With less than two weeks standing between us and Christmas Morning, I figured it was about time to bring you a Holiday Gift Guide, I mean everyone else on the internet is!
Rather than break it down into obvious categories (Mom, Dad, Significant Other, Teen) or absurdly specific categories (guy-who’s-really-into-Austrian-wine!, lady-who-crafts-with-cat-hair, nature-lover-who-lives-in-a-tiny-big-city-flat), I’ve decided to go totally off book and not break it down into ANY categories. I’m gonna have the whole gift guide industry shaking in its boots!
These are just things that I think would make good gifts. For anyone. I genuinely believe that you could confidently give any gift on this list to either your boss or your mother-in-law and they would be both be thrilled.*
So without further ado, I present to you the Last Minute Anybody Gift Guide (Shit’s Getting Desperate Now)
Keep Cup
At some point everyone will need or want to take a beverage on the go with them, you might as well give them a beautiful and functional way to do it. Keep Cups are great because their website gives you nearly an endless ability to customise the appearance. They can be plastic or glass (for the ambitious), minimal or maximal, single cortado or mega latte sized. They are also made to barista standard sizes and shapes, so any coffee shop in the world can make it work.
A Chemex
My Chemex is one of the most important things in my life. I am not joking when I say I could not live without it, and I think everyone needs one. They are a surprisingly affordable piece of timeless design that anyone can use. The coffee snobs will tell you to weigh and bloom and that you need a gooseneck kettle. You don’t! It may take a few days trial and error to figure out your perfect system, but after that you’ll never go back. And like the Keep Cup they come in sizes ranging from a quick cup and out the door, to a pot to last well into the afternoon.
Bonus Point Gift: If you’re getting one for a person with a gas stove a stovetop diffuser allows the Chemex to stay warm on the burner and makes for a great secondary or follow up gift.
Stasher Bags or Bees Wax Food Paper
I have never met anyone who flat out didn’t think that cutting down waste and single use products was good idea and just wouldn’t do it. I have met a lot of people who either don’t know where to start, or don’t have the time or money to lay out up front and can’t make the investment. So things like these make great gifts. They are things that anyone and everyone is already using in their kitchen. Stasher bags are reusable, dishwasher safe ziplock bags, and beeswax food paper is a natural, biodegradable alternative to plastic wrap. These are the type of practical things that people never buy for themselves, but love having once they get their hands on them. Since they replace existing things there are no new steps or things to learn. They may even go into service on Christmas day, christened with dinner leftovers.
Tube Squeezer
Guys hear me out, I really, honestly, believe that this gift could be the sleeper hit of Christmas day. It’s another thing that fills a hole everyone has in their lives. Who doesn’t want to be able to squeeze the last drop out of any tube! If someone got me this I would be over the moon, and when I told my BF about their existence he was all “that sounds uh-mazing!”, so now he’s probably one getting one too! (sorry for the spoilers babe!) This one is manually wound, which gives it just enough of an old school apothecary vibe without veering into twee territory. It also puts little crinkles in the tube as you use it up, which gives the great visual satisfaction of watching it work. Trust me, you might just win Christmas with this little guy.
Iittala Tea Light Holders
Everybody in the whole world has gone to Ikea and thought “oh I could probably use some tea lights…” and wound up with the 100 pack shoved in the back of a drawer somewhere. These candle holders will finally give them a way to start working their way through the pack, which is the real gift here. It’s a classic design, striking enough to make a statement but minimal enough not to clash with any decor. Design snobs will appreciate the classic brand, and everyone else will still appreciate the beauty.
Hay Design Studio
Think of Hay as a starter brand to bring some Scandi cool into anyone’s home. The do a lot of small accent pieces that make lovely gifts, timeless but usually a little whimsical and obviously a few steps up from something you got at H&M Home. Hay is my personal go-to when I need a thoughtful gift for someone I don’t know that well but want something more permanent than a bottle of wine. But with their range of items and cute colour schemes, you’ll be able to find something for anyone on your list.
Wireless Photo Printer
We take more photos than any generation before us, but most of them live in our phones, or disappear after 24 hours. No matter how many times we say we are going to get prints made, I’m willing to bet that the majority of us never do. A wireless printer gives you the power to print anywhere! Sure you could get an instant camera, but I like the idea of a separate printer because it doesn’t add an extra step to the actual photo taking, and it means you know you’ll get a photo you like. Everybody has countless photos on their phones, and having a fun way to print and share those memories is something we can all enjoy. Especially around the holidays when you are dressed up and getting together with people you might not see regularly.
Pro Tip: Make sure you pick up one pack of whatever type of paper/film the printer needs.
Membership/Subscription
Things like this are great gift options because they are often things people are interested in, but seem frivolous or too big of a commitment for them to pull the trigger on. You can go the classic route with a museum membership or wine of the month club, I don’t think either of these would disappoint anyone. But there are a lot of options out there once you start looking. We all know about beauty subscription boxes, but you can also get pen and stationery ones, or ones full of pet treats and toys. There are also a ton of beautiful magazines (more like art books really) being published at the moment covering nearly any topic from fashion to food. Most are printed quarterly, so the recipient will be reminded of your thoughtful gift a few times over the year without their coffee table collapsing.
Bella Freud Jumper
Bella Freud is a bit of a cult British designer, but I genuinely think there is a jumper for anyone in her collection. They are a bit of splurge, so make sure the person you’re getting it for is worthy. They do have a bit of edge to them, but are still timeless enough that it will stay in your wardrobe forever. Any fashion person will love you forever if you get them one, but everyone will appreciate the totally unique style of Freud’s designs. Some are plain, some have text, some have sparkles, some are cashmere, but they are all instantly recognisable. It’s a wardrobe staple that most people probably don’t even know they need.
I hope that you don’t have too much shopping left to do, and that you can use any days off to rest rather than shop. If you do have a bit of shopping left, I hope I’ve provided you with a bit of inspiration and maybe even the Christmas winning gift.
Merry Christmas and may nothing you give be returned and nothing you receive need re-gifting.
*This is not a legally binding claim and I take no responsibility for any Christmas related disasters stemming from your decision to blindly follow the claims a blogger made online.
