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Welcome to November. We are entering the gratitude and gift giving season. 

I thought today’s episode could be all about some of my favorite gifts to give and receive and maybe this will give you some ideas. Coming up with the products, services and ideas for this episode has also been a great exercise in gratitude. 

Gratitude

Let’s talk about gratitude first.  You can sit down with a notebook or journal or piece of paper and make a list, like I did, of your favorite gifts to give and receive.

Really think about what have been the gifts you have loved receiving and why. 

What gifts have loved giving and why?

What gifts would you put on a wishlist for yourself right now and why?

Going through this process for myself in preparation for this episode really made me appreciate what I have been given, how much I can give and what I already have and appreciate so much. 

Let me know if you do this gratitude exercise for yourself and what you realize in doing it. 

Favorite Gifts

Now let’s talk about favorite gifts.

Obviously, I can’t tell you the best gifts you should give to other people specifically because I don’t know your relationships, their personalities, your time and money commitments and all of those details. Instead, I decided my best option is for me to tell you the favorite gifts I love giving and receiving (both from others and myself) and what I would appreciate getting as a gift.

Gift Idea Notebook 

I have a notebook related to gift giving that I have to tell you about in case you want to use it to write down your thoughts and ideas as you listen to this episode the 2nd time (because based on last week’s episode we know: you can never listen to the same podcast twice). 

The notebook is called Gift Giving Guide Book and it is a Gift Idea Generator Notebook. It has a few different sections to make coming up with the perfect gift idea easy for you in the future. 

There’s an index section where you can assign a page number to everyone you might give a gift to. There’s a month at a glance section where you can list out all the events in each month so you can plan your gift giving in advance, instead of at the last minute. There are individual gift detail pages you can fill out for each of the important people in your life.  (AND) There is an open notes section where you can write generic and random ideas – like the ones I am about to share with you now. Click on the picture above to check it out. 

Links to Everything

I’m providing links to almost everything I’m sharing so that you can easily check it out for yourself. 

In addition to the royalties I earn with the sale of my own notebooks, as an Amazon Associate and Affiliate of other brands, I may also earn a small commission from qualifying purchases (which could happen if you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase). This does NOT result in any additional cost to you.

Favorite Type of Gift Giving

My favorite type of gift to give is a bundle or compilation, like for example, a gift basket. I don’t necessarily always put my curated gifts into a basket. I like any kind of container. 

Sometimes I buy a container. Sometimes I make a container and sometimes I do use an actual basket. 

When I think about giving someone a curated or bundled gift, I don’t have any specific rules. It really just depends on the person and the context. I have gone to special stores to curate a few fun products that I think would be interesting to the recipient. I’ve even gone to the dollar store to grab some familiar candies or snacks or little school supplies or fun little beauty products and put those together in a little gift bundle.

There’s really no specific rules. I just try to match the contents and theme to the person or event. 

For example, my dad loves unique and interesting food and candies from different places with different flavors so I try to pull those together for him and get him something new and different every time.  Unless he specifically tells me he really liked something, then I’ll try to bring that item back in the next collection.

Once, as a housewarming gift, I went to Target and got a plastic watering can and put some solar lights and other outdoor type things to give to someone who had just moved into her new home. 

You can just see there’s just so many possibilities and I love that these gifts can be big or small, affordable and luxurious. They don’t have to be wrapped. You can just make your container pretty with some ribbon or other decorations. I love wrapping my curated bundles in clear cellophane wrap and adding a bow or ribbon so the recipient can already see through the wrapping to see what they are getting.

My Favorite Gift Ever

My favorite gift that I ever received was a curated collection of fancy bottled waters from all over. 

I don’t know how long she spent, I imagine weeks or months, but my friend, who is a flight attendant, collected uniquely colored and shaped and sized water bottles from wherever she traveled. She might have even recruited other people to bring her water bottles too, (AND) Then she put all of these different water bottles together into a box and brought it to me as a gift. 

