My Gifting Faves 2019

To get your head in the game, be sure to read Part 1, Gifting is a State of Mind. And then review the How-To in Part 2, Gifting Tips, Tricks & Techniques.

It’s no secret that I’m a life-long Oprah fan. And this time of year, I love to check out her list of “Favorite Things”. I remember when that all started back in 2002! I secretly held out hope that someday I would get to be an audience member. Heck, I would’ve given anything to be an audience member for any one of her shows! But here I am today, giving my very own list of favorite gifts. Who’da thunk it? Thanks to Oprah for the inspiration.

Here are my Favorite Fifteen, in no particular order. These are NOT affiliate links; just awesome stuff I dig.

1 Guac-Lock Container

For the guac lover in your life, the GUAC-LOCK® Guacamole Preservation Container. Go directly to the source at casabella.com or Google it to see where else it may be in stock.

2 Sweet Seats chair

For a little one, an Animal Adventure® Sweet Seats™ chair. Like a dozen different characters and can be a soft place to hang out with a book or a snack. My favorite is the owl. Again, Google it to find a retailer you like. I found mine at buybuybaby.com.

3 Moon Nightlight

For a kid of any age, the Luna Moon Nightlight Lamp. Super cool, but in high demand. Be careful of shipping time. I found it on sugarandcotton.com, but Google it to see if you can get sooner elsewhere.

4 Metallica Monopoly

For the rock band fan, or even the Monopoly fan, the Metallica Monopoly board game should do the trick. Of course I found it on Amazon, but you could check eBay too for a used one.

5 Aluminum folding table

For just about anyone for any reason, I love the Aluminum Portable Table with Bag. It fits in a bag, for Christmas’ sake! Use it for camping or throw a tablecloth on it and use it for extra holiday table space. Keep it in your car or tuck it in a closet. Who doesn’t need an extra table now and then?!? It’s on Overstock, and I think that might be the best deal around.

6 Cooling Weighted Blanket

For anyone who likes to feel cozy and secure and warm (um, everyone), weighted blankets are the thing. And now there’s even a Cooling Weighted Blanket! I found this one on Overstock too, but they’re all over the place.

7 Book A Month 2020

For the avid reader or even the dedicated relaxer, the Book A Month club (for a year) from basbleu.com is the way to go. You can choose the one-a-month option or opt to have them ship all at once. Twelve good books!

8 Happy Serving Platter

For someone who appreciates the positive things in life, the Happiness is Homemade Serving Platter is perfect. This one is from preciousmoments.com and is super versatile.

9 Pizza Oven Insert

For the foodie or anyone who likes pizza, the KettlePizza pizza oven kit is way cool. It converts your outdoor grill into a pizza oven! I found this one at AceHardware.com, but they are sold all over the place, including Amazon.

10 An Untuckit Shirt

For any man who hates to tuck in his shirt (that’s all of them, right?), a shirt from untuckit.com is the cure. Lots of styles to choose from and way more than just shirts. We love it when they look good!

11 Quick Thawing Tray

For the head chef in your house who might not always plan for enough time to defrost something properly in the fridge, the Six Minute Gentle Thawing Tray will save the day. Or at least, the meal. This one is from Hammacher Schlemmer at hammacher.com but there are others out there.

12 Film & Slide Scanner

For anyone who has ever taken a picture old-school style, had the film developed into actual photos, and now has a stash of all the negatives, the Jumbl Film & Slide Scanner is a must. It scans and digitizes all those slides and negatives so those images can catch up to the 21st century! Love it. Of course, it’s on Amazon.

13 Art Making Subscription

For that truly amazing and gifted individual who loves arts and crafts (me;) you can’t go wrong with an art kit like the ones from LetsMakeArt.com. Boxes, subscriptions, supplies and books, they have it all! So. Much. Fun.

14 Reusable Zip-Top Containers

For the ‘reduce, reuse and recycler’, these Reusable Silicone Zip-Top Containers are a big deal. Safe for the freezer, microwave, dishwasher AND oven, these marvels of modern technology are the solution to all our problems, I’m pretty sure. I found them on Amazon, but there are lots of specialty online shops featuring them right now.

