Christmas Gifts For The Nervous Or Otherwise Woefully Underprepared
[ 1 December 2009 ]
Last year’s Christmas tree!
The holidays can be a difficult time. Despite the fairy lights (yay!), great nosh & sense of magic, there’s also pressure from all sides, insane expectations & of course, constant, horrible Christmas music being piped in from the depths of hell. (My number one holiday tip is to wear headphones all month!)
It can be so hard to find presents for people because most people buy for themselves what they really need, meaning that you’re usually scrambling for a gift, & end up buying them crappy tsotchkes & miscellaneous rubbish which will probably disappear into a drawer, never to be seen again.
Well I say, no more! No more gift packs from The Body Shop (the ultimate I-don’t-know-you-at-all present)! No more economy packs of underpants! No more novelty socks & ties! If you have to buy someone something, why not make it something cute, fun or clever?
Here are a bunch of ideas, some of which are surely suitable for at least one or two people you know. It is all online stuff, & I did my best to find stores which shop worldwide. Also, feel free to tell us what you’ve bought (or even better, made!) for people! Your genius insights are always welcome!
So, I wrote about the Cambridge Satchel Company the other day, & lo & behold, I now have my own! I bought a 13” purple satchel which is embossed in silver with MISS DARLING. It is seriously beautiful. The bags come in black, brown, navy blue, pink, red, yellow & purple, so you could get one in your friend’s favourite colour & have it embossed with their nickname or something sweet. It would make a really wonderful gift for anyone!
For your more liberated female friends, you cannot go past Jimmyjane as purveyors of pleasure. Their latest & greatest, the FORM 2, is the best, best, best sex toy I have ever encountered. It is shaped like a bunny head (!!!), oscillates in a variety of patterns, & — let’s be honest — almost made me pass out. Anyone you buy this for will seriously love you forever.
Heaven Help Us is an Etsy store specialising in faux-saints for the troubled. There is even St. Licky, the only dog allowed in heaven. I love it. They have a bunch of great stocking stuffer ideas. One of my favourite things is a mousepad with a picture of a nun on it, to remind you to keep on task at work. Fantastic!
Elizabeth Dilk’s kit to thwart writer’s block is genius. You can’t buy it (unfortunately, it was just a conceptual project) but you could certainly make something similar for a writer in need!
If your friends enjoy a good book, here are some I’ve been digging on recently: Textbook Romance, I 
Your Style
ModCloth has a really wide assortment of things to please even the fussiest bestie. (Or should that be “beastie”?) Who could be upset about a chandelier?! This flask is ideal for tucking into a lacy garter belt. I love these unicorn keys & this 2010 cupcake calendar too. There’s a shower curtain with a Parisian view, a pink polka-dot espresso set & even What I Wore Today, a fun street-style book featuring me, Nubby Twiglet, my friends Eden & Amelia, & a bunch of other cuties! Plus, ModCloth has free shipping on orders over $75 for a limited time, so get crackin’!
Cosmetics are always a fantastic gift to give or receive. Sephora.com has sets to suit all kinds of people & MAC Cosmetics, old faithful, have released their beautiful holiday collection. If you’re not quite sure of your giftee’s tastes or needs, buy them a voucher. Pretty much every woman will be happy with this kind of thing!
You could make a DIY catalogue of love — though it seems to me this is more a gift a woman would appreciate. (Before you go bonkers at me, I know there are oodles of sensitive guys out there but honestly in my experience, most of ‘em prefer stuff they can use!)
If someone you know is getting a new laptop or phone for Christmas, you could always get them a GelaSkin featuring work by their favourite artist. Or you could create your own — the website has a little wizard where you can make one out of anything you like! It’s really easy to do — look at this iPhone cover! Hee.
I know I plug her all the time but I really do love this woman. Give your cool, quirky friend a gift subscription to Mystic Medusa & they’ll get all the astrological info they’ll ever need. Even better, Mystic has just created a little scheduler for each month, so you can see which days are best for business, lurve, yoga, parties, etc.! It is so good, & as I have said a billion times, hers are always the first emails I read in the morning.
