The countdown to Christmas is on (like really, really on), and your holiday shopping is almost complete. If the emphasis is on almost and you’re still looking for one or two final presents, don’t worry. We have you covered with this list of last minute gifts so great it will seem like you’ve had them picked out for months!
It’s amazing how many dedicated Do-It-Yourselfers thrive in a world that places so much value in convenience and instant gratification. We’re not talking about people who save hundreds of recipe and craft ideas on Pinterest to revisit in the winter. (Though we’re all for that!) We’re talking about both novice and professional makers who create for the pure enjoyment of creating. It’s tough to prevent yourself from spiraling into a guilt trip when exchanging gifts with these DIY enthusiasts. You know that they probably spent hours getting their hands dirty to make you something special. How can you compete with that kind of laborious gesture? But just because you’re shopping for a gift instead of crafting from scratch, it doesn’t mean that you can’t show just as much love for your giftee. We’ve rounded up hands-on kits and accessories that will inspire and excite the thoughtful, crafty people on your holiday list.
One day very soon, you may arrive to work and find a fun diversion to your morning ritual: one of the women in Marketing approaches your desk and asks if you want to pick a name for your office’s annual Secret Santa. In the spirit of the season, you agree and reach your hand into a pile of small papers filled with names of your colleagues. Anticipation is rising as you wonder who will travel through your fingers, and who may have already picked your name. When you open your final selection, you learn that you picked that new guy in Accounting. And then you realize you know absolutely nothing about him.
The art of fulfilling your duties in an office Secret Santa can be complicated, whether or not you know your co-workers well. You might have to buy a gift that fits a particular price range, or you may have to recall every interaction you’ve had with your giftee in order to spark one good idea. On top of all of this, there’s the pressure of keeping your identity a secret until the final reveal. Since you might get a call from HR if you start snooping around your co-worker’s desk for hints, we’ve created this gift guide to inspire that perfect Secret Santa find instead. (As for how to keep your gift a secret, we can only suggest that you fess up if you end up picking your own name out of the hat.)
Do you know someone who always looks like she just walked off the set of Mad Men? She might be the spitting image of Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, or possess the timeless grace of women like Iman or Amal Clooney. You swear that her Instagram account is recorded through a rose-colored lens. Finding a gift to suit such a regal personality isn’t easy. However, one thing we’re sure of is that true vintage appeal must incorporate an element of the uncommon, something that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. (As you might imagine, we consider that our specialty). In honor of the classic beauty in your life, we’ve rounded up our favorite finds that will stun her with elegance and panache.
Finding a gift for the whole family can be tricky, especially when each member of the group has a very different personality from the next. You could go with the standard “Happy Holidays to All of You from All of Us” fruitcake, but we think that one of these unique gifts might suite each of their individual tastes a little better. (While promoting family bonding, togetherness, and all that sweet stuff. Now that takes the cake!)
Dad takes it black, mom likes a little milk and sugar, and the kiddos stick to hot chocolate. Now each member of the family can enjoy their favorite drink in their own special mug. | Personalized Family Mugs
We encounter the principles of STEM every single day. From navigating our natural environment, to the devices that we incessantly tap our thumbs all over, we’re constantly interacting with feats of science, technology, engineering, and math. While we value the much-discussed professional benefits of STEM education, what gets us most excited about these studies is that they encourage kids to be curious about the world around them. Without curiosity and questioning, life would be rather boring! Unfortunately, the STEM world tends to get a bad rep for bordering on stuffy. Here at UncommonGoods, we know that diving into STEM education doesn’t have to be void of creativity. We’ve gathered our favorite educational gifts for kids of all ages to explore this holiday season and into the next school year. Let the experiments begin!