Have I ever told you about Operation Popcorn & PJ’s — the night where my husband and I help our kids get ready for bed as usual, then surprise them at the last minute by piling them into the car with gingerbread cookies to drive around and look at holiday lights?
Most years we plan it for a certain day, then reschedule the mission because another activity takes (WAY) longer than expected, or I forget an ingredient for the cookies, or . . . life.
All that to say, if you planned to have your holiday shopping done by now and life got in the way, I get it. Here are seven last minute gift ideas that are truly thoughtful and don’t scream “I picked this up at the grocery store on the way here.”
Or if you prefer – here are some homemade gift ideas that turn out beautifully and don’t require any special skills.
1. Dry Farm Wines Gift Box
Dry Farm Wines offers curated collections of 6 or 12 bottles delivered directly to your recipients door. Last year my husband and I gave each other an annual membership as a gift, but you can also buy individual boxes here.
As I mentioned in this post on the benefits of wine, it’s hands down the healthiest collection of wines I’ve ever found. Every wine they make is grown with organic practices and doesn’t contain Mega Purple food coloring or sawdust, which are just some of the 70+ approved additives used in conventional wine. Each bottle is virtually sugar-free, containing less than 1g/L of total sugars (including fructose and glucose).
Something to put under the tree: A cute wine stopper with a card letting them know to expect a special delivery.
2. Kids Cook Real Food eCourse
Your kids learn an essential skill they need in order to eat healthy, and someone makes dinner instead of you. ? Kids Cook Real Food is taught by my friend Katie, a trained teacher with a passion for making sure our children know how to nourish themselves well before they head off to college.
You can read about why I love Kids Cook Real Food here, or go here and click the gift icon to buy the course.
Something to put under the tree: Cute little aprons or whisks with card.
3. Kiwi Co Crates
I got my kids a Kiwi Co Crate subscription this year and they literally cheer every time a box arrives. They love all the little experiments they get to do, and I love that they’re learning AND entertaining themselves. ? Click here to check them out.
Something to put under the tree: A note telling your recipient to expect something fun in the mail. (Kids LOVE mail!)
4. MELT Couples Massage Course
“I wouldn’t want to live in a house boobytrapped by small humans with anyone else.” << What is the gift that says THAT?
Not a tie, that’s for sure. If you want something to put under the tree to go with this gift, I’ve got an idea for you below.
MELT is a PG-rated (fully clothed!) online couples massage course. It’s taught by Denis Merkas,- a massage therapist whose client list includes a lot of famous names you’d recognize (you can find them in the section about him) – and his wife Emma. There’s not a huge time investment involved, which is good because we all know how much free time parents have, right?
Click here to check out MELT.
Something to put under the tree – A bottle of massage oil would be a great addition. If you want to make your own, I recommend buying cold-pressed almond oil at a local health food store and adding some essential oils if desired. Use about 12 drops of skin-friendly essential oil per ounce of carrier – I recommend frankincense, black pepper, or sandalwood blended with vanilla in jojoba oil.
5. Real Plans Membership
Real Plans is way more than a meal generator or menu planner – it’s like having a personal TIME SAVING kitchen assistant that takes your recipients schedule into account, knows his/her dietary quirks, and even delivers a shopping list to his/her phone so you never forget anything.
To give Real Plans as a gift: At checkout, you can provide a recipient email address and gift message. Also, you can choose the date you’d like the gift sent and you’ll only pay for the first subscription period. After that, if your recipient wants to keep up the planning they can add their own payment method. You’ll be sent a confirmation email once your order is complete.
Click here to give a Real Plans membership.
Something to put under the tree: Some fair trade chocolate and a card.
6. Thrive Market Membership
It’s Whole Foods meets Costco, only your gift recipient doesn’t even have to leave the house. Membership saves 25-55% on organic groceries, real food, supplements, personal care, beauty products and home goods that are delivered directly to their door.
Click here to give a Thrive Market membership.
Something to put under the tree: A sampling of something they sell. Awesome coffee, maybe, or chocolate.
7. Amazon Prime Membership
As I sit here and think about how glad I am that I never had to set foot in a mall to shop for my loved ones this year, I am reminded of the huge time and sanity saver that is Amazon Prime. Love their free two-day shipping, movie and TV streaming through Prime Video, and access to Amazon Fresh.
Click here to give Amazon Prime.
Something to put under the tree: A cozy coffee mug or slippers that they can use while shopping from the comfort of home.
8. Customized Recommendations From Nutrition Genome
Know someone who invested in a 23&Me genetic test but couldn’t figure out what kind of changes to make based on the results? Nutrition Genome provides customized recommendations based on 23&Me data collected before August 2017. They also do cheek swab analysis with an even more thorough report, but the test plus the report is more of an investment.
The report includes:
- A breakdown of strengths and weaknesses
- Personalized DNA-Based Grocery List
- 50+ page evidence-based analysis to customize your diet & lifestyle based on your genetics
- Toxins / food additives to avoid
- Recommended bloodwork
- Cutting edge nutrigenomics research on each gene
To find the 23&Me report, go to NutritionGenome.com, select “Shop” from the menu and scroll down.
Something to put under the tree: An old photo of the recipient that has been turned into a card – most office supply stores or pharmacies can do this for you. Inside the card – a note about how unique they are, and how now they can learn even more.
