Holiday Gift Ideas (Something for Everyone!)

The holiday season is officially here! In case you’re looking for some tried-and-true holiday gift ideas, I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you here today. I think there’s something in here for everyone!

Now, keep in mind that I tend to give practical gifts. I like to gift items that I use myself on a daily basis. (Items that help make my life a little easier and more enjoyable!)

That’s what you’ll find in my holiday gift list below, including everything from my favorite kitchen gadgets, to helpful parenting tools, to natural beauty gifts, and more.

Jump to Gift Ideas:

Cooking Gifts
Eco-Conscious Gifts
Beauty Gifts
Coffee & Tea Gifts
Gifts for Kids & Parents

Cooking Gifts

1. Kitchen Scale. For the chef who wants to be precise (especially with baking!) this is the scale I use in my home every day.

2. Working glasses with lids. I use these glasses for overnight oats and chia pudding, for easy make-ahead breakfast options. They would make a cute and practical gift, with a printed recipe to go along with them!

3. Lemon Juicer. I love this type of lemon juicer! You could pair it with a dressing recipe, or something extra to make homemade margaritas.

4. Instant Pot. I use the 6-quart Duo most often in my home, but if you’re cooking for more than 4-6 people you might want to get the 8-quart size instead.

5. Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook. If you know someone who is getting an Instant Pot, or has one already but is too scared to take it out of the box, this is the book to get them! I wrote this book with step-by-step instructions, and it’s loaded with crowd-pleasing recipes for everyone. (That are just a little bit healthier– without scary ingredients!)

6. Vitamix Immersion Blender. Immersion blenders help make creamy soups, smoothies, and sauces, directly in your cooking pot or drinking cup, for less mess to clean up later!

7. Cookie Scoop. I love using a cookie scoop to get consistently-sized cookies and date balls. Pair it with a jar of cookie mix for a cute gift idea!

8. Glass Storage. This set is perfect for packed lunches and storing leftovers. The lids will fit a variety of shapes and sizes in this Rubbermaid line, in case you want to expand your collection later.

9. No Excuses Detox. My second cookbook is loaded with easy & affordable recipes that give you no excuse to not eat well. Some of my favorite recipes are in this one, and you’ll also find 3 complete meal plans to help you kick-start your healthy eating goals.

10. KitchenAid K400 Blender. This blender is amazingly powerful, and comes at a great price compared to other comparable blenders. (You can buy one with or without a tamper, FYI.)

11. Everyday Detox. My first cookbook is loaded with easy and healthy recipes, all developed with food combining in mind, to help you lose weight and feel your best while eating delicious food. It includes a 7-day jump start guide, along with properly combined entertaining menus.

12. Breville Juice Fountain. This is the first juicer I ever bought, and it’s still the one I use most often! It’s juices fruits and vegetables well (I use it to make my favorite green juice and celery juice), and it’s pretty quick & easy to clean up.

13. Kyocera Ceramic Knives. These knives are so sharp, and cut through fresh vegetables so easily! I use these everyday in my kitchen, so I think they make a great gift.

14. ThermoWorks ONE. This is the best meat thermometer ever! It gives you an instant reading in just 1 second, and is perfect for cooking meat, baked potatoes, and more.

15. Silicone Muffin Cups. This is great for reducing waste, and they prevent sticking better than traditional paper baking cups. Use them for Egg Muffins or my popular Almond Flour Muffins!

16. All Clad Measuring Cups. I registered for these when we got married (over 10 years ago!) and they are still my favorite measuring cups. (The 1 cup & 1/4 cup has measurements written on the inside, to be multi-purpose!) I also love the measuring spoons that come in this set, because the teaspoon actually fits in my spice jars!

If you know someone who cooks A LOT, you may prefer to get a set like this one that includes a 2/3 cup and 3/4 cup measure. I use them all the time!

17. Silicone Oven Mitts. Even if your hand gets wet, you won’t get burned with these. By far one of my most used kitchen tools.

18.Vegetable & Julienne Peeler. This is the best vegetable peeler, and I love that the other side makes fast julienne cuts! Just be warned– this thing is sharp! Handle with care.

