Here are the gifts that are at the top of my list this year! Some main focuses are quality and sustainability, variety of price points and practicality. One new focus for us is family friendly! Thank to our new addition, Madison, this year. Many of the ideas will be Winnipeg based, but some may pertain to anywhere in the world. Hopefully you find some inspiration for your holiday shopping!
Wool base layers and socks - We're spending a lot more time outside thanks to 100 Hour Outside and having quality outdoor base layers, like Merino wool and socks makes such a huge difference. MEC and REI have seasonal sales and sizes for the whole family. They also often guarantee their products so if something goes wrong you can replace or fix it. I currently purchase most of my and my daughter's clothing second hand and it's really hard to find technical clothing at a decent price used. It lasts a long time if you have good care of it, so it's worth the investment! I'm also a sucker for good quality wool socks and have had my eye on these fun ones from Q is for Quinn.
Sheep, Inc sweater - When it comes to investment pieces that are truly sustainably made, not much is better than Sheep, Inc. This company is so cool! It uses sustainably sourced wool and the clothing has a tab on it for you to scan to see where the sheep is currently at! Wool has some awesome benefits. It's anti microbial so you don't have to wash it as often and it wears much better than cotton or plastic derived fibers (like polyester). The prices have went up in the past few years, like everything else and I'm kicking myself that I didn't jump on them when I first hear about it.
Books - There's a book out there for everyone. I'm constantly picking up books at the local thrift store for others, especially kids. While I get most of my books from the library, every once in a while there is one I want forever. If I'm lucky, I'll find it thrifting. My next go to is the used online bookstore, ABEbooks.com. Last, but not least, I'll hop on Amazon to snag it, if I can't find it anywhere else.
Experiences - I don't like a lot of "stuff" around. And chances are, most people you know don't need more stuff either. I love gifting experiences. Themea is a good one! For families, I love zoo passes. They are often less expensive than you might think! And now you can purchase a Assiniboine Zoo + Leaf experience together. Unlimited access to both! We love meeting up with friends at either location. It's nice and central in Winnipeg. Other experiences that are nice to give and receive are gift cards for local salons, museums or sports passes. Minor league sports like baseball, hockey and basketball tickets or mini packages come at a great price and are often much more spectator (and family) friendly than major league sports. Some other fun experiences include escape rooms, arcades, swim lessons, recreation centers or a local community center.
Food - There are some foods that nearly everyone will enjoy and benefit from. LMNT electrolytes and Paleo Valley beef sticks are some of my faves! Costco has delicious snacking options for the whole family at great prices. I know not everyone loves giving gift cards, but receiving gift cards to local grocery stores can be so helpful! Especially when food prices have increased so much over the past few years.
Homemade - Some of my favorite homemade gifts include beeswax candles, body butter and, new this year, sourdough starter! They make great stocking stuffers, too.
Lottery tickets - I do not gamble and I rarely, rarely bet on anything. However, growing up, my grandparents always put scratch off tickets in our stockings and we loved scratching them! I hardly ever won anything, but the memory sticks. I now enjoy doing this for my family. A piece of me feels like I'm lighting my money on fire (and I kind of am), but I love the memory. And the experience of scratching them each year is worth something, right?!
Regardless of what gift giving looks like in your life, I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!