Some Last-Minute Gift Recommendations For All Ages

Dec 20, 2021

Ideally, we’d all have our gifts carefully planned, curated, and bought only from local businesses. But ideals don’t happen all the time, so here are some recommendations of enriching products we love that you can order on Amazon that look like they will probably arrive before Christmas. As always, there are no affiliate links, just genuine recommendations. Many of these, such as the watercolors, apply to a wide range of ages. I hope this helps!

Gifts for Adults

A 5-Year, Line-A-Day journal to be used as a gratitude journal. Get it for multiple people at once (and yourself), so you can all aim for thankfulness together. Writing a few sentences about the good things you experienced that day will transform your life, no exaggeration. It’s cool to see what you were grateful for on this day last year and the year before, too. (And, if you fall behind, catching up on gratitude isn’t the worst 😉) ($12-15)

A hardboiled egg maker. Hard-boiled eggs are such an easy, filling, nutritious way to start your day. The Dash egg makers take all the effort and mess out of it; you place your eggs, pour your water, push the button, and take them out when the timer sings. By the way, they provide tools for you to poke the eggs and measure the water, but if you’re not a perfectionist, you can skip those steps. ($17)

An Art-a-Day calendar for multiple people at once (including yourself.) It’s fun to have a group chat with people who are literally on the same page each day so you can marvel at, question, or giggle at the beautiful or not-your-style art for that day. ($17)

The NYT Cooking No-Recipe Recipes cookbook by Sam Sifton - Casual instructions and simple ingredients (that don’t need to be measured) can inspire even the most easily-intimidated cooks. Delicious and doable, with pictures for each recipe. ($18)

Pasta machine - Making your own pasta is one of the most rewarding tactile (and taste) experiences. Your whole family will enjoy every step. A manual crank is all you need to make your own fresh pasta just with flour, water, salt, and eggs, and you don’t really have to clean it. Modifiable for allergies. ($37.)

Dozen Cousins microwaveable pouches are so flavorful and make effortless meals. You can buy a multi-pack and give them generously as stockings. Sure, beans are a weird gift, but who doesn’t want to skip making dinner sometimes? ($25 for a 6-pack.)

Gifts for Teens/Older Kids

Whatever YOU are interested in that you could do together will make a great gift! Do you want to get into watercolor or gouache art? Get a nice set (and paper) that you could share. They will last a long, long time and produce much better work.
A book to help you learn: 15-Minute Watercolor Masterpieces by Anna Koliadych. (Check out her tutorials on Youtube or Instagram!)
Some paint sets we like: Winsor & Newton (13 colors + brush, $20), fan palette (42 colors for $16, but they stick if you’re not careful), Kuretake (36 colors, $36).
This gouache set is great for a different art style ($24 for 18 colors) and Anna K made a tutorial book for this medium also ($16.)
Brushes are usually about $4 from Walmart.
This large 30-sheet watercolor paper pad can easily be cut into smaller pieces and give your family a lot of wonderful pieces. ($9)

Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction - They can build an impressive arsenal of tiny homemade battle or spy equipment using office supplies and useful engineering techniques. DavidSJones demonstrated many of them on Youtube. He mostly used them responsibly to hit balloons and such. Obviously, this gift isn’t for the untrustworthy 😉 ($12-17, Amazon)

A DIY Carving set - If your kids want to get into whittling—and potentially print-making—get them some tools ($20) and maybe some cut-resistant gloves ($8.) You can get bar soap cheapest from Dollar Tree or Walmart, which is a great way to learn how to begin whittling. This book of 20-minute projects would help, too ($7.)

The Hobbit graphic novel: It’s an awesome adaptation with all the best quotes from a great old story. Other great graphic novels: A Wrinkle in Time ($13), Anne of Green Gables ($10.)