More astro-yummies: buy your best friend a chart reading with my boy Christopher from Soulgarden! He gave me one last week & it was BRILLIANT. They go for an hour or 90 minutes, it happens over the phone or via Skype & you even get a recording of it emailed to you afterwards. I love love love him & I promise your friend will be delighted.
Fred Flare has a major assortment of gifts at different price points. TokyoMilk scented travel candles sound delicious — Let Them Eat Cake smells of sugar cane, coconut & vanilla, while Cherry Bomb is all roses & chocolate. Yum! They do perfumes, too. Cotton candy toothpicks would make for a rad stocking stuffer. These polaroid notes are ideal for your super-polite friend who worships Miss Manners & is obsessed with writing thank you notes. The sweet treats glitter postcard tin might do the trick too!
Urban Outfitters has so much cool stuff in their online store right now, such as these monogram pillowcases, marquee alphabet lights, wire frame 10” letters, initial keyrings & necklaces (yes, I love anything with a letter on it), a set of three French notebooks (ahem, cahiers!), sun jars for the SAD-afflicted, Alice in Wonderland glasses set, damsel wallpaper (s to the woon), cardboard taxidermy for the squeamish, a snow globe frame (I had one of these years ago), fortune or moustache bandages, a violet fisheye camera, etc. I also really love this fainting sofa but it might be a tricky gift to give… Maybe you could just buy it for yourself for Christmas! Anyway, have a look around, they really do have some excellent stuff. I Urban Outfitters but I would caution, read the reviews on the items first. Sometimes their quality can be a little hit or miss. (Like for example these sequinned slips which would have been perfect for pretty much everything BUT have all been folded & thus ruined. Boo! Booooooo! I was going to wear them tucked into high-waisted skirts & now all my hopes & dreams have been RUINED! Okay, I’m done.)
I think pyjamas make a great present. Everyone needs something to sleep in (uh, except those people who sleep naked year-round). Wrap them nicely & maybe throw in a silk eye-mask for good measure. Why not make a cozy sleeping kit which includes brand new, 1000 threadcount pillowcases, pyjamas, a lavender candle (good for inducing snoozing) & a good bedtime book? Hello Kitty has pyjamas for DAYS, Victoria’s Secret has every kind of sleepwear you could possibly imagine, from slinky slips to candy-striped & polka-dotted PJs, Peter Alexander does super-cute slumber party duds (they even have sequinned knickers) & if you want to get really wacky, Sleepyheads does pyjamas with feet... (So does Target!) Plum Pretty Sugar on Etsy makes lovely robes, too.
For your friend with the sweet tooth, a let me eat cake t-shirt or a candy bar charm bracelet will make her smile so wide you’ll see every single one of her cavities. It’s a little too late for this, but maybe it will go on sale?! A girl can dream. How about Barbie edible lipstick, a 1950s Barbie chocolate bar, a piece of cake gift basket for the Marie Antoinette obsessed, some milk chocolate mittens (?!) or a horoscope chocolate bar? (If only the flavours matched the signs in some way. The Virgo bar could taste like cleaning products, while the Aries bar could taste like gasoline… Not that they would be very tasty.) Or you could just buy her a case of Wonka bars or the World’s largest candy cane & call it a day. (Maybe you should also book her an appointment to see the dentist.)
Other ideas: A Polaroid camera & a couple of packs of film will make pretty much anyone smile & definitely cement them as a hit at their new year’s eve party. The One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book is great for writers or people who love to document their lives. The 2010 Bubble Calendar, which has a bubble to pop every day, is truly excellent. These Photoshop fridge magnets make me smile. I LOVE this calendar tape. & finally, Gilt Groupe has THE BEST & most amazing sales all the time. If you’re looking for a party dress, it is the place to be. Yesterday they had Erin Fetherston dresses at a fraction of the price, & Gilt Fuse has Betsey Johnson party dresses for under $100. But they also have beautiful pens, spa vouchers, jewellery & homewares, so it is definitely a great source for fabulous Christmas gifts if you want to really impress someone!
