It’s time! It’s time! Smart Bitches Gift Guides are here!
This started long ago (2007!!) as a way for me to shop holiday catalogs for the whole website readership and pick out gifts y’all might like to receive or give. Remember catalogs? Nordstrom is allegedly bringing them back, according to The Fug Girls, and I love this decision. I think catalogs are due for a comeback.
Until they return, I will continue with weekly gift guides between now and Christmas, with different themes and collections.
Important update! Send us your requests! Do you have a request or something you’re searching for? A gift idea for the “impossible to shop for” person? Gifts for people who don’t want stuff? We would love to help.
In fact, today’s 2025 inaugural gift guide is a reader request!
Before we get started, our regular housekeeping:
As always, NB: Some of our links are affiliate coded, which sends a portion of your purchase price back to us at no extra cost to you. It’s one of a few ways we keep the hot pink mayhem going at SBTB HQ, so thank you in advance for your support!
First, Rakuten: holy cow, we have been doing so much shopping through Rakuten, and the cash back is pretty freaking nifty. I now use the Rakuten portal to shop for specific products I don’t want to buy elsewhere, like from Target, for example.
Currently, for a limited time, you can get $50 back if you join and make a purchase +$50 within 90 days.
During the holidays or high-shopping times like Labor Day or Black Friday Month, retailers often increase their cashback percentages. Ulta did that and I stocked up on all the products I’ll need to refill at some time this year. Rakuten has published the early November calendar of increased percentages, and I bet there will be more.
Another tip for cashback shopping: Viator tours and Groupon – look for fun local stuff in your area, or where you’re traveling to next (got holiday travel? Book an activity for yourself or for everyone to enjoy!).
Let’s get to our first Community Request for the holiday gift guide, from Tara C!
I have a request for your Stuff We Like feature. The holidays are coming, and so are those awkward Secret Santa/White Elephant/Yankee Swap events.
I’d love some inspiration this year for giving good gifts under a certain dollar amount when you don’t know who’s the recipient. I think it would be helpful for other people who are in the same boat. I think it’s the SS Clueless, and there’s only one oar.
Ma’am, we are READY TO HELP.
The gift exchanges I have participated in usually have a cap in amount spent, so we’re going to do some $10 or less and some $20 or less. The context of the exchange is important – is this exchange at work? A hobby group? Friends? Neighbors? Family? We have suggestions that should work for any or some of the above.
Let’s goooooooooo!
Some of the most popular gift exchanges I’ve seen involved food, especially local food:
- A bag of local coffee and a cute mug
- A fresh loaf of bread and some jams, spreads, or a cute dishtowel
- Hot honey or, even better: local honey! If you find your local apiary, a jar of local honey will be fought over if I’m present. It’s going down.
- A gift card to a local tea shop or bakery for treats and desserts.
Kiki has a great idea: “I love a lil’ decorative bowl or dish and I’m always in favor of picking up a couple at a thrift store and putting in some nice tea bags or spice mixes!”
Brilliant idea. May I suggest Penzey’s spices?
Penzey’s Mini Soul Box, $16I often find that toys that appeal to adults are very popular, too. For example: Lego sets.
You can search for all the available sets on the Lego.com site at $25 and under, but I have a few suggestions.
Like, a Vespa?
Or a sports car?
Not only does it come with That F’in Guy as a minifigure, but it has a tiny sponge and cleaning bottle for gently and lovingly polishing the car. Y’all. I cannot.
And if some brightness is needed – Lego flowers are so adorable, and most are about $15 – so more than ten but less than $20!
Lego Sunflowers, $15So many cosmetic and beauty companies do holiday gift sets, and this is a great gift exchange option.
Essie nail color has a three-bottle mini polish set:
Essie Holiday 3 Piece Nail Polish Gift Set, $12 at Ulta.com
There’s also a gift-with-purchase until 11/22 at Ulta for any Essie purchase over $15!
This is a link I’m providing on behalf of my teenage self who is VERY excited these have come back: Lancome Juicy Tubes lip gloss!
