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Holiday Gift Ideas

gift ideas

Ho Ho Ho! Merrry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  It’s that simple time of year where we can sit quietly and reflect on the meaning of the Season, indulge in some good healthy food and relax with friends. 

 

Wait, what? Can you hear the needle scratching over the vinyl? Rewind a minute here… quiet? Relax? Reflect? Huh?

 

It’s more like, plan, hurry, dash and rush…get up and do it again tomorrow…until Christmas Eve.

 

Forget eating healthy, forget self care. It’s all about the PRESENTS!

Whaddya say we try not to do that this year. Let me help you with a few gifting ideas that are not only  special and chosen with love, but are easy on you and your wallet, and the earth.  Of course, we can reuse and recycle. And hopefully, it’ll leave you with time to do the other important stuff.

 

So here’s how.  

 

It’s all about the gift “basket”. I love finding those special containers-gifts in and of themselves- to hold other gifts. Spending money on gift bags that are thrown away or trying to wrap some odd shaped something-or- other, well, not so much.  Why bother when there’s always some usable item that can do the job of holding and wrapping for you! 

 

So… here’s what you can expect from this article:

 

First, I’m going to give you gift “basket” ideas.

Second, I’m going to give you ideas of what to put in those gift “baskets”, breaking it down by theme.

Third, I’m going to provide you with a way to bring it all together.

Lastly, you’ll find plenty of links throughout, for simple DIY items and links to items for quick reference and purchase.  

See how easy this is going to be? One, Two, Three and Done! Naturally!

Gift "Basket" Ideas

Here are some awesome “basket” ideas that I’ve used in the past:

 

  • Mixing bowl, baking dish, soup pot, bean pot, dutch oven
  • Plates or platters
  • Tool box (vintage wooden or metal)
  • Mugs
  • Toys (dump truck bed)
  • Photo box
  • Flower pot, decorative planter
  • Vintage hat box
  • Ice bucket
  • Cosmetic bag
  • Pocket book
  • Bike basket
  • Picnic basket
  • Vintage suitcase
  • Dog dish

Where to Find Gift "Baskets"

Yard sales, flea markets and thrift shops are the best places to find these gently loved items. I like to collect them all year long as I come across them, but believe me when I say that on any given day your local thrift shops will have beautiful items that will inspire you! 

What to Put In Your Gift "Basket"

Now comes the fun part…finding those special treasures to put in your “basket”.

 

Simply, try to match the theme of your basket with some new, vintage and/or handmade gifts. And match your recipient to a theme. We’ve got the chef, the health conscious, the active, the kids, the adventurous and the fashionista covered here…and more!

 

Here are some suggestions:

 

Kitchen “baskets”– (mixing bowl, baking dish, bread pan, soup pot, fondue pot, dutch oven kettle)

  • Tea towels or make a recipe tea towel
  •  Handwritten recipe 
  • Pot holders
  • Reusable kitchen sponges
  • Vintage cookie cutters
  • Recipe ingredients such as flour or chocolate chips, beans, spices (dry your own!), or even mix up all the ingredients and put in a jar with cooking instructions. Try for organic and non GMO!
  • Kitchen utensils vintage and new (personalize them like these here)

Salad “basket” – (a.k.a. salad “trough”- a really big bowl you eat your really big salad out of)

  • add homemade infused vinegar  and/or oils
  • Mandolin slicer
  • Reusable napkins
  • Add a jar of homemade salad topping (made with organic and raw almonds, walnuts and pepitas, unsweetened raisins and dried cranberries).
  • A vintage knife and fork

Mugs– this is an easy one. Go to any thrift store and find tons!These are great for mail carriers, dog walkers, teachers, coworkers, etc. With so many mugs out there, you’re sure to find one with a matching theme for the recipient!

  • Add organic tea bags, coffee or (homemade) hot cocoa.
  • A vintage spoon from the thrift store (or a personalized one)
  • Coasters
  • Add a used book by theme; A horse lover, find “Black Beauty”; outdoor enthusiast, try a survival skills or trail guide ; don’t know? Find a joke book or a famous quotes book. Thrift and find!

Picnic Basket-

Plates/Platters– There are plenty of fun vintage ones out there! Try stacking up

  • homemade bread
  • jam  
  • organic almond or peanut butter
  • honey
  • vintage or personalized spoon and knife

Can’t make your own PB & J? Try farmer’s markets or the local co-op. 