Gifts for Kids (5-9)

Styling Head and Tripod - Skip the cheapy kid version and buy the mannequin kind that hair stylists use. Teach your kids the 3-strand braid, then work your way to French, Dutch, Fishtail, Rope Twist, Pull-through, Waterfall, Milkmaid, etc. Gaining braiding skills is very useful and low-maintenance practically, and it looks lovely. It’s a helpful (and enjoyable) skill for boys to learn, too. ($22 for a mannequin head (lots of options) and $23 for the tripod. Throw in some Dollar Tree elastics and maybe a hairstyling book, too.)

Disco Ball Projector - A simple plug-in light projector is great for family dance parties and Nerf wars. ($11)

The Magical World of Strega Nona: A Treasury by Tomie dePaola - For some reason, these storybooks are enjoyable (even addicting) to read aloud again and again and a great opportunity to learn some Italian. Just about everything by Tomie dePaola will probably be a hit with your kids. You can also find many of his books on Thriftbooks, but this volume contains six stories. Treasuries tend to be a good value; some of our other favorites are Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury ($21) and the Little House Picture Book Treasury ($21.)

Kids would love artist-grade watercolors, too. See above.

Gifts for Younger Kids (2-5)

Hatch Rest Sound Machine/Nightlight - This is really a gift for the parents. From the app, you can set schedules for lights and noises so that, for example, it’s red and plays white noise from 7 pm to 7 am every day, but after that, it turns green, so your child knows when it’s okay to wake up. ($60)

Stir Crack Whisk Bake ($8) is an interactive book that makes your kids feel like they’re actually cooking. Press the Dot is similar. It’s crazy how a small book can transform so dramatically.

Wearable Blanket Pajamas ($20) Some brands call them “Flying Squirrels.” It’s great for kids who kick off blankets but still need to be warm and cozy. Most of all, it’s absolutely adorable.

Sleeping Queens ($15) is an excellent game for 4+ that is somehow enjoyable for older players, too. The premise is original and simple, and every single player has a fair chance at winning.

Beeswax Crayons - They’re highly pigmented and help your kids make more vibrant art. The $11 set includes 24 crayons and a carrying case. Or there’s a 15-count set for $6.

Gifts for Babies

You can re-give them something they already have ($0.) Put their favorite toy under the tree, and they’ll be happy to see it again 😉

Babies like toys a lot less than manufacturers would like us to think. Measuring cups and mixing bowls from Dollar Tree will do wonders for a little one.

Rainbow stacking toys are beautiful and really fun to play with. This small silicone set ($18) is lots of fun, but if you can spring it for a larger set, there’s much more you can pull off. This video shows examples of what you can do with wooden Grimm’s set, but you can do most of these things with the $40 Lewo set.

Try Pillowcases and Scarves Instead of Wrapping Paper

This year, I used zero wrapping paper or tape. ZERO. Everything I wrapped was either a thrifted $1 scarf or a pillowcase tied with ribbon. It’s incredibly fast to prepare gifts, the cleanup/portability is easy, the packages look pretty enough under the tree, and it’s zero waste. This is my third year using pillowcases and I have no regrets.

You can watch Furoshiki method tutorials to wrap gifts beautifully with fabric, if you want a notch above pillowcases ;)

Questions to Ask Before Buying Stuff

Is this going to make my child want more stuff?

How will this shape my child? Will this make him more annoying?

Is this going to encourage independent play in a healthy way? Is it going to isolate my child from community?

Will I hate seeing this toy? Will I hate cleaning up this toy?

Is this an item I can buy used?

Am I buying this because it’s best for my child or because they demand it? (Who is really in charge here?)

Where will this item be five years from now? (100 years from now?)

How much time will my child actually spend enjoying this gift?

Hopefully this was helpful to you!! Only a few more days until the newsletter launch! Merry Christmas!

Note: Prices are as of 12/20. They’ve definitely increased since even a week ago, so if you’re reading this in non-peak time, you can probably buy these items for less than listed here.