Juicy Tubes gift set, $25 at Ulta
(Yes, $25 is above the limit but there are a lot of sales happening now and then!)
This is a very Office Holiday Gift Exchange gift but every time I show it to someone they immediately think of two people who would love it:
Excel Shortcut Mug, $15 A gift I would lose my cool over: a really nice notebook and pen. I’ve almost bought myself a Moleskine or Leuchtturm notebook probably a thousand times, and never gone through with it (I think I want to touch them more than I want to write in them, which is a me problem).
Moleskine Classic, $17 And if you want to go into some serious notebook shopping: JetPens.com. They have a zillion different kinds of pens, notebooks, and paper lovers’ porn.
I bought myself this pen and I LOVE it. I have little hands, and joints that get tired in a hurry, and this pen makes my hands so happy. It’s a little wider in the body, which is probably why it’s comfy, and it writes so smoothly:
Mitsubishi Pencil Gel Ballpoint Pen, $7
Throw in a sheet of stickers and BOOM. For example, for my quilt guild gift exchange, I searched “quilt stickers” on Etsy and came up with a beautiful set!
Watercolor Quilt Block Stickers, $6
My favorite type of gift exchange present: really, really useful stuff. Items that are unexpected but have a purpose so that when someone opens it, they WANT it.
I’ve written about devices like these – I have one that I will not travel without – and they will never stop being so freaking handy dandy:
Flat Extension Cord, 5ft, $16And speaking of extension cables:
Multi-charging cable, 4 feet, 3-in-1, $11
I might get one of these for my house because none of us have iPhones, and I feel bad when someone who is hanging with us needs an iPhone charger (also to Hades with proprietary chargers for ever and ever, thank you).
This is called a Strapcicle, which is a hilarious name, and it makes your Kindle easier to hold:
Strapcicle Kindle Hand Strap, $20
The Strapcicle (LOL) is available in a bunch of colors, too.
Elyse suggested a weather station, based on a successful gift exchange she experienced:
Indoor Outdoor Weather Station, $22
I have one of these, and when the barometric pressure gives me a headache, it’s SUPERB. You keep it in the freezer and the only trick is remember that you have it when the headache monster strikes:
Headache Relief Mask, $22 (coupon for $17.59)
Amanda and Elyse both recommend lip balm & socks as a perfect gift.
There are many options for both, but I also want to say, these are my favorite lip balms. I have them stashed everywhere, and I never travel without one:
Jack Black Lip Balm Gift Set, $16 at Ulta
Or, a six pack:
Cliganic Lip Balm, set of 6, $10
Socks are fabulous, and there are many options, including making some if you’re a knitter. You can also get a set of fuzzy socks with grippy bottoms (very important) for $20 or less:
Fuzzy Grippy Socks, $15-22Elyse suggested this idea, and when I tell you I immediately ordered a few for various gift exchanges and family presents:
Desktop Personal Humidifier, $10
Per Elyse, “We gave out desk humidifiers at work and it’s more popular than anything else we have done.”
Seriously, HOW FABULOUS. My sinuses love this gift!
Shana loves giving candles or jam, and “since I live in a boba-loving environment, this is one of my go-tos:”
Asian Boba Girl Candle, $15.50
Lara says, “I have two go-tos – an umbrella and then wrapping materials for gifts (think wrapping paper, ribbon, gift tags/stickers).”
Wrapping materials is a great gift – give the gift of gift wrap! I have found great wrapping paper options at Aldi and Costco, too, that should keep you under any price limit.
But maybe, just maybe, you want a truly off the wall, unhinged gift for the gift exchange, one that will crack people up AND cause a full brawl?
Commemorative Elvis Plate, $15
Frank?
Frank Sinatra Plate, $15Or…
Star Trek Commemorative Plate, $16
Pretty much all the commemorative stuff that used to be on TV all the time in the 80s and 90s is on eBay, and it’s FUN to look through all of it.
