Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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Holiday Gift Guides For Guys, Gals & Kids

Big news, guys! We finished our makeover at the Children’s Hospital, and we can’t wait to share all the photos – hopefully on Monday! So today we thought we’d Friday things up with one giant gift guide for everyone who has been asking for it (last year we shared our picks for lads, ladies, and kiddos across three different posts, but this time we thought we’d just smash them all into one big gifty rundown). And in the interest of thriftiness, there are lots of under-$15 things along with a ton of $30-or-less finds.

Here are a bunch of things that we’re digging for kiddos – along with a few baby items now that we have one on the way.

Kid Mood Board

1. I love cruising around on Etsy (shopping there makes me more confident that it’s not something one of our nieces or nephews might already have) – like this $25 whale puzzle that’s homemade and super charming.

2. This harkens back to Clara’s baby days, but a relative got us this sleep sheep as a gift, and it was so convenient to snap to her carry-along car seat for keeping her snoozing when we popped into restaurants or other people’s homes.

3. Clara would go nuts for this awesome $15 wooden vegetable garden for her dollhouse. She loves little interactive items like this, where you can actually “plant” things like carrots and then pull them out to harvest them.

4. This $23 eco friendly beehive toy is another one that we’re tempted to grab for Clara (kids can work on their fine motor skills while they pinch each bee and place them into the honeycombs). And you know we like bees…

5. This $9 book never fails to make us laugh when we read it (crayons have feelings too!).

6. Clara and pretty much every kid she knows are into sharks, so I think they’d get a kick out of this shark bath towel.

7. This $35 mouse doll is handmade and crazy cute. Is it weird that I want one?

8. Clara got this $15 magnetic dress-up set as a gift from her cousin Elsa for her birthday and is IN LOVE with it. They’re little wooden dolls with magnetic clothes that you can easily change (sort of like paper dolls, but with magnets instead of tabs).

9. This $7 wiggling worm toy looks cute for a certain bun on the way, but I can’t tell if it’s too early to get him a Christmas present? Someone say “no way!” so I can click “add to cart.”

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Here are some things I thought would be fun for moms, sisters, friends, or any other ladies out there.

Lady Mood Board

1. These festive cheers glasses would be sweet filled with anything from candy to a bag of hot cocoa mix – and a few of them with a bottle of wine would work too.

2. Ceramic house ornaments. I love them. In fact I wouldn’t be mad at Santa if these guys showed up in my stocking this year – especially since they’re on clearance.

3. I love poking around on Etsy for my sisters-in-law or my best friends, and this little customized necklace (she’ll make any state or animal) is pretty amazing indeed.

4. This clean-lined necklace is on my wink-at-John-and-send-him-the-link list this year. I love the long-ish chain and the mixed metals.

5. This little heart sweatshirt is on sale for $15, and I think everyone from my niece to my mom could rock it.

6. A gleamed out little pillow (on clearance for $17) could fit the bill for your home-loving (or Nate-Berkus-loving) friend.

7. I love a little colorful clutch like this for corralling everything from makeup to other odds and ends in my purse that would otherwise be floating around and falling out.

8. Photoshop humor wins every time. I’d totally buy one of these crop-tastic shirts for myself and one for my art director friend.

9. I’m a huge fan of Katie Daisy’s Etsy shop, and I think this $18 Here & Now print is one of the sweetest reminders to stay in the moment.

10. Brown leather studded gloves (under $30) are a chic little gift for someone who’s into fashion or warm hands.

11. This is my favorite tech gadget that I’ve seen in a while, and it’s only $9. It plugs into your outlet and cuts the power to any charger/device/appliance that’s connected to it at a certain interval (ex: after two hours, when it’s fully charged). So the laptops and phones will get juiced up, but won’t keep sucking power from those outlets all night long once they’re full.

12. These blue tights would be such a fun stocking stuffer (pun intended) – and they’re on sale for $8.50.

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Last but certainly not least, John got in on the fun and put together this “Dude Guide O’ Gifts” – so I’m handing him the mic for the last third of this post:

John Holiday Gift Ideas

1. I’m two issues into a $24 Mental Floss subscription that I got for my birthday this year and I’m already hooked. Any trivia geek or factoid cowboy will have a field day with this magazine.

2. Since I’m not fancy enough to give someone an actual phone (or ask for one either), a new case is a nice middle ground. This wood-ish iPhone case on ScoutMob is marked down to just $16.

3. I’ve kinda been jonesing for a cordless circular saw. A friend let me use theirs recently and I loved not messing with extension cords. But maybe that’s just the saw addict in me talking.

4. Our showhouse builder loaned us his old ear-marked copy of this book and it sucked us right in.

5. Threadless has tons of cool stuff, and I love that you can get it on shirts, hoodies, mugs, or the ol’ classic poster. This cool-ly colorful Linear Landscape print starts at just $8.