At first, I was surprised and maybe a little shocked but that gift turned out to be one of my most favorite gifts ever. 

First of all, it’s something that I love and use: water. 

Secondly, it was a curated bundle, which I love to give and receive. 

Thirdly, it was consumable. That meant I could use the water, drink it, enjoy it, and share it. I didn’t have to maintain it or care for it or display it. The gift was so thoughtful because I do love drinking water. I love the portability of water bottles and the interesting brands and types. In other words, it was the perfect gift for me. 

Fun Curated Gift Bundle

I am not suggesting you collect water bottles from all over the world to give someone water for their birthday, but, hearing that example, can you think of a fun or interesting curated gift to give someone?

In the December Notebook Newsletter (coming out in the first week of December), I’ll be sharing some gift bundle ideas that you can put together with some of the notebooks and journals from my shop. Make sure you are subscribed to that once- a month newsletter so you can get that video in a few weeks with some more gift bundle ideas.

Regifting

Before I tell you some of my favorite products and services,I also want to give you a note about regifting. I am 100% in favor of regifting.

Some of the best gifts I have received have been obviously re-gifted. In fact sometimes that’s even stated at the time of the offering. I love to regift things that I have received that I know were offered to me with the most loving intention but just aren’t necessarily the right fit for me. 

Two Ways to Think About Regifting

There are two ways we can look at gifting.

One way is when I already own something that I just know is a better fit for somebody else. That’s a very personal regift. I have been regifted and also re given things that I have already been used and enjoyed.

For example, when I moved into a new house, a friend gave me a wall clock that had been in her home hanging on her wall. It was a used re gift and I was so appreciative of it.

I still use that clock in my current home over 20 years later and I think of her whenever I look at it. I love the idea that it hung in both of our homes. 

The reason that she gave me that wall clock instead of  giving me the new clock she was planning to give me was because before the actual date of the gift, I made a comment about my color scheme in my decor. 

She realized that the wall clock that she had planned to give me wouldn’t match and so she decided to take the one off of her wall and give it to me instead. She kept the one that she had purchased. I love the used clock that she gave me. I love that the new clock got put up in her home. I love the entire story of it. 

Another Regifting Example

Here’s another example of a regift that I happily regave to someone else. I had a book that I loved and enjoyed and a friend of mine mentioned that she liked that book but she had lost or given away her copy. I just kind of made a little note of that comment. When her birthday rolled around, and as I was thinking about what I could give her that she would appreciate, I remembered our conversation about the book. I went to my bookshelf and grabbed that book and I put it in a gift bag and happily brought it to her at her birthday celebration. I was happy to pass the book along because I was done with it and she was happy to receive it. She didn’t mind that it was used. She thought it was a sustainable, thoughtful, and personal gift. 

Other Angles on Regifting

Regifting can be so fun. Should we make up some terms? Like a domino or a boomerang way to regift? Maybe you have experienced this or maybe you want to start one of these as a fun tradition if you don’t already do this. 

Domino Regifting

Domino regifting could be the idea of a gift that you receive and then immediately turn around and give to someone else with the expectation that they are definitely free to turn around and give it to someone else. Maybe a better word for this would be traveling regifting.

These are great for the less personal types of gifts when you want to show up with a gift to show love or support or recognition of whatever’s happening. But, the gift does not need to be personal or meaningful.

Maybe you (or people you know) have these in a gift stash. Do you have this?

When you receive a gift that’s just lovely and wonderful and thoughtful but it’s just not your style or your flavor or scent or color. When it’s just not for you, but it is a lovely gift. You put it away and next time a gift giving situation comes up, as long as you’re not trying to be too personal or put too much thought into it, you could go into the gift stash and grab that decorative throw or candle or even a notebook or journal. There are so many things that can fit into that category: lovely gifts, but not super personal. They can be appropriate for multiple types of gift giving situations.

