Earlier this month, on Instagram I asked for you to share the most meaningful gifts you’ve ever been given or ones you’ve thoughtfully put together for someone you love. I quickly scrolled through some of the answers as they were coming in, but then tucked the rest away knowing I’d return to them when I put this post together. I woke up early this morning as I always do, lit my candle, poured my coffee and finally pulled up that old post to collect the answers to share. What I didn’t expect were the tears, overwhelmed by the amount of love and thoughtfulness in all these precious gifts and the reminder that during this time of credit card-swiping gift giving, what we all really want is moments and words and reminders that we are seen and loved. We want one more hug with our grandpa who is no longer with us, we want our kids to tell us they remember the memories we made for them, and we want a recipe card with our grandma’s famous streusel coffee cake, written in her own handwriting, so we can hold our memories of her in our kitchen every time we bake it. Experiences, moments and stories trump anything you can “add to cart,” and these ideas you’ve shared prove it.

And, dear God, do some of you have the most thoughtful husbands/parents/siblings! Brett and I were dying reading some of the precious significant other gifts you shared. “Just so you know,” I told Brett, “Those salt and pepper shakers you got me last year just got their ass kicked so hard. I’d like you to meet the winner–‘100 reasons why I love you’ written on a scroll and tied with a ribbon. GOOD NIGHT.” For the record, gift giving is not his love language, and I am okay with it. Plus, those salt and pepper shakers are pretty cute.

I’ve taken several of the ideas you shared and am making them a part of our gift giving this year. I hope you are inspired as much as I was. There’s no way I could have compiled all the answers you shared, but I tried to pull as many as I could into one post. And to add a little visual festive to this post, I dug into the holiday archives which always hurts so good. Like this one, by far the most meaningful gift Nella has ever received…

The most meaningful gifts you’ve received and given…

My sister and I filled a huge jar with 356 “remember whens” for my parents. They still do one strip a day.
@sarablaira

My sister-in-law had a dress shirt of my dad’s turned into a skirt for my daughter.
@wrigleyette

A cutting board engraved with a favorite recipe in my late mom’s handwriting.
@daniellelackey

A set of cufflinks with the GPS coordinates of the location of our first kiss.
@flippin_ani

My mother-in-law hand wrote her favorite (and my husband’s) recipes for me.
@hazelnigella

What I really want from my husband this year is free: a Spotify playlist of songs that make him think of me.
@whatsarasaidblog

The gift of a workshop/class/experience (Doe Bay writing retreat).
@laflechemasse

A wallet from my husband filled with gift cards from all my favorite stores and services.
@janelle_johnstone

Every year my mom renews my kids zoo and science museum memberships.
@thisrezlife

Handwritten letters from my children.
@thealabamahousewife

My husband gave me a picture a local artist did of the place where we got engaged–and he got her to sign it.
@g1ng3r6r3ad

Personalized address stamp.
@weiscl13

My daddy’s typewriter restored.
@sherriemoore06

Watercolor piece done of my in-laws’ home where they’ve lived their entire married lives.
@kenliparker

A necklace with my grandmother’s handwriting (she’s passed).
@glowofgray

A collection of family recipes in a bound book.
@reneegarbe

A CD with a photo slideshow of the pictures from the year, set to a meaningful song from the year.
@conniefilbrun

A recipe box full of my favorite family meals.
@jane.bess

A gift with our baby’s name. She is in heaven. She is recognized.
@_rebekah.ruth_

Hand painted ornaments of my childhood home (by Cindy Thurston on Etsy).
@ashleysangha

I recently fell and dislocated my shoulder in the shower. My friend got me a shower mat.
@stephc8568

“Open when” letters.
@caitwebble

A sign with a family quote written in my grandma’s handwriting after she died.
@menoblay

A Build-a-Bear dressed as a soldier with a personal message, from my deployed brother.
@xolovekimblog

The year Lainey drew a picture for Nella, and we turned it into a dress for her.

