Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

When I was younger, I always procrastinated my gift shopping. It was sort of a tradition, borrowing my mum's car and going out on the 23rd or 24th of December while she was at home baking cookies. I'd listen to Christmas carols through my headphones, zip through the stores, and pick up items off of my list (and sometimes from my mum's or sister's). I often worked multiple jobs, so this was my only time to do this (I'm sure anyone who knows me is shocked I waited until the last moment).

As I've gotten older and learned about the magic of online shopping, I've done this more and more often. The crowds have become more intense, the shopping season has basically moved into the middle of July, and I feel that I can contain my "calm and bright" attitude better when I'm not being elbowed out of the way over the last whatchamacallit on the shelf.

I also have focused more on giving meaningful gifts. If you have any children in your life, they've probably given you a million ideas about what they want from Santa. The adults, who can usually buy whatever they want or need, are more difficult to shop for. Gifting experiences is wonderful, but can quickly become too expensive to afford. I am more interested in small tokens of love that truly represent the recipient and don't pull away the focus of the season, which is Jesus, but instead enhance that idea of hope and goodwill.

I've compiled a list of ideas for all of the hard-to-buy-for people on your list, based on sentiment and practicality.

Because we have a whole cupboard full of mugs (a source of eye rolls from Shelley, who insists we don't need more than 4, max), I am going to dissuade anyone from gifting a mug, regardless of how cute they are. Instead, a Yeti or a Contigo travel mug are functional and sleek. My Contigo travel mug is one of my favorite purchases, and it has a lock button so I can throw it in my bag without it spilling and pull it out for a beverage that's still steaming hot four hours later.

On the book end of things (see what I did there?), Shells got me a book light as a stocking stuffer four years ago and it is still one of my all-time favorite gifts because it was practical and sentimental. I love the classic novels at Barnes and Noble-- they are so pretty and look nice on display but are still readable, and I'm a sucker for ribbon bookmarks. I also recommend New Morning Mercies if anyone you know is searching for a devotional; it is the best I've found.

For the outdoorsy types, there are some fun things that can be useful to have as well. It's nice to have games to play, so something like UNO is always classic. We always bring battery-powered fairy lights (we saw people string them along the top of the tent once and it's a game changer). We like to pack a portable speaker, and the retro mini speakers that hook up to Bluetooth add a bit of pizazz. HomeGoods has portable phone projectors, which would be nice for playing a movie against the tent wall. I also love my multitool. I got one on sale a few years ago from Eddie Bauer, and I've heard LeatherMan makes a nice one as well.

For guys/minimalists, anything that is considered "clutter" is a definite no, so it has to be useful or something they would never buy for themselves. Something like a craft beer or a nice bottle of liquor and some rocks glasses would not go to waste and not take up space beyond the time it takes to consume it. Not all men fall under the Black & Decker category, although TV commercials make it seem like a power tool is at the top of every guy's list (sexist much?), but the Flannel candle from Bath & Body Works is a real crowd pleaser for both men AND women.

If you have someone a bit more feminine on your list, Bip & Bop and The Giving Keys both offer dainty, delicate jewelry that you can personalize to fit the receiver. ColourPop cosmetics offers quality, affordable makeup, and you can even design your own custom palette including blush, highlight, and eyeshadow to match skin tone. I also love Headbands of Hope, which is possibly my favorite company-- the headbands are gorgeous, each one you buy also sends one to a child with cancer, and if you use my code "FerraroHope" you can save some money as well!

I always like Christmas-themed gifts. My sister and I had Matryoshka dolls that looked like Santa Claus growing up, and mine is currently on my fireplace. We used to get ornaments every year from my mum and from my grandfather, so that is a special tradition and even makes a nice accent to tie to the outside of another gift.