P.S. If you are going the online shopping route — which is truly so much more sane than braving the crowds — be sure to order early! If you put it off, your gifts will not arrive in time! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
So… what are you buying your nearest & dearest this year? Are you giving big diamond baubles, unicorn soft toys, old pulp paperbacks or bubblegum tattoo collections? Or are you skipping out on the consumerism & going DIY? Let us know!
Love letters & feather headdresses,
Tags: consumption,
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I usually go both ways — DIY + a bought goodie! The DIY part of it is usually the main bit, and the store goodie is just that: an extra goodie to satisfy our greedy side a little bit. I’m making my boyfriend get me a MAC kit, or just anything MAC related though (plus his DIY of course…)
Last year my family all did sort of a big consumerism Christmas and this year we’re all scaling back. What I’ve decided to do is bring back the Christmas stockings which, as we’ve aged, have fallen by the wayside. I’m making the stockings (knit to start, sewn as time runs out, all from my copious yarn & fabric stash) and then filling them with goodies from Archie McPhee (I ordered their mystery box and will divide the oddities among the stockings), an orange in the toe and some candy to round things out.
Oh this is coming at the EXACT right time. Thank you, thank you, thank you Gala!
Gilt Groupe says you can only shop there by invitation only. =(
Great ideas, though. This will keep me busy for quite awhile, looking and looking and drooling…
This came at exactly the right time for me too…..I’m about to start my Christmas shopping right now (much later than I usually do!) Thanks =]
I love this! The writer’s block kit and Parisian bath curtain are especially loveable. I wonder how difficult it’d be to make one’s own curtain with a different picture (in color)...
Last year, my brother and I chipped in to get my dad a fabulous Canon point-and-shoot with a big screen & simple buttons for the aging eyes! This year, I’m making a glammed up, pared down instruction book for it (with bilingual & “when to use such and such setting” features!) – there is honestly nothing else more perfect!
Becky — You can apply for membership to Gilt on the site I think! My friend works for them & signed me up, so I’m not sure what the process is. But if that’s no good, I can invite you if you give me your email address!
What an awesome post and just what I needed today! I’m struggling with the shopping this year. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas!
I’m so happy they’re starting to make polaroid film again! This is a really great guide! My girlfriends & I are just doing dinner together this year, but I want to get something else for my sister. I got a piece of jewelry from our favorite shop, Moyers! She’ll love this stuff too!
The Magician is either getting an iPod (he doesn’t have one yet! wtf??) or a Bamboo Touch & Pen tablet, which is so awesome, I want one too!
As a Canadian, I can testify that Gilt Groupe doesn’t even ship across a border you can (in places) walk across. HUGE BUMMER. Not international, I’m afraid.
Great list, Gala! Are the tights that model next to the Polaroid mentioned?
YES, THANK YOU. I think I’m in love with the 50s Barbie choc (although I was hoping it would also be Barbie shaped!).
Positively Present — You are most welcome!
Alzy — I love that you call him The Magician! Way cute.
Katharine — Oh, that sucks! I’m sorry! Maybe if you were desperate for something, you could have them ship to a friend in the U.S.A.?
Rachael — Nope, the model next to the Polaroid is wearing one of the Betsey Johnson dresses on Gilt :>
Helena — Me too. Only so you could bite the head off in a gory frenzy, right? Haha.
PS- Just looked up Polaroid cameras- Holy Bologna, is it ever expensive! I’ll stick to my darling little Holga & maybe give one of those as a gift :)
Also, I thought you (& your nonpareils) would love this plush taxidermy unicorn! shanalogic.com/item.php?item_i…
They also have bunnies & deer.
Thank you, Gala! I just bought Lil Sis a beautiful satchel; I was really struggling to find her something amazing enough. Thanks to you & the CSC there’ll be another two smiling sisters this Christmas!
Gala, I love these ideas!
For my mom I got here a pretty teal cardigan from (Merona)Target and green fingerless(homemade) gloves with bird on them.
One of my friends getting them a one cup teapot from Tazo.
