We do our best to focus on our faith, love, and traditions during Advent and Christmas, rather than loads of stuff. That being said, I truly love giving gifts and put a lot of thought into what I purchase for my friends and family. I hope my good gifts list can be of some assistance to you as you try to find intentional, thoughtful gifts for those you love. As always, this year’s list includes new ideas along with those that I share every year. Many of the links are Amazon affiliate links, and it is a real gift to us when you shop Amazon through those links, as we earn a small percentage when you do. Thank you so much!
There are still a handful of naturally dyed organic cotton gauze scarves in my shop, and I think they would make wonderful unique gifts! I have headscarves and a bit of yarn still available too!
Favorites for children:
Mabel received a very special handmade doll (pictured above) from my dear friend, Grace a couple of years ago. This year, she will be getting new clothes! Grace’s dolls are so special and she has a few available right now in her shop. You can receive 10% off your order with the code HOLIDAY2020 through December 20th. Keep an eye on her shop because she will be adding a couple more dolls in the coming week!
Mabel likes this set of pattern blocks. Silas and Job do too.
Mabel loves this puzzle and this (Elsa Beskow) memory game! This is another fun puzzle.
This is a neat set of scavenger hunt cards.
Everyone received a stainless steel straw in their stocking one year. I have been informed that they are all lost and they need new ones.
Job received this tool belt and work gloves for his sixth birthday and loved them.
Job and Mabel enjoy this Fish Parquet set and this bee hive set.
Prairie Bonnets and Little House paper dolls!
Story cubes are so much fun, and would make a great stocking stuffer! They are good for a wide range of ages.
Pop guns–slightly obnoxious, but fun for the little ones.
We have been pleased with the quality of this bucket swing.
Jonny bought a bike trailer to pull Mabel in and has loved it. Silas received this Schwinn Kid’s Balance Bike for his third birthday, and absolutely loved it. We took it to every baseball game, and he also rode around the yard on it. The following year, we bought him a small regular bike without training wheels and he was able to ride it almost immediately, having learned to balance on the balance bike. Job has since received his first balance bike, and he loves his as well. I highly recommend them!
Keva planks are one of the most played with toys that we own, and I say this having had them for many years. I can’t say enough good things about these very simple blocks that appeal to a very wide range of ages. This year we added Magna-Tiles to our home, and they have been very popular as well.
A few years ago, Silas spent his long saved birthday money on this little crossbow after playing with it at a friend’s house. It is very well made, and he had a lot of fun with it.
Favorite games include:
Beatrix received Kingdomino for her birthday last year and it is a good one!
Orchard is probably my favorite game to play with kids 9(ish) and under. Favorite card games include Rat-A-Tat-Cat, and Mille Bornes. Shut the Box has seen lots of playtime over the years as well. Bird Bingo has been a favorite for years, now. I’d like to get Ocean Bingo.
Games that my older kids have been enjoying lately include Catan and The Castles of Burgundy.
Art Supplies:
My kids love Smencils! They are great stocking stuffers. Shrinky Dinks are always fun!
Mabel loves this little scissor skills book. This is another fun scissor skills pad.
Kite paper is great for making window stars (instructions in this book.)
These are our longtime favorite colored pencils. They aren’t widely available anymore though, so I’ve been buying these. These are fun too. This is a nice set of chunky triangular colored pencils that isn’t too expensive. We like beeswax blend crayons and have recently been using some that are made in the U.S. by Filana We love both the blocks and the stick crayons. These 100% beeswax chunky crayons are expensive but have held up very well-a great choice for younger children.
My girls love these tiny watercolor sets. Here is another pocket-sized option. They pair perfectly with a tiny watercolor journal. This is another small option, and these are also nice small sketchbooks. These are great for nature walks and would make nice stocking stuffers. My younger kids really like scratch-off paper, and we like the small size of the sheets in this set.
For the whole family:
We all love puzzles! We mainly work on 300-1000 piece puzzles and have loved having this puzzle table so we can move them around while in progress. (Ours is the standard size.) I am going to link some of our favorite puzzles in my sidebar rather than in this post.
Jonny and the older kids love playing Bocce ball. This slackline kit was our family Christmas gift a couple of years ago and it is still a favorite.
Gifts for adults (and big kids):
I love this book stand! I use it to hold our big book of poetry, but would be great for cookbooks in the kitchen as well!
If you have a child who is a musician and doesn’t have a tuner or metronome, we love this tuner and this metronome. This is a great folding music stand.
This might not be what you think of as far as gifts go, but I love my Big Wooly for dusting under dressers and beds, and other places that dust collects on hardwood floors. Also good for reaching cobwebs.
I bought myself a very basic watch last year and I really like it. Beatrix picked out this fitness watch for her birthday. It’s an inexpensive alternative to name brand watches with similar features.
Leathermen are very popular in our house, and we have a couple of new ones this year. Beatrix received this cute little one for her 10th birthday, and Jonny bought the Wingman for his own birthday. It’s a bit smaller than his other one, and he is very attached to it. It is small enough that he can carry it in his pocket and he claims that he uses it almost every day for something. Beatrix just turned 11 and this year she received her own Wingman and a leather pouch. (It comes with a nylon pouch, but she prefers leather.) I can’t say that Leathermen interest me very much, but my family is into these things.
