When thinking about what to get your friends for the holidays, it can be hard to think of new and fun gifts that they will love. Here I have compiled a little list of some non-specific holiday gift ideas that will be a hit every time to give you some inspiration!
Customized Items
When it comes to gifts that are uniquely for your friends, custom merchandise and art is a great place to start! I like finding customized gifts for friends because it shows that I know them and their interests. These gifts show that you have thought thoroughly on what your recipient would enjoy. There are multiple places that create custom merchandise, but I find shopping on Etsy to be my main outlet. Not only does this website have a huge amount of customizable gift options, but you also get to support the small businesses that you buy from. Supporting these businesses, to me, is like a gift all in itself and I try to do this in all aspects of my purchases. If your friend has a specific interest that is unique to them, getting them a gift in this interest is sure to be a gift they won’t forget.
Skincare
As much as I love gifting makeup to my cosmetic-loving friends, it can get a tad expensive and may not be as useful for the winter months as skincare may be. We all know how incredibly dry and bitter cold winter can be and that can have drastic effects on your skin. From chapped lips to itchy skin, winter weather does not pull its punches when it comes to drying out your skin. That’s why gifting skincare can be such a useful gift! This year I have been loving the holiday flavored chapsticks and holiday print sheet-masks for gifts and I have been gifting these for many years. Something fun and relaxing can be a great way for a friend to wind down and enjoy the holidays. I recommend getting things like hand lotions and sheet-masks instead of straight-up moisturizer (unless you know their favorite) because you want this gift to be fun and kind-spirited. What you don’t want is for your friend to think you are calling the crusty by giving them a bunch of moisturizers and serums. Of course I am not the voice of authority in this matter and if you believe your friend will enjoy the moisturizer, get them the dang moisturizer!
Baked Goods
I can’t remember the last time I met someone who doesn’t like something sweet every once in a while. That’s why homemade baked goods are such a cute and thoughtful gift. Homemade gifts like this are always made with love and care so how can anyone dislike them? My friend recently made me homemade fudge for the holidays and it made me feel incredibly special and I could feel the care she put into it. So yeah, bake a batch of cookies, maybe your friend’s favorite, and add them to a cute holiday tin for storage! It doesn’t stop at pastries either. Make a hot cocoa kit or grab some candy and add it to a mason jar for an adorable, semi-handmade present.
Stuffed Animals
This may be a cry for help from me because please, buy me stuffed animals! I don’t care how many I have and if people have a problem with it, then tough! Anyways, fuzzy friends like stuffed animals are always a lovely gift to give to anyone no matter how old. It is similar to a fluffy blanket that warms you in the winter months just in the shape of your favorite animal. Something like a pillow pet (I don’t know if they make them anymore) is even better as it is multipurpose. Get your friend a plushy of their favorite animal and in their favorite color and I highly doubt they will meet it with anything other than extreme happiness. Squishmallows are a wonderful brand of stuffed animals but can tend to be on the pricier side. If anything, go online and see what you can find. Who knows, maybe you’ll find stuffed animals made by a small business that is fully customizable! Triple score! I know there are people out there that look down on adults with plushies littered on their beds but that’s totally fine! They can stay in their sad, dull, no plushies room, but I’m keeping my stuffed animals!
Art
If you are artistic in any form, this is a wonderful idea for a gift. Paint a picture, make a DIY ornament, or draw a hand-made card to add to your gift to add a little bit of ‘you’ to gifts for your friends. Something I have done this year for holiday gifts is painting ornaments with characters and interests of specific friends so they have a custom ornament to hang on their tree. Obviously, not every winter holiday has a tree to hang ornaments on, but painting or drawing a picture to hang on the wall is still an amazingly thoughtful gift. When starting with a black slate, it makes you really think about your friends and what they would like. It also gives you a lot of creative freedom to incorporate their interests into a cohesive piece of art. If you are not a super artistic person, but your friend is, get them art supplies to help them with their art! I love giving coloring books and colored pencils or markers for gifts since it is artistic and also relaxing. You don’t need to get the expensive supplies either. In my opinion, some of the cheaper brands are better than the more expensive ones!
While I say that these are some great gifting ideas, it all comes down to what you want to give your friend and what you think they will enjoy. This is nearly some inspiration for people like me who love giving gifts but have trouble coming up with new ideas year after year. No matter what you get your friends this year for the holidays, I’m positive your friends will love it as much as they love you!
Happy Holidays, Jackie