WANT THAT EYELINER SET __
Ooh la la! I LOVE your new satchel!!! GEnius!! Must get one…
Don’t ever underestimate the power of the gift card. For serious shoppers it’s less about the actual item recieved than it is about the hunt for just the right thing, made even more delicious when you are required to spend all the dough in a choice store or boutique. After X-mas sales are always cheap and awesome, and it gives the shopper something to look forward to post-holiday! I’m gettin’ gift cards for my sister, an avid shopper, because as I always say, there is no gift like the gift of SHOPPING. :> I’m a big gift card enthusiast, and I’ll be stoked on one from nearly anywhere: smoothie joint, coffee place, super market, clothing store…soooooooooooo much nicer than the aforementioned tchochke that lands in a drawer never to be seen again.
This year I got my boyfriend time-themed gifts. I got him a Zodiac watch he’s been drooling over, as well as a tide clock (he lives across the street from the beach and always wants to know when it’s low tide).
I got my best friend a double-sided peanut butter and jelly spreader because she’s always complaining about having to use two separate knives (using the same one just isn’t an option, haha).
I HATE gift guides. Hate ‘em. They’re usually filled with the same old useless crap categorised into “things for him” and “things for her”, assuming that as a female I really, really want oven mitts and my man is desperate for a drill.
That said, this gift guide is the. best. ever. There are dozens of things I find myself fancying, both practical and frivolous.
I’m sticking to charitable gifts (goats!) this Xmas but there are plenty of things here that I’ll look to buy for myself and my buds in the future.
i love gift guides, but i have to say, it’s never women who i have problems with (they’re so easy to please!) but rather men. Ugh, brothers and fathers are the worst to shop for ever!
This year I’m trying to either make all my gifts or give handmade items (usually off of Etsy). Yay supporting artisans!
These are great ideas, Gala! Not just for friends and family, I guess I’m not the only one guilty of adding a little christmas present to myself on the list! ;)
I second Chris Craymer’s Romance! I just bought it, tore it apart and posted all the prettiest pictures on my wall using whiteboard fix film! I’ll post the results on my blog tomorrow.
And I can recommend toy cameras as gifts too, they are usually inexpensive and can really boost someone’s creativity!
Stellar taste, as always Miss Darling. =)
I wish Urban Outfitters would ship to NZ though! Started to choose some killer gifts before I realised. =(
I find the best way to shop for someone is to always pay attention to what they’re talking about wanting, and if it’s within your means, to get it for them.
I got my Handsome Nerd the light saber he’s been talking about for a year (back when we were just friends) – there is no way he will expect it because it’s pricey – it’s the best and most expensive gift I’ve ever gotten for one person! But I am so excited for Christmas for the sole reason that I get to give it to him. It’s been a very long time since I got to spoil someone.
The best gift I’m gonna get this year is the joy on his face.
Wonderful ideas! If only you had a guide on shopping for men.
I’m taking photo this year so I’m printing pictures for everyone as presents.
This is an absolutely amazing list. Great research! Of course now I just want all these things for myself!
Seriously though, I always suck at gift giving, so I will treasure this post.
overstimulated shreik Bubblegu- what? DIY? Click that…and that… and that… I’L COME TO BED IN A MINUTE SWEETIE, PROMISE!
La Mer needs a new hairdryer, gonna get her a voucher for her fave salon, too…
Le Pére is probably getting something made of plastecine and a toy plane, along with a copy of Coraline. I promise him with THIS kind of 3-D, it doesn’t MATTER how many of your eyes you have left…
MaggieMae’s getting a PB bag. IF I can manage to hand it over.
The Big Spoon’s getting new t-shirts, a book, a hoodie, a DREAMCAST (!) and probably a 3-foot long stuffed shark toy.
I’m also partaking in an international Secret Santa. I have to buy for a Canadian girl I’ve never met!
This is a great gift guide! :D I’ll keep it in mind for when I’m shopping online for myself.
My best friend and I like to buy each other crazy socks for Christmas. Last year, she bought me neon striped Hello Kitty knee socks… so I have to get her something super-extra-special.
