2019 Christmas Gift Guide
Once again Christmas is almost upon us and with that comes the pressure to find the perfect gifts for everyone. I am the type of person who tries to get Christmas shopping done long before December if possible as I find December to be a really anxiety filled month and anything I can do prior to make it less anxiety inducing I will. This year I am really trying to spend less and use the resources I have on hand, so gifting people things I have made and baking things.
***apologies for not including any photos in this guide, I ran out of time and really wanted to get this out!
If you're like me and you want to keep your bank account happy here are some helpful my tips, that will help you not go overboard:
Gifts for her:
Kikki K leather monogrammed items - my sister bought me a purse with my initials monogrammed on it for Christmas last year and I love it. It really adds a nice personal touch and I find the items are all great quality too.
Kikki K gift packs - Kikki K has brought out a great range of gift packs that range in price and are really good value. I am eyeing off a couple of these packs for myself.
Tilly and Type prints - these prints are so pretty and they make me happy looking at them. Buy a cute frame (I got mine from Kmart) and frame them and it's a super easy gift.
Dusk Soy Candles - I love these candles so much and find that once lit they fill the house with yummy smells, they also burn cleaner if that make sense and I love the cute jars they come in. You can buy a set of 3 and then separate them as gifts.
The Body Shop Body Wash - I use this body wash daily, I love the strawberry scent but the shea butter is also a really nice scent too.
Jeanswest Scrunchies - scrunchies are so in right now and I am loving all the cute prints they come in. What I love about Jeanswest ones is that they are made from offcuts of fabric that would otherwise be thrown away.
Gifts for him:
Tile Mate key finder - we got these for my dad for his birthday this year and they have been a life saver. No more trying to find your keys or wallet, just pull up the app and it will tell you where it last was.
Fun shirt from Redbubble - find a fun print by an independent artist and order it on a shirt (or mug or coaster or anything else they have) and it's done. You can find something unique that will be shipped to your door, plus most guys need a new tshirt.
Hot Rod (movie) - all my guy friends love this film and I have to admit that it does have it's funny parts. Andy Samberg (of Brooklyn Nine Nine fame) stars in and the rest of the cast has great chemistry plus the storyline is different and not what you expect.
WD-40 Limited Edition Mighty Car Mods - I swear every guy needs a can of WD-40 and this has such a fun print on it. The guys from Mighty Car Mods (the popular YouTube show) are huge supporters of ReachOut and actually auctioned off a can of this to raise funds for ReachOut and raised $800 which was amazing.
Happy Socks - I know socks are boring but Happy Socks have fun and colourful socks which are anything but boring. There's loads of patterns and prints to choose from so you are bound to find something that suits your guys personality.
Gifts for kids:
Duplo Submarine Adventure - Duplo is such a great gift as it grow with the child and lasts forever, we have a box of it where some pieces are over 20 years old and you would never tell by looking at it. I love this set as it can also be used in the bath and it has a good amount of pieces in it to get the fun going.
Lego Olaf - with Frozen 2 hitting the screens, it seems that Frozen stuff is everywhere and this Lego Olaf is seriously cute with his pencil and notebook.
Smiggle Double Decker Lunchbox - these lunchboxes are great and keep things cold while also bringing some colour to lunchtime.
Sunnylife Pool Ring Glitter - Summer is here and with that comes beach and pool days, I love inflatables and this one looks so fun with glitter and won't take forever to blow up.
Lush Rainbow Mouldable soap - make bath time more fun with this soap, it smells great and kids will love getting creative with it.
Sculpey Premo Sampler Classics Clay - I use Sculpey all the time and love using it to craft. It makes a great gift for the crafty kid in your life and the sky is the limit in what they can create.
Gifts for everyone:
Baptist World Aid Gifts - this year I have bought people goats, bees, veggie gardens, soap and chickens all from the comfort of my own home and knowing that these gifts won't take up any space and instead are given to people who need them. The cards are really cute and would look great framed plus it's a meaningful gift that you can buy from your couch.
Central Perk Lego set - Friends is such a popular TV Show so why not recreate your favourite scenes from the show in your own living room with a Lego set of the popular café Central Perk.
Lego Gingerbread house - I bought this for Christmas for myself this year and I am early awaiting to put it together. It's something I can see myself putting out on display each year and maybe even buying some other Lego Christmas pieces over the years to come.