That would be like a domino regift that just gets given and given and given. I have applied this domino regifting strategy when I have had multiple holiday gift exchange parties to go to. I might bring something from my gift stash as an offering, then whatever gift I walk away with could be my offering to the next gift exchange I go to. Rinse and repeat!

Boomerang Regifting

Boomerang regifting might not be as popular. This would probably only happen within relationships with an open mind and a similar sense of humor. This is when I give you something (maybe like a joke present or there’s some inside joke or funny element to it) and then you give it back to me and then it gets given back again. I have heard of some gifts that get passed around a family or group of friends or coworkers and each time it gets regifted, it also gets embellished or modified to add to the humor and enhance the tradition. 

Favorite Products for Gifts

Let’s talk about buying new gifts. Here are some of my favorite products that I love to use. I think they would make great gifts. You can consider giving them to someone else or getting them for yourself as a gift. 

If you’ve listened to any of my journaling episodes, you’ve probably heard me talking about Papermate Flair felt tip pens. I just love journaling with them and writing my notes and making my lists with them. I always try to have an extra pack on hand. These would be part of a great bundle with a notebook or a journal. 

People in my life know that they will always get a delighted squeal from me if I open a gift and it contains a package of these Papermate Flair felt tip pens. If I happen to receive 2 sets at once from 2 different people, there is never a sense of disappointment or embarrassment (as in, oh no, it’s the same thing). That’s just double the excitement and gratitude!

I love giving these pens to other people who I know love to write or color. Especially, if they’ve never experienced these pens before. 

And just to add while staying in the theme of writing and paper products, especially if you are putting together a bundle or basket gift, another one of my favorite products is Bic White Out Correction Tape. These are brightly colored little dispensers that usually come in a four pack. I use these and go through these continuously. I love using whiteout when I’m writing in my journal or my calendar, or any of my notebooks.  Scratch outs and scribble throughs are not for me. Whenever I make a mistake, I prefer to use whiteout and then write over it.

One of my favorite gifts (that I didn’t realize at the time would be a favorite) that I received five or six years ago, and have since given myself every year, is the Day Designer planner. A planner is basically a very detailed calendar. I’m very specific about what I like. I prefer the 5×8 flexible cover, non-floral design weekly and monthly planner and notebook. If it’s not that exact recipe, I probably don’t want it.

I received my first Day Designer as a gift from my sister years ago and, at the time, I thought it was a very lovely notebook. But I didn’t use that style of planner and so that gift really did sit unused for a while until something made me get it out and start using it. I loved it. I loved organizing my day and my month and my two dos and so many things. There was a big fat note section in the back of it that I could use to take all the random notes that came up for me and I loved it so much. 

Then, moving forward, I was very intent on finding the exact same style for the next year. It took a little bit of hunting around but I found it. Then I continued to buy that exact same style every year. Day Designer did start to change a few elements in their designs as the years went by. Last year, that style was changed much too far for my liking. I even thought I would have to break up with Day Designer. But I found one that I made do with in 2021. I adapted to it. 

This year, I am thinking of making my own planner for 2022. I’m thinking of making two versions: one that’s dated – I prefer dated planners. The second version that I’ll make will be undated and that way it is timeless so whenever you start using it you can just fill in the days and months for whenever you start using it. That way the planner will never expire. It’s totally stashable and regiftable! 

Perfume

On the higher scale of gifts, a gift that I frequently ask my husband for is perfume. My current favorite is called Lilac Path. It’s from Aerin by Estee Lauder.  It is such a lovely scent and it comes in a beautiful bottle with what looks like a rose quartz crystal stopper on top. 

I’ve received it from my husband a number of times and then, during quarantine, because of some effective marketing and promotion, I gave it to myself. Last summer, when ordering it for myself, I realized I could get the perfume bottle monogrammed and because my name is only three letters, it fits as a monogram. So, my past few bottles of Lilac Path have been monogrammed with my name. It just makes it that much more special. That’s an example of a gift that I love to give myself and of course I’d be happy to receive. 

