We all want to see our loved ones not only happy, but healthy in the coming year, which is why:
For 2024’s holiday gift guide, I thought I’d go with a theme of heart-warming health for all ages!
I hope you find something heart-warming for your bunch 🧡
Some of my favorite general gift ideas
I’m a big fan of gifts I can buy in bulk that everyone loves (hello, beeswax candles!), as well as those special gifts that tell a person you were thinking deeply about them when you decided on their gift. Many of the ones here could fit either category, depending on the person and your budget.
Beeswax Candles from Montana, distributed out of Oregon (best Pillars or Tapers) - whether these are burned or just sit there smelling nice, there’s no replacement for a high-quality real beeswax candle
Block Blue Light Beacon Lights (Red or Amber) - I could imagine one of these to grace the bedrooms of all the grandkids or cousins
Block Blue Light Multi-Mode Reading Light - for that dedicated reader in your life who falls asleep each night reading pulp fiction and eating chocolate (we all know one of those, right?)
Heart Centered Planner, order by Dec. 1st for delivery (Daily/Weekly Set or Bundle and make sure to use my VIP code for 10% off and a special bonus at checkout: NIKKOLOVE10) - perfect for your girlfriends or co-workers in your heart-centered business
Softstar Leather Shoes or Slippers, handmade in Oregon (from the smallest, to the largest) - Most kids (or grown-ups) have never had anything so cozy for their feet.
Una Pluma Women’s Clothing, designed in Oregon (one-size winter skirt or one-size cotton fleece robe) - luscious, yet simple designs in nice thick organic cotton for winter
VitaClay Stock Pot (stoneware or clay) - a generous gift for the hobby chef or busy mom on your list
Bulk Honey from Canada, distributed out of Oregon (10 lbs wildflower or 24 lbs clover) - honey never expires! Stoke up your favorite apocalypse prepper with a giant honey bucket
Blipblox (girly synthesizer, boyish synthesizer, or the just-released sampler/sequencer/drum machine) - low-emf and bluetooth-free music production toys that will be fun for even the most Nintendo Switch- or tablet-obsessed kids on your list (uh, yeah, dads, too)
New/Expecting Mom Gifts
Looking for something extra special for a new or expecting mama? Here are some of my favorite items I can imagine any mama would feel blessed to receive:
A cozy baby carrier you (I mean she 😉) can wear while pregnant: Sakura Bloom Scout or Onbuhimo - I have the Onbuhimo, but I’ve worn 4 babies—it’s a little bit more of a learning curve to put on than the Scout style
Cleaning cloths: Green Mountain Diapers cloth paper towel sets or birdseye flats are almost guaranteed to be used (a lot!) - seriously, a new mama will always appreciate a clean cloth! I have a family of 6 and have about 5 sets of the cloth paper towels and 2 sets of the flats in rotation for cleaning, plus workhorse diapers and the babee greens shorties instead of a plastic cover for diapering my mobile baby while doing elimination communication
An undated Heart Centered Planner: Remember to use VIP code NIKKOLOVE10 at checkout for your 10% off and special bonus - Mama has her hands full (or she will very soon)! But, in good time, she’ll be ready to reflect lovingly on where she’s been and where she is going. An undated planner will last a weekly journal writer a year, or an infrequent writer 2 years or more
Healthy stocking stuffer ideas
Does your family do stockings? We do adult and kid stockings, and have been evolving over time to have more wholesome and long-lasting items inside. Here are a few of my top picks (I love being a member of Azure Standard because I can order bulk stocking candy all at once):
And a few specials and ideas that can last longer:
Block Blue Light Night Lights (rechargeable for off-grid or portability or plug-in for convenience)
Tiny Notebooks - I prefer Fabriano brand when I can find them in the local bookstore or sometimes by ordering on Amazon, and sometimes we go nuts with cool stickers so everyone gets a decorated notebook - plus, we have learned the hard way that lone stickers tend to get very crumpled in the stocking and this is a great way to preserve them and show a little extra attention was given to the gift
Fisher Bullet Space Pens - so smooth and keepsake, and you can order them engraved to make them extra-special from Amazon’s Fisher store
Wool hiking socks - always a great way to fill up a roomy stocking and you can find them pretty much anywhere locally or online
Pre-orders
A couple of exciting pre-orders (these won’t arrive before the holidays, but I thought were worth mentioning because they have both recently been re-stocked!):
My best holiday shopping advice
And for my final tip, go to a local artisan’s fair or two. I grew up at these because my grandpa is a stoneware potter. Each holiday season, my mom would pack us kids up and go help sell at the fairs. Inevitably, we’d always find so much to see, do, trade for and buy. I still remember the unique scents, sounds and scenes of each of the venues. Some were sprawling, going room to room to room, with different lighting, music and ambiance in each. Others packed grand halls, with high ceilings overlooking row upon row of seemingly infinite handmade wonders and curiosities. Christmas giving was always extra-fun because we’d get to find out who had snuck what little handmade presents home—right under each others’ noses!—and gotten them wrapped and under the tree or into the stocking without the recipient being any the wiser. As the economies have shifted, it’s been increasingly difficult for artisans and crafters to make it their full-time income, but for many (like my grandpa), they still keep carrying on. Find them and you’ll give twice—once to the crafter and again to your family with something one-of-a-kind and handmade!
Season’s greetings, however you celebrate!
Finally, here’s a little snapshot of our first dusting of snow this year 🤍
I would “like” this a dozen times if I could. These are epic! 🤩