I hope that helped you out, Tara! Please, y’all, tell me about your favorite gift exchange presents, or the ones that brought the house down.
What are you shopping for? Hoping for? Can we help?
I only ever do these under duress and nevertheless usually wind up participating in 3-5, so however reluctantly I am always looking for something to bring.
I feel like people mostly fight over the booze? I can confirm being surprised at who was ready to throw down over Lego sets. Card games also seem popular. There is always someone who super wants a smelly candle or bath bomb and more people desperate to avoid it. Regardless of what they’re paired with mugs and glassware tend not to be of interest in my circles – you’ve never met such snobs about homegoods or decor, idk how I wound up here – unless handmade. But then there’s arguments about the price limits and the cost of labor.
Also with pens and notebooks, I mean I get having preferences, but there’s a degree of brand loyalty and specificity I wouldn’t have guessed possible.
I used to bring plants, because my houseplants are like rabbits and cute little succulents tempt many – but that only works for a few years and then anyone who might want one has plenty. And the Lego succulents were infinitely more sought after, anyway.
Please try to make purchases from local places. It can be easier to purchase from ‘big box’ places but supporting small business in your area (or online) will keep dollars in the community and have a bigger impact. Love KKW idea of booze and TCapri tequila is woman owned business! https://tcapritequila.com/
These ideas are great!
What I would chase at a gift exchange are minerals. A tiny piece of quartz crystal in matrix, a polished rose quartz, a pretty little chunk of malachite. I haven’t bought minerals in years, so they would probably need to be small to fit the pricing parameter.
Another idea, because when I see them on EBTH I feel grabby, is marbles in a shiny mason jar.
Lastly, a package with some combination of a harmonica, kazoo, jacks, pickup sticks, mini Etch-a-Sketch, Silly Putty … I’m aging myself here, aren’t I?
Adult coloring book and pack of multi-color pencils.
My favorite gift I’ve received in a work exchange was a spice box. I brought a puzzle to my most recent gift exchange event and it was very popular! Bonus if you can find one that’s winter-y but not Christmas-y, because then it’s still fun and seasonal while being inclusive.
Oh goodness, I know two people, and myself, who urgently need the Excel codes mug.
I am terrible at random gift exchanges so I need All The Ideas. I usually give homemade jams and/or baked goods. (At one party my cinnamon bread was very popular with the hostess’ dog, who systematically went through everyone’s gift bag and ate all of them while we were at dinner.) However I stumbled into an extremely popular gift on Etsy: Blind Date with a Book boxes. I’ve tried them from several different shops and they are always a huge hit. They can be expensive online, or at least over the typical limit, but there’s no reason you can’t make your own more economically. The universal favorite I have tried includes a wrapped book, an antique teacup, two or three different flavored tea bags, two small packs of cookies, a pair of socks, a luxury candy bar, bookmarks and stickers, and a trinket that gives a clue to the theme of the book. Mix and match items to suit your budget and recipients, stick it all in a box or basket and you’re golden.
A word about socks. Those cheap fuzzy weird heel placement socks – please no. A pair of Darn Tough or SmartWool socks – the love will last for years. Maybe add some fun shoelaces or peppermint foot lotion to jazz up the package.
Sarah I love my Moleskines, for two particular reasons:
1) they do plain UNruled paper as well as ruled. I have tiny writing so ruled irritates me with the waste of space and not being able to get everything on one page.
2) The paper is thick enough so my ink pen doesn’t seep through making it impossible to use both sides of a leaf. Even I can’t read my writing with a biro or most gel pens, so ink pen or pencil it has to be.
But having bought my first for those reasons I thank past Jazzlet every time I use them, because they feel like a treat whatever I’m making notes about! Which is to say – treat yourself, you won’t regret it!
Thanks to y’all, my Yankee Trader gift exchange this week will be a loaf of fresh sourdough (with help from my starter, Steve Glutenberg) and some honey from the apiary up the street. I’m so excited. Thank you!