Holiday Gift Guides: Self-Care Gifts!

Dec 11
Natasha

Candles

When we were younger, candles might have been annoying gifts that an aunt would give us and we would never use. However, as an adult who needs to bring in little bits of self-care throughout the day and night, even if I don’t have more than 10 minutes to slow down, candles can be wonderful. They also pair nicely with Epson salts for a nice relaxing bath time. Recent favorites: Field Kit and Gathered and Grown. Keep at eye out for local creators new year, at vendor markets, or shops that carry work from local artists. You also might find local creators on Etsy or Instagram.

Epson Salt

Not only are Epson salts relaxing (they’re filled with Magnesium), but they’re also remarkable for an aching body, whether from a big workout, a long day of snow removal, or an illness. There are periods of the year when I am soaking in Epson salts every single night, mostly when I am desperate in pain. I personally love any that is lavender scented, or you can get a plain one and throw in your favorite bath bomb or essential oils (which coincidentally are a great pairing with the next item). Epson salts are available at every grocery store and pharmacy, so this can also be a thoughtful last-minute gift. Just make sure that the person has access to a clean tub!

Diffuser + Essential Oils

Although I have not been in the habit recently of using my diffuser and essential oils, this is a lovely way, and a safe way, to get the smells and benefits of the two items listed above, for hours and hours throughout your day or your night. When I am teaching remotely via Zoom, I like to run my diffuser in the background to keep my environment calm. It’s also a great way to be a role model for my students who I am also reminding to engage in self-care.

I purchased the most basic and affordable one from Amazon many years ago, and it is still working at top-notch. I also bought this as a gift. I’ve never adequately cleaned it, either, and I have had zero issues. I have two main essential oils that I like to use with it, depending on if I need a health boost or a relaxation boost.

Natural Soap

This might seem odd to some but I have come to love natural, handmade, soaps, and I can always use more. I am a big fan of bar soap over body wash from a plastic bottle. Any Whole Foods or other natural foods store will carry some, plus almost every vendor market will also have an artist selling their soaps. Or find a store that sells local artists’ work like jewelry or cards and they are likely also to carry handmade soaps. When in doubt or without access to local handmade products, Dr. Bronner’s Lavender scent is a backup for me that I can’t seem to get enough of.

Music

Last night, while watching “Love Actually” – my favorite holiday movie – I realized that we no longer can give one of the very best gifts of all. Music! CDs used to be my go-to, but now those are a thing of the past. So, I was trying to brainstorm how else we could gift music.

For those with a record player, that’s easy. For those that only stream music, maybe it’s a year’s subscription to Spotify or YouTube Music. For those who have a car with access to SiriusXM, perhaps it’s a year’s subscription. Or, if you don’t have the funds, how about building a few playlists to share with one or many friends? You could build playlists of songs that remind you of good memories with them or of music you think they might like.

Or how about tickets to a show? You can take a look at local events in their town, or plan to visit and see something together, or invite them to visit you. Some venues only charge $10-30, while huge auditoriums might cost hundreds. Maybe see something new, or plan to go to a music festival together and make a weekend out of it!

Yoga Mat + Massagers

Most people I know have a yoga mat, but if you know someone who doesn’t, and they might benefit from adding some stretching to their life (i.e. everyone), now might be the time to give them the gift of comfort on the ground. Stretching is suitable for anyone and everyone, and in some households, without a good mat, it’s just not going to happen.

For those that have sensitive knees, and will be using the mat more for stretching than intense, quick-pace, downward dog heavy yoga, I like an extra thick mat. This one is also extra wide, but I have not tried this brand yet.

On the note of sore muscles, an electric handheld massager or a self massage hook cane are both tools that I’ve used for aching muscles regularly and don’t know what I would do without.

Cozy Blanket

We might all have more than enough throw blankets lying around the house, but do you have any friends who could use just one more? There are so many fantastic options, whether for snuggling up while watching a movie, wrapping oneself during an early morning meditation, or across the foot of the bed to keep the tootsies warm.