Fisherprice Nativity scene - this is a great keepsake for the family and is really detailed and well made, for so long you had to order this from overseas and pay huge amounts but there's finally an Australian seller which is great. We put ours out each year and kids always love it, this one also lights up and has music too.
Streaming service subscription - a subscription to a streaming service makes a great gift and it allows them to have some down time finding a new show or watching a good movie. If they already have the service then they get a few months without paying for it so it's a win win.
Avanti Reusable coffee cup - these coffee cups are so good and both my mum and sister swear by theirs. It keeps things super hot and super cold, comes in a range of cute prints and fits in most cupholders.
Insulated metal drink bottle - I love my insulated drink bottle and use it daily, for someone who likes drinks super cold I am extremely happy. You can never have too many drink bottles and they make great gifts for the person who is always on the go in your life.
Jigsaw puzzle - when it get's super hot sometimes it's fun to hibernate inside and work on a jigsaw puzzle and there's always a load of fun images at a variety of difficulty levels (I personally find 1000 pieces or less to be more than enough for me to handle).
Board games - I enjoy playing board games with friends and the following games all make great gifts and will bring hours of entertainment:
DIY gift packs - these gift packs take no time to put together and can easily be adapted to suit anyone.
If in doubt and you have no idea what the person will like these are easy foolproof gifts:
***apologies for not including any photos in this guide, I ran out of time and really wanted to get this out!
If you're like me and you want to keep your bank account happy here are some helpful my tips, that will help you not go overboard:
- Have a budget and stick to it - when I start buying presents for people, I come up with a dollar amount I would happy to spend on them and I make sure not to spend anymore.
- Shop the sales leading up to Christmas - so many stores have good sales on leading up to Christmas and take advantage of those sales.
- Sign up to be a store member for further discounts and deals - most stores have free membership programs which allows you access to deals and other reward points programs. There are some stores where you have to pay a small fee but most of the time you get it back in store credit and the discounts make up for it.
- Shop at markets and support small businesses - my mum, sisters and I are all market fanatics and it's so great to buy something unique and not what you would buy in the store while also supporting small businesses. There's always quite a few markets around leading up to Christmas and I highly recommend checking out a couple.
Gifts for her:
Kikki K leather monogrammed items - my sister bought me a purse with my initials monogrammed on it for Christmas last year and I love it. It really adds a nice personal touch and I find the items are all great quality too.
Kikki K gift packs - Kikki K has brought out a great range of gift packs that range in price and are really good value. I am eyeing off a couple of these packs for myself.
Tilly and Type prints - these prints are so pretty and they make me happy looking at them. Buy a cute frame (I got mine from Kmart) and frame them and it's a super easy gift.
Dusk Soy Candles - I love these candles so much and find that once lit they fill the house with yummy smells, they also burn cleaner if that make sense and I love the cute jars they come in. You can buy a set of 3 and then separate them as gifts.
The Body Shop Body Wash - I use this body wash daily, I love the strawberry scent but the shea butter is also a really nice scent too.
Jeanswest Scrunchies - scrunchies are so in right now and I am loving all the cute prints they come in. What I love about Jeanswest ones is that they are made from offcuts of fabric that would otherwise be thrown away.
Gifts for him:
Tile Mate key finder - we got these for my dad for his birthday this year and they have been a life saver. No more trying to find your keys or wallet, just pull up the app and it will tell you where it last was.
Fun shirt from Redbubble - find a fun print by an independent artist and order it on a shirt (or mug or coaster or anything else they have) and it's done. You can find something unique that will be shipped to your door, plus most guys need a new tshirt.
Hot Rod (movie) - all my guy friends love this film and I have to admit that it does have it's funny parts. Andy Samberg (of Brooklyn Nine Nine fame) stars in and the rest of the cast has great chemistry plus the storyline is different and not what you expect.
WD-40 Limited Edition Mighty Car Mods - I swear every guy needs a can of WD-40 and this has such a fun print on it. The guys from Mighty Car Mods (the popular YouTube show) are huge supporters of ReachOut and actually auctioned off a can of this to raise funds for ReachOut and raised $800 which was amazing.
Happy Socks - I know socks are boring but Happy Socks have fun and colourful socks which are anything but boring. There's loads of patterns and prints to choose from so you are bound to find something that suits your guys personality.
