Brown paper packages… {Our Holiday gift guide}

I’m sure many of you are a little sick of Christmas… I usually try to do this post before the end of the year, but with me being so sick and all, I figured better late than never…

I wanted to share with you my ABSOLUTE favorite things from this Christmas… I love to share these, (after the fact) in case any of my readers are in need of a gift idea throughout the year, or simply want ideas for next Christmas…

First off, this is absolutely the MOST brilliant book on the planet:

From Whitney English, the Day Designer is absolutely the best “planner” I’ve ever had. Not only is it stylish and beautiful, but it’s filled with brilliant motivation to make every day of the year, (minus the ones when you’re incredibly sick and ignore it, of course) a top-notch success. It’s one-hundred percent paper perfection and I couldn’t ever imagine using a different method! This year it was a beautiful gift, but I will need to start saving my pennies for next year now! (trust me, very, VERY worth it!)

Next I’ll share my very favorite gift that my husband received.

The Spibelt. Running gear pretty much comprised my husband’s modest wish list this year, and this wasn’t even on his radar but it is by far the coolest thing ever.

Next, this is I think one of my favorite gifts that we’ve ever given. I LOVE it…

Orange Fuzz is a completely awesome Etsy Shop that has amazing gifts for the men in your life. And seriously, the smells are AMAZING!

We bought this for my daughter Amanda’s soon-t0-be step son and Gen and I fell in love with this silly toy…

Scout Read with Me… Adorable and so smart. There was nothing quite this cool when Gen was little, but we wished there had been. If you have a little one, Scout is a GREAT buy!

My mom bought me the sweetest thing. I love it, and while I can’t link to it because they sold out on the website, I can show you a picture.

If Kate Spade brings these key chains back, I recommend them! just lovely!

Tea is something we really love in this house…

Teavana is both given and received by us most years. We really love it. It’s a little pricey, but it’s so delicious…

We thought this was hilarious. Genny received this, as a gift (I won’t lie, it was from us) and we all had a good laugh. And now, now she has no excuse!

Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers. Gen likes silly books like this, but it’s a pretty great teen gift regardless. If you have a teen in your life and you are looking for a little more than just a gift card, maybe do this WITH a gift card… Gen still enjoys making fun of some of the ridiculous things in here all under “good manners.”

We didn’t give many gifts this year, but the few that we did give, we tried really hard to be incredibly intentional and thoughtful with. We want to set the example of not making Christmas an occasion of waste and consumerism. Overall, though it was an odd holiday for us personally, I’d say we succeeded more than we missed the mark.

Now we move on to birthdays… Oye…