Finally, some practical gifts for anyone: a portable phone charger is a good stocking stuffer that someone could carry around in a bag for just-in-case moments. A Chromecast, Firestick, or Roku would be useful. I love beanies, and since they are functional and fashionable I think they're a great gift. Bluetooth headphones are wonderful, especially for long trips. I don't particularly care for the wholly wireless ones, but Sudio has some great ones I've linked. I have had mine for three years now! I love a good watch, and MVMT and Daniel Wellington both offer pay-in-installments options now (so dangerous!) for their classy, minimalist timepieces. If you want to spend a bit more, the Fujifilm instant cameras and film are fun and a great way to capture memories!

When you're five, if someone gives you socks or slippers or pajamas, they may as well have given you coal. Fast forward 20 years and a good pair of lodge socks becomes an ideal gift. Lounge clothes like Cuddle Duds or fleece/sherpa pullovers are fantastic as well-- the bigger the better definitely applies to sweatpants.
Hopefully you were able to find some ideas in this post for the hard-to-shop-for people in your life! If you have any other ideas, feel free to comment and let me know!

Holiday Beverage Ideas & A Hot Cocoa Party

Cocoa by the fire :)

A couple of summers ago, I read a book that hipped me to the term hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), which essentially takes everything I love and gives it a name. Twinkle lights, fires, warm mugs, cozy gatherings with good conversation and laughter, sweets, and snow all fall under the umbrella of hygge.

I had this urge to throw a hot chocolate party-- people come over, drink cocoa, consume decadent desserts, play games, and enjoy one another's company. Shelley was understandably concerned about the idea of having too many people crammed into our tiny home, but I was convinced it would be fine (this is how much of our life goes-- she's practical, I'm a dreamer; we balance each other out).

We had some of our nearest and dearest over and it was everything I imagined it would be. We had cinnamon sticks, peppermint sticks, Christmas sprinkles, marshmallows, and whipped cream (and one friend brought peppermint Kahlua), plus myriad desserts. This was our second year doing this, and thankfully someone brought chips & dip to balance out all that sugar!

There was something so perfect about the people I love most in the same place, passing around a plain peach candle hot potato style to a game I made up (watch this for some insight) and hoping not to be stuck with this $1 candle at the end, or using oven mitts to unwrap a bunch of junk food from a cellophane ball, and voting on best mugs and sweaters. It made me truly connect to all of those Christmas songs about friends singing and gathering around the tree, cast in the warm glow of the twinkle lights we have everywhere.

For the cocoa, Shelley made up her own recipe-- use a crock pot and melt chocolate morsels into a gallon of whole milk. Add a splash of vanilla extract and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I've also been into the idea of trying wassail. Shelley and I have been to see "A Musical Christmas Carol" downtown a couple of times, and there is a song where they sing about wassailing. The olden days version does not interest me AT ALL-- curdled milk and whisked eggs, no thanks.
We perused a few more modern recipes and played around with combinations until we came up with one that is perfect!


Using a crock pot on high, combine 20 whole cloves, 6 cinnamon sticks, a gallon of apple cider, a handful of cranberries, and a half cup of brown sugar. Leave it in there for about two hours, then add a container of orange juice concentrate. Let that go for another hour or so, stirring occasionally.

When you serve it, pour in a finger or two of cognac, toss in about 6 cranberries, and a cinnamon stick or orange peel for garnish (obviously the family friendly version is to do the same thing sans-cognac). We also tried it out with half red wine, half wassail, which created a nice winter sangria effect.

"Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon, light on the cloves!" If you try any of these, let me know what you think! I'm definitely making wassail all season long!

Merry Christmas!

Hosting a Gathering in a Small Space

I used artificial greenery for the centerpiece.

From the time I was a small child, I remember holidays as bright, beautiful, warm, and somewhat hectic. There are so many traditions I associate with this time of year, and even now, as an adult, I still get nostalgic pulling out decorations and seeing strings of lights. One of my fondest memories is the way everyone always gathered together. As the years have passed, the faces around the table have changed-- some passing away, some new ones being added as we've grown up, gotten engaged, or had children who will eventually be the ones at the kids table instead of us.

