received have been carefully-selected adventures (bonus points for a surprise element!).
Second, if it’s important to you, shop local when you can! Of all the categories, I find kiddo gifts especially easy to score at my favorite local boutiques (because everything is just so cute!!). Similarly to shopping from an online small business, your local purchase makes SUCH a difference to those business owners, especially at this time of year!
Gifts for your favorite girls: — A caboodle. What is it about storing treasures neatly that gets kids so jazzed? — Dreamy castle pajamas — A beautiful blanket for her bed or a picnic in the yard (unicorn-esque colors but amenable to mama, too!) — Herd Your Horses, a board game I was OBSESSED with as a girl! If you have an equine lover in your fam, this is a slam dunk. — THE CUTEST slippers! June has the rainbows and I also love the shooting stars! — A friendship bracelet making book. You had and loved this as a kid, yes?? — A perfectly pink fleece — A horse-print top — The most MAGICAL play mat. The price is hefty – maybe a good grandparent gift? Or maybe they’ll have a Black Friday sale? June would flip over this. — Non-hideous light-up sneakers. One of the three things on June’s dictated Christmas list this year, ha! — A fabulous red cape for dress-up
Gifts for everyone: — A sweet peg nativity set — A rock tumbler. This is one of June’s gifts this year :) — A marble race track — A play kit or subscription to Loveverybaby. A few family members chipped in for the 13 to 15-month kit for Shep for his first birthday and it was a HUGE hit! — A book – always a book! Lots of favorites here. — A cooking class, sewing workshop, or other fun activity — A doctor play kit (on June’s wish list!) — June and her weather-loving daddy would love this weather station. I could see us doing it at the breakfast table! — A children’s museum membership (the Museum of Life and Science, if you’re in the Triangle!) — A cute hat. I just bought a pom pom number for Shep from this company at Tiny! — A checkout register with endless possibilities but no beeps — A Kiwi Co. Crate box or subscription. (June would LOVE this and we are considering getting for her birthday!) There’s a Black Friday sale, too! — An ice cream scooper set. June’s cousin has this and she has spent HOURS and HOURS and HOURS playing with it every time we’re in the vicinity. — Tickets to a performance, like a ballet, concert, or ice skating show — Sleeping Queens, a card game you’ll actually enjoy playing together :)
These are loose categories (mostly just to break it up a little!), so of course feel free to mix and match for your favorite kiddos! And check out my past kiddo gift guide for even more ideas.
I’ll be back with kiddo stocking stuffer suggestions on Friday, but until then, Happy Thanksgiving, friends!! I am thankful for your thoughtfulness, good humor, and smart ideas each and every day! I’m lucky to have you here.
Psst–gifts for your favorite grown-ups are here!Affiliate links are used in this post!
Friends — welcome to the most spectacularly visually UNimpressive gift guide you’ve ever seen on the internet, ha! It’s been a hot minute over here, and though my time is short right now, I’ve been collecting gift ideas for months and can’t let Black Friday sales pass us by without offering up a few ideas for the ones you love!
But first, let’s talk about something. I think we can all agree that the best gifts are personal to the recipient, and perhaps even say something about the giver, and/or about the two’s relationship? What, then, would I have to offer as you search out gifts for your people? Why are we here??
The short answer: while I can’t pretend to shop for your sweet mom who calls you every Monday on your drive home from work, your sister who just moved to a new city, or your husband who is adjusting to life as a dad of two, I can offer up my best ideas for gifts that have been hits with the people I love. My hope is that somewhere in the list, you’ll find something that DOES speak to a personal connection — or will at least get your wheels turning!
With that, let’s get this show started!
For husbands, dads, and brothers: — A pair of Allbirds. John has the Runners in natural grey and loves them so! — Our friends brought this camping and I’ve wanted one ever since (they really work and we really need one for our backyard!). It looks kind of scary, but it shoots salt (!), which “decimates flies on contact.” — The comfiest joggers. John has a similar pair and changes into them almost every day after work in the winter. So cozy! — An old-school mug with one of his favorite places on it. — A fun book comparing ballparks then and now — Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit. I didn’t know this existed until a few months ago and now I must have it?! — A subscription to the Goodnewspaper (a quarterly print publication filled with really good news – and great design) — A custom photo mug. I had this lightbulb moment earlier this year that cute/slightly cheesy photo products don’t just show up on your doorstep when you have kids – someone has to get you them. Get him one :) — Sagrada or another great board game for a group or for two — Tickets to a sporting event, concert, or comedy show. I got John tickets for Jim Gaffigan two years ago and it was a huge hit!
