I feel like it has been a hot minute since I have done a favorite things post, and it feels so good to be back sharing my favorites, especially before the holidays! ‘Tis the season for gifting and cooking and spending long hours with family! We are a week out from Christmas and I didn’t want to wait until Sunday to share this post. Some of these items are great for last minute gifts, others for entertaining and some might be perfect for a post Christmas indulgence.

1.     Nest fragrances. If you looking to gift a lady in your life, Nest has an abundance of little gift options. I have the discovery set of fragrances from Sephora. It sells for $40.00 for 8 mini perfume rollers. I love that I can easily toss these in my carry on and it gives me a chance to test out which ones I really love (which are most of them) before purchasing a larger bottle. Nest also has candles that are great for gifting and will have your house smelling heavenly. 

2.    A Filson Vest. I got this for Caleb for Christmas this year. I didn’t wait to give it to him because it is useful to him now. However, whenever you decide to give this to someone they will love it. It is durable, it is good looking, a little on the pricey side, but it’s an item that will last for years and be used a ton (especially if you have an outdoorsy guy). Caleb always tells me I could buy him anything off the Filson site and he would be happy. Also, Filson has great customer service. I could actually get ahold of a human, they were pleasant and it was easy to exchange for a different size. Annnd they have 2 day shipping right now!

3.     Marble rolling pins. I honestly can not say that I know much different because this is what I have used in my adult life. However, my mother-in-law was recently over and made the most delicious cinnamon rolls. She raved about how much better a marble rolling pin is than wooden. Again, I cannot personally attest to this, but I do love my marble one. I got mine at Target, but I know you can find them on Amazon, Sur La Table and Bed Bath and Beyond, just to name a few.

4.    Long unscented IKEA candles. We use these throughout the year, but we used a bunch recently at our table setting for the wedding. These candles burn evenly and if they are not shaken or bumped, they don’t drip down and create a mess. 

5. Love One sweatshirt. My friend Megan got me one last year and it is literally my favorite sweatshirt. Not only is it super comfy, but it supports a good cause. To see more merchandise or learn more about their mission, head over to LoveOneStore.com and LoveOneInternational.com

6. Bare Bones Living shears—Cale did not wait to give me part of my Christmas gift either. He bought me these shears and I adore them. They not only look really cool, but are useful and do a great job. Right now I’m not out in the garden cutting flowers, but still have plenty of indoor plants and herbs that get trimmed and cut for meals.

7.     Books. I wish I could say one book that would be perfect for everyone, but it doesn’t work that way. Caleb has always loved his Viking heritage, so one year I got him a nice book for the coffee table on the history of Vikings. He has gotten me books on how to combat disease processes and different pests of plants organically (we believe in being experts in our fields of interest). I know my mother and I share similar interests in the type of books we like to read and I can usually get her one I really loved and she will love it too. Since my dad travels a bunch, he listens to books on audio in the car. There are cookbooks, books on flowers, children’s books, audiobooks, religious studies books, antique books…Know your people and get them books!

8. Lastly, if times are tight and it is just not in your budget right now to buy a bunch of gifts, I would always default to a heartfelt letter and something homemade. I recently made some dried citrus garland that people seemed to love. You could make that or something as simple as an ornament. Of course I’m never opposed to gifting baked goods either. If you need help, check out my recent post for special chewy gingerbread cookies with a lingonberry center.