It's the most wonderful time of the year! Unless you have no idea what you're going to buy people, in which case it's the most not wonderful time of the year. The presents. It's always the presents. You want something the receiver will actually want, maybe something they wouldn't buy for themselves or even better something they didn't even know existed.
And yet somehow there's always someone who ends up getting a gift card. I happen to like getting an iTunes gift card because I'm too cheap to buy music and apps with my own money but for the most part a gift card isn't the best present. While a "real" present, no matter how bad, says "I like you, I tried, I schlepped to the store and bought you this thing". A gift card on the other hand says "For real, I have no clue what to buy you. You bug me. I hate you. But I picked up this piece of plastic because it was literally right in front of my face, at eye level while waiting to check out at the grocery store with my box of kitty litter and bag of discount mushrooms". ~ love karen.
I try really hard to get good presents for people but the odd time even I end up spitting into a cup and muttering a voodoo curse on the hard to buy for.
I know there are more of me out there. More people who have one or two REALLY hard to buy for people on their lists, so I came up with this Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide. Presents for just about everyone on your list.
I discovered the artist who makes these at Toronto's One of Kind Show.
Custom rolling pin for embossed cookies and pie dough. (have any design/wording you want)
Yup. It's a Bicycle Pizza Cutter.
Stainless Steel Soap! Removes garlic, onion, fish and other strong odours from hands.
The perfect pat of butter. This is both the stupidest and GREATEST thing I've ever seen.
Hedgehog toothpick holder
Himalayan salt, tequila shot glasses. No they don't melt, yes they're reusable, yes they're great.
Appropriately sized wine glass.
Whiskey on the rocks. Soapstone cubes chill drinks without diluting your drink PLUS they look really cool.
Whiskey is the new wine.
Boobies beer glass Ridiculous. I know.
A leather beer caddy for the beer drinkin', bicycle ridin' person in your life.
These delicate, you can barely see it, mini necklaces are the thing right now. The THING.
I noticed this one that Portia De Rossi wore on Ellen immediately and searched it out.
Crystal necklace. I think.
I'm not even sure what it is actually, but it's pretty spectacular.
The book that chronicles Barbara Kingsolver's year long adventure in eating only food from her neighbourhood or that she grew/raised/butchered herself.
I Dig Gardening t-shirt
But really …. what I use the MOST in the garden and love are surgical gloves.
Worried about the environment? Nitrile gloves do NOT decompose.
However, they are perfectly safe to burn believe it or not, and that's the best way to dispose of them.
Canvas & leather workshop/gardening apron
Wildflower Seedbombs and slingshot to "plant" them with.
The Nest Thermostat is the best looking, smartest thermostat out there.
The JumPack is a portable battery pack the size of an iPhone with enough power to charge your phone or jump start a car!
The Google Chrome HDMI streaming media player.
Plug this into the HDMI port of your regular television to stream Netflix, Youtube, movies, music, photos and more from your smartphone to your television.
Ringly. This Smart cocktail ring will vibrate when you get a call, text, tweet, have an appointment and myriad other things.
It also has a tiny discrete light on the side of it that will light up as an alert.
I WANT THIS I WANT THIS I WANT THIS I WANT THIS. Seriously. More than anything I want this.
This item won't ship by Christmas and is only available through pre-order so you'll have to just wrap up a picture of it for me.
Specialty Coffee Drinks illustration. $23.50
The Classic Bialetti stovetop espresso maker. Makes really, REALLY good coffee. I love mine.
Don't speak Coffee Mug. (true dat)
Even WITH the invention of things like Etsy it's still REALLY hard to browse through everything and find that certain something for someone, so I hope this list at least gets you started. (on your present buying that is … not on the inevitable Christamas voodoo curse).
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Go wild, Karen! Actually, I enjoy giving presents, too, but only when I see something that makes me think of someone in particular. Then I'll buy it and give it to them just because I want to.
Actually, I kind of lied. I am getting everyone their passports this year for Christmas but am not sure if that's considered a traditional present. lol
I've been doing this really cool thing for the last several years and it takes most of the stress out of the season. I don't buy compulsory gifts. Ever. For anyone. Even the adorable granddaughters. Not for Christmas, birthdays, Easter . . . nothing, nada. And you know what? People really don't mind. If my granddaughters ask about presents, I simply remind them that I spend tons of time with them and take them fun places and they are okay with that. Other family members are greatly relieved to not have to buy me a present either and, since I'm constantly downsizing, I'm relieved not to get any presents.