 Cosmetic bag- 

Pocketbook-

Flower pot, decorative plant container-

  • Add seeds you’ve harvested from your gardens, or new seed packets for a window sill herb garden
  • Vintage hand trowel
  • Handmade plant markers
  • Rooting powder and clippings from your houseplants (or “borrow” cuttings from your green thumb neighbor!)
  • Gardening how-to guides or books

Photo box-

  • Pretty frames to match someone’s decor
  • Actual printouts of photos (how very old fashioned!) in various sizes and from various events and decades. What a gift of memories!

Vintage hat box- For the fashionista in your life!

  • Vintage scarves
  • Belts
  • Jewelry
  • Socks
  • PJs
  • Lingerie
  • And yes, even a hat!

Bike basket- 

Old tool box-

  • Shop towels made from old clothes
  • Homemade hand scrub
  • Vintage metal sign or a personalized one from Etsy,
  • A clock (as in, “Umm honey, don’t you think you’ve polished the car enough for one night?”)

Ice bucket- 

Vintage dump truck toy- 

  • Sidewalk chalk
  • DIY non toxic play dough
  • Kid’s coveralls
  • Kid’s construction hat (check Poshmark or EBay for these)

 

Vintage suitcase– Load it up with dress-up outfits! Hours of fun for the kids!

  • Vintage clothing and shoes
  • Costume jewelry
  • Hats
  • Feather boas 

So see?!  That’s not so RUFF is it? You didn’t think I was going to forget our fur friends did you?

 

Stainless steel (water and food) bowls-

  • fill with homemade dog treats  (Subscribe to the Healthy Pets Newsletter too.  It’s an amazing source of info!)
  • non toxic toys
  •  quick release collars
  • make your own braided toy from old sweatpants, tees or jeans (watch the video and be sure to use non toxic laundry detergent so your pup isn’t chewing on chemicals…and you aren’t wearing them! Why? Read my post here)
  • **and definitely for every dog lover, a copy of The Forever Dog. ** Definitely.

Need More?

Are Christmas bells ringing in your head? Are you feeling inspired saying, “Ohhh yeahhhh, I could put XYZ in there!” 

 

If you’re still struggling to find more to add to your gift basket, support your local small businesses.  Add gift certificates, even in small amounts, to ice cream shops, bowling alleys, cafés, restaurants, general stores, hardware stores, massage therapists, auto detailers, window washers, house cleaners, salons (especially ones using natural products!) …who can you find to support in your town?

Don't Forget the Note...

Lastly, include a note to your recipient. What do you love about them? Why are you thankful for them? You don’t have to write a novel, unless you want to, but something personal is always so special and appreciated!

 

Don’t do sappy and sweet? Try something funny: “From the woman who can burn water, to another who creates masterpieces in the kitchen, Merry Christmas!” (Gee, wonder where that one came from…?)

Putting Your Gift Together

Finally. You’ve got all your stuff together. How do you present it so it looks nice? 

 

First, what not to do… So many gift baskets at stores are wrapped with cellophane. That non-biodegradable stuff that stays around forever. Yuck. That’s not a good option to gift to our planet. 

 

Pad your “basket” with newspaper or paper from bags. You can shred it into ribbons or gently scrunch it up. Save and reuse packing materials from past orders. Set items atop so they peek out.

 

You can also wrap some of the individual items.

 

‘Tufts’ of plain tissue paper can nestle between items, or instead use the tea or hand towel, shop rags, reusable cloth ‘paper’ towels or napkins, or handkerchiefs (new or vintage) to wrap/hide some items from immediate view.

 

Know a farmer? Baling twine (which is our duct tape) is a staple in this house; tie it up with a sprig of laurel, holly, evergreen…beautiful! Use kitchen string or jute or reuse ribbon or wrapping from packages you’ve received. I have a storage tote that is filled with items I can reuse! It’s become a tradition to save wrapping paper/ bags from previous holidays to rewrap with. My mom and I had a gift bag that went back and forth for years, we’d add a new clever tag/ribbon and get a good laugh out of it. “Gee! Never saw this before!” 

 

Look around. Be clever. From men’s ties to girl’s hair ties to bittersweet vine, I guarantee you can find something!

 

As always, if you aren’t sure of whether a product is non-toxic or not, check here at EWG.org and MadeSafe.com . If you aren’t sure why that matters, read here!  Check my “Favorites” page for other companies and ideas that may have special discount codes for you too!

Giving = Love!

Gifting should be fun. From the heart. Meaningful, personal and special, and not about how much was spent.

Loving, appreciating and understanding someone, their likes and passions, shines through in what you gift to someone, not in the price tag. 

 

So have fun, be unique and clever, think happy and grateful thoughts about and to your recipient. Make that Christmas Spirit SHINE!

“It’s not how much

we give,

but how much

LOVE

we put into giving.”

-Mother Theresa

gift ideas