Silas and Job both have a set of carving tools similar to this one and they get a lot of use.
I wear this apron all the time when Lark doesn’t have it. It has pockets! Gray was the only color available when I bought it, but I see that now it comes in quite a few color options!
We upgraded our waffle maker to this one and it’s great! I love my 8 quart Instant Pot. It took me a while to warm up to it, but we use it several times a week now and it’s a lifesaver.
Larkspur is an avid letter writer and uses a sealing wax set similar to this one.
When the weather is cold, my older boys typically get interested in coin roll hunting. Seth likes to search through nickels the most, the other two like pennies. Boxes of coins along with Seth’s coin roll hunting guide would make great gifts, especially if you were already planning on giving money to the recipient.
My older boys all enjoy metal detecting and we highly recommend the entry-level Garrett detectors such as the Ace 300.
Expecting guests, and need extra beds that you can easily store? We love these and the storage case is well worth buying. We also love this white noise machine.
I know there are lots of nice diffusers out there, but I have been really happy with this inexpensive one.
I love these pens, and like to give them with Moleskine journals. I am pretty committed now to Moleskine planners. This will be my fourth year using them. This is the one I am ordering for 2021. I LOVE IT. I save my planners and these line up nicely on a shelf; I only wish I had started using them sooner. Sometimes I order from Amazon and sometimes it makes more sense to order directly from Moleskine depending on what deals they are offering.
I mention it every year, but if you know any gardeners this Nejiri Gama Hoe is the best little garden hoe! Prices really fluctuate on Amazon, but it’s usually well under ten dollars! I have been using (and losing) these for many years.
I have the midsize wooden drying rack from Homestead Drying Racks and absolutely love it. Ours is in daily use, mainly for drying wool items, yarn, and other things that don’t go in the dryer. It is really well made and sturdy.
This is the perfect time of year to give the One Line a Day Journal. We still use ours to record special moments we want to remember.
For the knitter or crafter:
I this set of interchangeable knitting needles and I love them so much! I use this clicker to keep up with row counts.
This hobby lamp is great! I need it to be able to see when I am cross-stitching. I use Q-snaps now to hold my cross-stitching while I work (at the recommendation of one of you!) And they are the BEST. And if you need a new cross-stitch kit, Alicia’s are the best.
I am often asked what I use to block my knits. I use blocking mats like these, along with blocking pins and these knit blockers.
For the photographer:
I use a wrist strap rather than a neck strap now. I store photos on a solid-state drive (SSD), and I (and most photographers) always recommend a 50mm lens for new photographers.
For the outdoor enthusiast or survivalist:
This is a great hammock! My kids are able to put it up and take it back down easily. Survival paracord bracelets make great stocking stuffers. My younger kids have these binoculars and they are holding up well.
Warm overalls! These are my winter farm chores necessity for staying warm. Larkspur has Sloggers for her farm chores and loves them.
Beatrix wants this stainless steel camp cookware set. Several of my kids would like a LifeStraw or portable water filtration system. They also want a BlastMatch.
Seth, my adult son, appreciates nice tools. This machete, and this knife. Fire starter sets make great stocking stuffers. (There are quite a few “survival” gear ideas at the end of this post. This is a very popular subject with my kids.)
Updated book list is coming soon!
Ariana W says
You mentioned that Silas has wood carving tools similar to the link; however, I’m wondering if you can give me the actual brand. The similar option you linked is the cheapest on Amazon and I’m a little worried that its too good to be true! I’m desperately trying to find things to do for my boys that don’t involved a screen. Definitely appreciate your help!! Thank you!!!!!
Elisabeth Tsubai says
Check out the Carolina Biological Supply website – they have all sorts of cool gifts and learning products for all ages!
Melissa says
Thanks for posting about the watches! I need a basic one and I am extremely excited about finding reasonable priced fitness watches! I would never have thought to try something other than a fitbit and don’t want to pay that kind of price, especially when my last one only lasted 8 months. Love your gift lists!
Kristina Fredericks says
I look forward to your gift guide every year! Thank you!
Debbie Stertz says
Love these recommendations from you! I am not finding the links. Am I missing something?
Ginny says
The links are in blue. If you hover your mouse over them, they will be underlined as well. They are admittedly a little hard to see. I need to do something about my font!
Kate says
Thank you for making Christmas shopping easier! I put so many of your recommendations on my wishlist.
Ann Collins says
Thanks so much for all the effort you took to put this list together. I used some of your suggestions for my grandkids. Have a peaceful holiday season.
Bethany says
I always look forward to your holiday gift and book guides, and even refer to them throughout the year for birthday present ideas! We’ve found many favorites over the years thanks to you. Thank you for putting the work into these great resources. 🙂
Gabriela Rodriguez says
Hi Ginny,
I was wondering if you can recommend any knitting books for beginners with baby knits in mind. My knitting skills stop at making simple hats and scarves. I am hoping to get my knitting game going because I will soon be a grandma! I am so happy!
I always look forward to your posts and am amazed that I have followed you long enough to see Mabel and the rest of your children growing up. You are definitely blessed!
Ginny says
Hi Gabriela! I’m sorry but I can’t think of a book that would best fit what you are looking for. I would just do a Ravelry search for baby knits and then look for ones with a beginner/easy rating.