Gifts for kids:
Duplo Submarine Adventure - Duplo is such a great gift as it grow with the child and lasts forever, we have a box of it where some pieces are over 20 years old and you would never tell by looking at it. I love this set as it can also be used in the bath and it has a good amount of pieces in it to get the fun going.
Lego Olaf - with Frozen 2 hitting the screens, it seems that Frozen stuff is everywhere and this Lego Olaf is seriously cute with his pencil and notebook.
Smiggle Double Decker Lunchbox - these lunchboxes are great and keep things cold while also bringing some colour to lunchtime.
Sunnylife Pool Ring Glitter - Summer is here and with that comes beach and pool days, I love inflatables and this one looks so fun with glitter and won't take forever to blow up.
Lush Rainbow Mouldable soap - make bath time more fun with this soap, it smells great and kids will love getting creative with it.
Sculpey Premo Sampler Classics Clay - I use Sculpey all the time and love using it to craft. It makes a great gift for the crafty kid in your life and the sky is the limit in what they can create.
Gifts for everyone:
Baptist World Aid Gifts - this year I have bought people goats, bees, veggie gardens, soap and chickens all from the comfort of my own home and knowing that these gifts won't take up any space and instead are given to people who need them. The cards are really cute and would look great framed plus it's a meaningful gift that you can buy from your couch.
Central Perk Lego set - Friends is such a popular TV Show so why not recreate your favourite scenes from the show in your own living room with a Lego set of the popular café Central Perk.
Lego Gingerbread house - I bought this for Christmas for myself this year and I am early awaiting to put it together. It's something I can see myself putting out on display each year and maybe even buying some other Lego Christmas pieces over the years to come.
Fisherprice Nativity scene - this is a great keepsake for the family and is really detailed and well made, for so long you had to order this from overseas and pay huge amounts but there's finally an Australian seller which is great. We put ours out each year and kids always love it, this one also lights up and has music too.
Streaming service subscription - a subscription to a streaming service makes a great gift and it allows them to have some down time finding a new show or watching a good movie. If they already have the service then they get a few months without paying for it so it's a win win.
Avanti Reusable coffee cup - these coffee cups are so good and both my mum and sister swear by theirs. It keeps things super hot and super cold, comes in a range of cute prints and fits in most cupholders.
Insulated metal drink bottle - I love my insulated drink bottle and use it daily, for someone who likes drinks super cold I am extremely happy. You can never have too many drink bottles and they make great gifts for the person who is always on the go in your life.
Jigsaw puzzle - when it get's super hot sometimes it's fun to hibernate inside and work on a jigsaw puzzle and there's always a load of fun images at a variety of difficulty levels (I personally find 1000 pieces or less to be more than enough for me to handle).
Board games - I enjoy playing board games with friends and the following games all make great gifts and will bring hours of entertainment:
- Hive Pocket Travel Size - similar to chess but without a board and with bugs
- Funemployed - this will bring loads of laugh and it's great to see people try to sell themselves with a unique range of skills. Note I removed a stack of cards as they weren't appropriate for a family setting.
- Smart Games IQ Puzzler Pro - a one player game that will challenge your mind and can be taken anywhere.
- Bananagrams - a classic game that will challenge both your mind and competitiveness.
- Codenames - it's a great game that combines teamwork and how well you can link things with one word.
DIY gift packs - these gift packs take no time to put together and can easily be adapted to suit anyone.
- Christmas spirit - include a Christmas movie (like a cheesy Hallmark one or a classic one such as Elf), candy canes, fun Christmas jewellery, a cute Christmas decoration.
- Movie night - include a classic movie, popcorn and something sweet.
- Gardening - succulent or pack of seeds, cute pot, watering can.
- Self-care beauty pack - nail polish, face mask, fun magazine, chocolate.
- Stationary addict - fun pens, post-it notes, highlighters, stickers.
- Baking - patty pans, spatula, sprinkles, cake mix, vanilla essence (or another type or essence such as strawberry), tea towel.
- Beach fun - beach ball, towel, sunscreen, sand tools.
If in doubt and you have no idea what the person will like these are easy foolproof gifts:
- Movie tickets
- Tickets to the museum/zoo/science museum/aquariam
- Gift vouchers to their favourite stores
- Baked goods
- Chocolate
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