Hey friends! Long time no blog, eh?!? I’m actually stuck in the bed with a lovely case of the flu so, while there are literally 39 other things I should be doing instead, I’m blogging again! My loss is your gain! 😉
Anyway, in case you also have a case of procrastination OR you, like me, just really love seeing what other people are buying/gifting, here are 13 things I’m ACTUALLY giving the people on my list this year. (Lots of them are on sale now and can still be ordered and delivered in time for Christmas too!!)
Grown-ups —
Simplified Planner* – Of course this tops the list!! I give my mom an Emily Ley Simplified Planner every year, and she has come to expect it. You really just can’t beat Team Simplified’s beautiful, intentional, quality products; and nothing makes me happier than a fresh new planner to start a new year! I might have ordered myself one of these too!! (The deadline for Christmas shipping has passed, but I STRONGLY recommend a gift card if you still have someone left to buy for. Picking out your own cover and style is, really, the best part!!) *affiliate link
Fab Fit Fun Winter Box – my sister is a make-up and beauty JUNKIE, and I am decidedly… NOT, which makes shopping for her tricky sometimes. Last year, I got her a Fab Fit Fun Winter Box, and she was thrilled with all the great products in it; so, naturally, I got her another one this year! This is really like 10 gifts in one, so you can’t go wrong! Also, in case anyone is wondering, I’m only posting about this here because she saw the box sitting in my dining room this week and the “surprise” was ruined. Oy vey! (I think a Fab Fit Fun gift card or – better yet – a seasonal subscription – would make an awesome gift!)
Aerie Chenille Oversized Sweater – this is another gift for my sister that I promptly ordered after seeing it in a “last minute gift ideas” post on Living in Yellow yesterday (see – I’m just paying it forward). Kathryn will love this. I know it, because I texted her a photo of it to confirm her size and color preferences. 😉 Are we the only sisters that always tell each other what we bought before Christmas?!? (It’s 50% off right now, and I *think* is still available for Christmas-Eve delivery.)
Theater Tickets – I shared this on Instagram already, but Jeff and I recently gifted his mom and dad tickets to see JERSEY BOYS at The National Theatre in Washington, D.C. and they LOVED it. It is such a fun show for anyone (I saw it several years ago), but especially that generation. They said they knew every single song!! I think grandparents can be so hard to shop for because – let’s be honest – they have everything they want/need and aren’t trying to accumulate more “stuff,” so I love this kind of experience gift for them. *If you’re near The National Theatre, JERSEY BOYS is showing through January 5th, and they have an awesome 2020 lineup!
Chatbooks – We’ve been buying Chatbooks for ourselves and each set of grandparents for more than five years now – we even went back and back-ordered so we have one from every year we’ve had kids. The concept is SO great and user friendly – you literally just sign in to your Instagram account and it puts all your photos + captions and dates right into a beautifully simple photo book – and the company is GREAT to work with (this year, I accidentally left out my half marathon photo and contacted customer service about adding in a couple of pages before printing, and they were awesome about it!) We look at these over and over and over, and they are probably the first thing I’d grab in a fire at our house (besides my kids of course). It’s too late to order these in time for Christmas, but I actually think it’s better to wait until the end of the year anyway, and you can get 15% off right now with the code BYE2019. I also think the subscription option for this would be a super fun gift for out-of-town/ non Instagram grandparents.
Kiddos —
Crayola Art Case – My kids have one of these that they got as a gift from my Uncle last year, and it gets A LOT of use. Our little niece loved it when we traveled with them over Thanksgiving, so we got her her own for Christmas with a Baby Shark coloring book, of course! (15% off with Target Circle!)
Hexbug Robotic Soccer Arena – When you have a kid that loves nerdy robotic things AND soccer, you don’t really expect to find something that combines those two things… So, when you do, you grab it! Santa is bringing this to Sam this year, and I’m not sure if he or Jeff will enjoy it more!!
Beyblade Burst Bey Master Game – If you have a little boy in your life, I can almost guarantee Beyblades are somewhere on their wish list. Sam got the whole arena set two Christmases ago, and he still plays with it weekly — come to think of it, it might be the most played with toy in our house EVER. Anyway, I was so excited to find this board game to surprise him with this year since, goodness knows, he does NOT need more beyblades. (On sale at Target!)
VTech Kidi Star Karaoke Machine – Let’s be honest, I’m probably going to regret this one, but it just SCREAMS Nora (right up there with the glitter light up rain boots and cat-ear bike helmet that Kathryn is giving her because I just couldn’t bring myself to do it). Haha! This will be her “big gift” from Santa this year, and I’m already mentally preparing myself for all the shows I’m going to get to watch. (We got ours from Target, and it is 20% off there now if you can find it in your local store!)
Osmo Little Genius Kit – I’ve been singing the praises of Osmo for years now (both of our kids LOVE it, and the activities are so educational and fun), but this is the first year I’ve seen the “Little” Genius set – specifically made for 3-5 year olds. We grabbed the costume game separately for Nora and bought the starter set for our nephew, and I can’t wait to play it with them! (Little Genius is on sale now, but won’t ship in time for Christmas. The regular Starter Kit is also on sale though AND has 2-day delivery!!)
Piccolina Trailblazer Tee – I’m seriously so obsessed with these shirts for little girls! There are more than 15 awesome women to choose from including Susan B. Anthony, Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart, and Malala Yousafzai, and the style is very Mini Boden-esque. (P.S. Amazon says they will still arrive by Christmas and select styles are 20% off!)
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez – I LOVE Andrea Beaty’s books (Iggy Peck, Architect; Ada Twist, Scientist; and Rosie Revere, Engineer), so when I saw that this one was coming out – just in time for an election year – I HAD to have it. Ummm.. I mean, NORA had to have it. 😉
Well, there you go! That was fun.
Be on the lookout for some end-of-the-year book reviews and other fun stuff in the coming weeks too.
Happy Holidays!!
E
P.S. Check out my favorite gifts I gave and received last year here + our “Santa strategy” (that’s still going strong) explained here.