A framed photo of when my grandparents were married.
@mahscott

A painting of my favorite mountain.
@coralma

A box of the most iconic goods from where we live and where my siblings live (coffees, alcohol, cheeses, etc.).
@dwiseman

Dinner out with my adult children, no kids.
@lindahartl001

Tickets to a musical with babysitting provided.
@laurababes

A knit stocking for my daughter to match the one made for me when I was born.
@jplot

My husband made me a comic book about my first 5 months being a mom.
@lolanmose

A door knocker for our forever home (someday I’ll hang it).
@mandycunningham_

100 Reasons Why I Love You, printed on a scroll and tied with a ribbon.
@melannerep

Grandpa’s old robes monogrammed for my nephews.
@dwiseman

A denim tote bag with pins of all my favorite TV shows and bands.
@hannah.renea.19

I gifted my dad a keychain with the latitude and longitude of my sibling’s and my locations.
@lorlyeloves

Cassette tapes that my grandfather recorded his life’s story on. Priceless.
@amy1icciardi

A night at a hotel all by myself with the only task being to relax!
@kritabaugh

An ornament my mom soldered (she took classes). She’s always learning something new.
@dwiseman

Framed prints of the ship our great grandparents came over from Italy on to my siblings.
@dwiseman

A Winnie the Pooh book published 10/14/26. My best friend gave me a copy for my son’s birth 10/14/18.
@renatatataaa

My mother-in-law had an article that I wrote for the city newspaper framed.
@carapcaudill

A music box that plays our wedding song.
@kari_dixon7

A recent favorite–tap shoes and payment for a 12-week class. #firsttimer #adultdancer
@emgmerritt

A print of a painting that was once mentioned…and remembered.
@fourmenandalady

My dad photocopied every journal entry he wrote about me from my birth on, and made me a book.
@erinmcbryant

A picture of the stars from where we live the night my daughter was born.
@paigeb127

It’s small, but my sister had a keychain made with a penny from 2017, and it says “boy mama”–my fave.
@c_stephenson11

My grandma who taught me how to sew gave me a box full of fabric leftover from her favorite dresses. I still have some of those scraps in my collection and will put them into quilts for my kids.
@turbtastic

After my mother died, my aunt bought me a bottle of the perfume she always wore.
@shaunaandco

Stockings made from old sweaters of grandma’s.
@dwiseman

Storyworth which came to us via you! We’ve passed this around all our family, and it is so meaningful.
@jfraserbeason

A handmade crib for my first born, made by my big brother.
@bresuedorts

A framed recipe card from my great-grandma with one of my favorite foods.
@evkingry

One year my aunt compiled old VHS family videos onto DVDs for the whole family.
@carlyehorse

Silhouette profile pictures of my children! My husband also made them for his parents.
@thekeslerbunch

A bangle with my children’s name and DOBs stamped on it.
@naterin

My husband built me a jewelry box. Got it one year unfinished. Next year with jewelry.
@lolajean5

A round trip ticket to visit my best friend.
@draeaskay

Alright, what did we miss on this list? To this day, one of my favorite gifts (I gave it to myself) is my keepsake quilt made from squares cut from my maternity jeans and the most memorable baby clothes from all three of my kids. It’s from Vintage Giggles, and this year I had the honor of giving a quilt–one I had made from my ties worn my by mother-in-law’s father who passed away early this year. It’s one of my favorite gift giving moments ever. What are your most favorite gift giving moments or meaningful things or experiences you’ve received?

And so it begins…the tree is up, four evening fires crackled in our fireplace this past weekend, and three of our holiday classic movies have already been checked off our list (Elf, Home Alone and Sound of Music).

The kids’ anticipation for the countdown is electric enough to power our house–although if Dash asks me one more time how come it’s not Christmas today when we told him Christmas comes after Thanksgiving, I’m going to have a Christmas Breakdown which we all know is a real thing.

Before I dump the Blog Documentation of Our Thanksgiving into this space, I’d like to stand on the mountaintop and give a quick little sermon about Christmas Breakdowns since sermon mountaintops were Jesus’s thing, and this is, after all, his birthday (Go Jesus! It’s your birthday–we gonna party like it’s your birthday!). This is the sermon I tell myself this next month, and it goes like this: The holiday to-do list that has the potential to make you feel overwhelmed or rushed or spent or too caught up in the bullshit to enjoy this special time of year? You invented that list, so you are the boss of that list. You can fire anyone at any time. You can eliminate jobs, cross unnecessary things off the list, cut the budget, cancel meetings, and call for breaks at any time. Do not let the holiday season boss you. You boss the season.

