Totally Practical Gift Guide

Most gift-guides on the internet make me cringe a bit.  Gold-plated drink stirrers?  Wiener dog shaped eye mask?  Trendy geometric toothpick holder? These are clever gifts that make a really splashy first impression, but usually just end up adding clutter to your home.  I probably sound like such a scrooge!  I do like gifts, both giving and receiving, but my tastes have changed.  I now appreciate more practical items- either things that make my life easier in some way, or consumable things that will be used up and won't gather dust for years and years.  The coolest thing is that without my saying a thing, most people have picked up on my new minimalist tendencies.  They end up buying me consumables.  My sisters-in-law have gifted me with things like really good quality olive oil, raw honey, and shea butter.  My brother gifted Joe with a huge leg of lamb for his birthday.  That's what I'm talking about!

As the Christmases roll by, we have less and less gifts to buy.  It's really liberating to just be able to enjoy the season and look forward to the traditions of Christmas instead of the stuff. Joe's family does a white elephant exchange, my family is just a handful of people and we have a 20.00 limit.  Joe, Sisi and I don't really do gifts under the tree.  Instead, we stuff each other's stockings with useful things, like the following...


Here is my little Gift Guide for the person who doesn't need or want a lot of frou frou stuff.  It's the kind of stuff people could buy me over and over and I'd never get sick of it.

1. Amazon.com: Life Extension Liquid Vitamin D 2000 IU Mint Flavor:... (A few drops a day keeps sickness away!) 

2. Bees wax tea light candles (Burn so much longer and cleaner than regular parafin wax candles)

3.   Sea Salt tealight candle holder (Made of a real salt chunk (I licked it to see), supposedly neutralizes the air of bacteria, mold, and allergens by emitting negative ions, but I just love the vibe of these candles.)

4. Cupsco Classic Cup 16oz 4-pack Stainless Steel (I break cups all the time, so these are Kristin-proof and baby-proof.  Also, stainless steel is so easy to clean and is supposedly more hygienic than ceramic, plastic, or glass.)

5. Peak Fresh Re-Usable Produce Bags, Set of 10 (Essential for anyone who does CSA, or eats a ton of produce- keeps fragile greens like spinach fresh for 3 weeks, which is pretty amazing.)

6.Winter Dream Tea from Coffee Bean  (I get this every year- it's sweet and spicy and so good with a splash of cream and honey.)

7. Stella Mare Cranberry Tangerine candle (Stella Mare is definitely my favorite candle brand.  Soy wax, so it burns longer and cleaner, amazing scents, and super reasonably priced.) 

8.  Fruit Pigmented Lip and Cheek Stain (100 Percent Pure is my favorite natural beauty brand, and this lip stain is such a pretty cherry shade.  It's a lot like benetint, but no yucky chemicals.  I put on a few layers on my lips in the morning, let them dry, and then apply clear lip balm on top.  My lips look berry stained for several hours.  Only bad thing is it tastes awful.)

9.  Redmond Earthpaste Cinnamon Amazingly Natural Toothpaste (This toothpaste is made out of mud.  It's completely safe if swallowed, which makes it perfect for Sisi, too.)

10.  Facial Primer by 100 Percent Pure (I never used to use primer, but this one feels so wonderful on my skin and provides such a nice even base for my powder foundation.)

11.  Everyone Soap (This one bottle of soap has replaced my shampoo, body wash, shaving cream, dog shampoo, baby shampoo, and bubble bath.  My shower has like 3 things in it- it's a minimalist's dream come true!!)

12.  Paraben free deodorant (Another great 100 Percent Pure product.  Truth be told, I don't usually wear deoderant.  I'm fortunate to not have smelly pits.  But my pregnancy hormones have kicked in and I am finding deoderant is necessary.  This one has only a handfull of ingredients.)

13.  Pacifica Wanderlust Perfume Trio (These fragrances are fairly natural and don't have a chemically scent.  The blood orange and the vanilla are lovely, and would probably smell even better blended together!)

14.  Primitive Sweet Almond Oil (I read  that French moms use this to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.  I've used it religiously this pregnancy, and I have very few stretch marks on my belly.  It's also a rather light oil that absorbs quickly into the skin.  It doesn't have a strong scent like coconut oil. I also apply it to my face, let it sit, then rub it away with a cotton ball to remove my makeup.)