6. Thick glasses + mustache + Etsy shop = congratulations, you’re now the owner of the ultimate hipster shirt.

7. Not to go all Rob Kardashian on you, but I think we can all stand to own some not-so-serious socks.

8. This $19 “Old Town” throw is a good guy-friendly blanket for sending some warm wishes. The brown is pretty neutral, but the geometric city print is a nice upgrade from the generic.

9. Our garage is currently lacking in the light department, so every time I see the sign for this $20 work light at Lowe’s, I realize it’d be a great gift – especially for the tool guy in your life. You can always use more light. And clamps. Someone put that on a t-shirt or something.

10. In preparation for my annual “watch less TV” resolution, I love the idea of stocking up on family friendly games like this Telestrations one that I keep hearing so much about. And if you’re feeling less than-family-friendly, we hear that Cards Against Humanity can be pretty fun too.

11. Subscription boxes are the gifts that keep on giving. I have my eye on StrideBox, which comes stocked with goodies for runners. But there’s also one for bike enthusiasts and a bunch of others on this review site.

Did you guys see any favorites among the mood boards above? Do you have any especially tricky-to-shop-for relatives? And are you breaking out all the saved-from-last-year gift bags and ribbons to get everything wrapped up? You know Sherry is.

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

*This post contains affiliate links*

Comments

  1. Katherine says

    Can you tell me more about the Field Guide for American Houses? What do you love about it? It might be a great gift for my brother.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s a breakdown of different styles of architecture and what qualifies something as, say, a tudor. We don’t know any of those rules (ex: what makes a craftsman, a craftsman) and it highlights a bunch of different options, like ten different portico styles for a colonial. So interesting!

      xo
      s

  3. Hannah says

    John! You just MADE my hipster brothers Christmas because now I have a bunch of great ideas for him! He’s so specific in what he likes, but I think you picked a bunch of things he’ll like! YEs! I’m gonna have to pin this so i remember some ideas for his next birthday too…. THANK YOU!

    Reply

  4. katalina says

    thanks for sharing! Love these posts! links to some cool places for people that don’t like to venture into malls

    is Burger working on his gift guide….? !!! He is a spokespup for the masses.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha! He just wants snacks and a new squeak toy (we usually get both of those from the Three Dog Bakery in our town). Although we also got him a new thin green leash from Petco recently that he seems to love!

      xo
      s

  5. cd says

    I have the Cali necklace from Ninotchka! And I met the artist. She’s awesome! And the necklace is great. Beautiful and high quality. She’s from the next hometown over. Yay for giving her some love.

    Reply

  6. Amanda S. says

    Sherry – I saw that black and gold-bead pillow at Target YESTERDAY marked down to $7.50!!! Wowza! :) I was thisclose to buying it, but held off since I’ve gone a little pillow-crazy lately. ;)

    Reply

  7. Sara says

    Goodness. Almost every blog I read has a gift guide. This is the first one I have actually found with good ideas. I am going to get two on here for other people and I bought myself the heart sweatshirt. Cute and creative gifts with decent prices. Thank you! You guys should do roundups of favorite products more often. You’re good at it.

    Reply

  11. Nancy says

    I’ve been playing Telestrations for years with no board game or box. We call it Hillbilly Story Time and start with a phrase then go back and forth between that and a drawing. Everyone starts with a little spiral notebook with their name on it and after we go around once the original person “reads” their story, adding commentary at each step. This ending read through of the progression of the phrase and the commentary is where the real fun comes in.

    Reply

  12. Jessica says

    It’s too funny that you suggested the crayon book! We just bought that for our daughter for Christmas! I read through it once it arrived. I agree that it’s an excellent choice for children. It could spark some creativity and inspire kids to think outside of the box!

    Reply

  13. Alyssa says

    I mean, I’m feeling preeeeeetty cool right about now since I have that heart sweatshirt and YHL just recommended it ;) It’s actually really comfy & I love that it’s warm but I don’t feel like a slob/blob wearing it like a huge hoodie :)

    Reply

  14. JenB says

    Great suggestions! I’ll be purchasing several items from this list, so, thanks! Here’s my holiday problem…I have 5 nephews between the ages of 11 & 15. Talk about being hard to buy for! Uggh.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Anyone have tips for Jen? We have one nephew who’s 15 and we usually just give him money or a gift card towards something (he seems to choose one big item every year that he wants to save towards, like an iPod or computer game or something). To package it in a fun way you can put it in a giant box that he has to unwrap with a smaller box inside and the gift card or money in there :)

      xo
      s

  15. Dinka says

    YOU HAD ME AT SLEEP SHEEP!

    I literally get this gift for every single baby shower I attend. It is THE BEST…and who can resist that sweet widdle face?!?

