Stuck on what to give your gal-pals this holiday season? Let's help you with that!
Does it seem like you search all year, but you still have trouble coming up with something perfectly special for the gal pals on your list? Don’t overthink it too much. There are several trendy items that every woman wants in her life, but will rarely spend the time, money, or energy to get for herself. Think about it: when was the last time you spoiled yourself with a home spa treatment, indulged in a wine & appetizer night, or splurged on a fun new office mug? If you’re struggling to remember, you’re not alone. Chances are, your ladies are in the same boat as you.
Take a deep breath, make a cup of tea or coffee or pour a glass of wine, and let us tell you a few of our favorite wish-list items this year to give you a little inspiration. Think of each of the women on your list; about what they like, what they do, and where they usually spend their time. Showing your best friends that you love and want to pamper them doesn’t have to be expensive or life-changing.
Also, keep in mind, we’re in the chilliest, busiest season of the year. When it’s cold and dry outside, warm, fuzzy things to bundle in and rich, luxurious creams can be some of the most practical items to give each other. Glitzy mugs to fill with coffee during the fourth quarter will not only energize your friends but put smiles on their faces to lessen the stress, too. Warm, stale air from furnaces begs for diffusers and candles to envelope our homes and offices in comfort and deliciousness. Sometimes, just having bath salts or a facial mask in your cupboard is all the excuse you need to take a night to pamper yourself.
Candle
Winter air is stale, dry, and downright depressing at times. Fight the winter funk with diffusers and candles: simple ways to add a touch of mood-boosting scent to any space. Paddywax offers luxurious, organic, soy/wax blend candles made in the with high-quality, eco-friendly ingredients, natural scents, and recycled containers that you can use even after the candle is gone. Check this out!
Scarf
Can you ever have too many scarves? This light, brushed knit, oversized scarf from Asos is just what every lady on your list wants to keep cozy and stylish on the way to holiday parties - it could even double as a wrap for the slightly warmer nights in the south. Wrap your bestie up in a warm scarf, and she’ll think of you every time she’s cozy. Shop here.
Ponderlilly Planner
Far more than a scheduling tool, the Ponderlily Planner is designed to invite you to live your days fully – full of joy, intention, and space to recharge. It’s obviously our favorite gift giving idea!
Made with eco-conscious materials and elegant lines, you’ll find space to set meaningful intentions, and actions; a place to keep track of positive habits and of course, room to visualize, plan, and prioritize your time. This planner also includes prompts to help you explore & experience 2018 to its fullest. There are even reminders to help you remain centered around the things that matter most! Shop our core collection now.
Gift subscription
Looking for that gift that will keep giving & giving? Globein is a monthly subscription service with three theme options. Each month, your pal will receive new artisanal items within that theme delivered to her door from around the world. Each item is crafted by fair-trade artisans and farmers in remote locations, and every item selected comes with a story.
New coffee mug
A cup of coffee can make or break many of our mornings. A cup of coffee in the fun mug from your bestie is unarguably the best way to start your day. For the personal touch, grab one of these monogram mugs from Anthropologie for a bright, glittery good morning.
Jewelry for a cause
Songa offers bold, unique, stylish jewelry with a humanitarian angle - for the bestie with flare that always puts others and charities before herself. Songa works with cooperatives in Rwanda, operating under strict fair-trade rules and practices to offer women a chance at economic independence. Items are hand-made and often completely one of a kind! If she isn’t the jewelry type, they also offer sarongs, handbags, and baskets.
Spa-lendid treats
Nothing leaves your ladies feeling more glamorous and pampered than a home-spa treatment they can easily do for themselves after a long day at work, during a relaxing weekend afternoon off, or even quickly in the morning while sipping coffee. Soaptopia offers a variety of bath and body products made from natural ingredients with phenomenal names. Their Holiday Hiatus gift set comes with bath salts, soap, bath bubbles, and body oil in three different aroma themes. You can go for holiday-themed bar soaps like Candy Cane Lane, Coal Play, or Gingersoap Man; or find the best pun for your pal like Beauty and the Beach, Aloe Can You Go, or Let it Glow.
For a quick facial treatment for all skin types, get your friends a pack of facial masks that don’t involve smearing mud, dripping honey, or scraping oats off your shower floor. Karuma’s Karma Kit+ Facial Masks are made from natural wood pulp fibers that you peel and place, then let sit for 10 minutes while your pores absorb nutrients and hydration - simple as that! Each mask targets a different skin issue (like aging, dryness or exfoliation), so your friends can try a variety of styles.
Crystals/Terrariums
Know a lady who loves rocks, gems, and crystals? She’ll love the crystal kits, jewelry, terrariums and zen gardens offered in crystalsNcreations’ etsy shop - they even have terrariums you can wear. Whether she just wants something pretty to wear or decorate her home, or she’s into crystal healing and cleansing, shop owner Elica has a little something for everyone.
Jet-setter’s dream
For the gal pal who loves to travel and go on adventures, a simple but elegant eye mask will help her maximize rest on the airplane and in strange hotels so she can explore longer and bring back even more enviable pictures. For a reasonable price, The Ethical Silk Company’s Mulberry Silk Eye Mask is eco-friendly and built to pamper. Made with organic cotton filling wrapped in natural, AZO-free, low-impact dyed silk, each mask comes with a drawstring carrying bag to match.
Punjammies
Absolutely any and every lady on your list will love Punjammies… Light and flowy, with bright colors and patterns so beautiful, you’ll want to wear them outside. They come in a variety of colors and designs, and each purchase goes toward skill training and job creation for women in India.
Brain food
Cold winter months are often the best times to curl up with a good book. If your group of friends is anything like mine, you’re constantly sharing reading lists and book wishes, and here are a couple of newer releases to add to the list:
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado is a collection of eight essays about women, stretched to the breaking point, that will keep you on the edge of your seat. NY Times reviewer Paul Sehgal wrote, ”It’s a wild thing, this book, covered in sequins and scales, blazing with the influence of fabulists from Angela Carter to Kelly Link and Helen Oyeyemi...” Available on Amazon.
For a page-turning crime fiction, Attica Locke’s Bluebird Bluebird offers a variety of quirky characters interlaced in a murder mystery that will both entertain and play tricks on your mind. “Locke writes in a blues-infused idiom that lends a strain of melancholy and a sense of loss to her lyrical style,” wrote Marilyn Stasio in her NY Times review. Also, available on Amazon.