15 Fishy Yard Art

For the gardener, or someone who likes to fish, or anyone who likes clever yard art, these Swimming Koi Sculptures are the best! How cool to look out into your shrubs and see fish swimming along. Seriously. These are handmade by Tyson Weiss and can be found on uncommongoods.com. You’ll find other artists’ versions as well if you Google it. See which ones speak to you!

Sometimes, Looks Do Matter

Even if you settled on a gift from the grocery store (see Part 2), the way you wrap that gift makes all the difference.

Supplies

First, let me tell you that you NEED the Little Elf Gift Wrap Cutter. Get it. I think I got mine on Amazon; the original littleelfproducts.com is backordered until January 2020 (cuz everyone wants it!) but I bet you can find it in stock a few other places if you Google it.

If you really wanna do yourself a favor, invest in a weighted tape dispenser. Again, found one on Amazon; just make sure it weighs at least a couple pounds. Sure beats fiddling with a little throw-away tape thingie while you’re trying to hold the paper in place!

And of course, you’ll need some paper. But this is where you have some wiggle room. Dollar store wrap is fine! Heck, even newspaper will work. The point is to cover the gift in paper and throw some tape on it. As long as you do that, your peeps will be thrilled to rip something open!

Keep it Simple

Of course, you can always tuck it safely and easily into a gift bag (reuse is fine!). Whatever the gift is “in”, please just put a bow on it. Doesn’t Beyonce have a song about that??? Anyway, the bow in any form is the “cherry on top”. So if you’re going to the trouble to pick something out, purchase it, hide it, and wrap it, then you might as well finish the job. Put a bow on it! Again, any bow from the dollar store will work. But yes, you can go wild and crazy with all kinds of hand-crafted variations. Check out my Wraptastic Pinterest board for ideas!

Finishing Touch

For extra credit, if you really want to score some points, then you’ll want to do the “add-on”. The add-on is a small, inexpensive but complementary goodie that gets affixed to the gift along with the bow. Think of it as taking the gift one little step further. For example, a fresh journal or planner could use a set of pens, a cookbook could use a new wood spoon, a movie set could use popcorn, luggage could use travel-size toiletries, even a bottle of wine could use coasters. You get the idea. But even if you can’t think of something that matches the gift, or you don’t want to give any hints, here are some other ideas that are just fun and festive:

Just about any little thing can be an add-on. :)

Resources

Here’s a list of my favorite places to look for gifts ANY time of year, but especially for Christmas. First, shop locally to support your neighbors and community. You can find things on your very own Main Street that you cannot find anywhere else! Or try Etsy.com; it’s like everyone’s Main Street at your fingertips. Then check these out:

signals.com – thoughtful gifts that “inform, enlighten, and entertain”

uncommongoods.com & thegrommet.com – super clever and unique things all over the place

kikkerland.com – just cool stuff you never knew existed

duluthtrading.com – quality, hard-working clothing and goods

popchart.co – posters and scratch-offs for fans of just about anything

basbleu.com – everything for lovers of books, reading and literature

modcloth.com & ban.do – happy, modern, unique, feminine clothing and gifts

society6.com – artists around the world selling their original works of art on all kinds of cool stuff

sunfrog.com – best t-shirts and hoodies in all kinds of categories

calendars.com – if you can’t find your dream calendar on Main Street, go here!

groupon.com, bradsdeals.com – good sources for finding the best deals online

zulily.com – new collections of crazy good stuff curated daily

And as always, Google some key words if you’re not sure what you’re looking for. Of course, there’s always eBay and Amazon.

Giving Thanks

Remember to show your appreciation for any gift you are given. The gift-giver will love to hear it and it sets a good example for the kiddos. It seems like everyone has a different take on Thank You “etiquette”. So here’s mine in a handy flow chart, plus my tips on writing a thank you note. I hope it helps.

Click HERE to download my FREE Thank You Chart.

Merry Christmas!

HELP for Christmas Crunch Time PART 3