    Reply

  16. Jess says

    Thanks so much for this list! I just ordered a bike loot subscription for my dad, who is almost impossible to buy for–thanks for the suggestion!

    Reply

  17. HeatherM says

    We have a little one on the way too (I’m 17.5 weeks) and we are definitely getting the baby stuff for Christmas. I figure since we get presents and do a stocking for our dog, we can do it for our little one on the way too. (For our dog, we are getting him a new deer antler that will probably last all year (he is allergic to rawhides), a bully stick, and some new winter dog boots (he has recurring sores on his feet that are aggravated by the cold and snow balls between his pads). I am going to put up a stocking for the baby this year, and I put socks and underwear and lotion and glasses wipes and fidget gadgets and such in our stockings, so I will probably do similar stuff for the baby…baby socks, baby mittens to prevent scratching the face, pacifier clips, a little toy, and some diaper rash cream or baby lotion. For gifts, I’ll probably do small things along the lines of want, need, wear, and read. And for the “wear” column, I’ll probably do pants (everyone gets babies onesies but they need pants too!), or 9-12 month winter clothes (since most people give 0-6 month sizes). Really it is also just an opportunity to stock up on some of the little things the baby will need that we aren’t going to register for.

    Reply

  18. Laura Thompson says

    #4 on the dude list… Seriously one of my favorite house books. I pull it out all the time. And I annoy my husband and anyone else who will listen as I analyze and label the styles of houses I see as we drive, go for walks, etc. thanks to that little book. Everyone should have it so I don’t sound like such a nerd!

    Reply

  19. Elaine R says

    I just bought the work light from Lowes for my dad. Saw in a commercial but I don’t have a lowes in my area so I didn’t look into it. This sealed the deal though! I didn’t realize it was only $20. Lowes should have to pay you now. ;-)

    Reply

  20. Katie D. says

    JOHN! You saved my life!! I was trying to come up with a great gift for my brother – Cards Against Humanity is an awesome idea! Just hopped on amazon and ordered it. From now on do you want to be my personal shopper??

    (Sherry, if you are the one reading this, pass my thanks along to John!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s true – I had so many tabs open I couldn’t fit them all – but I was glad I got something fun and tech-y in there (the Belkin plug) since it’s actually on my list – along with a new laser level ;)

      xo
      s

  23. JG says

    Does anyone have some suggestions for the swap party gifts that need to be generic enough for (almost) anyone? (Usually under $10 is specified). I would love some great ideas!

    Reply

  24. Quiana says

    My daughter’s the same age as Clara and we still use the sleep sheep since she was born! She’s even conditioned to get up in the night and turn it back on to help soothe herself to sleep. White noise has truly been a blessing – we have the apps on our phone and have been known to put them on while riding the subway. Sometimes people have looked at us funny but it soothes her tantrums right down which I think most folks prefer to a screaming kid!

    Reply

  27. Linda says

    I got my daughter #8 up top, the magnetic dolls a few years ago and she still loves it. I was impressed with how cute the fashion was! Some cute patterns on those clothes. (If it’s the same Melissa and Doug one.)

    Reply

  28. Cristina S. says

    I’ve purchased all the little kids in my family a Melissa & Doug toy… They are just so simple and classic! For my guy I got home some “masculine” LUSH products (hoping to get some myself), a spotify subscription, and a pocket square from the tie bar :) All my sisters and mom will be getting a Bath &bodyworks candle with their gifts (because they are just delicious)

    Homegoods & Target gift cards are on my Elfster (BTW best website for gift exchanges & big families so everyone gets what they want)

    I love that Madewell necklace!

    Reply

  29. Stephanie M. says

    Two things. That magnetic dress up game is the bomb! My daughter has the Minnie Mouse version and she will play with that thing forever! Second thing, Cards Against Humanity is absolutely hilarious. Completely inappropriate, but beyond funny! If you like crude humor, you must play it. ;)

    Reply

  30. Megan says

    I love these ideas! Especially the etsy print, so pretty!
    Do you guys have a list somewhere of your favorite Etsy print shops? It’s hard to stumble across the good ones when you don’t know where to look but I love the ones you show every so often (we definitely have similar taste)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I am usually all over the place over there. My favorite way to shop is just search for a word, like “whale” or “mouse” and see what comes up! I also like searching by category (I believe they have one that’s full of puzzles, another that’s all dolls/stuffed animals, etc).

      xo
      s

  31. Katie says

    I love that McAlester’s book made John’s list! As an architectural historian I use this book constantly and my own tattered copy is always within easy reach at my desk! :)

    Reply

  32. Jen says

    You have no idea how excited I am you put the crayon book on the kiddos list. I read it in a book store this past summer and absolutely loved it. I didn’t buy it at the time and had since forgotten about it…until now. I may have to go get it as another gift for my son. I thought I was done shopping but who can say no to a book, especially one as amazing as that one!

