Christmas Giving Ideas: My Favorite Things

This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read my Disclosure Policy.

It is that time of year again – the gift giving season has arrived which means you may have some shopping to do.

I have never been a Black Friday shopper, too crazy. I am happy that online shopping became a thing. What’s not to like about getting your holiday shopping done while staying comfy cozy at home?

stuff we love graphic Holiday edition.

Every year, right before Thanksgiving, a few bloggers and I all share some of our favorite things with readers.

These “things” or “stuff” falls into home decor, beauty, fashion and more.

There is something for everyone’s tastes and style. So grab a cup of tea or coffee to find gift ideas for all the people on your list, including you. :-)

You can see all of the bloggers joining in at the bottom of this post.

A Few of My Favorite Things…

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I use these items every day and like them so much that I even have more than one of a few of the items in my list.

Tweed green Gel Pro Anti-Fatigue kitchen mat.

New Life GelPro Anti-Fatigue Kitchen Mat – I bought a blue and white check patterned one a few years ago. It is the best kitchen mat I have ever owned and worth every penny. They are easy to clean, don’t stain and keep their cushioning, even after a few years of use.

For the colder months of the year, I wanted a new color and found the mat in green. Now I have two – this tweed green one for fall and winter and my blue and white one for spring and summer.

The mats come in various sizes, colors and patterns. My blue/white mat is the 20″ x 48″ size. My new green one is smaller – 20″ x 32″

Luxurious faux fur throw on a chair.

Extra Warm Fur Throw – In my house, there is always a fight for the faux fur throw I bought a few years ago when it is time for a Netflix binge, so I bought a few more.

This one is my new favorite. It is super snuggly and warm. You will be seeing it in my Christmas House Tour next week.

dimmer lamp socket

Incandescent Lamp Socket DimmerDid you know that you can easily replace any lamp socket with a dimmable one?

I like my house to feel warm and cozy all the time. Being able to dim any light fixture and this includes lamps makes for instant coziness when you are at home alone or when entertaining to add mood lighting for your gathering.

Replacing a socket is very easy to do. Once you do one, you will be wanting a dimmer on all your lamps.

free standing island for small kitchens

Classic White Faced Roman Numeral Clock – If you are a long-time reader, then you know that I collect white faced Roman numeral clocks. I have many. This one hanging on the wall in my kitchen is my favorite.

Baggalini Everyday Bag show front view and an inside view.

Baggalini Everyday Bagg – This little crossbody bag doesn’t look like it would hold much, but it does!!! Cellphone, sunglasses, keys, lipstick, pen, credit cards, money and more.

I bought it for traveling, but now use it everyday. I have two – a black one and another in a grey print.

2 metal phone and laptop camera covers for security.

Phone and Computer Camera Covers – Have you ever noticed when you were doing something and shortly after you pick up your phone to go on the internet. Then the next thing you see is an ad for something you were just doing. It is kinda of scary and it seems to happening more.

These little stick-on sliding covers pop right over your cell phone’s camera. I also have one covering my laptop camera.

Large red Christmas candle in a cedar wreath.
6″ x 6″Flicker Flame Candle in Red

Oversized 6″ x 6″ Outdoor Flameless Candle w/Remote – Last Christmas I bought this large flicker flame candle for my kitchen table after loving a cream one I had bought earlier in the fall. It looks just like a real candle – flame and all.

Large candle in seeded glass hurricane on kitchen table with smaller candles around it to provide cozy light.

Here is the 6″ x 6″ candle in off-white. Each candle also comes with a remote that includes a timer function. The flickering flame looks very real! I use this one all year long, the red one at Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Kosta Boda Snowball Votive(s) – Note that I added the plural for votives. I have 8 of these glass candle votive holders. I have been collecting them since I was in college. I keep them out all winter long.

Thymes Frasier Fur Hand was bottle

Thymes Frasier Fir Hand Wash – This is a new favorite. When my daughter, Mandy and I were out shopping a couple of weeks ago, we came upon a display of Thymes Frasier Fir scented candles, hand cream and this hand wash. It smells so good.

a pair of black Loom Waterproof sneakers

Loom Waterproof Sneakers – These sneaks are super comfy and are truly waterproof. They are great for when I have to walk through wet grass, the rain and when gardening, washing the car and out on my daily walk. I can be like a kid and deliberately stomp in puddles – no wet shoes, socks or feet.

Food being chopped on a cutting board on a metal cart kitchen island.

