Holiday Gift Guide

I overheard a woman at work today talking about how she doesn’t know what to buy for her nieces and nephews for Christmas because she feels like they have everything they need and for the amount she can spend, she isn’t going to be able to buy them anything that they want or like.   Since I didn’t know this woman, I didn’t really want to butt in with my two cents (well I did want to, but I felt like that would be rude).  But I started thinking that some of the best gifts I have received haven’t necessarily cost a lot of money, it is more that they are unique and personalized.   I know we all have those people on our Christmas lists and it seems like they have everythingggg under the sun and really don’t need or want anything else (both my parents in my case).   And to be honest, I most definitely have all that I need and more, but I pretty much always have a running list of ‘wants’ so if you are ever at a loss for a gift to get me,  don’t hesitate to ask!! 🙂

There are a lot of good sites on the internet that have cool and unique gift ideas and they aren’t too expensive.  Etsy is one of my very favorites.  Yes, Etsy can be a little bit overwhelming, but if you know at least a little bit about what you are looking for, you can find some unique, fun and personalized ideas.

I thought I would give you an example of a few ideas that I have found on Etsy and other places around the web that I think would make great gifts and that definitely don’t break the bank.   Today is going to focus only on women’s gifts, but if you are interested, I will do another post for guys too.

Jewelry:

Monogrammed Pieces.  Never gets old for me.  I love monogrammed things for whatever reason, and currently have a running list of about 5 things with monograms that I want.  This is a great gift because it is so personalized and unique, and pretty much a guarantee that no one else will have the same exact one.   Some good examples…

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Just make sure you know the full name of the person you are buying stuff for.

For example, if your brother is buying you something for Christmas at your request and your nervous he doesn’t remember (or maybe never knew) what your middle name is; just send him an extremely detailed email outlining every possible thing he needs to know.

Baublebar also has some great jewelry and is fairly inexpensive too (depending on the piece).

Gloves/Scarves/Hats/etc

These cashmere lined gloves from J.Crew are really nice and come in fun colors.

I have also been loving fur accessories lately.  For example:

This hat from Gap

The good thing about Gap is they have crazy sales like everyday so it is basically like they are paying you to shop there.

Fur scarf–a lot are on sale at Macy’s at the moment

I just bought my first infinity scarf too and loveeee it, I would highly recommend them.  I got mine at Gap but I couldn’t find it online for whatever reason to give you guys the link.

For the cook/foodie:

A cute apron is always a good idea.  Last year I bought one for my mom and picked up another one for myself.  Anthropologie always has a great selection.

I also think these baskets are cute, I found them at Anthropologie and Jayson’s Home.  They ceramic Farmers Market baskets, so cute!

 

Immersion Blender—I know this was on both mine and my mom top gadget posts, but I can’t recommend this more as a great gift for someone who cooks.  They don’t seem to be a staple in most kitchens, but they should be because they are really are convenient for so many different things.  I noticed Cuisinart makes a lot of cute colors

White Feather Dish–Love this little serving dish!

For the fitness freak:

Depends what your budget is looking like…but here are some options:

I love the clothes from both Lucy and Lululemon.  They are pricier, so I won’t always buy them for myself, but I have found that both brands have a great fit and really cute clothes that I would (and do) wear outside of working out.  Plus, they are made really well so you can wear them again and again which helps to justify the price.

Wunderunder crops are on my wish list right now.  I think these could be worn for working out, or just day to day since I tend to live in leggings in the winter.

I just got the Karma racerback workout top from Lucy (on sale!) and absolutely love it.  Because I don’t really need to be flattened out anymore than I already am, I love that the top has some style to it.  I actually went looking for this one specifically after I saw a girl wearing it in a yoga class because I love the back.  I do think the low cut of this top could become an issue though for people who have a little bit more going on up top than I do.

Jackets/Zip-up’s are a great gift because they will definitely be worn again and again going to and from the gym, classes, etc especially in the colder months.  I noticed that zip-up’s are 30% off at Lucy right now!

Gym Bag– I have a yoga bag from Lululemon that they actually don’t have online any longer, but they do have a bunch of others that are cute.  I love that the bags are cute and could be used for an everyday bag on top of just a gym bag.  Many can be expanded for regular use or rolled up to just hold a mat.

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A Garmin Forerunner is a great idea for a runner.  If you don’t want to spend hundreds for the latest version, just buy an older version.  It still works exactly the same and is much cheaper. I have the 305 which I got on Amazon for a little over 100 bucks.  I noticed that the 405 is down to about $150.

Yoga accessories for the Yogi—a nice mat, or yoga towels, especially yogitoes are good gifts!

Beauty:

I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again…BIRCHBOX!   How awesome would it be to get a year or even a 6 month subscription to Birchbox.  The gift that keeps on giving all year long!

Essie gift sets–love the winter collection

Also Ulta always has good deals

Random things that I wanted to include: 

Kate Spade Planner:

Shell Clutch

City/Subway signs–these are cute! And can be personalized mostly for bigger cities it looks like

I just wanted to include these random things but I didn’t have a separate section.

Normally I would be blowing up this page with clothes, but it admittedly is very hard to buy clothes for someone else.   I know some people have a thing about not wanting to give gift cards.  Personally, I love them because I love to shop so much and I think they can be personal enough if you pay attention to buy the card based on where you know that person loves to shop, but you have to know your audience.  If you are giving a gift card to someone who hates shopping, you will probably cause more anxiety than anything else and might want to steer clear in that case.

So, there are a few ideas, hope they are helpful!

Do you guys have any ‘go-to’ gifts that you buy for other people?  Anything special on your own Christmas list?

Katie