we’re officially ONE WEEK away from christmas morning! (cue home alone face slap). if you’re still in need of some gift ideas, i’ve rounded up a few of my favorite things to give (and to receive!). and the best part is that you can do most of the shopping from the comfort of your own home:

pajamas || true story: the moment i get home from work/barre/date night, i am immediately in my comfy clothes. needless to say, they get a lot of wear and consequently, a lot of wash. therefore i tend to go through pajamas pretty quickly and am always on the lookout for a new, cozy pair. my favorite places to buy them are target (of course), aerie, abercrombie, and j.crew/j.crew factory. there are a ton of options (holiday and non-holiday) and all at an affordable price. i can’t think of anyone -male or female who wouldn’t love a cozy pair of loungewear to enjoy really all year long. here are some of my favorite pjs -both pants & matching sets:

 

gift certificate to a blow dry bar || one of S and my go-to present strategies (oftentimes for each other) is to gift an experience rather than a tangible item. last year his mom and i gave him and his dad tickets to a ducks/kings hockey game and it ended up being something we could all enjoy together as a family. for the ladies in your life, i can speak from experience (given the amount of hair i have) that there is nothing quite like having someone else wash, dry, and style your hair. similar to a good pedicure or massage (both are equally as perfect gifts!), it’s one of life’s little luxuries that would be very well-received -especially if the recipient is a new mama. there are a ton of drybar locations across the country and if you’re local to north county san diego, i often frequent blo blow dry bar and have always had a great experience (they blew my hair out the day before my wedding!).

tassel earrings || unfortunately after a successful black friday sale, my gal natalie borton’s tassel earring collection is nearly depleted, but seeing as i wear her earrings almost daily (and get no less than two compliments on them every time), i couldn’t not include a pair on my gift list. she still has a few in the white/silver combination and is bound to make more in the new year after she comes up for air (she just had her second baby at the end of october). if you can’t wait that long, i’ve rounded up a few more cute options that would be perfect for an lady to sport on new year’s eve and then again on valentine’s day:

 

anthropologie candle || i recently included an anthro candle in one of my “it’s friday, i’m in love” posts but i love them so much i’m sharing them here, too. similar to pajamas, i don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love a good smelling candle -especially one that comes in a pretty tin that can be repurposed long after the wax has disappeared. while we’re partial to the cookie-smelling varieties, anthropologie volcano candles come in a variety of scents -everything from pine to spiced cider to their signature capri blue fragrance (it’s the same smell that hits you as soon as you enter their brick and mortar store). we keep ours in our living room so we can enjoy them while we’re watching tv, but they’re also great in bathrooms or in the bedroom for a little ambiance -just be sure to blow them out before you go to bed!

hobo wallet || i’ve carried a hobo wallet since college and i don’t think i’ll ever switch. it continues to be the best means of holding all of my vaulables even 10 plus years later. what i love about this particular style is that it’s almost like a wallet/purse/clutch all in one. oftentimes if i’m just running out to the store or to do some miscellaneous errand, all i really need to grab is this wallet. it has a spot for my cash, my cards, a place to display my ID, and plenty of other pockets to hold everything from business cards to spare change. besides that, they come in a zillion different colors and patterns so you can appease anyone’s taste. right now i’m carrying a sparkly leopard print which i’ve known to get compliments on when i pull it out to pay at trader joe’s. don’t mean to brag, you know.

encinitas surfboards hat || if your husband is anything like mine, he loves a good hat. they’re the best defense against a bad hair day and well -really any day you don’t feel like doing your hair at all. this gift is more niche to our specific neck of the woods, but i love supporting local businesses in our area. the good news is, they have an online store, so if you want to nab a hat for your husband (or for yourself! i have this one in grey) you can easily do so without being in san diego. S got this style before our honeymoon and wore it nearly every single day. while he certainly owns many hats, we consider this one to be his fanciest (if you can have a “fancy” trucker hat?). aside from their design, they’re also very comfortable, which is a must when you’re wearing it for hours at at time.

a package to their favorite workout studio || if you have a friend or family member that loves fitness and makes it a priority, i can’t recommend this gift more highly. depending on the workout, fitness classes are quite an investment. most studios offer packages of anything from three classes to a month unlimited. depending on what you’d like to spend, you can always purchase a package of classes in the recipient’s name. in the case of our barre studio, the classes would simply be added to their account and they could use them accordingly. for someone who used to spend upwards of $140 a month (thank goodness my classes are free now as an instructor!), i can attest to the fact that this gift would be so well-received. sometimes the best gifts are the practical ones because they free up the funds of the recipient to treat themselves in other ways throughout the year.

if you wanted to take it one step further… let’s say you’re gifting classes to a barre studio (hint, hint), you could always make a cute little package out of it by including a pair of grippy socks, a new pair of fun leggings, and/or a sports bra. if you’re giving classes to a cycling studio, perhaps a good sweat towel, a pair of cycling shorts, and/or a gift card to a nearby juice or smoothie place would be fun. get creative and have fun with it!

bacon of the month || yes you read that correctly. this christmas you can send the gift of BACON to the ones you love. we gifted bacon to my cousin and brother-in-law last year and it was a HUGE hit. we were able to choose three flavors from a list of many and the bacon came delivered to the recipients on dry ice a few days before christmas so they were able to enjoy it well into the new year. there are many similar subscription companies, but we used pig of the month and were quite pleased with the service/quality.

and finally,

starbuck’s gift card || when all else fails, you can never go wrong with a card to help fuel your friend or family’s caffeine addiction. whether it’s a card for $5 or $500, free coffee is always a good idea. (of course, coffee bean, peet’s, and even better buzz (if you’re local!) gift cards are also great ideas, too, depending on the recipients coffee locale of choice).

good luck on finishing the rest of your shopping!

 

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