Both sides of my family are enormous, but that never stopped us from cramming around tables together to share food, conversation, and laughter. I picture my Aunt Jani's dining room on Thanksgiving or Christmas day, jammed with an eclectic assortment of chairs and these gorgeous place settings, while our beloved Peg shares her thoughts on everything from traveling the Amalfi Coast for "some R&R" to Rolling Stone magazine. I think of Christmas Eves at Nunny and Puppa's house, two long tables shoved in the basement, the loud din of my grandparents, their siblings, their five children and significant others, and their 16 grandchildren.

The common ground was the love-- it never mattered in either place how crowded it was-- although it was definitely hard to navigate around all the chairs! It was about all of the people they most cared about gathered in one space to share a meal together.

I was reading something recently in The New Yorker about how Friendsgiving is a saving grace for many people-- an occasion for us to gather with our chosen family, the ones who are there for us not through blood but by choice. I am blessed with so many friends like that, and family as well.

This year, Shelley said she wanted to host Thanksgiving. Everyone had plans, but my mum, sister, and I have always done something we affectionately referred to as "Part Two". We usually went out for Thanksgiving to my aunt's house, but Part Two was a chance for us to stay in our pajamas, decorate for Christmas, eat as much as we wanted, and have leftovers for the week. I can still remember sneaking in to the fridge to dip cold turkey into cold gravy (if you haven't tried it, you should).

We had a small group of family and some close neighbor friends over for Part Two this year-- in spite of the fact that our home is incredibly compact, we managed to get a dozen people in here. Perhaps, dear reader, you have wanted to have a gathering but worried your space was too small and it wouldn't go well. Now that we have successfully executed such a dinner, I'm sharing some of the things that worked for us.

1) Possibly the most important thing in any gathering is food. Have you ever noticed how you may be on the fence about something until you hear that pizza will be provided (maybe that's just me?)? Shelley is a fantastic cook, and she worked for a couple weeks to plan a menu all from scratch-- a brined turkey, brussels sprouts that one person even said were enough to make her like them, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean almondine, rolls, a vegetable tray, crab dip, pumpkin cheesecake, and stuffing. My mum brought a pumpkin pie and a cherry pie as well. People are happy to be well-fed, and that coupled with the wine everyone brought was enough to keep us all merry.

2) Music is essential. It's always been a massive part of my life, so I crafted a playlist of chill songs that spanned like 7.5 hours. I didn't want to induce any turkey comas, but I also wanted it to be a good vibe-- subtly soaring in the background of the constant conversation.

3) I enjoy decorating-- particularly at this time of year, which really gives me a chance to shine. We used paper plates and napkins from the Dollar Tree with some cute plastic forks. The reason behind this was two-fold-- it's a little more comfortable to use something you aren't afraid of breaking, and you want to enjoy your time with your guests without stopping to wash a mountain of dishes.

My tablescape

I used a mix of candles and greenery (real and artificial) to add depth to the tablescape and make it worthy of Shelley's meal, plus give a boho-hygge feel (I'm not sure if that's a thing or not outside of my daily life, but now it is). I hand-lettered name tags for everyone and used some gold-threaded twine to tie them to sprigs of rosemary, which smelled amazing and gave a nice personal touch. There is something special to me about crafting a space that shows love for each person sitting around the table.

Name tags and greenery add a personal touch

Candles give off a serious glow

4) Keep it casual so guests feel comfortable. I have been places before where I was afraid to breath because I didn't want to wreck anything-- it was almost TOO nice. Even though the food was snazzy and the place settings looked nice, they were still plates that came in a pack of 18 for a dollar. Giving it a laid-back feel made it slightly less bizarre and "are those the chairs you take camping?", I think, that everyone was sitting in a hilariously eclectic assortment of chairs that could only be described as "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving".

Camp chairs, desk chairs, dining room chairs-- we had them all. 

These are things that definitely added to our successful gathering. It didn't matter what a small space we had because the people who came were awesome, and there is a mutual love that harkens back to those nights sitting around the table with my family for all of those years.