    Reply

  33. Elizabeth says

    I used to subscribe to Mental Floss also, what an awesome mag that no one knows about. Love the lists guys, great job!

    Reply

  34. Heidi says

    I love that you guys always feature so many unique gifts! Featuring these etsy sellers is an amazing way to promote them and the things they work so hard to create!

    Reply

  35. jen says

    My three year old daughter has those magnetic dolls. She loves them. However she changed their names to dinnon and donnan. I dont know, she’s three haha!!

    Great gift ideas

    Reply

  36. Christy Niebaum says

    Winning the game! This was fantastically helpful! I pinned the little bees for my daughter’s birthday (February 2), the Belkin conservation outlets for my dad and the Stride Box for my dad (and also me!).

    $herdog, you should totes get that little gift for the bun!

    Reply

  37. aaroohii says

    Does the Belkin conserve socket turn off when phone is fully charged as u mentioned or did you mean one can set the timer to 3 hours so it can fully charge your phone in that interval.

    I didn’t read in description anywhere that it shuts off power when charging is fully complete, as in it doesn’t sense when phone is fully charged. It’s just a timer? Correct?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Yes, from what I understand it has different interval settings on the side (1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours) and you just set it to one of them and it kicks off after that. My phone and computer both charge faster than 3 hours, so I’d probably just keep it set on 2 hours (and maybe experiment to see if 1 hour does the trick). I love that it won’t juice things up all day and all night, just until an hour or two passes (and they’re fully charged) and then it’ll shut off when it hits the pre-set interval :)

      xo
      s

  38. mp says

    NO WAY!!! My daughter had a HUGE box of toys waiting for her at birth — my mom stocked up on all the old-fashioned good stuff like wooden blocks, baby dolls and snuggly toys.

    Reply

  39. Meredith Jones says

    I’m in the same “should I but bun in the oven christmas presents or not” boat as you are! All I want to do is looks at baby stuff (it’s our first), but I’m like, but it’s MY LAST Christmas to buy and receive stuff for myself!! LOL. You know I won’t be able to help myself… ;) baby stuff is waaaay to cute to pass up or wait on!

    Reply

  41. Lauren says

    Just another FYI (I think you’ve had others) about Cards Against Humanity…it is hysterical. Pretty sure that I peed my pants when we played with my brother-in-law and his wife but be warned that it is extremely ADULT. We’re talking four letter words, cartoon characters doing dark deeds and very graphic scenarios. Just beware who you give it to or play it with, things could get awkward. And hilarious.

    Reply

  42. Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says

    Thanks for the gift roundup – you guys always have awesome ideas!

    Thanks to John, I just purchased Telestrations for my board game-loving hubby. Also, I will vouch that Cards Against Humanity is hilarious (like an adult version of Apples to Apples).

    Reply

  43. Laurel says

    I LOVE these lists! Thank you so much for providing me with some much needed inspiration! I’m planning on getting my new bro-in-law some of John’s recommendations. And I think I’ll have to buy 2 sets of Telestrations for my family :) We love game nights, especially around the holidays. Thanks so much! I just love your blog. Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  44. Jerissa says

    The ceramic house ornaments really caught my eyes and so glad to find them still in stock! I’m getting each one in the family this year personalized glass mugs. Thank you so much for this list I’m keeping it as my Christmas shopping guide.:-)

    Reply

  45. Amanda L. says

    Ever since you posted your mantle with the white ceramic houses on it, I’ve been obsessed. This year I bought a small white ceramic Christmas tree that lives in our master bedroom, and I just purchased all of the white Christmas tree ornaments from C&B with the express purpose of arranging them on my mantle next year. Thank goodness for leftover C&B gift cards from our wedding and free shipping!

    Reply

  47. caroline [the diy nurse] says

    That’s nuts- I just won something from Belkin in a giveaway. It’s a bit over my head and apparently syncs many things. And yes – Cards against humanity is sooo much fun but it can be pretty dirty. It would be worth going through and editing cards if you’re with family but I’ve heard apples to apples is the cleaner version and just as fun. But I like the bad version lol

    Reply

  48. Kathleen says

    Thanks for the suggestions ! I ordered Mental Floss for my husband…it’s right up his alley :)

    Merry Christmas!

    Reply

  49. Allison says

    My favorite go-to gift is soap that looks like things, from etsy! (Especially good for hard to shop for people.) My brother’s a dentist so I got him soap shaped like chompers. My dad loves ice cream, so soap shaped like an ice cream sandwich and a creamsicle are on their way. My husband is obsessed with rice crispie treats…there’s a soap for that. And the best part is, not only does the soap look like these crazy things, it always smells exactly like it too! (I’m convinced you could find soap shaped like any object on the planet. And I’ve found they are usually made with healthy ingredients!)

    Reply

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