My favorite things, aka a casual gift guide
Ok! This is a pretty casual gift guide: mostly just a bunch of things I genuinely use and love, and gifts that I have given that have been well-received.
I will say that I almost always prefer to gift (and receive) experiences rather than things. I am a big fan of things that do not create any clutter! A few ideas: massages, facials, a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant, credits at a favorite workout studio, tickets to a show, or a lesson for a new skill (like pickleball or Spanish).
If they love to read, a Book of the Month subscription is the gift that keeps on giving, and is wonderful even if you don’t know their taste in books. (I have received this and LOVE it.)
My top favorite books to gift: Lonesome Dove, Being Mortal, I’ll Show Myself Out (for new moms–I laughed out loud so many times!) and Great Circle. And my top favorite books that I read this year (that would make fun gifts!): Jacqueline in Paris, The Anthropocene Reviewed, Still Life and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
I’m a big fan of food gifts! They can be deeply enjoyed and feel like a real treat, but also…don’t add to extra stuff around the house. A few of my favorites to send and receive: perfectly ripe ruby red grapefruits from Pittman Davis, a Salami of the Month club, or something that reminds of you of a specific place from Goldbelly (use this link to get $25 off your first order!), like New York bagels, Brooklyn pizza, Boston cannolis or Cardiff crack (have purchased all of these and can vouch that they are excellent).
Similarly, I like to gift food items that are maybe a little nicer than you would buy yourself for every day but can still be used and enjoyed regularly. To that end: I’m a big fan of super high-quality olive oil (I especially like Brightland Olive Oil, with this gold spout), fancy tea (I love Mariage Freres vanilla tea for something really sumptuous–I always pick up some when I’m in Paris!), or really good coffee (I love the descriptions of Philz blends–my go-to is the New Manhattan whole beans).
I’m a longtime fan of Artifact Uprising, and my house is full of their products. I make a soft everyday photo book every year with my favorite Instagram photos: I “give it to David” as a gift, but really, I make it for both of us and they all sit in a fun stack to flip through on our coffee table. In 2020, I made a baby board book with photos of us for our nephew who lives across the country: a fun option if you live long-distance from new family members! And the desktop calendar is a fun option (I get refills for my own every year with my favorite photos from the last year): this Christmas, I might be gifting these with Jojo photos for grandparents.
If you have anyone in your life who still loves snail mail, custom stationery is a super classy option (a friend gave me this with a watercolor pug and I LOVE it). A nice return address stamp is also fun: Etsy has a ton of options, although I just got this design for our own use and love it. My friend Erica takes beautiful travel photos and her card sets double as lovely prints for the receiver: her National Park set is my favorite.
If someone needs better rest (and who doesn’t), I love a nice eye mask (either silk or weighted with lavender). This is my favorite weighted blanket and the pillow I am truly obsessed with. And I always love a silk pillowcase!
For self-care options: I love finding sheet masks in my stocking, and these are some of my favorites. A couple of years ago, I asked for a classic Turkish cotton robe from Parachute and I am still wear it every day (pro tip: Parachute runs one sale a year for Black Friday/Cyber Monday!). And for travelers, a monogrammed Cuyana leather travel case set is absolutely lovely.
After a long stretch of only doing workout classes at boutique studios, we joined a gym this year (praise be for included childcare) and so now I am back on that GYM BAG life. I bought this gym bag (30% off your first purchase with this link), and I’m absolutely loving it, especially the space for dirty clothes. My friend got me these Baggu pouches to organize my diaper bag, and I bought another set to organize my gym bag. I also felt like all of the cool people at the gym were wearing these sneakers and these leggings (20% off with this link), and I am not immune to trying to feel cool so I bought them and I love them!
I also love pajamas as a gift. These are my current favorites for me, and David got these flannel pajamas last year and loves them. The Cat’s Pajamas also has a lot of fun prints and they’re super comfy.
For the crazy passionate pet owner, my mom bought a custom golf head cover of her dog and was SO impressed with the quality and the customer service. The company also does pajamas and plush clones, which might have to go on my list in the future! I also bought these custom pug portrait ornaments for the Christmas tree this year, and I’m so delighted.
For kids, I try not to gift things that add to the crazy toy clutter of childhood. I love to give pajamas that feature whatever the kid is loving right then: in the past, Frozen princesses and trucks have been big hits. I also love anything that can make bath time more fun: bath bombs, bath crayons, bath bubbles! Another non-clutter-but-still-fun idea is a membership to a local children’s museum or aquarium. Jojo isn’t quite big enough yet, but this is definitely something that I’ll be asking for as a grandparent gift in the future.
For big splurges: I absolutely love my Dyson Airwrap, our Normatec compression leggings and our Hyperice Hypervolt massage gun. They’re definitely expensive, but these have definitely made it up in cost per use in our household. The leggings and massage gun are especially great if you have a runner, hiker or pregnant person in the house!
Lastly, I always think you can’t go wrong with a donation to a charity close to their heart. I have been so moved when family has donated to The Pug Queen on our behalf. My caveat here is that while any charity is deserving, I do think choosing one that really speaks to the person’s interests goes a long day. (Also, my company is doing a 2:1 match on Giving Tuesday, and I am always SO happy to donate on your behalf if you Venmo me @ChristineAmorose with the name of your preferred charity! They do a 1:1 match the rest of the year, so the offer always stands.)
And if you’re interested in what’s on my list this year: I’m hoping for an Ember mug (I’ve heard this is a godsend for a busy mom), a new pair of Allbirds Treerunners (I wear mine pretty much constantly), a nice candle (I love this Homesick scent) and a massage or a facial! David and I are still brainstorming what to get for each other, but we usually try to do a big thing for the house (one year, we upgraded to a king bed and got a new mattress!) or some sort of trip/experience together instead of buying a lot of small things. My current pitch is a new headboard and a new nightstands!
