With Christmas rapidly approaching, everyone is scrambling to find the perfect gift for everyone they care about. It’s a stressful time for everyone (unless you are somehow put together enough to do all of your gift-shopping months in advance! But let’s be real, who does that?). I want to help everyone and give some ideas for great gifts this holiday season!
For Your Parents
As I’m getting older and older, it’s easier to try and find something for my parents for Christmas! My mom and I have a strong love for skincare. We use a lot of the same products for our best skin (check out my post on how I Became A Rodan+Fields Consultant for more information!). I also have a huge passion for makeup. My mother doesn’t share this passion like I do, which is totally fine! She loves to hear me tell her about all of the new things that I’m interested in. For her Christmas present, I got her a beauty product that she expressed interest in! I know she’s going to love it and use it every day. I can’t write what it is because she’s one of the readers of this blog and I won’t spoil it before Christmas!
Here are some ideas for Mom:
- Jewelry
- Amazon has some great dupes for famous expensive pieces, like the Cartier bracelet. For those who are in college or don’t have the money lying around to drop, check it out here!
- Makeup
- Sephora and Ulta has some great brands! Learn what type of makeup your mom likes to wear (if any) and see what will match her skin tone. Each of these stores have gift guides on their websites. You can find Sephora here and Ulta here!
- Perfume
- There is nothing as elegant as a signature fragrance! For a personal touch, take her out to the mall and sample some different scents. Find out which one she likes best and get it for her! That way, you have a gift you know she’ll love and you’ll know for a fact that she likes the scent. I recommend Daisy Love by Marc Jacobs, that one is my favorite!
- Skincare
- Rodan+Fields really has everything that your mom could ever want! Check out the Solution Tool from Rodan+Fields to see what she could get from them! Contact me for 10% off and free shipping!
For my dad, I had to think about what I want to get him. He’s a man who knows what he likes and what he doesn’t, which makes it a bit easier to shop for him. In past years, I have gotten him funny Christmas mugs, a bacon cookbook from Urban Outfitters, and various kinds of desserts. My entire family is focused more on being healthy this year, so some of these gifts won’t work. Luckily, I have a list of potential gifts I know he’ll like.
Here are some ideas for Dad:
- A tie from his favorite brand
- My dad always has to wear a tie for work, so I know he’ll love getting one from his daughter! He can wear it to work and know I love him when he wears it. Make sure that it’s a professional tie that he would wear, though! Just because my favorite color is pink doesn’t mean that I’ll get him a flamingo tie.
- Cufflinks
- Another classy item that goes with work attire. My dad doesn’t wear cufflinks that often (to my knowledge). But if your dad does, this is a great gift! You can find them at Macy’s, Nordstrom, or Men’s Wearhouse (MW will have great deals! I went there for a school project and was pleasantly surprised by the prices).
- A nice watch
- Depending on what your dad likes, it could be a gold watch or a silver watch. Perhaps he has a favorite brand that he’s loyal to. Does he have a watch that he’s looking at? Ask some pointed questions whenever you get the chance to find out! Does he like Apple products? My dad got the iWatch a little under a year ago and loves it! Maybe your dad will, too.
- A good novel
- My dad loves to read. He reads even more than I do, and that’s saying a lot! If your dad is like this, I know he’ll love getting a good book. Check out some bestsellers or even the Goodreads Best Books of 2018! If he likes to read books from iBooks or Amazon Kindle and you aren’t sure what book to get him, get him a gift card! He’ll know which book to get that he’ll like and you’ll make him smile with your gift. Win/win!
For Your Best Friends
I have best friends who are girls and best friends who are guys. All of them are very different and like different things. I have to keep track of who likes what (which is not a bad problem to have at all!). I love the diversification that my friend group has. Everyone will like something different from someone else, but that’s what makes giving gifts so much fun!
Here are some gift ideas for your friends!
