Time for our last gift guide of 2017! I hope these have been useful and fun for you. I have loved your email suggestions and ideas, too, and am plotting out ideas for next year. Mwahahahaaa.
In case you’ve missed prior editions, in gift guides past we’ve covered
- items that bring comfort and warmth
- advent calendars
- all the lovely candles
- smart ass literary socks, nail polish, adorable zip purses, and more
- fuzzy socks, keepsakes, and nifty gifts for knitters and cross stitchers
- all the different, nifty subscriptions which can keep your gift going past the holidays
This week, I’ve got some last minute ideas for you, including our annual Reading Time Gift Certificates, which pair wonderfully with pretty much everything.
I have three for you this year, too!
First, Reading Time Gift Certificates. These are PDFs, so please right-click and save-as to print as many as you need.
We also have Introvert Time Gift Certificates. Same rules apply, please: right-clicketh and saveth-as!
And this year, I am adding some Crafting Time Gift Certificates. Knitting? Cross stitching? Dyeing wool? Crafting spells for peace and happiness? Have some time for that!
You can pair these with hot chocolate and a cute mug, a box of chocolates or cookies, a fuzzy pair of socks, or a noise cancelling app for someone’s smartphone – whatever suits the recipient. The certificates are backed by the full faith and mayhem of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, and we hope whoever receives them has excellent books to read.
BOOKS! Obviously: you can easily pair these with books or a bookstore gift card, or a blank journal, too.
And speaking of gift cards, I know some folks have strong feelings against them, but as I’ve gotten older and wanted to have less physical stuff in my home, a gift card makes me incredibly happy.
With some, it’s like permission to buy something for myself that I’ve been resisting, or indulging in some purchases I wouldn’t normally make. So if you’re thinking gift cards, boy howdy, you can get them everywhere, and that’s not an exaggeration.
You can get them at Amazon, Walgreens, the grocery store…heck, my local gas station has both gift certificates AND injera (I will never stop finding that absolutely delightful). I’m pretty sure one of my local grocery stores has a larger gift card section than it does for other categories.
Whatever your holiday giving entails, we all wish you a wonderful, warm, and cozy holiday. I hope you’ve enjoyed the gift guides. Please know that your hanging out with us each day is a gift we very much appreciate!
Two last things!
One: We keep the gifting and shopping going all year with our Stuff We Like series, so watch for those monthly in 2018. And of course, if you’ve got suggestions and ideas, please email me!
Second: Any and all holiday and every day shopping you do through our affiliate links is immeasurably helpful to keeping the site going. I’m including links below for your convenience. Thank you in advance!
So what about you? What are your go-to last minute gifts? Any presents of time or space (or both!) that you valued?
Happy shopping!
My go-to last minute gifts are books (I live two blocks from a bookstore and yes, I could only be luckier if that bookstore was Ripped Bodice). And also smitten kitchen’s hot chocolate mix, which takes only a minute to make. I always keep a few extra jars around for “surprise” gift-giving. And it’s no hardship if I have extra and am forced to drink some myself.
I was leery of giving gift cards after my mother-in-law publicly and widely criticized me for giving personally selected gift cards attached to small gifts one Christmas years ago. Personally, I’d rather receive a gift card chosen for me than some random tchotchke or kitchen tool. As I get older, there is less space for herb choppers and collectibles. The lovely M-I-L is no longer with us so my go-to is a gift-card to a favorite restaurant with a related food treat for a consumable gift which seems to be much appreciated. Our local Kroger store has a bumper crop of gift cards this time of year.
My treat yo’self gift of “Running the World and Stuff” socks arrived yesterday and I plan to wear them on my first workday of the new year. All the best this holiday season to you and yours!
Movie theater gift cards seem to go over well with couples. (Pro tip: To the casually dating, gift cards are as bad as coupons. One must always maintain the illusion of being made of money until one tricks somebody into marrying one’s broke ass.)
@LauraL: What a terribly unkind thing for her to have done. I think your gifts sound so lovely and thoughtful. She was totally wrong to have done that – which I figure you know. I’m sorry that happened.
And your socks sound EXCELLENT.
@ Ren Benton – That is so true! LOL
@ SB Sarah – Thanks for the kind words. The M-I-L was a challenge. The now grown “kids” enjoy the gift cards as date/indulgence money is tight due to home ownership, growing families, and school bills.
” I know some people have strong feelings against” gift cards. That was a bit of whiplash. ‘I know some people hate presents’ I’ve never met anyone opposed to gift cards. For environmental reasons? Physical gift cards can be recycled; Malls have boxes where they can be dropped off. They’re not personal enough? When gift cards can be bought for Sunrise Records, Right Stuf, and Indigo, it totally shows the giver doesn’t care enough to know your interests when they get you one (confused face AND eye roll). Plus, she who maketh no list hath no ground to stand on.
I love getting gift cards! It also gives me a chance to indulge when I otherwise wouldn’t. Our families usually give gift cards to restaurants (one year we received 7!) so we joke around about looking forward to eating good in January.
I’ve really enjoyed the gift guides! Thank you!
Quite honestly I love getting gift cards or presents. I get some weird gifts that are almost never something I would get myself (hand knitted blue footed booby was my favorite).
When I give gifts I avoid gcs unless they live out of state and the postage is as much, if not more, than the gift.
My go to last minute gifts are usually cookies and/or homemade bath products. But I am sick this year, and people had better be content with my presence (ha!).
Cause nothing says Merry Christmas like the plague.