Tag: gift ideas

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Let's Look

Let’s Look: Stocking Stuffers

Hello All! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week so far and enjoying a bit of calm before the crazy. I always enjoy the few weeks in November after Halloween and before Christmas. I take those weeks as time to gather myself after the sugar rush of Halloween, simplify fall decor and start prepping for Christmas whether it be by creating gift lists of who to buy for, making plans for the holidays or browsing the stores for ideas. I don’t go into full on Christmas mode until after Thanksgiving, but I do enjoy a little prep work. 

One thing that has been on my mind is stocking stuffers and little gifts for friends and family which ties in perfectly with today’s Let’s Look prompt as I link up with Erika and Shay. 

As always, here’s a recap of the prompts from this past year. 

Last month, in October we discussed our biggest fears, in September, we talked about evening routines, August, we talked about our worst habits, in July, we talked about new favorite summer finds, in June, we talked about best travel tips, in May, we talked about our morning routines, in April, we talked about pet peeves, in March, we talked about Amazon purchases, in February it was about our medicine cabinets.

I love little stocking stuffers on Christmas morning and an extra gift for friends and family when I am giving them out.

Growing up and to this day, we always enjoyed opening up our stockings on Christmas morning. It was the first thing we would open early in the morning. Our stocking stuffers changed as we got older, but they usually had some Christmas chocolate or candy, a gift card or two to favorite spot, a new tooth brush, some little toys, gadgets,or practical items and maybe some small gifts, like pens, stationary, a new charger etc. 

I always loved seeing what fun little items I would get in my stocking.

Whenever I am shopping for friends and family, I typically have my eyes open for a one main gift for people and then when it comes to friends, I may throw in some extra goodies or stocking stuffers in their bag or present.

A look at all the gifts going out to others.

Here’s some of my favorite stocking stuffers or extra gift ideas for Christmas:

  • Gift Cards (I always love to support local, so maybe buy a gift certificate to a favorite local coffee shop, book store, restaurant or apparel store)
  • Holiday snack mixes or candies (There’s nothing better than enjoying a sweet treat around the holidays- stock up on festive chocolate, holiday bark or any other treat and distribute it amongst all your gifts- this can be as easy as getting holiday chocolate kisses and putting them in every gift bag or you can go complex with a local chocolate).
You can never go wrong with a holiday mix
  • Hot Cocoa and Marshmallows (Another little gift you can buy in bulk and distribute amongst your gifts. Buy a big pack of lots of smaller packets of hot chocolate, buy candy candy canes and marshmallows and add them to each gift so people can enjoy a warm drink around the holidays).
A warm and cozy gift!
  • Homemade cookies (I am a big baker especially around the holidays. If you have a lot of extra cookies, consider making up a small plate or bag and adding them to each gift. It’s a thoughtful, homemade gift and you are sharing your talents with others.)
I love giving out homemade cookies to friends!
  • A favorite thing you enjoy (If you have a favorite item that you can’t live without, consider buying it in bulk and sharing it with your girlfriends for them to try it out. Do you love a new hand cream? Or can’t live without a specific charger or hair accessory, if it’s not too expensive, consider buying it for your close friends and have them try it out too. )
You can never go wrong with gifting a favorite item!
  • Travel size body care items- (This can be a fun extra gift to get for your girlfriends. Stock up on holiday or winter scented mini versions of body lotion, spray, chapstick, or facemasks and treat your friends to a mini spa night. It’s an affordable way to treat your friends.)
Travel size beauty products are always a hit!

These are just some suggestions when it comes to extra fun gifts or stocking stuffers. I typically don’t spend too much on stocking stuffers since I’m buying bigger gifts, but these are just some fun suggestions for some extra Christmas and holiday cheer. 

Gifts from last year wrapped and ready to go out!

Tell me, how do you handle stocking stuffers and extra gifts? Do you go all out or keep it small?

Let me know in the comments below!

I hope this gives you some inspiration as you start your holiday shopping. 

See you on Friday for another edition of Friday Favorites!

Categories
Fabulous living

Christmas Gift Ideas

Hello Hello! 

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are finding time to rest in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I know I have been putting EVERYTHING on my calendar to make sure I don’t leave anything out between family, friends, dates or holiday fun! It can be such a busy time so I’m doing my best to soak it all up and be present as much as I can. 

I love checking out gift guides on other blogs. I am not an expert in gift guides, but I love getting ideas and suggestions from other blogs. Today, I’m sharing a few gift ideas. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, rather just some ideas if you need inspiration or are stuck on what to get someone.

Here’s some ideas that work for family members, friends, co-workers or significant others.

Gift card to a subscription service

This is such a practical and fun gift. There’s so many subscriptions services nowadays. From streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime), to physical subscription like Hello Fresh or Fab Fit Fun, or music services like Spotify and Sirus XM, it can be overwhelming to have them all and pay for them all.

If you get someone a gift card to any of these subscriptions, it gives them a taste of the service and see if they want to invest in it long term. I got a Hulu gift card and if let me try out the streaming service without a full time commitment.  This is also practical since all these services add up.

Give the gift of Netflix this holiday season.

Tickets to an Experience or Event 

If you know the person really well, consider getting them tickets to a local event or activity. It doesn’t have to be a major concert or a sporting event but, maybe it’s tickets to a museum they have been wanting to go to or a gift certificate to  a local theater and a gift card or a local restaurant. You are giving them an experience that they may not spend on themselves. It can also be a practical experience like a coupon to a free car wash or detailing (this is super helpful in winter months).

It can also be a gift for the whole family, like a family membership to the zoo, or a local theme park. This is a great gift the whole family can enjoy after the holidays have passed.

A Zoo membership would make a great gift for the whole family.

Local Items and Foods

If you want to give someone a taste of home who’s moved away, a gift of local items is the perfect idea. Get a basket together of some one your favorite things from home. It can be a favorite food from a local bakery, a bottle of wine or a six pack from a local brewery, a gift card to a favorite restaurant, pack it all up and give it to a loved one who may have moved away. This will remind them of home and you!

Sending some hometown favorite foods are almost just as good as being able to share in person.

Personalize it!

I love all things personalized and this gift really shows you put in the extra effort. For girls or guys, you can use MarleyLilly for clothing, purses, or household items and get them monogrammed. It’s a subtle way to get something fun with that personal touch. If you want to incorporate photos into a gift, Shutterfly or Snapfish are great places to get prints, calendars,  canvas, mugs, stationary and more gifts. Besides Christmas cards.  I have made calendar, collages, books, and mugs for loved ones. This is another gift that has that personal touch. 

These are just a few ideas for gifts this holiday season. Some are experiences and others are items. These are all things that I have been given and have found to be really useful and practical. Tell me, as we gear up for the holidays, do you prefer practical gifts or experiences?