Here’s what we’re turning to this year for gifting options!

Every year I become increasingly agitated trying to figure out what to give people as a present. For us, this season is more about spending time with family than it is buying lavish, expensive shit. (For others, not so much.) When my husband and I give gifts, we hope that what we’re passing on is useful and enjoyable.

For 2018, here’s what Jon and I are dishing out. You can use them as last-minute Christmas gifts, as gifts-on-a-dime…or, you can get super creative with some of these suggestions, and do as you please!

Fill up a jar with…your choice! This year we’re actually going to be doing some homemade cocoa mix. My husband actually makes it (and his recipe, at this point…is kind of top secret, sorry gang!), but you can easily find homemade cocoa recipes online. You can do this with anything: candy (I loooooove candy), selections of tea bags, cake batter, dry ingredients for a sugar cookie batter…the possibilities are endless!

Keep it green.  Many communities are making moves to go green — for instance, in our area, we have seen restaurants nix straws. Why not consider a metal straw? I’ve also been all about that koozie life, and have picked up a few at local craft fairs. You can learn more about green gifts to consider by reading this previous post I put together on trying to live a greener life. 

Put a spin on your cards. Jon and I are big wax seal enthusiasts. We own two wax seals, and plan to snatch up a few more. Family and friends have been getting a kick out of the different colours and emblems we’ve been using to spruce up our cards. And it doesn’t hurt to send something tangible in the mail, either! When we were putting together our list, we were surprised to hear how many people were ecstatic to know that we’d be putting cards in the mail. You may want to send them out earlier this year, though: Canada Post has been on strike, and while the government has been working on legislation to get staff to go back to work, typical holiday delays alone may see your card delayed. Better to send them early, and to have your recipients open them early…than to have them get there in 2019!

A gift basket. You can put pretty much anything within reason in a gift basket, so long as your storage options work within your means. (As I mentioned in the video, one year I did a cheese gift basket, and it was a challenge to store all the cheese in my apartment’s very tiny fridge.) In this photo below, the basket I’m holding has mostly food options, but why not try stationery, crafting supplies…maybe even a whole basket of yarn?! Probe your potential recipient for some of the things they’d like to try in the new year. (You can also creep their social media to figure out what their favourite hobbies are.) I don’t recommend wicker gift baskets because most people who I’ve gifted them to have said they can’t find a use for them; they also tend to break really easily. (Wicker baskets tend to be a gifting favourite at this time of year for their so-called rustic aesthetic charm…so you can be sure you’ll be paying way more for a wicker basket in the lead-up to the holidays.) It’s a safe choice to go with a basic basket; something in a plain colour (that way it can be converted into a storage basket later). If the person you’re gifting the basket to has a theme for their home décor, you can also opt to pick a basket that is the same colour as the theme.

And for the adults…alcohol. You could also do this as a gift basket component…heck, you could make this the entire gift basket! This is a great time to explore your local breweries and distilleries to see what they have to offer. If you don’t know what kind of alcohol your recipient likes, it doesn’t hurt to stick to wine.

What do you like to give for gifts? Let me know in the comments below! (Because, y’know, you can never have too many gift ideas!)