Very well then, let’s move on, shall we?  We hosted our 13th (14th? Can’t keep track anymore) Thanksgiving Pajama Breakfast with neighbors this year which is really just a great excuse not to run the local Turkey Trot. When friends ask if I want to run it, it’s really fun to answer, “Oh shoot–I would, but I’m going to be in my pajamas eating pancakes, darn it.”

Also, I need you to know that a day before I drew this turkey in our driveway, with highly pigmented art chalk that will take 18 rainy seasons to disappear yet still leaving a trace outline of feathers, Brett paid to have our driveway power washed.

This is my definition of holiday happiness–family, pajamas, twinkle lights, living room fire, Christmas music. The rest is just extra.

We always play the Macy’s parade–all through breakfast. I love the holiday commercials in between, especially the Macy’s ones. This one was so beautiful and made me tear up, although I laughed at how many people direct messaged me after I posted something on stories about it, saying how stressed out they were over the little styrofoam snow messing up the fictional spaceship and causing mechanical failure.

This one was precious too. As much as holiday commercialism can be a little much, I will always be inspired by good story-telling in marketing and how brilliantly advertisers can make you feel something with a commercial. Holiday commercials are my favorite.

The kids ran to the door when they saw our neighbors walking up our driveway. They know the Thanksgiving drill.

And I love how, no matter how beautiful I set our table, when the meal is over, we always end up huddled over the kitchen counter.

Later in the day, we made our pies. Lainey made and rolled out the crusts with very little supervision this year. Train ’em young.

…and off to Brett’s parents for dinner.

The rest of the holiday week was spent doing our favorite holiday things.

Eating…

Beaching it…

…and huddling together at night for movies and games.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sound of Music, and let me just tell you this: Captain von Trapp is way hotter than I remember.

As much as I don’t want to wake up and start the school routine again this week, as I remind the kids, there is so much magic sprinkled into our every day this month. The good wouldn’t be so good if there wasn’t work to be done to earn it.

Your holiday homework this week: Don’t be a pushover boss. You tell your holiday to-do list how it’s going to go. Cross something off if you need to. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I’m continually grateful for this community.

 

Alright, if you’ve been here a while, you know this list is my thing. Tiny Shit is my love language, and I wait all year to publish this list, collecting links for unique little treasures I find online for months. I spend a lot of hours on this list, searching and scrolling and clicking for all the hidden buried treasures on the Internet, hunting down unique things I think kids and teens will love. And while, yes, it’s tedious, I love it. Stockings are my favorite, and I really do find myself strangely thrilled by the little gifts more and find my kids love them too. This list is my September issue of Vogue, folks, and I’m delighted to bring you another epic stocking stuffer list. I’ve broken them into two lists–one for kids and one for teens–but there are lots of things on this list that serve both. If you want to see the list in Amazon all together, you can view it here. Happy stocking stuffer shopping, friends!

1. Frog Ear Cuff – Whether she has her ears pierced or not, this itty bitty silver frog that hugs the top of the ear is the cutest.

2. Souper Spoon – It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s souper spoon! If there never was a fight for the best spoon in the drawer, there will be now. So make sure Santa brings one for each kid’s stocking.

3.Studio Oh Thank You Cards – After all those presents, the kids will have some thank yous to write. These whimsical thank you cards illustrated by Arrolynn Weiderhold are perfect for kids and stocking stuffer budget friendly.

4. Polymer Clay Pizza Earrings – Without entering the abyss that is food jewelry (it’s a thing, and there’s a charm for everything–even ranch dressing), just trust me on this. Girls like pizza. Girls like fun jewelry. Therefore, Santa will charm (get it?) them with these dangle pizza slices.

5. Hedgehog Mittens – When they’re asking for a hedgehog for Christmas and not getting one, maybe they’ll settle for these adorable hedgie mittens. Cannot with these.

6. Kid Watch – Dash’s little obsession with watches is the most precious, so I hope Santa slips in one of these. And when you click on the link, you’ll see the huge variety of styles for this model – fire trucks, strawberries (all the heart eyes!), dolphins, dinosaurs, baseball, basketball, trains, planes, mermaids…

7. Snow Cotton Candy – Did you know the snow at the North Pole is magic and tastes like cotton candy? This 3- pack (one for each kid) will prove it.

