Holiday Gift Ideas for When You Don't Know What to Buy

Inside: Stumped on what to buy your loved ones for Christmas? Here’s a quickly skimmable short list of my favorite things this holiday season to get you started! ➡

With the holiday shopping season starting this weekend, your email inbox is probably being flooded with gift guide after gift guide after gift guide.

I’ve been getting them too. And sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of gift guides coming my way.

But we both have to deal with choosing holiday gifts soon. And I also love to talk about neat things when I see them.

So to help us out, I’ve been sneaking in some online shopping time and picked out a shortlist of favorite gift ideas I’ve seen, used, or have myself.

Not an endless list of gift possibilities, just a few that stood out to me. A list that will be easy for you to skim through.

So let’s go window Christmas shopping and see what makes them special:

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Great Gifts They Can Enjoy.

Wordle The Party Game: One of my friends just turned us on to the daily New York Times Wordle. This is a board game inspired by that craze – but you can play this one together.

Personalized family recipe board:https://rstyle.me/+ovvohVgT7iKaINIzislDvg Talk about thoughtful unique gifts for the home – you can preserve a precious family handwritten recipe that will remind you of that person whenever you’re cooking with this personalized cutting board. The scanned image of the recipe card is etched in a loved one’s handwriting into the wood. It can be fondly displayed or even used on the other side for cutting. This one should please even the most challenging recipient on Christmas morning.

Create your own Viewmaster: Remember the Viewmaster? You can make your very own keepsake custom reel from special photos of favorite memories with another cool gift from Uncommon Goods.

Custom print of friend or family groups: This is one of the best gifts I’ve ever received from my best group of girlfriends. It sits by me on my desk and reminds me that, “life is better with good friends” (ain’t that the truth). This is an unforgettable gift for any group of friends or family members. And the customizations seem almost endless with the hair, clothing, colors, body type, etc.

The Indigo Girl: Thought I’d throw a book into the idea mix for recipients where reading is their favorite hobby. And this is the best book I’ve read in the past year. It’s a historical fiction novel about a teenage girl left to run her father’s plantation in 18th-century South Carolina. It was so good it surprised me because I had never heard of it before. I will definitely read it again.

Christmas Gift Ideas for the Home.

Monogram ice bucket: This gorgeous wine bucket is made of stainless steel with a silver or gold plated finish. It’s one of those timeless Christmas gifts with a special monogram touch that they can use forever.

USB rechargeable lighter: You can recharge this lighter again and again. This inexpensive gift makes a great stocking stuffer or is perfect paired with a candle.

Coffee table book: A coffee table book is an ideal gift for home decorators and one we don’t often buy ourselves. This one is a beautiful classic from Veranda.

Yeti coffee mug: I don’t like to drink out of regular coffee cups because the coffee gets cold right away. Problem solved with this Yeti stainless steel mug in the shape of the traditional coffee cup.

Hot cocoa buddies: Ok, these are just cute. And these darling deers are a fun way to hold your hot chocolate toppings.

Electric kettle: I use my electric kettle every day to heat water quickly. This one is a cool version of the classic “teapot” design.

Ceramic cookware set: With a variety of trendy colors like aqua, merlot, and navy these pots and pans are like jewelry for the kitchen.

Custom label olive oil/vinegar weighted pouring bottles: These black and gold glass bottles would look amazing on a tray on the counter. Or a wood board.

Reclaimed bread boards: And this set of small breadboards has such lovely patina – they look good everywhere in the kitchen.

Marble and wood cheese board and knife set: Comes with the matching marble cheese knife and would suit any hostess’ style.

Gift Ideas for Women.

Coordinates Cuff Bracelet: This piece of jewelry is not only beautiful but has a personal touch. You can have the coordinates of any favorite place on the planet engraved onto the front. And it comes in gold, silver, and rose gold.

Bamboo pajamas: Bamboo fabric is touted as being super soft. Plus breathable and moisture-wicking. Women who are pregnant or in a later stage of life (ahem) swear by these.

A plush robe: This one is similar to my very favorite Pajamagram red robe that’s so softy it makes me sigh every time I put it on. And so cozy and warm for those colder months when I’m getting ready in the bathroom.

Vegan crossbody phone purse: I’m in the market for a crossbody bag that will fit my current phone when I don’t want to carry a purse. This one comes in two of my favorite colors to wear (kelly green and wine), a cute black and white gingham, as well as black. It has room for a phone, credit cards, and a makeup item or two. (Think the green one’s going in my cart this weekend.)

Leather crossbody phone purse: If I go with an even more streamlined vertical orientation, I love this timeless Tory Burch Miller phone crossbody bag. The price point is a little higher, but I don’t think you can go wrong with this one.

USB tassel keychain: This leather tassel keychain is not only good looking, but useful with its phone charging feature. And it has a monogram which gets me every time.

Green turtleneck sweater: This gorgeous kelly green sweater really caught my eye because of the color and the balloon sleeve detail.

Monogram cosmetic train case: This vintage-inspired cosmetic case looks like it belongs in a movie, or at the very least to a movie star. It’s beautiful inside with its stripes, and outside with its leather detail and again – a custom monogram.

Useful Gift Ideas for Men.

Front pocket wallet: An attractive leather wallet that’s slim and curved to fit in the front pockets of your pants. This just seems like a good idea to me.

Bucket attachment shop vac: Lighter weight than a regular shop vac so it’s easier to lug around, and takes up less storage space in the garage. Fits on your regular old orange Homer bucket.

Performance lounge pants: Because a pair of awesome and comfy joggers are always the perfect present.

Sports team grill spatula: The “Sportula” is the perfect gift for the sports fan and grillmaster. Bonus points for the bottle opener on the end so they can enjoy a cold one while they cook.

Insulated beer bottle and can holder: To keep that beer icy cold for up to 12 hours. This one can be converted for use with cans or bottles.

Countertop nugget ice maker: My husband has a countertop icemaker on his list for this year. This one goes a step beyond and makes the ice we most love to chew on – the Sonic “nugget” ice.

You might want to check out my favorite finds on Amazon this year. It’s full of all affordable gift options! And don’t forget the all purpose hostess gift is wine or alcohol – see eight creative ways to give it here.

That’s it! Short and sweet because there just aren’t enough hours in the day this time of year to be sorting through a whole lot of gift guide ideas.

Did you find anything to add to your shopping list? I hope so. And maybe a few for your own Christmas wish list.😉

As always, I appreciate your visit, comments, and shares here on the blog! I’d love it if you also follow along with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook so you won’t miss any of my inspiration and ideas.

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