I am not a Christmas music on Halloween person. I love fall and like it to stick around until (almost) Thanksgiving. We got snow in the Midwest this week, but I’m keeping my autumn leave decorations up for another few weeks! However, it’s never too early to be thinking about holiday gifts. It seems like everyone with any kind of internet community is sharing a Holiday Gift Guide this year. I’m here as your guide for this plethora of (sometimes questionable-quality) gift lists.
Why holiday gift guides?
Holiday gift guides or lists can be extremely useful. Some loved ones are hard to buy for! Or you draw a blank when it comes time to thinking of a good gift for someone. Creators of these guides take a lot of time to select items for everyone on your list. They have done research for you, collaborated with brands to get you a discount, and/or thought out of the box enough to give you an idea for the perfect gift. Take advantage!
Things to keep in mind
Before I dive in to recommendations of gift guides to seek out, I have a few words of advice. This advice is a little about holiday gift shopping in general, a little about gift guides specifically.
Budgeting
Money easily becomes a stressor around the holidays if you let it! There are extra expenses like gifts, holiday parties, and travel. Picking a budget for each person on your list before you start shopping (and sticking to it!) can help with the stress. There’s a great gift out there within your budget, I promise!
Thoughtful gifts
This brings me to my next point: An amazing gift doesn’t need to break the bank. Thoughtful, personal gifts are just as (or more) special as expensive ones. Catering the gift choice to the gift-getter can mean a lot more than spending the extra dollars. Did the person mention something to you a few months ago that you remember and give them? Do you have an inside joke with the friend that can turn into a present? Maybe you give them your time like an IOU a certain number of hours of handyman work or closet organizing. Creativity and thoughtfulness go a long way!
Affiliate links and discount codes
I mentioned before that these gift guide creators do the research for you – remember that if purchasing items from their lists! Use their links and codes even if you can find the same discount on RetailMeNot or another coupon site. And even if the code doesn’t get you a discount, it’s nice to support the influencer that put in the effort of curating a list of gift ideas to share. They typically get a commission or leverage to work with more brands based on purchases using their links and codes. Reward them for their work!
Holiday Gift Guides 2019
I’ve compiled some of the best holiday gift guides of the year for you. Some aren’t out yet, but I will keep this post updated as more are shared! Like I said, it seems like everyone and their mother are posting guides this year, but I trust these creators.
Jen Reed of the Sister Studio
Jen is honestly just a fantastic fashion and family blogger. She has a huge following so gets great discount codes, but she’s very down to earth and honest in her reviews. So far, she’s shared a Men Gift Guide, a Women Gift Guide and a Kid Guide Guide, but there will be a new one each week on Sundays. Join her newsletter or keep an eye on her site for more! She has a lot of great things on Amazon (like the slippers I mentioned on Friday Five #13) and other major retailers.
Jamie Ivey
Jamie shares her holiday gift gifts each year on an episode of her podcast, the Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey. This year’s is linked here. She also compiles it all on show notes with links and discount codes if you don’t listen to podcasts! Last year’s list is still great for this year. I love that she focuses on companies with a good cause that we can support while getting our gift shopping done!
One of those brands from last year is The Shop Forward. I shared my custom 4 Things tote and more about them in Friday Five #4. This year they also have 4 Things zipper pouches, too. The custom items have a long lead time, so you need to order soon! If you miss the Christmas cut off date though, there are lots of really cute not-custom things, too like sweatshirts and jewelry.
Jenn of Life as a Rambling Redhead
She’s shared a couple actual holiday gift guides already (for kids and men) but she also regularly shares lists of product recommendations for kids and women on her blog. She homeschools her kiddos part time, so she’s a great resource for educational toys and games, but also fashion and other products. Side note, she’s also hilarious just to follow.
Erika of Coming Up Roses
Erika shared a Best Things I Own guide this week, and already surveyed her readers for what holiday content they’re looking for, so I expect more! She’s an honest reviewer and shares a big variety of clothes, skincare, and cute things in general. Her blog is a good lifestyle follow overall, and she really puts in the effort of giving her readers what they want – including holiday recommendations! Here’s her gift guide page.
The Popcast with Knox & Jamie
I expected fashion bloggers to share gift guides, but the Popcast was a (wonderful) surprise! The categorize theirs into lists like “Subscriptions We Love,” “For the Homebody,” and each team member’s recommendations. There’s a big variety to cover more of your gift list. You can get it by signing up here at knoxandjamie.com/giftguide.
I hope this guide helps you navigate the overwhelming number of holiday gift guides being shared this year. Happy shopping!
Do YOU use holiday gift guides?
Share in the comments or over on Instagram! I’d love to hear about more.
