Preparing to show a special someone how much you love them this holiday season? This gift guide is just for you! Whether you are shopping for your mom or your best friend, there is a perfect gift out there waiting.
For the vanilla girl: You want something basic enough that it fits their overall aesthetic, but with a chic classic feel. These gifts are sometimes viewed as boring, so make sure that your gift includes a little note or card to let them know you truly care!
- Mugs are one of my favorite gifts personally. Whether your girl drinks coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, a mug is a necessity. One of the cutest ways to gift a mug is by stuffing fuzzy socks and a hot cocoa stir in it. The mug can be personalized with her name, initial, or just something she likes, or you can buy one you think she will love. I recommend Target, World Market, and Anthropologie for mugs.
- Lip balm might seem like a boring gift, but it is actually a staple for a lot of girls. No one wants to have crusty lips. Lip balms can be cheap or expensive and they come in virtually every flavor and color. Burt’s Bees is a cheap and dependable brand and I recommend vanilla, pomegranate or honey. A trending lip balm lately is Summer Fridays, and Pink Sugar tends to be their most popular flavor. Glossier is a good middle ground between cheap and expensive and has a wide array of flavors. Seasonal lip balms flavors are usually a hit, especially the more warm ones.
- Any kind of scents! If you know your girl’s favorite scent, you can get her candles, body wash, conditioner, or perfume. If you want to get multiple products with one scent, I recommend Tree Hut products. They have body scrubs and lotions that you can easily find as a duo. Bath and Body Works is a classic, too and they have a wide variety of scents.
For the Pinterest obsessed: Pinterest lovers are some of the easiest people to find gifts for, especially if you have follow their Pinterest account. Chances are, they have a wishlist somewhere on there.
- Jellycats are easily one of the most popular products on Pinterest lately. Jellycats are stuffed animals, plants, and foods. They can be on the expensive side, depending on which one she wants and what size is available. You can find them on the Jellycat website, at a lot of boutiques, and on Depop or other reselling websites. If you don’t know which one to get them, I recommend searching the best sellers section of the Jellycat website.
- Chunky jewelry is a must for a Pinterest wardrobe. You can find a lot of this on Amazon and Urban Outfitters. Try to aim for something interesting, lots of bangles and layered hoops. Bow earrings are on my wishlist and there are a lot of options for these on virtually every jewelry website. En Route is a great resource for finding inspiration, even if you don’t want to buy gifts there.
- A funky phone case is a perfect gift straight from every Pinterest board. You can find lots of these on Etsy and Amazon. Try to find something with fruit, leopard print, disco balls, and pink. The busier you probably think it is, the more they will love it. These are essential for mirror selfies with friends.
For the TikTok famous: These people tend to be very basic. Think bright, trendy, and fun.
- Room decor of all kinds is probably at the top of their wishlist. Salt lamps are a staple for dressers and nightstands all over TikTok, especially if they tend to go for more earthy or beachy decor. Any kind of lamp is highly encouraged, and if they love a good Get Ready With Me, buy them a ring lamp. These are something that you can find pretty cheap at Target or on Amazon and it will fulfill their influencer dreams. Tufted throw pillows are an easy gift because they come in all kinds of colors, patterns, and shapes. Shells are perfect for the beach bums and letter pillows are for the more basic. Chances are, you can probably find a throw pillow based on anything they like. I highly recommend Amazon for room decor, but Home Goods and TJ Maxx are also great options.
- I cannot stress enough to get them an Octobuddy. These are stickers that go on your phone and the suction cups allow your phone to stick to most surfaces. You can find ones to match their phone case or you can get a transparent one. Although these might not seem that interesting, they are very practical and sought after.
- Blue light glasses have been a TikTok staple for years. These usually range from 5 to 15 dollars and you can find them in lots of different styles. Amazon is the best place in my experience to buy these and they tend to come with a few pairs. Clear and tortoise shell frames are the most popular. Zenni is a glasses brand that has so many amazing glasses frames, which you can also put your prescription in if blue light is not enough.
For the emo: As someone who went through an emo phase in 2020, I feel pretty confident in what this kind of person likes. Make sure to write a personal note to this person to make them feel extra loved, chances are they are going through it.
- Stickers are a must for emos. You can put them on virtually everything, from your phone case to your mirror, you can never go wrong with a good sticker. Sticker packs are probably the easiest and cheapest way to buy them, as long as you know what your emo is into. Band related stickers are the best way to go for this. You can also find more personalized stickers on Etsy and Redbubble that might include memes and more niche band references.
- Do not try to find a gift from Hot Topic. They are basically the Disney store at this point and it will be very difficult to find anything actually good, even their more emo clothes especially tend to be bad quality and go for 40 dollars or more. I promise you, it is not worth it. If you are looking for clothes, I highly suggest Etsy, Aelfric Eden, and even Cider. These might be harder to navigate if you do not know what you are looking for, so go to Pinterest for some ideas.
- CDs and vinyls are the ultimate gift for emos. If they do not have a CD player, buy them one and they will spend all of their holiday money on CDs. I know this from experience. If they have a record player, buy them vinyls. If they do not have either and do not seem to be interested in it, a Spotify or Apple Music gift card works just as well. This honestly goes for anyone you are trying to find a gift for, everyone likes some kind of music.
