Christmas Giving Ideas: My Favorite Things
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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?
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…
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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.
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″
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.
Incandescent Lamp Socket Dimmer – Did 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.
- See how easy it is to add a dimmer socket to any lamp.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Keychain – I like this keychain, it is not too big, fits nicely in my hand and you can get it customized.
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. :-)
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.
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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.
Hi – The remote that comes with the candle is flat all over, the infrared is embedded, not a little red bulb. You can see it in one of the photos in this post. https://bit.ly/3Clkn1t
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!
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!
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.
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.
Love your favorite things. I think you meant Frasier fir not Frasier fur.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your dear family.
Thanks Nancy – I fixed it. I think I had “fur” on my mind from writing about the faux fur I mentioned earlier in the post. :-)
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!!
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.
The lamp dimmer is genius Diane! And I think I need those waterproof sneakers!
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.
Thanks for all the great gift ideas, Diane! I just placed some orders. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks Toni – I know you will enjoy the stuff you ordered. I hope you, Harry and Melissa have a wonderful Thanksgiving. XO
Love these Diane! I had no idea about the lamp dimmer — what!! It’s in my cart. Thanks so much for joining, Happy Thanksgiving! :)
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!
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.
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.
Since you’ve invested in a good cutting board, have you added oiling it to your regular tasks? Even in a humid climate like yours, your cutting board appears much drier than in the Sonoma-Williams picture.
Here’s a link to the recipe I use.
https://creative-culinary.com/wood-butter-wood-utensils-bowls-recipe/
I need to do our wooden spoons and cutting boards—they really dry out in Colorado.
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.
Lots of great gift ideas!! I can’t wait to check out all the bloggers posts 💗. Have a wonderful holiday and safe travels!
Thanks Lynn – Wishing you the same. Enjoy!