Eco-Conscious Gifts

1. Reusable Cotton Facial Rounds. Instead of using disposable cotton balls, you can use these cute little cloths to remove your makeup.

2. Wooden Facial Round Holder. I’d get this cute little wooden box to hold the facial cloths mentioned above, to help keep them organized in the bathroom.

3. Leaf Razors. If you or someone you know is tired of plastic razors, my friends swear by these!

4. Stasher Bags. My kids love that these bags come in fun colors and sizes, and they are top-shelf dishwasher safe. They have snack size, sandwich size, pocket size, and even larger 1/2 gallon bags!

5. Glass Straws. I’ve been using glass straws for the last 8 years, and I still adore them! I think they feel nicer to drink from when compared to stainless steel straws, and they make a beautiful stocking stuffer! (I like that this affordable set comes with a brush for cleaning, too.)

6. Food Huggers. If you tend to have half of an apple or onion left to store, this is an easy & reusable alternative to using plastic wrap, while maximizing storage space in your fridge!

7. Branch Basics. These are my favorite cleaning products! I love that the bottles are reusable, and how effective they are at cleaning laundry, bathrooms, windows, and countertops.

8. Reusable Dish Scrubs. Skip disposable sponges and use these super-effective scrubby cloths to clean your dishes! They are the best for getting stuck-things off your pans. I got one as a gift 2 years ago and I’ve been hooked ever since.

9. Mason Jar Smoothie Straw Cups. I think these are so cute, and make a great option for drinks on the go.

10. Contigo Travel Mug. This is my favorite stainless steel cup for hot drinks. It keeps drinks warm for hours, and it doesn’t leak if you need to drop it in a bag!

11. Glass Travel Mug. If you prefer drinking out of glass instead of stainless steel, I think this is a beautiful option, with a silicone lid– and it comes in several colors.

Coffee & Tea Gift Ideas

If you’re not sure what to buy for someone, I feel like you can’t go wrong with a warm & cozy drink option!

1. Milk Frother. I’ve owned this for nearly 8 years, and it makes the best foam! I use it for homemade almond milk, and the results are amazing.

2. Earl Grey Tea. My favorite kind of tea! This loose leaf tea package would go well with a stainless steel tea infuser for anyone who loves (or wants to start) a morning tea ritual.

3. Organic Coffee Beans. This would be cute paired with a small coffee grinder, or with a printed recipe for my Vegan Latte, for anyone who is trying to cut-back on dairy.

4. Coffee Grinder. I use a little coffee grinder for more than just grinding coffee! It’s also great for grinding flax seeds, chia seeds, and grains to make homemade flours quickly.

5. Electric Tea Kettle. This was the holiday gift I asked for last year! I use it every single morning to make tea, and it feels faster than boiling water on the stove. (And safer, if you’re as forgetful as I am.) I love that I can press a button and take our dog for a morning walk, then come home to perfectly boiled water for tea.

6. Ceramic Mugs. I love how this company packs their cute mugs (I also bought my olive oil cruets & soap dispensers here) in non-plastic packaging.

7. Stainless Steel Tea Infuser. This is a super-affordable, and super-useful gift! I use this every morning to brew loose leaf tea, and I love it so much that I bought more than one, in case we have company over.

8. Glass storage jar. These are the jars we use to store loose leaf tea and coffee beans on our counter. They are so beautiful, and practical! You can choose from copper or gold lids.

9. French Press. I’ve used this to brew both coffee or loose leaf tea. I love how it looks, and how my drinks are brewed in glass instead of plastic.

Beauty Gifts

1. Zen Donkey Farms Rescue Cream. This cream feels luscious, and supports a local donkey rescue here in Kansas City! I had the pleasure of meeting the donkeys on their farm this year, and love supporting this mission.

2. Fascia Blaster. This handy tool may help to reduce cellulite and increase circulation. My mom and I both bought one for ourselves a couple years ago, and it feels like it relieves tension, too.

3. Dry Body Brush. This simple tool helps exfoliate your skin before a shower and may help to boost circulation and lymph flow.

4. Ilia Lip Oil. I recently started using this lip oil, and love how it’s not sticky like other lip glosses. Ilia products tend to score well on the EWG’s Skin Deep database, so it’s one of my go-to options for cleaner makeup.

