2022 Holiday Gift Guide

I heard someone recently describe this time of year as “the Most time of year.” Not The Most Wonderful like we’ve always been taught, but just, The Most. It seems like we feel everything a little more this time of year, both the magic and the heartache. I appreciate this reminder. It’s ok that everything feels wonderful and also a little tender. The feelings are all heightened around the holidays.

You’ve probably seen about a million ads and links by this point, and it can feel noisy and overwhelming. This list is intended to simplify, just if you need an idea, or a springboard to help you think creatively about your unique person. I’m a strong believer that you know your child/spouse/BFF/mother in law best and therefore are the expert in gift giving for them.

Also: there are a million ways to care for someone and sometimes the very best ones cost only time, not money. I try to keep in mind that how magical my kids remember their childhood Christmases is not directly proportional to what’s under the tree.

Here are some thoughtful ideas for giving and getting. Special Note: the children’s gifts here are organized by gender for simplicity’s sake, but of course any gift can be for any child. This is meant to be an all-inclusive, anything for anyone, kind of list. Happy gifting!

FOR GIRLS

American Girl. So nostalgic for me! Blaire is getting some of my American Girl items I had as a child, and her big gift this year is a new doll, the 2019 girl of the year, Blaire! I had to really hunt around for it because that doll is now retired and not in production anymore. I love the quality of American Girl, the connection to reading, and the stories of strong girls. Some places to shop for secondhand, retired, or new in box dolls at a discount: OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, Poshmark, and Ebay.

Piggy paint. Best non-toxic nail polish for girls.

Modern dollhouse. I found this one on OfferUp.

Velvet tiny box for treasures or jewelry. $8! A similar version is an Oprah favorite this year.

Bows, hair clips, hair ties

Stick on Earrings. So 1999.

Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty in Fairy Sprinkles Gift Set. We love putty for the tactile sensory input. There are lots of kinds! Costco has a gift set right now for $19.

Brown Toy Box. Puzzles and games for all kids, featuring culturally diverse children in STE(A)M professions! If you can see yourself in it, you can be it.

OG Doll Hairbrush. Target’s line of dolls and accessories similar to American Girl, Our Generation, has similar items for less. This wire hairbrush can be used on doll hair and won’t frizz like other hairbrushes.

EOS lip balms. Costco had a pack of 7 these on sale recently for $12. Great in a stocking.

FOR BOYS

Harry Potter Lego. Combining two favorites here.

Loog Pro Electric Guitar. Three strings, expensive, but have heard such great things about this one for learning how to play. Comes with free video lessons.

Laser Tag. Controversial, I know. This was an asked for gift this year. We are strategic about our language around it, calling them “blasters” instead of guns, and “darts” instead of bullets. Similar to nerf, but without the cleanup. Every family has different boundaries around this kind of play though, and I think our main idea is to be thoughtful and intentional about it.

Kiwi Co Subscription Kits. We really love these kits. Trey has his eye on a robotics one. $10 off with this link here.

Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty. For your favorite fidgeter. Find it at Costco for a deal!

OgoSport. An indoor safe active game, with koosh balls (remember those from the 90s?)

Walkie Talkies. Our gifts for the cousins last year. Rechargeable and long range! This was a fun one.

FOR FRIENDS/SISTERS/MOMS

Stocking stuffers: Elf cosmetics. Cheapest clean beauty around. I love the putty blush, bronzer, eye brow, and the multi-stick. Also: This 8.99 wallet, and fancy salt.

The fancy hotel candle. This candle by Alixx is the scent of one of our favorite luxury hotels. The medium sized is plenty big, and gives the most amazing relaxing scent.

A crossbody purse. I wear this everyday. Perfect for moms, the handsfree upgrade to the fanny pack.

Musee. This may be the coolest company on this list. A woman owned bath line, supporting vulnerable employees, and the packaging is gorgeous! From their website: “Musee makes handcrafted, natural bath products in Madison County, Mississippi with the mission of restoring lives by providing dignified work for vulnerable people in our community. We primarily hire women in recovery, people with disabilities, and people who have lived in chronic poverty. Our products are handmade in the USA with ethically sourced, natural ingredients. Our bath balms are cruelty-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free and safe for all skin types.” So great, right? If you’re shopping for a tween who loves face masks, see their new sister line, Pretty Inside.

Similarly, Thistle Farms. Providing healing and hope for women survivors of all kinds of trauma. My mom sent me a gift box that included their all natural, essential oil bug spray last summer and I really loved it. Great products and a great mission equals a great gift in my book.

Magnesium bath salt flakes. More bio-available than Epsom salts, magnesium is a natural relaxant and makes a wonderful addition to a bath. Pair with a natural bubble bath.

Loop earplugs. For moms in loud households! A friend has these and I’m trying them out this year

FOR MEN

Air Tags. Keep track of everything, from keys to luggage (to your kid, put one in their backpack!)

