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You’ve probably heard the saying, Something You Want, Something You Need, Something to Wear, Something to Read. I love the simplicity, but I lean more towards something to play, something to treasure, something that’s cozy, something to make, and something to learn.

I don’t believe in taking out a loan to pay for the holidays. I’m all for keeping the holidays S I M P L E, and I love giving things we’ve made, but I also love finding things my people will love.

Holiday Gift Guide

No matter how you shop or give, you’ll find all sorts of creative, fun gift ideas below. I’ve given (or will be giving) all of them, and they are favorites in our home.

Something to Play

One of our FAVORITE games is Wildcraft. If you don’t have this one on your game shelf, I can’t recommend it enough. 

We just got Mind the Gap and had a blast playing it. Players answer questions about different generations- Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and Millennials. Awesome for teens and adults.

We love YOU WISH and have gifted it to many a friend. Go Fish meets Uno meets magical creatures; this game is so fun and a perfect stocking stuffer.

I gave Throw Throw Burrito and Poetry for Neanderthals to the kids a couple of years ago, and they loved them! These games are ridiculous and hysterical, and get my teenager to join us.

Cards Against Humanity Family Edition is great for older kids! We laugh so hard each time we play.

We also highly recommend everything on this game list! So many favorites.

If your kids like writing, these writing games are awesome! (They also help kids like to write and practice 🙂

My teen often chooses Telestrations. It’s great for younger kids too!

I have a bunch of games in my resource library. If you’re not a subscriber, let’s connect, and you’ll have access to them all for free.

Something to Treasure

Every year, one of the gifts I give my kids is a photo book filled with pictures and stories from the year. I love making them, and I often get a good cry as I put them together. They are cherished. Along with the books, we often make photo gifts for family. Fun to put together and a sweet way to keep memories, we have used Snapfish and Shutterfly. They often have BOGO and other great deals to keep the gifts affordable.  

Along with photo keepsakes, handmade gifts are always treasures. My kids and I have made candles, ornaments, stuffed friends, baskets, and they’ve built many a thing of wood with their father.

We also love making salves, lip balms, and lotions. I get many of my ingredients from Mountian Rose Herbs and my recipes from Learning Herbs.

I often make clothesline baskets. Quick and so cute, they are also a fun way to give gifts.

Something Cozy

Some of my loves are HSP, and these weighted blankets are LOVED. We love that you can wash the covers separately; they come in different weights and don’t make you all sweaty. Ours are going strong after four-plus years.

My SIL gave me these soup cubes last year, and I use them all the time! I’ll be gifting them with soup inside them this year.

A good friend gifted me a pair of Bombas socks. OMG!! They are so cozy, and best of all, they donate a pair of socks for every pair purchased.

We always fill our house with Barnhouse Farm Candles and Soaps (the very best!). Their handmade soaps are my go-to teacher gifts!

My son got me this astrology blanket a couple of years ago. I use it every night, and it’s still so soft!

Something to Make

One of my favorite gifts to give is a crate from KiwiCo. There is something for every age- from toddlers to adults. We love every box! Our new favorite is Maker Crate. They offer awesome deals right now- head here to find a crate for everyone you love.

Think Outside Boxes is another one of our favorite ways to create and explore. The Fire building box was a huge hit with my ten-year-old! They also have awesome deals going on for the holidays.

Art supplies are often asked for as well. Tape, glue, new pads of drawing paper, fun pens, and pencils- these are the things my people love and use, so I make sure they fill our stockings. Depending on interest, I have also filled them with nails, slime ingredients, cooking tools, and camping gear. One year was Posca pens and engineering tools. My kids loved these watercolors and building kits, too.

These ideas don’t come in boxes, and you can’t buy them, but they are hands down our favorite gifts to give!

Something to Learn

These writing classes and workshops are always loved by my people (and me) and many of my friends!!

My Creative ELA classes make great gifts! Join my membership in 2025!

I teach and tutor daily on Outschool. I’ve always appreciated it when family members helped out with the classes and things my children needed.

Books are always a wonderful gift to give. We recommend all the books in our Bookshop.

The next month may be extra long. It’s gray outside, we have a lot of things to think about, and kids can sense even the slightest distraction or shift in our moods.

Let’s remember our kids don’t need a million toys to feel loved. We don’t need to go into debt or make the holidays more overwhelming than they already can be. Make a list, check it twice, find a few things your people might love, and make sure you have plenty of opportunities to snuggle and play together.

Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season full of curiosity, learning, and connection!