Boos Block Cutting Board – Having a large, heavy and well make cutting board at the ready in my kitchen is one of the reasons I have been successful in eating a whole food, plant based diet that requires a lot of chopping.

It stays out all the time on my metal rolling kitchen island.

A row of leather strap keychains in various colors.

Keychain – I like this keychain, it is not too big, fits nicely in my hand and you can get it customized.

lip salve tins from Little Seed Farm

Herbal Lip Salve – Made by Little Seed Farm where everything they sell is all natural – I love their Herbal Lip Salve and use it for more than just my lips.

I used some on a hang nail and I loved the way it felt on my finger, not greasy. I started using it as a hand cream. I like the unscented, but it does come in a few different scents. I also like the small size of the tin as it fits in my little crossbody bag. :-)

a Kindle Paperwhite reader.

Kindle PaperWhite – If you read books using a Kindle or any other brand of e-reader then you know just how wonderful these devices are, especially when you travel. No lugging books with you on vacation.

I like this one since you can read it out in the sun, no glare on the screen. I have a blue cover on mine.

So that’s a wrap for my 2021 edition of My Favorite Things. What are some of yours? Do share.

You May Also Like:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

23 Comments

  1. I got a question on your candles. What kind of remote works with them typically? We got this smart hub for some switches. Apparently you can program most IR remotes to work with it as well. So you can program an on off routine if it’s got that little bulb on the remote. Now I haven’t tested it with other IR remotes yet.

  2. Thanks for all the great gift ideas – I already ordered a couple and I may get others. I also love Thymes Fraser Fir. I hadn’t thought about covering the camera on my laptop and phone, but I’m going to and I ordered the covers in rose gold. Sometimes it seems all I need to do is think about something I would like to buy and an ad shows up in my browser! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

    1. Hi Linda –

      Since putting the camera covers on my phone and laptop I rarely see ads coming up anymore targeted to what I was just doing. Like using Comet to clean my sink, picking up a phone call while doing it. Then 10 minutes later, all the ads I see when I go back to use my phone are for Comet. I even have a phone case that covers the back camera on my iPhone. You can see that here: https://amzn.to/3xhsrPc

      Happy Thanksgiving!

  3. My daily walk takes me through wet grass, gravel & rocky woodland trails…do you think the Loom waterproof sneakers would handle the rocky trails? Their website says for city walking so I assume they wouldn’t.

    1. Hi Jenny –

      I am not sure they would be good for hiking as there are no lugs on the soles to grip a trail. The bottom is hard with sneaker style ridges. The soles are white and would get pretty dirty looking, but if you want waterproof – they are perfect for that.

  4. Love your favorite things. I think you meant Frasier fir not Frasier fur.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your dear family.

  5. Diane ~ I love these Favorite Things posts!! So fun and so helpful. Thank you and I’ll be ordering a few items! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

    1. Thanks Jeanne – I am happy that you found a few things. :-) I thought hard about what items to include in my list and decided to only list my absolute favorites and the items that put a smile on my face every time I use them. Happy Thanksgiving.

    1. Hi Kelly – The lamp dimmer is one of those easy little things that can make a big difference. They also come in a silver finish that looks vintage.

  6. Love these Diane! I had no idea about the lamp dimmer — what!! It’s in my cart. Thanks so much for joining, Happy Thanksgiving! :)

    1. Hi Sarah – The dimmers are the best. Instant ambiance whenever you want it. Thanks for inviting me to be apart of Stuff We Love. It is always a fun post to write. Happy Thanksgiving!

  7. I have always wanted a Boos cutting board. They are beautiful. What size do you have, and how do you clean it? They are made in Illinois not far from where I grew up. When I have a large chopping job,I have started to use my food processor more and more. It saves my back. I also use my Vidalia chopper for smaller jobs and it works well too. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your daughter.

    1. Hi Pam – My Boos block measures 20 x 16. I bought it when I made over my kitchen. It was slightly larger and I had it cut to fit an inset in my counter top that was 20 x 16. About 2 years ago I replaced that inset with a tempered glass inset and moved the board to my kitchen island.

        1. Hi Connie – I do oil my cutting board with 2 products from Boos Board. One is an oil and the other is a cream. It is a 2-step process. I try to do it once a week and before we go away on vacation or for the weekend when the board is not being used so the oil really has time to condition the wood. I will check out your recipe for the wood butter. Probably much less expensive to make it. :-) Thanks for sharing it.

  8. Lots of great gift ideas!! I can’t wait to check out all the bloggers posts 💗. Have a wonderful holiday and safe travels!