Favorite gift ideas for the ones you love

By popular request, I’m transposing the conceit of my gift guide for kids to this one – gifts for the people you love – by sharing what I’m actually gifting to a few of the loveliest people in my life this Christmas. Plus, I’ve included a few notes on gifts that have landed well in the past, in the hopes that one might be the right for your husband, mom, dad, sister, in-law, or beloved teacher.

(And on that note, if you are any of those people, close out this post pronto. Please and thank you :))

Husband and other guys:

This year, John will be receiving a Great Smoky Mountains Landmark tee (in honor of our fall trip!), a new camping lantern, and a quartet of wooden cooking utensils since this article finally convinced me to ditch my black plastic ones. I’m also replacing his sun hat (it’s looking pretty dingy after a few years) and his pajama shorts.

In the past, I’ve gifted experiences (Jim Gaffigan, Nate Bargatze, a treetop adventure course), this chair that folds up tiny, LOTS of clothing (this, this, this, this, this, and this most recently), a tumbler, a Durham Bulls shirt, a NYT crossword puzzle book, a Soda Stream (still used daily four years later), a weather station, and a very suave briefcase. (The briefcase linked is not exactly the same, but as close as I could find from the same brand – I bought John’s in 2018. It’s been used daily and still looks handsome!)

In the last few years he’s also bought himself a ruck carrier and plate, a down coat with hood, a fleece jacket and hat (both seen above), and some Ugg boots – after lusting after my warm toes for years. And don’t forget this post on some of John’s clothing favorites – lots of good ideas in there! One to highlight: the Legends sweater shirt, which is still his favorite thing to wear. Looks like a flannel, is as incredibly soft and stretchy as the best sweatshirt.

Oh yes, and don’t forget books: though John doesn’t read a ton of them himself (he’s more of an articles guy), he loves to support his favorite authors and thinkers by adding their offerings to the collection on his nightstand :) A few new additions this year: Fighting Shadows, The Divine Conspiracy, The Anxious Generation, and How to Know a Person.

My Dad will get a continuation of the Atlantic subscription I started for him a few years ago, and whose articles we enjoy discussing together – though I’m intrigued by this grill prep and carry set that is being gifted by several members of Articles Club this year.

For his Dad, John chose a gift basket of food goodies from Asheville. It’s a little more than the limit (see below), but it’s in support of our beloved mountains, so we’ll just consider the overage a donation :)

Linked what I could here!

Ladies:

On John’s side of the family, the siblings and parents draw names — everyone gifts to one other person with a $100 limit. I drew my mother-in-law and chose for her a weighted vest (I got the 6 lb version!), a stick-on bird feeder, and the cutest seed birdhouse from a local garden store (above!).

On my side of the family, the siblings and husbands have opted to splurge on a fancy dinner out, together, in lieu of gifts over the last few years – and this year, too. However, my younger sister Kim will be joining us for Christmas morning this year, and per my desire to leave no one out of the gifting, I’m planning to wrap up a few small things for her: a set of 2025 PowerSheets (perk of the job!), a caramel tasting set from Trader Joe’s, a watercolor workbook, and a Ghiradelli’s brownie mix paired with a little bottle of blood orange olive oil. (You swap the flavored olive oil for the canola oil called for in the recipe – so delicious!!)

My Mom is going to get this Blackwatch pullover from my own wish list – she likes most of what I like and as a diehard New Englander, loves an L.L. Bean gift :)

All of the kids’ teachers will be getting a gift card to a local business, matched to their interests, and a very grateful note.

A few other gifts we’ve given in the past for your consideration:

— Chappy Wraps | Light yet cozy with the prettiest patterns. This is the go-to blanket on our sofa and we’ve gifted one to my parents, too!

— Original Bogg Bag | We use ours at the pool, the beach, and the soccer field, but I think they’re particularly helpful for road trip packing.

— Snap tote | They fold up flat and snap open to fit a ton – I use mine at least weekly, and have had it for years!

— Boat & Tote bags | Incredibly sturdy and incredibly classic. I like mine open top, in navy, with sans serif embroidery. I find this to be a versatile gift at a great price point that’s easy to personalize – you could embroider her initials, nickname, or something funny or practical! Plus, they introduced the most beautiful medium blue this year!

— Geometry napkins | I split two packs of these between my Mom and I for Mother’s Day this year, and they were a hit with both of us! The suede-like material requires no ironing for a smooth fold and there are dozens and dozens of patterns to choose from.

— Something meaningful, framed | We recently gifted John’s parents a house portrait as a housewarming gift and framed it with Framebridge – a favorite I’ve used for many projects over the years. There are lots of house portrait options on Etsy, too!

— Souper Cubes + your cookbook of choice | Souper Cubes are one of those things you don’t really think you need and then you have them and they are SO GREAT. They cut down on a lot of the mess of freezing leftovers and make it so easy to heat up individual portions! For cookbooks, I like Half Baked Harvest Super Simple, Skinny Taste Fast and Slow, and The Defined Dish.

— Solo stove | Yes, this gift was all the rage a few years ago, but it’s still worth a mention! Produces a near-smokeless fire in a compact, good-looking package. Pair with extendable sticks and the absolute best thing to sandwich a marshmallow between.

— Tea kettle | An elegant countertop tea kettle for the tea, coffee, or hot chocolate drinker in your life! We’ve gifted these twice and they’re always a hit. Lots of fun options for this one – pair it with some gourmet or meaningful tea or coffee, a pretty tea towel, and/or a mug that will make them smile!

— Something from White Flower Farm | This is my father-in-law’s favorite plant source, and we have ordered many things from them over the years! Bulbs, wreaths, flowering houseplants – or a gift card for them to choose something for their yard.

— A photo gift | Don’t sleep on the photo mug, friends! Are they a little cheesy? Yes. Do lots of grandparents legitimately want one? Absolutely yes, but they’re not, you know, something you’re going to buy for yourself. A personalized calendar with photos from the year is another sure bet!

— A live wreath | This was our go-to teacher gift for several years running – we bought simple wreaths from a local fundraiser and dressed them up with bows. I have also done the same for hostess gifts! L.L. Bean has beautiful options if you need to ship.

— A media subscription | Whether physical or digital, this is one of my favorite things to give. In recent years, I’ve given an Our State subscription to a friend, an Atlantic subscription to my Dad, and a So Many Thoughts subscription to my Mom.

— A digital picture frame | The siblings went in on this for John’s parents a few years ago, and it’s so easy to upload new photos by email!

— Something customized | Always a win. Two of my favorite options: a custom book stamp (or this elegant minimal option) or a custom notepad!

Whew!! I sincerely hope you found an idea in there for the ones you love, or that something I listed sparked an even better idea. And happiest Thanksgiving, friends! I’ll be back with a final gift guide on Friday :)

Previously:
Gifts for Em
What We’re Actually Giving Our Kids

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