Earlier this week, my inbox and social feeds became a wash in gift guides. Some of the standards — friends, spouse, parents, etc. — and some more specific ones — for the chic dog owner, for the Auntie who travels, etc. This got me wondering: Before I dig too deep into the 2024 gift guides, who is on your list?
One of the things I strive for with this blog is to produce content you can actually use. So if you have categories of people or specific individuals who you need assistance shopping for this year, feel free to leave those requests in the comments. Naughty or nice, sometimes you just need a little help finding the best gift possible.
xo, aB
I’ve always enjoyed your white elephant guide.
Gender neutral tween gift ideas would be helpful this year. (Other than gift cards)
Would love a gift guide for husbands who like nice things – but are a dad to preschoolers so can’t have things that are *too nice*
Would like a gift for moms who are retired and starting to travel internationally for the first time – what are some must-haves for her (beyond packing cubes) but could also be useful in her normal life
I run my own consulting firm and am looking for small gifts that I can give to individuals who work at my client organizations.
+1 to small gifts for people that report to you
Ooohh, love this question! TY! Hmm, three categories come to mind: (1) Mother in law and father in law who want nothing frou-frou because they are downsizing; (2) small gifts for close friends to say “thank you for your friendship and support” where they don’t think you went over the top or feel badly because they don’t have anything in return; (3) elementary school teachers/aides!
Would love item 2 and 3 also!
My daughter’s godparents and my husband’s grandparents.
My in-laws that are amazing grandparents. They are very thrifty and don’t want stuff.
Would love help with the office holiday party Secret Santa ($60-$80) connundrum. A White Elephant guide would be really fun to see.
Grandparents, neighbors, teachers
Would love ideas for small non-food gifts for the 20 people I manage in a professional office.
Would love $50ish range gift ideas for girlfriends!
Echoing the plea for White Elephant gift guides, bonus if it’s non-techie and gender neutral. Yes, I’m rolling my eyes at me, too.
I second the client gifts! I shoot for under $50 per client, with clients across the U.S. and am out of ideas
80+ year olds
A couple coed swaps with a $50 limit. Mom and dad. Sister. Brother in law. Usually so good at gifts but I’m struggling this year! Got my dad a Greyson golf shirt from Kyle’s gift guide last year and he loved it- bought himself a couple more since. Thanks for all you do!
Gifts for my mostly remote team at work. Gifts for my SO’s extended family members – first time going to Christmas at their place. I’m not sure how many people will be there, don’t know many of them that well, and can’t show up empty handed!
14-15 yrs old/early teen boys. Still kid at heart but have grown out of most “toys”. Not old enough yet to be thrilled with getting practical gifts like wallet/ clothes/shoes/deodorant/shaving supplies. They want the joy of unwrapping xmas morning gifts like when they were little but shrug with “I don’t know” for their wish list except for video game currencies. Xmas will last for all of 2 minutes.
The struggle is real for gifting boys! There are sooooo many small things out there for teen girls that make it easy and affordable to gift and fill their stockings…makeup, hair ties, nail polish, self care products, knick knacks to interior decorate their room, pretty stationery, jewelry, etc. None of which would interest my boys at all and I’ve already gotten every sport thing imaginable from their favorite teams.
You captured this so perfectly! I still want that magic for my 14 year old son, but I can’t think of anything, nor get a single idea out of him!
Let me ask some 14 year old girls what the boys are into.
and second the recommendation for gifts for staff you supervise – expensive gift giving is prohibited where I work so mostly thinking of something small/inexpensive but thoughtful or useful…maybe with their name on it?
I’m looking for a professional style backpack for my husband to use for work and commuting- something that is executive in style but not Tumi. It’s been a bear to find…
my 2.5 year old who has everything!
I echo the need for a gifts for grandparents who don’t want stuff. Last year I gifted a grandparent-grandkid photo shoot, but this year I’m struggling.
Retired parents who are caregivers to older relatives. Taking a day (or even a few hours!) to go to a spa/see a show/etc. is almost impossible for them, so I can’t give those, and paying for extra help so they have time is also a no-go. They’re trying to downsize so stuff is tricky, but they’re also very anti-gift card. They get weird about sentimental things like StoryWorth.
There’s only so much fancy coffee and Harry and David I can give them- any ideas at all would be so, so appreciated!
A few years ago, my in-laws started giving us Omaha Steaks boxes – it’s not just steaks, it was burgers, chicken, meatballs, etc. This was easily our favorite Christmas gift because it was so usable. Butcher Box might be another option if you don’t like the OS options. If they have freezer space, might be a good option for them!
brother- and sister-in-law and manager gifts! Thanks!
Gifts for people who are traveling to see you for the holidays and have very little room to take things home in their luggage. This applies to kids as well!
When I was a little kid, my mom got us a (very large – bigger than us) inflatable dinosaur for Christmas at grandma’s (far away, needed to be able to bring the gifts to and from). It was inflated and wrapped under the tree (so, giant gift, which was always exciting), but because it could be un-inflated, it didn’t take up much travel space. We LOVED that thing until it eventually popped. Favorite memory was taking it outside in the snow/rain to wash it. Kids are weird. But, think inflatable?
Brilliant!