For the mom: This is not going to be helpful for you if you do not know what the mom wants. Whether it is your partner’s mom, your own, or just a mom in your life who you really love, please have some kind of idea of her interests. I promise you, she will know if you just get her something random and say that it “reminded you of her.”
- Lego flowers are such a thoughtful gift in my opinion. You two can spend the time putting them together, or you can let her have some alone time with them. They will last longer than real flowers do, and it is something that she can spend time with. I recommend the orchids, although they do tend to be more expensive. If you are not trying to spend too much on them, the sunflowers and the roses are perfect. These each go for around 10 dollars, while the orchids go for around 40.
- If she does not have one, get her a weighted blanket. My mom got all of us weighted blankets for Christmas one year and our house has been obsessed ever since. The colors of weighted blankets tend to be a little depressing, so try to go for more of a cream than a “mental hospital gray,” as my mom says.
- A leather tote bag might be the best invention for moms all over the world. You can find these on Amazon or purse sellers. They are the perfect combination of classy and convenient because you can throw everything in them like you would a normal tote bag, but the leather gives it more of a sophisticated look. She can put keychains on it if she wants to, and you can buy them to go with it, or she can leave it plain. You can even embroider it with her initials for extra personalization, but I would get this done professionally since it is a much thicker fabric. If she is not a bag person, give her a pair of Ugg Tasmans or Birkenstock Bostons. Dupes can be found at Target and on Amazon for much cheaper, but you can buy the real thing if you really want to spoil her. Either way, the quality difference is not too noticeable in my opinion and the look is easily replicated.
For the golden retriever boy: Golden retriever boys are easily entertained, they love something that they can play with and they tend to be full of personality. You want something that will match their energy.
- Nee Doh Nice Cubes are slime-filled toys that you can squish and stretch. These cubes have been insanely popular lately and are usually found at Walmart. These make for an excellent stocking stuffer for teenagers of all kinds. I don’t know what the rage exactly is about these, but I can say I am personally obsessed. Any kind of squishy toy that they can get their hands on is perfect.
- Hoodies likely make up a lot of a golden retriever boy’s wardrobe. Funky hoodies can be found on Cold Culture’s website, Stussy, and a lot of small business websites. Stars and handwriting-type fonts are extremely trendy.
- Car air fresheners are one of my personal favorite gifts for people. These can be as boring or fun as you want them to be. Three Potato Four has a ton of scented air fresheners in tons of different shapes. Their Peanuts line is my personal favorite, which has all kinds of scents, such as Sandalwood, Fresh Linen, Vanilla, and Pine Forest. If he wants a specific scent and does not care about the look of it, Little Trees is a very popular and easy to find alternative.
For the bubba: These guys and gals love everything southern, find something with camo or a duck and they’ll eat it up.
- A good pair of boots are a must for every bubba, girl or boy. This can be any kind of boot, although cowboy boots are the number one staple. You can find cowboy boots online in so many different colors, styles, and fabrics. Jackson Didlake, Freshman is a bubba who collects boots made from all kinds of animal skins. His most worn pair are ostrich. Ariat is a popular boot brand, but Boot Barn and Cavender’s Boot City Western Store are also great options. Keep in mind that this is a generous present, as boots can range anywhere from 50 dollars on sale to upwards of 500.
- Keychains are such a customizable gift that works for everyone, especially those who love their vehicle. Etsy is my personal favorite place to find keychains, but you can likely find other hand-crafted keychains locally with some research. I recommend either a personalized leather keychain or a fishing lure, although you can really go for anything that interests them.
- A tapestry or flag to hang in their room. These flags can be as funny or serious as you want, and it can be as easy as an American flag. If you are trying to find a silly flag, Amazon is likely your best bet. Redbubble is probably the best option if you are looking for something a little more niche, and sellers often put the design on lots of different items, so you could buy it as a mug or phone case if you wanted to do that instead. Tapestries tend to go from 10 to 60 dollars, depending on where you buy it from and what size you want.
For the dad: The same goes as with the mom present, please have an idea of what he likes. He might not know if you pick something willy nilly, but you should still try to pay attention.
- A massage gun is the most dad-like thing I can think of, especially if he works out or frequently complains about how much he needs to see a chiropractor. These can be found on Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and even Walmart.
- Bake his favorite dessert, or buy him the ingredients and supplies and bake with him! Cookies of any kind tend to be a dad favorite, but make whatever he is into. This will be a well appreciated gift, especially because he can see the effort that went into it.
- Adopt a dog or cat, as long as you are aware of the commitment. He is going to insist that he does not want a pet but will fall in love the second he sees one. I cannot stress enough that this is not just a gift but a member of your family and it needs to seriously be considered before actually going in. You need a parent in order to adopt, so make sure that you bring another parent or guardian with you when it is finally time. The Gloucester Mathews Humane Society always has the sweetest animals and you will surely find the one there. You can hint at the animal with a collar or toy in his stocking to really make the moment special.
I really hope that this list helped! Please comment with any questions or ideas and have a happy holiday season.
