The Gifts Im Most Excited To Give This Year, In Case You Need Some Ideas

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Christmas shopping is difficult. Every year I know I have to record a great gift idea when it pops into my head. Every year I forget to do this. And suddenly it's December and I haven't bought anything and I'm searching my heart and the internet for gifts for people who really love them.

I'm currently a qualifier, but I'm proud to say I'm ahead of the game this year. I'll share what I've found so far for various people I like because I think someone else could use some tips.

I hope this helps, even if it's just for gift ideas or inspiration to make your own. Another great tip. if you're not in a hurry, bookmark this and check back to see if you can get a better deal when the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales start (which you probably did when you hit the buy button).

Let's all spend this holiday season with a little money in our bank accounts.

Unique and creative for a brother

I am very close to my mother-in-law. All the gifts I get from my "brother" are really from him, so I try to be more careful to find things he likes, or at least smile. She's a new mom, new to the suburbs, and these days she's getting more and more involved in the arts. I gave her this pottery set from Sculpd for her last birthday, but now that she has more art supplies, I can't think of anything else.

Alter ego via Etsy; Atlantic Records; Kepiteant via Etsy

Instead, I decided to buy some sweet little things, starting with this Brendan Fraser prayer candle (who you may recognize from The Mummy, Bedazzled, or George of the Jungle to name a few hits). My brother and sister also have record players and are building their vinyl collection. I think my brother did it more on his own accord, so I thought he might enjoy some songs from Vinyl Lizzo. I decided to add cute fruit clips to her hair because she loves anything lemony.

You can buy a Brendan Fraser prayer candle on Etsy for around $12 .

You can buy the Lizzo vinyl album on Amazon for around $16 .

You can buy a fruit hairstyle on Etsy for around $13 .

For the food loving bros

So the first thing I need to know about my older brother is that he is addicted to sports. You'll rarely see him without at least one pair of AirPods to listen to The Ringer podcasts. When he's not doing that, he's reading sports articles or discussing it with other interested parties or watching a game on TV. However, he already has all the game tickets he could ever want (which would make a great gift) and tons of team gear (another great gift).

So instead of going to the gym, my latest gifts for her are more on the food side. For his birthday, I got him a subscription to Trade Coffee since he started grinding his own beans after moving to the suburbs. And for Hanukkah, I'll buy you Carnegie Deli sandwiches. The story here is that my family used to go to Carnegie Deli every Christmas Eve until it closed in 2016, and I know how much I miss those pastrami sandwiches. In my opinion, no Jewish deli in New York City compares to Carnegie, so if you have a loved one who loves a meatloaf sandwich, get it.

You can get the official Carnegie Deli Sandwich Kit from Amazon for $129 .

For moms who love to cook and garden.

My mother has some stereotypical hobbies, and when she retires in the summer of 2021, her interests have intensified. Most of the gifts I've given her over the years have contributed to her love of cooking and baking. gardening, but now that she has more free time, her gift options have expanded.

For her birthday, I gave her a gift card to take a cooking class at the Culinary Education Institute in Manhattan. (Other places you can take cooking classes are Sur La Masa and Travel Spoon.) I know she loved a class she took with a friend where they made sweet dumplings.

This year I combined her love of cooking and gardening and gave her an indoor herb garden. He grows basil and tomatoes every summer, but he is unable to grow them in the winter months.

It's a little selfish because pesto is one of my favorite things on the planet, and I'm hoping that homemade basil will make it even better year-round. However, I think you'll be happy to put the time and effort into growing herbs and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

You can buy this Click & Grow Indoor Herb Garden Kit on Amazon for around $176.

For the outdoor enthusiast

As I already mentioned, my friend considers himself a stranger. Some of his goals include being successful in business, mastering carpentry, and surviving on a desert island without any help.

I try not to push the whole survival agenda. Instead, I chose to make him a carpenter so he could learn to make benches or other things that would be an easy entry into the world of carpentry. But since this will be her Christmas present and she will be celebrating Hanukkah with my family, I wanted to get her something small that she could wrap and unwrap while we celebrate.

Granted, he prefers physical books to a Kindle or anything digital. However, you use the Notes app on your phone to track your browsing experience. I think you'll love a cute monogrammed notebook not only for recording killer waves, but also for your dream journal.

We often talk about dreams and analyze what they are trying to tell us about our real life. I know you'd appreciate a place to jot down any messages from your subconscious as soon as you wake up.

You can buy custom magazines from Papier for around $55 .

For the baby or toddler in your life

I have the most beautiful nephew in the world, and even if I don't remember, I want to give him an equally sweet gift. He will be two years old in February.

You'll probably spend most of your summer at the beach in New Jersey. Since baby has skin that needs to be protected at all costs and likes to sit in big kid chairs, I leaned toward the Custom Toddler Beach Chair with an optional canopy. I can imagine the cuteness of wearing it on sunny days and it makes me smile.

You can get individual beach chairs and umbrellas for kids at Bed Bath & Beyond for around $55 .

For the dad who has it all

My father really has everything he needs. All she wanted was clothes, but she was strangely picky and non-specific and just couldn't handle the pressure. Other things to know about him. she hates wearing shoes, has back problems, thinks it's unreasonable for jeans to cost more than $100, is obsessed with crossword puzzles, and loves her family. You get the vibe.

Last year I bought her these Birkenstock clogs that are lined so she can walk comfortably in the winter without snow on her feet. This is a great achievement and an award that is hard to beat. After giving some thought to the features above, I decided to ease my back pain and gifted him this wireless heating pad. Currently, the heating pads were scattered all over the room, unable to move after the impact. This wireless version of Pure Enrichment has rave reviews and seems to be an effective way to deliver broad-spectrum heat to your entire back when you're out and about.

You can buy a wireless heating pad from Pure Enrichment for around $50 .

Designed for great friends

I don't exchange Christmas presents with all my friends, but there are some relationships that are a good tradition. I now have a close friend who lives on the other side of the country, and exchanging sweet little gifts is a tradition that helps us feel connected.

She's into interiors, film photography, and design aesthetics, so I usually get her some interesting coffee table book or something related to home decor.

This year is no different, I came across a new e-commerce site called Smallable that is full of gadgets that I am very interested in (especially cookware). I wanted to buy everything for me and her, but I finally settled on this cute set of napkins with a little green in the corner.

You can get this Anna + Nina napkin set from Smallable for around $21 .