You might need to physically touch this item to make sure it is soft and cozy and keep the person you are buying for in mind. What are their color preferences and activity preferences? I’ve gifted many a snuggly blanket and received many cuddly blankets to wrap up in, and they are always welcomed with open and eager arms.

Heating Pad or Microwavable Stuffy

I’ve gifted each of these to different people. For someone with chronic back pain, the heating pad can do wonders. You can pick these up at a pharmacy or order online. For someone who might be experiencing abdominal pain due to a life event or regular harsh periods (those with a uterus), there are stuffed animals you can heat up in the microwave to make snuggling with a cute animal also reduce physical pain. (Please be sure they check with a doctor that they can have heat on their abdomen).

Journal + Nice Pens/Markers/Colored Pencils

Whether someone is a writer, a doodler, interested in drawing as a hobby, or an artist, a blank pad/journal and something to write or draw with is a gift that will light up your recipient. As a writer, I can never have enough notebooks, especially travel-sized ones. I’ve also received a blank paged journal that I use for doodling. I’ve gifted proper art notepads to my artist friends, and I’ve bought myself a $20 pen that is refillable.

For the adventurer, you can’t go wrong with a Rite in the Rain notebook (spiral is my recommendation). The pens are also nice! And my favorite pen for writing is the Lamy refillable fountain pen.

Paint by Numbers / Coloring Book

I’m sure there are many options out there for where to buy from, but I recently came across Simple Painting (thanks Instagram) and immediately found a piece that I put on my own holiday wish list. Their pieces are gorgeous and unique.

Or, on the more simple side, try to find a good adult coloring book with designs that relate to tthe person you are buying for. This one of animals looks pretty cool.

Art

Part of my self-care is surrounding myself with beautiful art. Some of the art is photographs of people I love, others are gorgeous prints from local painters that I admire, and even a few are originals from stunning artists that also happen to be close friends of mine. Everywhere I turn in my office, and everywhere you turn in our house, you get to admire beautiful art, and I feel it brings a lot of peace and joy to our household.

Here are links to some of our favorites:

To save money on framing, use Art to Frames. We’ve used it for most of our art, and have only received something off from what we were expecting twice, and they’re customer service was great. Or, pick up frames from Goodwill or garage sales. That’s where we get most of our frames to gift photographs.

Meal Kit Subscription or Favorite Cookbooks/Recipes

Eating a variety of foods that fill us with nutrients is very important to our overall health, both our physical health and our mental health. Sometimes this can be hard to gift if we do not live nearby someone and are able to cook for them, or bring over a dish. However, there are a few ways that we can share the gift of a good meal from afar!

There are countless meal kit subscriptions out there and I can’t tell you which is the best, the most budget-friendly, or which makes it easy to buy someone else a six-month subscription, but I bet you can find a good fit for the person you are gifting too with a little research (I shared some links here from my own research). Make sure they have good offerings for their dietary preferences (best vegetarian meal kits), and if you can, so if they are waste and packaging conscious (a few options here).

Alternatively, a solid kitchen gadget like an instant pot or a crock pot (programmable model recommended), a vegetable slicer, or a salad spinner could be another way to support some fun and new ways to fill their body with nutrients. Or, how about a favorite cookbook or a book/journal of your personal favorite recipes? There are some cute options on Etsy as well for personalized recipe books.

Or how about a cooking class?

Massage / Accupuncture

Lastly, but in no way the least impactful to one’s self-care, is a gift card for a massage or acupuncture appointment. Preferably, you’d either find out who their preferred practitioner is or ask around or do some research and find highly recommended ones.

A gift card for a massage will now forever be on my wish list because I am fortunate enough to have a massage therapist who knows how to take care of my body, and my mind, and she genuinely feels like a friend. Also, she’s moved from working for a spa, to now being self-employed with her own studio, and I love supporting that!