Holiday Gift Giving Guide
Last year’s Gift Giving Guide separated out the types of individuals we tend to shop for – Host & Hostess gifts as well as presents for the fashionistas, health & fitness nerds, and foodies on your holiday gift list. This season so many of the bloggers that I follow have already put together great lists so I thought it would be fun to collect all of their fabulous suggestions and put together a master list.
Enjoy!
Carolines Mode’s Christmas Gift Ideas is the perfect list for an oh-so-stylish sister or girlfriend and includes notepads, designer lingerie, chic jewelry, and perfume.
Feeling extravagant? Moda Operandi’s Gift Guide: Extravagant Gestures isn’t for the faint of heart – believe me – and includes unbelievable gift ideas like custom designed snowboards, couture dresses, jewelry boxes, and one-of-a-kind homewares.
If you’re not sure what to get that special woman in your life – whether it’s your wife, your sister, or your mother – Harper’s Bazaar is here to help. Their Editors’ Choice: The Best Holiday Gifts is a great collection of ideas including clothing, jewelry, accessories, beauty products, flowers, art, and even chic china patterns!
If you have a friend or family member who is a gym rat or health obsessed than check out FitSugar’s list of Best Fitness Gadgets of 2012 which includes great finds like eco-friendly water bottles, new fitness gear, workout DVDs, and high-tech headphones & monitoring systems.
Could I Have That? has put together a great list and her Holiday Gift Guide: Black & White includes pillows, piggy banks, and fabulous moustache adorned coffee mugs – perfect gifts for one and all.
If edible gifts are more your style be sure to look through the list that Teen Vogue put together – 12 Gourmet Gifts for Foodies – and charm your friends with specialty desserts, quirky cooking tools, and creative cookbooks.
Not sure what to get your host or hostess for an upcoming dinner, holiday party, or weekend away? Check out Moda Operandi’s Be Our Guest for a fabulous collection of gifts that will fit the bill perfectly.
For a well-rounded collection of ideas check out The Subtle Statement’s Holiday Gift Guide – This list includes everything from accessories and electronics to pajamas and serving dishes. You’re sure to find something for that special someone!
And fear not, if you’re on a budget, there are still plenty of choices out there that your friends and family will love. Check 0ut Freckles In April’ Gift Guide: $5 and Under! and Cupcakes & Cashmere’s Holiday Gift Guide – Under $25.
What’s on my holiday wish list? To be honest, I did so much shopping over the past week that I cannot think of a single thing that I actually need let alone want. If you’re curious about what I’ve picked out for myself – See below! 🙂
{Top Left: Betsey Johnson Faux Fur Lined Belted Cape from Macys, Top Right: C-Label Elaine 6 from Piperlime, Bottom Left: Shift Dresses from BCBGeneration & Bottom Right: Boxes coming in from ASOS, Saks, Bloomingdale’s…}
Happy shopping everyone!
MCLV’s Gift Giving Guide
The holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about what to get who and last-minute scrambling to come up with creative ideas. So in the spirit of enjoying the holidays rather than worrying about them, I’m here to bring you a brief list of suggestions for your friends, family, co-workers and party hosts.
Fashion-minded: Do you have someone in your life who lives for fashion? Whether its your sister, best friend, mother-in-law or boyfriend who likes to stay up to date on the trends, here are a few ideas for their holiday gift.
- Magazine subscription – Style.com, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair… Easy for you & much appreciated by them.
- A manicure, pedicure or spa treatment – The holiday’s are stressful for everyone so why not treat your loved ones to some much deserved pampering?
- One of my best friends got me the greatest birthday gift the year before last, something I highly recommend for anyone who loves their clothes and wants them to keep them in perfect condition. A handheld garment steamer!
- Winter accessories are fun to pick out and the perfect gift for the gals, guys or kids on your list – From girl’s knit gloves and boy’s fleeces to women’s hats and men’s scarves.
- Some fashion books that I highly recommend are Nina Garcia’s Little Black Book of Style and The One Hundred, Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ines de la Fressange, Style A to Zoe by Rachel Zoe & Influence by the Olsens
- Gift certificates for great stores like Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus & Barney’s – Tip, make sure that the gift certificate can be used online if you’re not sure whether they have access to the store in question in their town.
Fitness-minded: If you have a friend or family member who loves their gym time and is always looking for a new and exciting workout or sport to try out, here are some ideas to please them for the holidays.
- Check out Groupon, PopSugarShop, LivingSocial & similar sites for deals on gym memberships, fitness classes and workout gear
- Gift certificates are always appreciated since the recipient gets to pick out exactly what they want, try LuluLemon or Nike to make them squeal!
- A BPA free water bottle like Klean Kanteen, Lifefactory or Nalgene
- A Yoga mat, Pilates set or barbell/kettlebell sets
- Workout videos are a great choice since you can find one for virtually ever type of workout – Jillian, dance workouts, Pilates, weights, yoga… So many choices!
- An eco-friendly tote to carry his/her things to the gym/grocery store/office is versatile choice as well – Try Green Girl World, World of Good or EcoBags.
Foodie friend: We all have them in our lives, the people who absolutely live for their food & wine. They always know the best restaurants to go to, always shop at the greatest stores and always serve up the most gorgeous spreads for their guests.
- Wine Club – This is a pricey gift, but a great one if you feel like splurging for a wine lover. A couple organic vineyards to look into are EcoVine Organic, The Organic Wine Company & Benzinger.
- Cooking class – This is something that I’ve always wanted to do but have never gotten around to, so if your friends are anything like me, they’ll be thrilled by a gift that gets them out of their apartment and doing something that interests them.
- A food basket or “food of the month” club
- A beer making kit like this one is perfect for someone who likes to get their hands a little dirty for a fun weekend project.
- Gourmet coffee & a cute mug is a great gift for a coffee lover, especially if they’re an office worker since it’ll brighten their mornings!
- Cookbooks like Alice Water’s Chez Panisse Vegetables, Sarah Matheny’s Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love or Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet are great choices for friends and family who are looking to eat a little healthier this upcoming year (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?)
Host/Hostess Gifts: I usually keep a handful of host/hostess gifts around during my busy social seasons so that I don’t have to run out at the last-minute when I could be putting the finishing touches on my outfit for the evening instead.
- Flowers/potted plant – I love white arrangements (baby’s breath excluded – of course) so I prefer bouquets featuring white tulips, lilies, posies & peonies. If I’m taking a taxi or train to get to the party I like to get a potted plant since it’s a bit more durable for the journey.
- Wine – A bottle of wine or port is a timeless and easy to carry thank you gift. I love to support California vineyards and keep bottles of my favorites on hand for just this sort of occasion, if you’d like some Sonoma suggestions I highly recommend Sojourn, Eric Ross, Valley of the Moon, Benzinger & Audelssa.
- Cheese cutting set – I received this as a gift from my Aunt and absolutely love it, it’s both beautiful and functional.
- One of my favorite gifts to give is the Vinturi Wine Aerator – It’s always a success, trust me!
- Diptyque’s scented candles in a sweet little bag are another nice choice, they’re elegant and simple.
Enjoy your shopping trips and be sure to hit LIKE on MCLV’s Facebook page so you can get all of the great sale alerts that I’ll be posting later this week!
Moi Contre La Vie 