I’m making my Orchestra teacher a frog hat (she loves frogs), and my World Geography teacher a Hello Kitty hat (she’s obsessed).
My other friends… I’ll probably get Hannah (she has the same name as me) something crazy… not sure what. I’m getting Alex either Wreck this Journal (http://www.wreckthisjournal.com/), This is Not a Book (http://www.thisisnotabook.org/), or The Non-Planner Datebook (http://littleotsu.myshopify.com/products/non-planner-datebook-by-keri-smith)... I haven’t decided what I’m getting Mia… maybe I’ll get her something Monk/Psych related? She and her brother LOVE those shows. And I’ll probably get Paola a Moleskine sketchbook or some art supplies.
Next week I am going to South East Asia for 7 weeks, so I am going to buy all my nearest and dearest stuff over there and bring it back!
Cute ideas, but I wish christmas stressed more the attitude of giving time and investing oneself than spending money. =)
I have to say this was one of the funniest blog posts I’ve read in a long time—a beautiful christmas-themed post with the lovely tree photo and everything, and on the list, just right along with everything else, is this cool little sex toy (WOW I didn’t know how far they’ve advanced—their own charging cradle AND waterproof). And how far we’ve come that women and men can talk about sex toys just like anything else!!
Cheers.
You Are Remarkable has a book out now…perfect for the remarkable person on your list (aka my little sister, who I also got an awesome Athena pendant on etsy!)
Whoa…I think I’m gonna need to read this a couple of times. Loads of awesome information here. Thanks!
P.S. I like underwear multipacks. ;-)
You will love this. Ideal gifting! thejailbreak.com/2009/12/01/th…
This is great! Lots of ideas! Ummmmm I want a Gala doll for x-mas!
Wow.
www.iwantoneofthose.com/lifest…
I’m getting this for my friends-who-are-boys, as their current shower curtain is pink and frilly! We’re going to creep into their house at night and change it. Mwahaha.
Everyone else gets books and homemade cookies, except my bestest who I found a purple cloche hat for!!
xx
tht was too much advertising for one post
Ergh do you think before you type or do you suffer from some kind of typing diharea? It’s a CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEA LIST!!!! Of course its advertising products. What do you think an x-mas list consists of? How about thinking….I mean reaaaaallly thinking next time before you put your two cents in.
Shame on Gala for giving people great gift ideas on her BLOG. Hey Ergh, do you know what a BLOG is?) Obviously, Gala’s just raking it in on the ads seeing as all these items are plastered in banners all over her site.
>>>>>>
Gala, these are great and off beat gifts. I know I’m going to end up using some of these ideas.
I normally go the DIY route, but this is a great list! I’m going to use your wearing headphones tip as well, cause yeah holiday music kills my ears.
Great list of Christmas goodies Gala! I really love that satchel!
Every year I usually make cards for those close to me. I only have a core group of people I buy gifts for. But, since I love baking, I usually make cookies/cakes/candies for coworkers and friends. Those home and garden magazines have some great easy ideas for baking!
p.s. who cares about the advertising? I’ve been following you for YEARS and I’m always looking forward to your Christmas Gift Guide. Thanks for posting!
Too cute gift idea
Happy Holidays!!!!
pinacoladakisses.blogspot.com/
For my coworkers and acquaintances, I’m making blue velvet cake balls with white vanilla ganache (Hanukkah colors – gotta represent!).
For my family and close friends, I’m contemplating hand-drawn comic strips (starring them). Everybody loves a self-congratulatory comic!
Hey Gal, thought you might like this – aesthetisexuality.blogspot.com…
All I want to say is that I love you for your comment about Christmas music from the depths of Hell. I really thought I was the only person who didn’t enjoy hearing Jingle Bells and other classics on a loop for a whole month or more.
I am crocheting a large afghan for someone this year. I estimate that I’ll be doing about 120 hours of work on it! Almost half-done; I need to step up my efforts.