8. Finger Breakdancing Kit – complete with cardboard mat and tiny boom box. These little shoes fit on your fingers, and you make them breakdance. Imagine the hilarious videos they’ll film of these.

9. Campfire Nightlight – to cozy up their bedrooms. Coming from the North Pole, Santa is all about the cozy.

10. Vanishing Crayons – These aren’t just any crayons. These are magic crayons, and kids love magic. Especially on Christmas when they can hold you hostage on the couch while they perform for you over and over and over. Pretend to be amazed every time.

11. Bug Sandwich Bags – Every one of these lunch bags has a bug printed on the plastic, so that when your kid shows up at school with a ham and cheese next week, everyone around him will be grossed out. And there’s nothing more fun than grossing out your friends.

12. Pikimi Flip – We’ve been through every small toy trend in this home over the years from rainbow looms to Shopkins, and this is the new hit this year — these plush cotton candy fluffs that flip inside out to reveal a critter, and each one is sweetly scented. They remind me of the 80’s Popples, and I’m actually kind of smitten. But then again, I’m a 10-year-old trapped in a 39 year-old’s body

13. Pinhole Press Photo Board Book – one of our favorite ways to preserve photos for the kids.  Your kids will be so impressed to see Santa personalized their stockings when they find a board book complete with photos of themselves over the year.

14. World’s Smallest Toy Blind Box – Santa combines two favorites — miniature with the surprise factor. Kids love the thrill of a blind box, and inside every one is a classic toy shrunken down to the cutest miniature you ever did see.

15. Squirmles – It’s the classic fuzzy pet worm with the invisible string. These have been a huge hit in our home for several years now, and we all get a kick out of making videos of our worms climbing out of cups and scooting across the counter while we talk for them in Marcel the Shell voices.

16. Wooden Toy Camera – A toy camera that is as cute hanging in their bedrooms as it is fun to play with. And it’s only $10.

17. Pet Tornado – A little shake and swirl of this can forms a real tornado that kids will be fascinated by and maybe even learn a little something about science. That Santa — sneaking in learning with his toys.

18. Tiny Hands – The perfect way to get everyone rolling on Christmas day. Warning – once opened, all chances for serious photos are out. Those tiny hands will be showing up in the family album for sure.

19. Mood Ring – It’s a rite of passage for little girls.

20. Bathtub Koi – A realistic looking koi fish that lights up the second it touches water. So turn off the lights for your kid’s next bath and watch the water light up with rainbows while this fish joins them for a swim.

21. Melting Poo – Fact: You can never go wrong with poop and kids. Poop is always funny and greatly appreciated. This poop putty melts and molds, and let’s just leave it at that.

22. Prank Snake – Just so you know, this is totally going to be used against you, but there’s nothing more fun than a prank snake, and everyone knows it. This has appeared in our kids’ stockings before, and two seconds later, the kids are snickering, setting it up in the neighbor’s driveway to give them a Merry Christmas Heart Attack.

23. Rubik’s Cube – It is our job as parents to properly teach our kids about the wonders of the 80’s, and it begins with the Rubik’s Cube. Bonus: It will keep them busy and quiet, and it’s not technology. Unless, of course, they’re using YouTube cheats.

24. Folkmanis Monkey Finger Puppet – These finger puppets make the cutest stocking stuffers and are a great way to start a puppet collection for littles.

25. Break Your Own Geodes – nothing more fun to a kid than smashing rocks, and these one come with a surprise inside. Two in a pack covers the stocking toe for two kids.

26. Petite Collage Magnetic Dress Up Set – One of the sweetest magnetic dress-up sets I’ve seen. Mix and match, perfect size for travel.

27. Magic Coin Slide Trick – Another opportunity for your kids to wow their Christmas guests. Dash is all about the magic and pranks right now. Turn a nickle into a dime with this little trick box.

28. Touchable Bubbles – 6-pack (great for multiple kids). These bubbles are made with polymer so they don’t pop when you touch them.

29. Spot It! – This is the hit game for our family this year. We’ve played it on planes, in restaurants while we’re waiting for our food, and everyone we’ve introduced this to has run off to buy it. Easy to learn, and perfect across all ages.