I always need Dad and brother-in-law gift ideas! Kyle’s golf ball pick in past years was a big hit. My brother-in-law said they were the “Nordstrom” of golf balls. He was super surprised to get them from me.
My family decided that for the adults, we’re doing gifts that can fit in a stocking since none of us need more stuff. Not a fan of gift cards but usually spending in the $100 range or so for each of my sisters, mom and aunt (dad wants underwear, we’re covered). Sisters are 34 and living her best big city single life and 32, newly married and expecting a new bundle of joy this spring. No idea what to get my husband either since neither of us need anything that we haven’t already bought ourselves, but Santa still fills adult stockings too. Kiddo (7) at least is covered.
I appreciate the white elephant ideas. Especially if they aren’t fluffy blankets or alcohol. Though those are incredibly popular, I’ll admit. I’m trying to reduce my consumption and extended family are either similar, or are naturally in the down-sizing phase of life. I’m trying to think of consumables outside of candles and spices. Sometimes I yearn for pre-Amazon days when there might be a semi-unique store in your area you could buy things that might be harder for someone else to get.
Last year I gave someone a selection of Rancho Gordo heritage beans and they went over well so I’ll probably do that again.
Wildly specific: 1) the rural rancher/oil-and-gas land man father-in-law 2) the high school freshman boy whose interests sports, Latin league, and coastal fishing 3) the tinkerer brother-in-law who has the means to purchase every tinkering thing he might need 4) a 40something nonbinary fun aunt who always appreciates handmade gifts from anyone but who would absolutely love to find ways to elevate a nonbinary look without appearing to dress for the Met gala on a $20 budget — they support state government officials, so figuring out conservative nonbinary looks has been a task. 5) the mother-in-law with chronic pain
wow what a description of your family members. Must be an interesting family gathering.
lolololol — you are QUITE correct.
My bestie who is going through a rough time. I was thinking of getting her like a “self-care” or beauty gift basket, but the ones I’ve found are single brands and mostly not well-known ones at that.
Any suggestions?
make a “favorite things” basket of your own fav stuff!
Gifts for nannies, babysitters and school staff – teachers, paras and bus staff. We will do cash bonuses or gift cards but would like to give something small / inexpensive with the cards.
Your parents who have too much stuff and need to downsize – want to give gifts but not things that just add to the clutter
Suggestions for my husband, not to exceed $100. Kyle’s gift guide is amazing, but Kyle has expensive taste. 🙂 Hubs does golf, though, so I bought him that little golf tool from one of the guides. Also, suggestions for toddler stocking stuffers. Thankfully my three year old loves Bluey.
No truer words were ever spoken. He tends to go big on Christmas. I’ll tell him to tone it down this year.
Toddler stocking stuffers (my favorite age): goggles (for swim lessons, bath or summer break), sidewalk chalk, crayons, stickers, bubbles, sunglasses, favorite snack food
sorry – there’s so many questions. Mine would be –
when should we be at the point of just not asking for gifts from our in-laws/parents (like we’re still kids)?
We’re all in our almost 40s… and my in-laws still spend lots of $$$ on us. I personally LOVE it, I love getting gifts (and giving them to them too obvs). But I’m starting to feel guilty.
I guess if they can afford it and they want to do it, let them. And I know we can “just buy what we want,” but I won’t really drop the $500 on a new work bag. My mother in law will buy it for me though!
My former not MIL loved gifting and being given a list. I figured out her love language was about volume and gave her a list of items in $25-75 range that supported my hobbies. Win-win. Embrace who they are! 🙂
I have no problem embracing my mother in law’s love of gifting, trust me! I just feel kind of guilty as a 37 yr old DINK . . .
I would love a gift guide for the impossibly chic BFF who makes Vogue looks basic.
coworkers! and people i manage!
Hope I’m not too late! Gifts for family/almost family you don’t know very well. Brother’s girlfriend, aunt who just moved back to town, cousin home from college…
Toddlers and kids would be a huge help.
Ideas for my father in his 70’s that doesn’t drink alcohol / coffee / tea, doesn’t enjoy food gifts, and buys everything he needs or wants. He plays pickleball but I feel like I’ve exhausted that line (his birthday gift was a Pickleball nutrcracker) which was quite a great gift.
What to give a 90-year-old man (Grandfather!) who isn’t doing so hot…
I may be too late but teen boys and college-age girls would be appreciated. I have some ideas but want to get something fun as well as useful. Thanks for the posts you’ve already done, especially the outfits! I get stuck on the idea of jeans and a sweater and like the ideas to branch out! Hope you and your family and friends have a good holiday!
So many good ideas already but to add: personalized gifts grandparents actually want (I can’t get them a new mug with my kids face on it every year…) and elevated hostess gifts for those hosting the holidays and various parties this season
My gift list consists of two daughters, ages 30 and 34, and one son-in-law, age 30. No one lives here in Spokane, so I’ll be sending everything to California and Colorado.
Favorite consumables! Chocolates, cheese boxes, jerky, snacks — anything you can eat and sample over the holidays that won’t wind up as junk.
Definitely need a unisex white elephant guide. We do a family one every year and I’m running out of ideas. Ages range 16-80 😳