June recently told me that stockings are her favorite part of Christmas morning. I’m not sure if it’s because stockings are the only thing Santa brings in our house (and thus they’re automatically more magical) or because reaching in and pulling out dozens of little gifts is just a thrilling experience, but I’m here to live up to it. After all, stockings are one of my favorite things to shop for, and I enjoy collecting things throughout the year — for June, Shep, Annie, John, and… myself. Yep! John doesn’t really “get” how I like to do stockings – his family’s growing up were pretty minimal – and so it doesn’t bother me to keep this tradition going with most of my own effort.
If you’re looking for some final ideas for your loved ones, here are a few I’ve rounded up!
Nothing fancy, just a list of really great gifts that we’ve given, own, have on our wishlists, or are considering giving to our loved ones. With sales popping left and right this week, my hope is that somewhere in this list, you’ll find something that speaks to a personal connection with one of your loved ones (always the best gifts!) — or will at least get your wheels turning :)
For husbands, dads, and brothers: — A phone tripod he can keep in his wallet (we have and love this!) — An at-home car wash. I did this when John started a new job a few years, and it made his car look mint condition. — The Psychology of Money. A fantastic, compulsively readable book. Would be perfect for any grown-up! — A Solo stove. At least in my circles, this seems to be the gift of 2021, and I’m here for it! — A National Parks Pass + Landmark tee — Red Clay Hot Sauce variety pack. We bought this Southern trio for our hot sauce-loving brother-in-law a few years ago and it was a hit! — A Ted Lasso mug. This would make me so happy to sip from every day, but alas I do not regularly drink a beverage that requires a mug. — A handful of smart plugs to set a scene — A new game — Anything from this post I wrote about John’s wardrobe favorites (so many good things in there!)
For moms, sisters, and best friends: — A sweatshirt for your favorite reader — Or the “anywhere” sweatshirt from my pal Merrick for your wanderlust gal — The best conversation cards (I wrote them! :)) — Half Baked Harvest Super Simple or any cookbook by Jenny Rosenstrach (my favorites: How to Celebrate Everything and The Weekday Vegetarians). Make it extra-special by earmarking recipes you love or think she should try first! — A Write the Word journal and Faith action deck. Most WTW volumes have been out of stock for awhile but as of today they’re almost all back, including two of my favorites: Confidence and Fruit of the Spirit! — These pajama pants are clearly needed by some fabulous person — If you live close enough, a restaurant gift certificate and a night of babysitting, if needed — These serving trays from Rifle are absolutely gorgeous. It was so hard to choose but I have this round blue and white one to keep things corralled on my dresser and I love it so much. — The most darling butter dish. I love the yellow and green palette! — Pretty gold beaded hoop earrings — A subscription to The Atlantic, Our State, or your news media of choice. The media landscape is having a tough time to the detriment of us all – if you think a publication is doing a good job, support them.
For parents or in-laws: Obviously many of the above options would be good fits, but a few additional ideas…
— A Skylight digital photo frame. We gave one of these to my in-laws a few months ago and it has been a hit! So easy – you can send photos straight to it from your phone, so it’s easy for us to send new snaps at the end of a busy weekend or driving home from a hike. — A fresh wreath (coastal or buy one locally and add a bow – these are the ones we use!) — Something beautiful from Farmhouse Pottery. I think the style of their goods is just so timeless and beautiful. Go for a petite pitcher and pair with a jar of maple syrup or splurge on a pantry bowl and pair with a Stonewall Kitchen pancake mix (the best!!). — Floral tea for one set. So lovely and obviously I’m biased because of the name :) — Tickets to go to a game or show together. (For example, my Dad loves the UConn women’s basketball team and for awhile we’d buy him tickets whenever they were playing a team close to where we were living.) — Thymes Frasier Fir candle (absolutely magical) or a National Park-themed candle (whose purchase supports public lands) — A charcuterie board from a local company. In the Triangle, we’re lucky to have both Raleigh Cheesy and Boards & Bites to choose from! — A flexible book light that goes around their neck for easy reading in bed (or repair work, knitting, camping, and more) — A gorgeous pastel rainbow wind chime for their garden — This coffee table book of timeless hymns — A photo mug with the kids or grandkids (yes, they are 30% cheesy, but also beloved) or a photo wall calendar
Lots of fun ideas in last year’s guide, too. And of course, keep in mind that these categories are just starting points – mix and match to your heart’s content! You know your loved ones best!
Up next: Annie’s birth story! Perfect for the week of Thanksgiving :)
If you’re anything like me, your internet life is absolutely awash in gift guides right about now. I have NEVER seen them this early and in such force. Not without reason, but still – I kind of feel I’m drowning in them.
And here’s the thing about gift guides – though I scour them compulsively, 80% of the ideas in most are immediate nos for me. Even in the very best ones, only 50% or so are even worth considering at all.
And yet – I still read them, because sometimes all you need is just one gift that perfectly speaks to your loved one. I hope you find a few of those special things in my gift guides for 2021. Most of the ideas are pulled from items we own and love, have gifted, or have enjoyed at the home of a loved one.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to share a gift guide for your favorite grown-ups, one for stocking stuffers, my personal wish list, and the actual gifts we’re getting our three kiddos this year.
Today: kids!
Gifts for your favorite babies:
I like to keep gifts for babies (and their parents!) simple and practical. My best suggestions are in my “favorites” series – see here for gifts for babies at six weeks, five months, eight months, one year, and fifteen months.