If you hadn’t recommended Sleepyheads I would have. They really do have a great selection. Along those lines, what about Lush’s more sleep-inducing products — like Waving Not Drowning and Dreamtime? Also, I’m not so sure about 1000-thread pillowcases: it’s a nice idea, but they’re frequently a scam (the vendors start counting the plies in the thread and misrepresent the total number of threads). IsabellaCatalog is often overpriced, but they do sell the silk Sleepsack thing with the matching silk pillowcase; that might be a nice alternative.
Plasticland has a lot of cool stuff along the same lines as ModCloth and Fred Flare this year, too. JetPens and Pear Tree both have really nice fountain pens and ink to suit a variety of budgets.
Someone is giving me a Korean-made day planner this year, which is not tied to a particular year, and comes with a ton of stickers. You fill in the dates on the calendar, or use stickers for it; there are also fun slogan stickers, deco stickers, page-tab stickers, and so on. The planner itself has pages for things like tracking your budget, making lists, They’re really cool and come in a bunch of designs. I found them on ebay but you can also find them on Etsy; I think the same designs are often sold a few years in a row. (I originally saw them here: japanesekoreanbeauty.wordpress… — although I wound up finding a design not shown there, elseweb — search “korea diary” on ebay. There are a lot of nice Alice in Wonderland planners, for example. In terms of the Korean stationery market they appear to always be called “diaries” rather than “calendars” or “planners.”)
Nooo, I’m not associated with any of these people! I just like nifty stuff. XD
Last year my fiance and I made jars of 365 individual quotes, which I’d found online and in books, chocolates, stone hearts, face masks and all sorts of other random stuff. Everyone LOVED them! It was a lot of hard work, but it was SO worth it when they realised that they would have inspiration or crazy randomness every day for a year.
This year, we’re making personalised calendars, with relevant birthdays and events printed on each day, as well as random inventions and world events, and famous people’s birthdays.
DIY all the way! It’s so much more rewarding that grabbing an okay CD off the shelves and fighting the crowds!
this had completely the opposite effect – both me and my mum are now getting satchels for christmas! oops.
i’m getting the men in my life pyjama bottoms (my brother only owns one pair and they could actually walk to the washing basket themselves now).
for the ladies, jewellery and books mainly. usually i let christmas stress me out, but this year i’m kicking back and enjoying my shopping!
yah ok im sooooooooo in love with most of this items!! but online shopping is addictive.
btw Gala, i’ve got one thing to ask u:
i found out about this good good project going on: picmedaily.tumblr.com/post/267… ; and it seems to me it could suit u, would that be bad to ask u to publicize it a little?
im trying, but im not far as famous as u are!
take a look,
a big hug xxx
S.
For a wonderful christmas gift that is cheap and thoughtful! Here is my gift to several memebers of my family prices and all.
I recently had a baby boy which my family and in laws are always gushing over. Well for a super cheap gift and very personalized I made on of these for each of them and wrapped it up nicely.
I’m known though out my family for taking tons of pictures. So, I took a buch of the cute pictures (differnet types of pics for different family members) amd created a colloges of pictures! All I had to have was a little Gift wrap, some tape, a picture frame, and of course, pictures of the baby! I just either wrapped the frames backing in colorful gift wrap the cut the pictures out in cute and abstract shapes, then took and attached each one the inside of the picture frame much like a scrap book. then sealed it all off with the frames glass and wrapped it in bubble wrap and christmas wrapper!
prices in USD are as follows
Frame=$7.00
Wrapper=$1.50/roll
Pictures=.28 cents/image
Tape=$1.00/roll
What great ideas, just when I thought the article was ending, I would scroll to find more and more unique gifts. I actually just purchased a cosmic reading from Joycelle, who was on your site, for myself and it was wonderful! Great idea for friends :)
And yes! I signed up for Gilt group, and oh my goodness, their brand new Betsey Johnson watches were cheaper than used ones on ebay! Insanity!!!
I love you Gala. Thank You.
Hey Gala Darling, I featured your awesome article on my website’s big list of the Best Christmas Gift Ideas Blogs on the Internet! Come check it out!