Now, before I'm labeled The Grinch, we still do Christmas. We decorate the house, make cookies, eat good food and generally try and do something together as a family during the day. It's still a work in progress since we've only been doing this for about 4 years but we're getting the hang of it. This year, I do believe there's a winter solstice party in our future and that should be a lot of fun. I do buy gifts for people but only when I feel like it and I have the extra money. It's such a relief to go into the holiday season knowing that I won't be spending a bunch of money that I don't have buying things for people that they may or may not like. Give it a try - maybe it will work for you, too!
Well I'd try, but the thing is I actually really like giving presents, lol. So I won't be stopping any time soon. :) karen!
Hi Karen,
Love your list! It's better than Oprah! What kind of coffee do you use in your Bialetti? I have been intrigued with them ever since I visited Eataly in Chicago and saw a huge display of them! Thanks!!
Hi Sharon. I use Illy coffee in them but you can use any coffee you want as long as it's ground fine enough to use in a stove top percolator like this one. (so if you buy beans just tell them you're making your coffee in a stove top percolator and they'll grind them to the appropriate coarseness/fineness). ~ karen!
Is it me? I don't see a link for the jump starter.
I just noticed that Sue! It should link to the item if you click on the picture too. In the meantime I'll add in the text link. ~ karen!
Last year I thought I hit the jackpot with my hard to buy for husband with a GroPro camera. I have since been required to sit through hours of boring footage. I'm just saying-think it through.
I didn't want anything for Christmas....
....until I saw this post. Ermergherd. I don't know whether I'm glad to know you or want to thwack you upside the head right now, Karen. LOL I'm just going to forward this post to the G-Man.
OH MY GOSH I WANT THAT RINGLY!!!! I want it, I want it, I want it!
I KNOW!!!! I was just telling Betty about how much I want it. ~ karen!
It's a shame Ringly can't get their act together. It's a neat product, but if you look on their facebook page, people are complaining they haven't received the rings they ordered back in June! I'm too afraid that if I buy one now I won't receive it until Christmas 2015!
click click...pin pin! that was fun. So many great things! Pretty sure you sold that watch for them :)
Oh really? Is it sold!? Guess I probably did then. ~ karen!
Yes please.
But help me figure out what to get for my teenage stepsons (do I hear iTunes gift cards??? why yes! Yes I do!)
I can add a vote for the Chromecast or Chrome device. We usually had to restart any program on Netflix when viewing through our former streaming device, but since we got the Chromecast, that never happens anymore. You came up with some winners, Karen! Thank you!
For me it was the rusty old skeleton keys... $150.00 says I won't buy them for myself but I sure like the looks of them. The wine glass/bottle was pretty snazzy also!
Kat, here in South Africa I live in a tiny rural town far away from any big shops, so all gift shopping is limited! Unfortunately all our small towns now have Chinese shops opening up everywhere & although the prices are good, the quality is questionable! Do you have those in Canada? We do have one gift shop though, & guess what? I found a bunch of rusted keys for under $2! Guess the airfare for you would make up the difference though hey! Personally I would love the grow light kit or the bird feeder. I'm still trying to work out how the salt & pepper shakers work Karen! Surely the pepper part should have ground pepper in it?
HI Lez. LOL, I asked the same question. As it turns out, the whole pepper is in there just or show. When you use them you do indeed need to put ground pepper in the glass. :) ~ karen!
Wow, what a GREAT list. Can't wait to give the seed slingshot!
Hilariously perfect -- I just ordered the Wildflower Seedbomb and Slingshot for a stocking stuffer for hubby! LOVE IT!!! Santa and I both thank you (yet again) for the great advice Karen!
You're very welcome! ~ karen
The butter thing is the coolest thing EVER! But $15US to $37CDN is a bit mean. Mean amazon!! MEAN!
That does seem mean. Try a local kitchen store maybe? ~ karen
Very unique gift ideas Karen..but all I really need today is a snow shovel..
Really? Not here. :( ~ karen!
We got 7 inches..could have been worse..
Umm. I love the doll head coffee mug. It's so awful and so wonderful at the same time. There is nobody I could get that for . . . I'm the only one I know who would ever be happy with that. I'm a teacher and a mother . . . and I guess a closet goth or something.
Wendy - I happen to LOVE that mug. I could buy it for you, you could buy it for me. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, done and done. ~ karen!
One of these may work for my brother, who is my hard-to-shop-for person, thanks Karen!
For anybody unfamiliar, Barbara Kingsolver is a wonderful author. Check out her novel The Lacuna