Christmas Gift Ideas (for those that suck at giving gifts)

With Christmas season coming up I wanted to share a list of gift ideas that are:

✨PRACTICAL

✨FUNCTIONAL

✨IMPROVE LIFE QUALITY

✨MINIMAL

✨LOW-WASTE

Because I am soooooo bad at gifts! It is NOT my love language, and it’s something I’ve had to work hard on over the years.

I have a strange duality in my mind with the Christmas season. On one hand I HATE the consumeristic, capitalistic, and wasteful nature of the season. But on the other hand there’s a lot of beauty to taking the time to think of your loved ones and giving them a gift or a loving gesture to show that you care about them.

One last note: every affiliate link I have on here is for something that I have bought with my own money and would happily buy again if it needed replacing/we move/etc. If you purchase something through these links it will help support me! (So thank you!)

Without further ado, I’ve broken it up into four categories—

CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS FOR THOSE THAT SUCK AT GIVING GIFTS

Experience-based gifts (my personal favorite):

Think about what your loved one enjoys and gift them an experience! Some examples for inspiration: white water rafting, spa day, pottery class, bungee jumping, photography session, etc.

Membership to somewhere they enjoy! Some examples: barre class, art museum, rock climbing membership, Costco, theme park, etc.

Trip all planned and paid! Surprise them with a stress-free getaway! I’ve received this as a gift before and it’s incredible.

Consumables - think favorite treat or special drink, or a gift card to a nice restaurant so they can treat themselves.

Something that Reduces Waste:

An insulated water bottle is a wonderful gift! I use mine every single day, and it’s a great gift for those that daily use single-use plastic water bottles to help reduce waste. Hydroflask water bottle is the GOAT in my opinion.

Hydroflask https://amzn.to/3V0CKSV

I am constantly using our silicone baking mat. But really this idea also applies to anything silicone for the kitchen - silicone spatula, baking mats, muffin pans. I hate using “plastic” in the kitchen and these are great alternatives.

Silicone baking mat https://amzn.to/3AzLWp2

Reusable straws are wonderful - especially if you have a toddler! I really recommend two different types of straws. I use the thin metal ones for most beverages, but I love having the wider silicone straws for smoothies.

Silicone straws https://amzn.to/3EvHsRA

Reusable coffee cups are a great gift for those that love coffee! I actually recommend having a few on hand so you’re not as likely to get caught out without one. I like leaving one in the car, a couple at home, and another great place would be work.

Keep cup https://amzn.to/3EV8fYV

These are the greatest for storing your leftovers! I’m loathe to put hot food into plastic containers, and I also think storing things in glass containers makes your food look more appealing which leads to you actually eating your leftovers which leads to less food waste.

Glass Pyrex storage containers https://amzn.to/3GJLk4h

Gift Ideas for Kids:

Something that will grow with them and instigates creativity-

Lincoln logs https://amzn.to/3EvJFfQ

Magnetiles https://amzn.to/3U15rxR

Legos https://amzn.to/3gvY7fQ

Megablocks https://amzn.to/3gtGyNn

Things to encourage them to get active-

Bike/scooter/skateboard

Consumables - fun toothpaste, favorite snacks, character bandaids, favorite cereal

Things to encourage getting outside - gum boots, rain coat, wool base layer

Provides A LOT of Valuable Function and Improves your Life Experience:

(BUY IT FOR LIFE MENTALITY)

I cannot recommend anything more than getting a good blender. Being plant-based and as someone who enjoys many delicious smoothies, NOTHING gets me raging more than a crappy blender. People love the Vitamix blender for good reason. It makes beautiful smoothies every single time with no cursing.

Vitamix https://amzn.to/3EvDYOX

A cordless vacuum is another game-changer. Having a toddler (or children in general, or a pet) means my floors are always getting dirty. I used to lug around the clunky plug-in vacuum and have to switch outlets every half room and it made me hate it and I would stretch out the chore for days at a time - leaving me with eternally dirty floors. Having a cordless vacuum means I vacuum EVERY DAY and I love it. It really does increase my happiness and improves the quality of my life. Cannot recommend enough!

Dyson https://amzn.to/3ViQ30x

I’ve had my boots for five years now and they’re still going strong! I wear them all winter long and they’re versatile enough that I wear them throughout the summer as well. I love the way they look and feel on my feet. Plus, I really REALLY love that they’re waterproof up to the elastics! This means I can walk through puddles with my toddler or dewy grass in the morning and not have to worry about wet shoes and feet. When these eventually do die, I will definitely be buying another pair!

Blundstone boots https://amzn.to/3ADcbuI

Next shoe of choice has to be my Birkenstocks. I wear them all summer long! And I even have the clog ones to wear with thick wool socks for winter. I love how wide they are, which makes them super comfy and healthy for your feet.

Birkenstock https://amzn.to/3AGl2fo

Next shoe I recommend is a barefoot tennis shoe! I prescribe to the whole “barefoot is healthier” in most cases when it comes to feet. So when I go on very long walks or runs, I always reach for my Vivobarefoot shoes.

Vivobarefoot https://amzn.to/3Ew7ZOz

Next very practical gift idea is wool socks. Specifically Darn Tough wool socks. This is a beautiful company that makes their socks in the US, and (even cooler!!) they have life-time guarantee for their socks! So if you get a hole in them or something happens to them you can send them in and they’ll mend them or give you a new pair. Absolutely incredible! I wear them during the summer and winter, with my boots and Birkenstocks depending on temperature, weather, and the thickness of the socks I’m using.

Darntough Wool Socks https://amzn.to/3GzT5cR

Since moving to New Zealand, we have become accustomed to very good coffee. Unfortunately for us, when we move back to the US I don’t think we’ll be able to go back to drip coffee. So we will totally be repurchasing our Breville espresso machine. It’s a nice mid-range option for when you want really good coffee but don’t want to spend $7,000 on a fancy espresso machine.

Breville espresso machine https://amzn.to/3VdgtBa

Last (and maybe most importantly!) is the number one life-changing item on this list. A bidet. And before you go squirrelly on me, just know that even my most belligerent family members who said things like “I’ve been using toilet paper the last 50 years - why would I change things now??” used it a few times and now sheepishly admit that they like it well enough. Trust me on this one. Using toilet paper to wipe is absolutely barbaric. Try it out for yourself.

Bidet https://amzn.to/3ABBAow

These are all things I have loved receiving and giving over the last several years! I hope you got maybe a few ideas to gift to loved ones this year.

xxBecca