For parents or in-laws: Obviously many of the above options would be good fits, but a few additional ideas…
— A sculptural watering can — A pretty insulated cooler bag (especially if your in-laws take long road trips like mine do!) — A lovely fireplace basket (or log holder) — A gorgeous wreath straight from the wilds of Maine (my favorite!) — An indigo block print tablecloth. We have and love this one! — The coolest wooden puzzles — A pretty straw hat (my Mom and I both have a similar one and get compliments all the time!) — PowerSheets, because they’ll help her figure out what’s next with the kids all grown up — A magazine holder. Bonus: include a subscription — my current favorites are Bon Appetit, Our State, and The Atlantic. — Cafe lights, if they have a little outdoor area. Offer to hang them as part of the gift! :) — Pretty potted rosemary — A cool pillow showcasing their home state (look closely!) — A keepsake interview book, to record their stories — A quirky baking kit, because retirees have time on their hands — A gorgeous gold cookbook and tablet stand — A sweet frame with a picture of grandkids, because that’s all they really want :) — A cooking class they can take together — Tickets to a show, concert, local river cruise, train excursion, sleigh ride, etc.! (<– all things my in-laws have done and enjoyed, ha!)
We’ve been home every weekend in November thus far, and after a hectic second half of September and October, it has felt absurdly luxurious. It’s allowed me to take the holidays slow, as I wrote in my November goals post, which is just as I like it. For the most part, I try to keep Christmas in December, but there are a few things I like to do in November to set myself up for a peaceful and joyful Advent. If you’re curious, here they are!
Prettiest Christmas decor from one of my favorites, Sweet Shady Lane!
1. I order our Christmas cards. I usually save the stuffing, addressing, and stamping until the first week of December or so (it’s cozy to do in front of the fire with a Christmas movie on!), but I order our cards and send our newsletter to print in November so they’re ready when I am. Can’t wait for you to see this year’s choice! (From Minted, of course — little peek at our family session here!).
2. I plan our calendar. There are several pieces to this:
— I confirm any dates we’ll have houseguests, or that we’ll be traveling. I make sure we’re clear on holiday plans for both sides of the family. — We decide where we’re going to go for our end-of-year celebration dinner and make a reservation. Weekends in December book up fast! So do babysitters!! — I look up the dates of any “external” holiday activities we want to do and make sure they’re on our calendar. For us, this includes a concert we go to every year, our town’s Christmas parade, and often a Nutcracker performance. I have also been known to proactively text friends who usually host things in December (like a caroling party) to check on the dates so I can block them off, ha! I also make sure things like John’s and my work parties are on the calendar. — With all of these top-tier things in place, I can see how full our month is and better judge what else we have room for. Finally, I’ll make a loose list of other things we want to fit in and tentatively schedule them, knowing they’re easy to flex (things like baking sugar cookies or an evening drive to look at lights).
3. I clear the decks. Before I add Christmas decor to the mix, I like to pare our home back to a clean slate. I clear surfaces and remove extra decor. I tuck away any furniture we don’t need for the month. I clean anything that needs it. If there are persistent trouble areas, like a particular closet or a spot on the counter that consistently attracts papers, I’ll try to tackle them now. I want the Christmas version of our home to be the most peaceful, lovely, and cozy, so a little extra effort in November goes a long way.
5. We draw names. These days, we are doing “secret Santa”-esque gift exchanges amongst the siblings on both sides instead of everyone giving everyone a gift. (We still give gifts to parents and kiddos individually!) I like to have our picks nailed down in November, which leads me to my list to-do…
6. I make a gift plan – and do some shopping. As much as this flies in the face of certain circles of the internet, I actually like to do some of my Christmas shopping in December! It feels festive and celebratory and happy to me. However, I like to make a general plan for as many gifts as I can early in the season, and I particularly like to knock out the hardest gifts (and any custom gifts) in November. To me, the hardest gifts are usually my parents and in-laws (and they often end up getting custom gifts, so extra time is usually required!). Kid gifts are easy and fun, so I’ll often leave those til December, hitting up my favoritelocal spots to round things out. And then I get to wrap — whee!
For me, November boils down to taking the time to make a thoughtful plan — one that I can execute with joy in December! I’d love to hear: what holiday tasks have you been checking off lately? Or are you a December-all-the-way gal?
At long last — the 2019 installment of June in June! I delayed and delayed on editing this one because life is busy, yes, but also because I had this little voice in the back of my mind saying “you didn’t get that many good clips” and “there’s no way you’ll top last year’s.” (To be fair, last year’s was really fun. One whale!) Filming was particularly challenging this year, as we struggled to hold a phone and a wiggly baby at the same time (and navigated a subject that is increasingly aware of the camera).
But once I finally pushed through and just did the thing, this fourth installment came together easily and quickly, as they always do – because while our life together is messy and ordinary, it is also beyond precious and perfect to us. This little girl fills every day with sunshine in a way that’s hard to even think about without tearing up… so instead, I invite you to simply enjoy this peek into one month with our favorite three-and-a-half-year-old.
The password is JUNE.
Ready for a walk down memory lane? See Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3. (And just try not to cry a little bit.)