Beats studio buds. I run with these daily. Great sound and stay put.

Rechargeable Lighter. Never look for a match again! No batteries needed. We light candles with it every night now that it’s dark so early.

This wallet. Chances are he has a wallet already, yes. But we both use this bare minimum one, it comes in a million colors, it’s only around $13, and we both love it. Great in a stocking.

Car water bottle expandable holder. Random, but I did not know these existed. To keep a larger width water bottle upright while driving. Genius.

Spike Ball. If he’s into backyard sports and games, this is a good one.

Klask. Fun tabletop game that he probably doesn’t already have.

FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Games! Some of our faves and some I want to try: spot it, headbanz, Otrio, throw throw burrito, taco goat cheese pizza, and a surprise to me for this age, chess! Chess club at school has been a fall highlight.

Indoor/winter gym: mats, a foldable balance beam, wedges. This would be a great basement playroom gift idea.

SUMMER ADVENTURING WITH THULE

We’re ready for summer adventures! Our favorite outdoor adventure brand, Thule (commonly mispronounced, but in case you’re curious, it’s “too-lee”, not “th-ool”), sent us two accessories we needed. This post is shared in partnership with them.

First up, this bike rack. It’s the highest weight capacity Thule makes (necessary for e-bikes!) and also works with standard road bikes as well as smaller kids’ bikes. It comes fully assembled and was easy to install, and I can attach or remove it on our hitch by myself without tools. It also folds when not in use, saving valuable garage space. The bikes are secured with multiple points of connection and locking, giving us total peace of mind when on the road. Bonus: it’s in stock right now. If you are looking to carry 4 bikes at a time I was also looking at this with the add on.

One of the best features of this bike rack: full trunk access even with bikes loaded. It folds down like this.

Next up: this cargo box. Originally planned for skis, but also for anytime we need extra space when road tripping. This is the luxury version of cargo boxes. It’s felt lined, opens on both sides, is quiet, and is even outfitted with LED interior lights for access at night. It’s glossy black and very pretty (things I never thought I’d say about a cargo box). We love it. Like so many things right now, do you have to wait a while to get one in stock. At the time of this writing, I found a similar style Thule cargo box currently in stock here.

We are entering the start of the reason why so many people love the pacific northwest: summer. It’s hard earned here, and well deserved. The proximity to the water, lush greenery, all the nearby trails and all our friends ready to play are our reward for making it through another winter.

Thanks to Thule for partnering with me so many times over the years. More on the jogging stroller we still have and use and love and that never fails us, even 6 years later, here. Best suitcases that we use every time we travel here.

Modern Tudor Living Room

My first official design board! Hugely exciting day. This is the start of our modern Tudor living room. It’s a mix of old and new, with rich textures and tones. Mostly second hand, but you can shop very similar (or in some cases, exact!) items below the post.

We had the couch so we started there (and it looks nothing like the stock photo since my kids have used it as an indoor trampoline for years. It’s well worn and well loved!). I found the antique marble and mahogany coffee table on OfferUp, and then both sets of ottomans. (My grey ottomans actually read a deep olive green in real life, so they may be different ones.) We have similar art to the one pictured, but vertically oriented instead of horizontal, and in a nearby hallway. I scored a couple unique vintage lamps, along with the console and some ceramic vases, and am still finding little pieces to fill in. The overall design is slowly evolving, but I definitely have a direction, and it has been so much fun to put together.

Here is a before photo I took when the house was on the market and I walked through it for the first time (in September!). It is not bad at all. The natural light, the gridded (and updated!) windows, the high ceilings, and all the arches won us over and are absolute perfection. But there were a few things I wanted to do to make it feel more like us.

And here it is today, about 10 weeks after moving in:

One of the biggest updates to the house that we are so glad we did before we moved in was updating the floors. We kept the original (100 year old!) red oak, and refinished in a water based stain and matte seal. They turned out so beautiful. They are covered in a rug here so it’s not the best angle to see, but they are stunning. I especially love light floors in Seattle because it is so dark here for most of the year. They make the whole space feel more open, more inviting, and warmer.

I still have a lot of big plans for this space (in my dream world we’d custom build/DIY a huge plaster, European looking fireplace) and we also still need window treatments, more seating, and on and on, but I’m reminding myself that house design is not a quick fix. It takes months and sometimes even years to get your vision to come to life, and even then I keep making small changes. It’s a long game! I do truly enjoy the process. We’ve come so far in such a short amount of time and when I rememeber everything we’re juggling simultaneously with our small kids I remember that it’s really kind of amazing we’re getting anything done at all.

So here’s to slow growth, and making good, small changes over time.

Below is a design board and shoppable links (scroll through the rows for more) if you’d like to create a similar look.