I haven’t done this before, but I thought it would be fun to share what I received for Christmas, specially since I have so many home décor items on my list this year. We had more gifts this year than usual because my in-laws were feeling indulgent (thank you), and overall we had a great time, our little family of four. We put our new & improved gift rules into place and it worked out beautifully. (To learn about my family gives gifts. see my post A New & Improved Version of the Four-Gift Rule.)
Something I Want: Pink Letter Board
I have always wanted a letter board. They are so fun and cute! But I don’t use a lot of black in my décor so didn’t want black, and also didn’t want white because I knew it would get grimy. So when I saw this cute little 10” x 10” pink letterboard? Oooooh, I wanted it!! When they were picking out my gifts the kids told my husband that they HAD to get me this one. Good call, guys!!!
Something I Need: My Own Tools
I have recently become more empowered in the home improvement area, learning to use a reciprocating saw and an impact driver. I also regularly use a power drill. What I hate is never being able to find the tools or a fresh battery!! This year I requested some of my own tools so I will always know where my tools are. My husband picked out this cute red Craftsman cordless drill & impact driver set so everyone knows it’s mine. Don’t touch!!! Now I’m going to have to see what other pretty red Craftsman Tools I need! LOL!
Something to Do: Strathmore Sketchbook
I am a huge admirer of Lisa Congdon and I have been wanting to take her Sketchbook Class on CreativeBug for some time. My husband, bless him, heard me say that and gave me the exact Strathmore 8.5” x 5.5” watercolor sketchbook that the class recommends and a starter pack of gouache paints so I can make mid-century-inspired art like the cool kids. I’ve always loved Strathmore Paper and can’t wait to try this one!
Something to Read: Anne of Green Gables
I think we all know that I am a huge huge huge fan of books, down to the point where I have ended up with multiple titles of the same book just because the edition spoke to me (still working on that). This year I discovered the Sterling Unabridged Classics and fell in love. They feel good in the hand and are easy to read and include some minimal illustrations. I got Anne of Green Gables from my family and I have collected several more.
Bonus
As I said, we usually limit ourselves to four gifts each according to the old rhyme, “Something you want, something you need, etc..), but this year my in-laws wanted to spoil us so I have several more gifts to share.
Multicolored Soup Bowls
Honestly, I didn’t really need bowls, I already have several Fiestaware bowls that I love. But I was really wanting some bowls that had a round shape that you can hold nicely in your hand and lend themselves to eating things like udon noodles, miso soup and pho. When I saw these bright multicolored porcelain soup bowls, I knew I’d found the one. They’re so fun and colorful and look great on the shelf with the Fiestaware, and they’re very sturdy. Everyone in the house has a particular favorite (mine is the one with the vintage green spots inside). So happy!!
Owl Canister
Oh my gosh, you guys.I love this thing soooooo much!!! I recently discovered Now Designs and now am hooked. I had a bunch of their adorable kitchen things on my Christmas wish list, and thanks to the generosity of my in-laws, I won the gift lottery and got this vintage-inspired owl-shaped cookie jar! It’s an owl. It’s turquoise. It’s a cookie jar. I think that’s all that need be said. (And no, I will probably not put cookies in it. Maybe tea. Maybe fabric! I just love it.)
Salt and Pepper Grinders
I loved our old ones but after many, many years of faithful service one of them finally broke. I had put new ones on my wish list (a different design for each so they’re easy to tell apart), and my in-laws generously provided. I’m using the white-topped “oilcan” grinder for salt, and the dark wood grinder with the cute loop top for the pepper.
Stocking Stuffers
Candy
Because I have so many food sensitivities, it’s hard for me to find store-bought treats. A few years ago I discovered the Natural Candy Store and oh my gosh, they are the best. Super nice, family run and with a huge selection of candy that’s free from artificial colors, dyes, flavors, sweeteners and preservatives. Best of all, they have an advanced search tool that will let you filter out all of the ingredients you need to avoid and show you only the things you can eat (just click “Shop by Diet” on the menu bar! We always order several things, but my favorite is their organic peppermint bark which is only available at the holidays. Yum.
Pink Pen & Ink
In my husband’s family, the perennial favorite stocking stuffer was pens and other small office or art supplies. It doesn’t make sense to me (don’t worry, my traditions don’t make sense to him either—see below), but it’s just not Christmas for him unless there’s pens and erasers in the stocking. Last year I got a Pentel alloy body pen for Christmas and I liked it so much that this year I requested a second one. This time it was a pink barrel Pentel EnerGel Alloy pen with a set of pink ink refills, so my pink pen writes with pink ink! Hooray!
Toothbrush & Floss
My husband thinks this one is weird, but in my house growing up we always got dental care items in our stockings. I’m sure it helps with the influx of treats! I never had a cavity growing so maybe my parents were on to something. Weird though it may be, Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without a new toothbrush and dental floss in my stocking. This year I wanted to try an ionic toothbrush from my favorite dental company, Dr. Tungs, and so requested this one along with a pack of my favorite charcoal-activated smart floss in the recyclable cardboard package.
Family Gift
Not technically my gift this year as it was for our whole family, but the Ravensburger Labyrinth board game we received is so fun I had to tell you about it! The tiles slide back and forth in two directions, so on each turn you have to change the layout of the board. It’s an endlessly shifting labyrinth that you must navigate to collect your treasure and win the game. Super nice quality (as are all of Ravensburger products) and quite fun. We played it as a family and look forward to playing it again.
That’s it!
It seems like so much once it’s all listed out. Again, my in-laws wanted to make sure we had a really big Christmas, which we are all very grateful for.
For more on our gift giving strategies and the post where I talk about my book obsession, see the following:
I hope that you had as good of a holiday as we did. What’s the favorite gift you gave or received? Comment below or come find me on Facebook or Instagram!
Much love,
Many thanks to the generosity of photographers whose work is shared for free on Unsplash: Kira auf der Heide, Juliana Malta.
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