30. Calico Critter Twin Kittens – It’s the tiny bottle and pacifier that get you.

31. Spokester Bicycle Noise Maker – This little bike accessory transforms trikes into Harleys. Clip it onto the front of any bike, and it makes real motorcycle exhaust sounds.

32. Rainbow Toothbrushes – Sure, new toothbrushes are an old standby of Santa’s, but he’s upping the ante this year with the prettiest toothbrushes you ever did see–rainbow bristles!

33. Magnet Ball Sculpture – A fun fidget toy, these little magnetic balls shape into anything you want.

34. Traveling Slideshow Reusable Bibs – These are funny enough to use well past the normal bib age (I mean, kids still need bibs on spaghetti night, right?)

35. Stacking Chairs – a fun balance game for everyone.

36. Tattly Candy Arm Band Temporary Tattoos – Tattly has the best temporary tattoos, and these candy arm bands can be worn now or saved for Valentine’s Day.

FOR THE TEENS
Show your kids you’re not a regular mom. You’re a cool mom with these unique stocking stuffers just for teens. Or kids who can’t wait to be teens.

1. Ring Light – attaches to phones and i-pads and gives good flattering light for crisp selfies.

2. Bacon Lip Balm – It’s gross and weird, and exactly the reason teens will love it.

3. Flash Drive – Ahhh! These Mimobot flash drives are everything. They come in a range of characters and drive space options.

4. Just Texting on the Toilet Real Quick Hand Sanitizer – because everybody does it.

5. Boxing Glove Pen – Deodorant, toothbrush, pens — I mean, if Santa’s going to throw boring basics in the stocking, at least he could jazz them up. This one covers cool pens.

6. Himalayan Salt Night Light – Himalayan salt lamps are all the rage. This night light version is a sure hit for any teen.

7. Watercolor Pocket Box – All any budding artist needs to get painting. I use this little kit to paint my bucket lists. And it’s small enough to fit in your back pocket.

8. RBG Air Freshener – Whether it’s the car, the locker, or the gym bag, RGB will make sure it stays smelling fresh.

9. Jane Austen Temporary Tattoos – for the literature loving teens.

10. Pit – this fast-learning classic card game will keep the entire family entertained Christmas night.

11. Pantone Magnet Set – these Pantone color chips are actually 3-D wood magnets. Set come with a mini book featuring 30 Pantone colors to show off your current mood (what color means FESTIVE?)

12. Pocket Bluetooth Speaker

13. Mr. Rogers Sticky Note Set – The world majorly caught on this year and realized that Mr. Rogers is as cool and hip as any pop star. This sticky note set includes two sticky pads (that sweater!) as well as page markers in all the Mr. Rogers’ characters. King Friday will hold your place in that book.

14. Bluetooth Remote – No need to run and reset the self timer. This bluetooth remote takes a picture every time you push the button. (Check the options – the other colors are significantly cheaper than the black one).

15. Cat Ear Beauty Hair Band – Washing your face never looked so cute.

16. Hot Dog Stapler – Perfect for their backpacks.

17. J.R. Watkins Hand Cream

18. Slime Keyboard Cleaner – These slime blobs are actually meant to be placed on top of your keyboard to clean out all the dust and gunk that gets between the keys.

19. Fruit Slice Earrings – Nine pairs in one set.

20. Battery-Operated Pencil Sharpener

21. Sheer Lip Socks – The sheer socks trend has never looked cuter.

22. Can Safe – It’s a can of SpaghettiO’s. Nope, it’s a can disguised as a can of SpaghettiO’s, the perfect place to stash spare keys, cash and more in plain sight.

23. Sunday Football Socks – Blue Q makes the best stocking stuffer socks, by far. Just click around through all the options, and you’ll have five pairs in your cart in no time.

24. Texting Gloves – Can you imagine our parents seeing this on our list twenty years ago? “What the heck are texting gloves?” Keep their hands warm and let them text — you, of course, letting you know they’ll be home soon.

25. Shakespearean Insult Bandages – Your kids will be looking forward to their next paper cut just so they can whip out one of these. Thy breath stinks with eating toasted cheese. 

26. Rainbow Stripe Water Bottle – This insulated water bottle kicks all the other water bottles butts.