My Holiday Gift Guide
My Holiday Gift Guide is back! I loved putting together last year’s holiday gift guide, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed compiling this list of goodies for you.
If you’re like me, you’re still mired in the holiday shopping trenches. While this season is full of twinkling lights and magical moments and joyful nostalgia, the extra effort required can quickly lead to burnout. (I might be the only one occasionally hiding out in my closet with coffee, but I doubt it.) I hope these gift ideas inspire us to have some fun as we check those names off of ours lists.
I tend to gravitate toward all things whimsical and quirky. I like my gifts to wink at their recipients. If you’re at all like me, you’ve come to the right place. Happy shopping!
To start, I’ve created a list for the book lovers in your life. If your people love to read, they might feel especially seen by these delightful options.
Who doesn’t love the smell of books? I’ve yet to meet someone isn’t taken with the scent. This “smells like a bookstore” candle promises to capture all the cozy olfactory goodness of your favorite bookish haunt. Reading in the wintry months beside a flickering candle would elevate any experience. This one not only gives off a warming scent but a vibe, too.
I know, I know. We’re knee-deep into our advent calendars at this point, but this one is too fun to save for next year. Each day presents a tiny book with a literary prompt or bit of trivia. There’s a keepsake journal and even a small bookshelf. If the sweetest gifts come in small packages, maybe this one will imbue your holiday with extra anticipation.
How lovely is this book club ornament? Finishing any book is an accomplishment, but completing a series of books in a like-minded community is a milestone worth marking. This ornament celebrates friendship as much as it does the books that bond people together.
We’ve all been warned not to judge a book by its cover. But these covers upend any outdated notion that beauty doesn’t matter. In our modern, digital era, any effort to build physical libraries and to display books like the gems that they are should be celebrated. These lovely books from Rifle Paper Co. deserve a special spot on our shelves.
An author clock?! Yes, please - I love this thing! This clock tells time via quotes pulled from books. This inspiring clock is devoted to the written word and acknowledges authors for their literary contributions. If only all technology could be used for such good, clean fun.
Biblio Bloom’s book cover vases marry two of my favorite things: books and flowers, Somehow, together they become all the more exquisite - and prove that that, every once in a while, books don’t require words to be beautiful.
As you might have guessed from my blog and newsletter, I love books - but not only books. I’m also interested in the creative spark that precedes them. After all, the most resonant art should inspire us to create our own. These gifts are designed to nudge the people you love to make something. And hopefully, in conjuring others’ instinct to create, we also remind them how much they matter.
Full confession: this one isn’t my idea. A friend mentioned how much her son loves doodling in invisible ink. I couldn’t love this idea more. In particular, I think it might help those kiddos who feel timid at the prospect of creative expression. This invisible ink diary might offer the privacy some need to begin to use their voice.
I’ve always found value in keeping a journal. I use notebooks to jot down experiences, to capture ideas, and to make the lists that power my days. Really, the options for these bound blank pages are endless. But a beautiful, handmade notebook? That craftsmanship is sure to inspire our own best ideas.
This portable watercolor kit offers a whimsical alternative when the urge to reach for your phone hits. Its delicate, elegant design allows creatives to paint anywhere - and ensures that they’re able to seize the instinct to create when it comes. Also, you have the option of getting it engraved so that each budding painter in your life feels extra special.
How fun is the concept of this Art Dice game? The next time we’re overcome with that itchy, bored feeling, this game is sure to shake us from our ennui. In my experience, the most potent creative expression stems from a playful spirit. This game is sure to put creatives of any age in a powerful frame of mind to make something.
Rick Rubin’s classic work, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, stands out as a beacon among creatives for a reason. This legendary music producer’s book offers a vision for cultivating creativity in our lives. Rubin also recognizes humans as the creative forces we are and makes a passionate case for protecting our creative instinct.
Perhaps the first step toward becoming unblocked is accepting that all creatives feel blocked sometimes. While the creative state involves flow, it often hits walls, too. This Creative Block game approaches that dreaded “stuck” feeling with a shrug. This block is full of prompts from wide spectrum of thought leaders, from artists to neuroscientists. Its directions are particularly revealing and poignant. The game has only one rule: stay open.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my 2025 gift guide! If you have luck with any of these suggestions, please reach out and let me know. And if you’re searching for a beach read with a Christmas-themed epilogue, I’ve got you covered there, too. :)
However you choose to celebrate, I wish you a wonderful holiday season with friends and family!