5. Turmeric & Honey Face Mask. I love Mary Louise Cosmetics because their products feel like something you’d make at home, using all-natural ingredients. Also check out their Miracle Serum if you’d like to gift a set.

6. Necessaire Hand Cream Duo. Perfect for dry winter hands! I bought this 2-pack last winter, and it’s still lasting me into this year. I love how there is NO fragrance, and the cream feels ultra-moisturizing and long-lasting.

7. Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara. A friend of mine introduced me to this mascara a couple years ago, and it’s the best one I’ve tried! Plus, it gets a great rating on the Skin Deep database.

8. Best Skin Days. If you love dewy, moisturizing foundation coverage, this is for you! It also has built-in SPF, if that’s important to you.

9. Necessary Eye Shadow Palette. This is my go-to eyeshadow palette! It’s talc-free with a smooth, high pigment finish. And it seems to last a long time!

Honorable Mentions

These are the gifts I bought for my own family this year, and I’m not sure which category they fit into, but they are worth mentioning because of how often I use them.

LifePro Vibration Plate. I bought this for my family this year, after my chiropractor recommended that my daughter use it daily for a few minutes each time. I use it for at least 15 minutes a day (usually while watching TV) and love how it seems to promote better circulation.

Neck & Shoulder Massager. When I couldn’t get a regular massage last year, I ordered this to help relieve some stress and tension. You can use it on your lower back, too!

Gifts for Kids and Parents

1. Roll & Play Game. My kids love this game! It’s fun for kids from age 2 to 6, and it’s still something they can play together that keeps them active and engaged.

2.OK to Wake Clock. This is amazing for parents and kids! You can set the “green light” to turn on when you want your child to wake up. It’s taken a lot of anxiety out of bedtime for my kids, because they know mommy or daddy will always be there as soon as the green light turns on. (We don’t use this as much for my 6 year old now, but it’s amazing for my 3 year old!)

3. Door Monkey. If you worry about your child waking up in the middle of the night and leaving their room, this is a really handy door lock that keeps their door cracked open, to relieve some anxiety. We use this for my son, who has a bedroom door close to our stairs, so that he won’t sleep walk into the hallway.

4. Toy Vet Kit. My 3-year-old daughter loves this set! She can play doctor to all of her dolls, and often likes to give mommy a check-up, too.

5. Foam Blocks. These are a fun alternative to Legos, with so many possibilities for building!

6. Zingo. This is another fun game that both my 3-year-old and 6-year-old enjoy playing together. It’s easy enough that younger kids won’t get frustrated, but it’s fun for the whole family.

7. Squeasy Snacker Pouches. These reusable pouches are made of silicone and don’t leak! They’re so easy to use for our daily smoothies. I use the 3-ounce size for younger kids, and the 6-ounce one for older kids who will drink more.

8. Blender Toy Set. My daughter loves to pretend to cook, so this is a fun toy if you know a child who loves smoothies. I love that they include pretend lettuce to add to the blender, so they can make a green smoothie!

9. Movie Night Basket. I think it would be a cute gift idea to put together a movie night basket! You can include a favorite DVD, along with some popcorn to pop, and maybe a cozy blanket to cuddle with. My kids are both into Daniel Tiger right now– I find them both very peaceful when it’s on, so it’s a nice break for parents!

10. Kid-Safe Knives. If you want to get a child more involved in cooking, these would be a great gift to help them safely join in!

11. Cookbook for Young Chefs. I think this would be good for older children (possibly 8 years and up) who want to start cooking!

12. This Is Not My Hat. My whole family loves this book. It’s on the dark-humor side, but my son really enjoyed contemplating what happens at the end. (Austin and I just ask, “what do you think happened?”)

13. Balance Bike. Skip a tricycle and jump right into these balance bikes! The kids in our neighborhood have learned to balance with these surprisingly fast!

14. Water Wow Coloring Books. These are so much fun for kids, and I love that they are mess-free and resusable! You just fill up the pen with water, and the pages magically show color when the kids use the water brush.

Whether you’ve found something new for yourself, or to give to your friends and family,  I hope you’ll find this gift guide useful!

—

Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite gift to give this year?