I don’t know if I would give someone this (or any) perfume unless I really knew them personally to make sure that it is a gift that they really value and appreciate. Perfume, and anything with a scent does tend to be a little bit more personal. But if you already know someone likes it and uses it, I think it’s a great idea and I think the monogram adds an unexpected luxurious touch. 

Candles

Other gifts that I love to give and receive are candles from Jax Kelly. These candles smell amazing and they have crystals in them so after you burn down the candle, at the end, you get to harvest a beautiful little crystal.

I love their candle scents and crystal selections. They also sell earrings which I have happily given to others and myself.  I love that it’s a woman owned company in California. I’ve found that they have a really good ordering experience and delivery process. 

Handmade Soap

Another fun gift for me to give and receive is small batch handmade soap. I love handmade soaps with interesting textures, ingredients and scents. The makers I have been using in recent years have closed up shop or I’ve lost contact with them, so I’m on the lookout for my next favorite soap maker. Let me know if you have some suggestions for me. 

Services as Gifts

I don’t know if services would necessarily be gifts for other people, but why not? 

The number one service that I’ve been using for years and that I consider a monthly gift for myself is a clothing borrowing subscription service called LeTote.

There are a lot of different clothing subscription boxes for shopping where a stylist chooses some clothes and sends them to you and then you purchase them or send them back.

I use the original LeTote monthly subscription service which lets me choose the clothes that I want to borrow, receive them, wear them and then either buy them or send them back.  This service has really changed my consumer habits and helped me keep my closet more minimized than it ever was before. Receiving my LeTote boxes lets me wear interesting, new-to-me clothes that I don’t have to keep if I don’t like and that I can wear once and return. 

I’m the kind of person who likes to wear different clothes all the time. LeTote lets me try out different styles and designers and textures and sizes without having to go into a store. 

Subscription Box Gifts

This might be more of a gift recommendation of something you would give yourself. Or, it might be something you ask someone to get for you as a gift. But who knows, you might also figure out a way to give someone else a month or 2 of the subscription so they can try it out. 

Another thing I love about LeTote is that they often have really good sales. I have given jewelry I got through LeTote sales as gifts, so you might be able to get the subscription for yourself, then choose some things to purchase to give to other people. 

I’m sharing my experience with this one subscription box service because it is one I have been using and loving for years. There are so many other subscription boxes that I think would make perfect gifts. There are monthly make up boxes, candy boxes, cheese, wine, pretty much anything can think of probably has some kind of subscription box model built around it that you could send to someone or get for yourself. 

Valuable Service Provider

Another type of service that could be a gift to give yourself or someone else is the gift of coaching or another valuable service.

If you want to give a coaching session with me to someone you love, just reach out to me and we can figure out how to set it up. 

You can also give yourself the gift of self awareness by hiring me as your coach. See how to get that started. 

In the coming weeks, on this podcast, I’m hoping to introduce you to a few more service providers that you may find helpful during this time of year (and any time of year really) like a dietician, a movement and opening expert, a travel advisor and a photographer (and who knows who else). Maybe a lovely gift would be to book a session with one of these knowledgeable experts.

So those are a few examples and suggestions of products and services that I am so grateful for in my life and that I love to both give and receive as the perfect gift for people I love. 

And, now you have permission to regift. 

What are you thinking?

Will you think of your own perfect gifts as a gratitude exercise?

Did you get any ideas for gifts that you can give or ask for?

Did any of the suggestions I shared bring up any resistance for you?

I want to hear all about it. 

Journal Shop Reminder

Remember that there is a whole shop full of notebooks and journals. These make easy and perfect regiftable and gift stash gifts. I’ve even got some gratitude journals for kids now. If you haven’t looked at the collection lately, go take a look now. 

I love to suggest notebooks and journals to people giving gifts from a distance. They’re all on the amazon platform, so you can order from the comfort of your home. Then, just have them mailed to the recipient. Amazon even lets you write out a little gift message if you choose that option.