- Candles
- Who doesn’t love candles? This is definitely one of the more girlier gifts on this list but there are some masculine scents from Bath and Body Works that one of your guy friends will like. Locate some killer candles from Bath and Body Works here!
- Travel-Sized Items from Bath and Body Works
- Bath and Body Works, again, is the answer! The company has lots of sales throughout the month of December so go, go, go! Find some great deals and gifts for friends! Girls and guys both use hand sanitizer, and it’s a cute stocking stuffer to go along with other gifts. The girls will love the lotions and the perfumes. Everyone would use the shower gels! Find some great options for everyone right here!
- Socks
- Every guy I have ever known has worn socks. Whether they’re just black athletic socks or they’re funny socks, I know every guy on your list will appreciate this gift. If they like dogs, there are literally hundreds of options to choose from online. Amazon will definitely have some great socks!
- Funny T-shirts
- Another great idea for guys on your list! Amazon, once again, is the place to go to! I included a link to some of the funniest T-shirts on the Internet here. Over the past couple years, I have gotten a bunch of guy friends shirts because I know they’ll like them and enjoy them. I hate worrying about whether or not someone will like my gift so this is a safe option.
For the Girly Girl
This one is probably the easiest one for me because I’m such a girly girl. For your girlfriend, your sister, or one of your good friends, this is the list of gifts for them! Make sure you have an idea of their favorite colors so you can pick the best option of each gift for them.
- Nail Polish
- I love OPI. I think it’s one of the best brands out there for nail polish and you can find loads of cheap options at TJ Maxx and Target. Unlike Ulta, they have nail polish for less then $9. At Ulta, they’ll try to charge upwards of $10. Check out a TJ Maxx near you or Target.com.
- Makeup
- Be careful with this gift! Most girls are very particular in what makeup they want. They won’t use certain brands because of their preference or beliefs. Unless you have access to their Sephora loves list (hint: just ask them for it!), don’t go into Sephora or Ulta and buy something that looks good. They might already have it or not want it.
- Giftcards
- If you want to get them something like the makeup option, this is a safe choice. I guarantee that it will make her happy! She’ll be able to pick whichever item she chooses and she’ll think of you when she does it. There are tons of great gift card options to places like Sephora and Ulta! For clothes or music, find their favorite store or get them an iTunes gift card.
- Accessories
- Scarves, sunglasses, and more! You can find cute items at Target for a fraction of the cost. If you know her favorite stores, go there and find something in her favorite color. Gift giving is a lot easier once you know their favorites.
For Your Secret Santa
Depending on how well you know your Secret Santa (and the price limit), you can refer to some of the items listed above. For my Secret Santa this year, I got him a mug, hot chocolate, and some chocolate squares! He absolutely loved it and it was so affordable! Target is a great place to find whatever you might need. Here are some other ideas!
- Mugs
- Target has no end of cute mug selections. For men and women alike, you’re sure to find the best gift for your person for a great price! For the Christmas season, they have an amazing range of Christmas and holiday mugs. You might end up buying two mugs; one for your person and one for yourself!
- Candy
- This is a crowd favorite. Usually for Secret Santa, everyone puts their favorite kind of candy into the groupchat to make things easier. You can’t go wrong with getting plenty of their favorite candy! If they didn’t specify their favorite, grab some classics like Hershey’s, M&M’s, or KitKats.
- Cards
- Don’t be afraid to make things personal! Get a cute card and tell them how happy you are that you guys are friends. It’ll make your person so happy and give the gift a sweet touch. You can find cute cards all over the place, like Target, TJ Maxx, or Michael’s.
- Socks
- Target also has a good amount of Christmas socks. With the cold season upon us, it’s the best time to bundle up with some fun holiday socks full of cheer. It won’t matter if your Secret Santa is a girl or a guy, everyone like socks.
This has been such a great post to write! I figured out what I’m getting all of my friends after writing it down. I can’t thank you enough for reading and I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Leave a comment down below if this helped your gift giving!
Love,
Kaitlin
Kaitlin H Powell 