Gifts for your favorite toddlers and preschoolers:
— A big box of colorful Duplos (hugely used by our kids for so many years) — A set of MagnaTiles, because yes, they’re as good as everyone says they are. If you already have a set, add an extension like the cars or the bases. (MagnaTiles and PicassoTiles are interchangeable!) — A sweet felt outer space and planets set — A play kitchen (unsurprisingly, PB has gorgeous ones) + play food (anything Melissa & Doug is perfection!) — A Micro Kickboard scooter. These are hands-down the best scooters – we’ve gifted them to both of our kids around age 2, 3-4 is the sweet spot, and June still enjoys riding hers at almost 6 although she more often rides her Razor, which the grandparents got her. — A sweet princess-inspired dress that’s fun for dress-up but simple enough to wear to school. June has the Aurora! — A mini shopping cart. It makes sense that these are metal because they are absolute magnets for kids of all sizes. — Horse leggings (soooo many cute options from Boden!) — Alice & Ames dresses, because they are the twirliest with the best patterns (this is my favorite print right now!)
— A comfy pillow for her bed so she can cozy up and read (we got this one for June when she started kindergarten!) — A baking set: the prettiest pink baking sheet, a pale blue cutting board, confetti tools, the best baking book, and/or a Liberty of London apron — A flexible book light for reading in bed (this sunshine one is also cute!) — A bold “read more books” pennant for his room (lots more options here!) — This very adorable hand-drawn coloring book — A framed story map from her favorite book (so many amazing options: Hogwarts, Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, the Hundred Acre Wood…) — A bike (we LOVE June’s Priority Start!) — Walkie talkies. I think our kids would be obsessed with these. — A sweet shirt with a sweeter message from a company started by a teen with autism — A Kiwi Co subscription. This is a perfect grandparent gift. June (5, almost 6) looooves her Kiwi boxes and can do them independently. Shep (3) just started receiving the Koala crate and he loves being like big sister. June or a parent needs to help him complete his projects. — A game you can play together: try Cover Your Assets, Ticket to Ride, or Boggle (more ideas here!) — A Highlights magazine subscription — Personalized stationery like this colorful shadow text set or this firetruck set. (June would also LOVE the monogrammed notepad from this same shop.) — Piccolina has the sweetest tees and dresses inspired by trailblazing women — Bike wheel lights. We’ve gifted these to several nieces and nephews and they are always a hit! — This stunning set of The Chronicles of Narnia. Expensive but WOW what a statement (and no better books to splurge on!) — Our favorite type of gift: an experience. Try tickets to a game or show (even a high school musical or college basketball game!); a membership to a museum, zoo, or aquarium; a ride on a local train; a tea + pedicure date; or movie tickets.
Gifts for your favorite teens and babysitters (mostly girls, let’s be honest):
— The happiest mugs — An instax camera with extra film and LED photo string lights (this is what we got our high school babysitters who helped us all spring and summer when school was closed and it was a HIT!) — Or this instax smartphone printer (for a heftier gift!) — A disco ball. We have one of these in the CWM office, and June is OB-sessed. So maybe also a great gift pick for your five-year-old? — A stack of pretty pastel bracelets (June – and I – would also enjoy these! The perfect gift for everyone, ha!) — Maghon’s Happy Hand Lettering book — A paint-your-own keychain kit. We did these at work – so fun! — Or a classic O key ring — A book of Catherine Newman’s life advice for teens (love her writing so much!) — A very cool, very beautiful rainbow basketball — The best socks — A monogrammed toiletry bag like this bold striped one — A Herschel wallet (this is the one John has!) — An Eno hammock — Our favorite type of gift: an experience. Try tickets to a game or show; a creative class; a barre or workout class or membership; a tea + pedicure date; movie tickets; Top Golf; or a jump park.
Whew! I hope that’s helpful! I’ve rounded up a bunch of ideas, but remember, kids don’t need much to be happy – in our family, we’ve actually found that too many gifts can be overwhelming and dull the whole experience. So choose wisely, and with joy – giving our kids good gifts is a really fun part of being a parent! :)
I find the divergence around stocking traditions to be fascinating. Take, for example, the stocking itself. My family uses ones that are hand-knit by a family member – the same ones, year after year. The first time I realized that some people buy new stockings every year, I about lost my mind – it just did not compute. Or that a family keeps the same stockings, but that they’re not assigned to any one person, and which stocking is filled for whom changes from year to year. WHAT.
To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with either of those scenarios – just that they were so outside the realm of my experience that they were hard for me to grasp, ha!
And then there’s what goes in the stockings. My family’s traditions include small trinkets, candy, and basic toiletries (new toothbrush, sunscreen, etc.). Other family traditions I’ve encountered over the years have been as far apart on the spectrum as socks and fruit… and a designer bracelet.
Finally, there’s the opening: free-for-all? One at a time? First thing in the morning? Final event of the day?
Whatever your stockings look like, whenever you open them, I hope you find a few things on this list to help fill them! (I’ve mostly linked to Amazon here, but this is an instance where I love to pick up little treasures throughout the year — a great opportunity to shop small and local.)
Plus we always include snacks and sweets! June specifically wants a candy cane this year (which I NEVER would have chosen on my own, so I’m glad she mentioned it, ha!). Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy creating a little Christmas magic at the end of this month – one of the most magical nights as a parent, too, I think :)
