🎵 Santa baby, just slip a Sable under the tree for me 🎵

As a slight twist to last year’s holiday gift guide, I will provide all the gifts that I bought for my family and friends this year. Since we’re so close to Christmas, I thought a holiday gift guide didn’t make that much sense but you can certainly purchase any of these following items for future special occasions and holidays.

My Husband

Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker Kit: My husband loves, loves, loves food. And he’s very good at cooking (a major perk) and loves to experiment in the kitchen. We were shopping at Costco when we came across this sous vide kit. Sous vide is a cooking technique that enables precision temperature control through circulation of heated water in a pot. I knew that he always wanted to try sous vide, and I told him that I would buy him this as his Christmas gift if he wanted. He said yes, and this kit is his 2021 Christmas gift from me. Best of all, it was on sale! Price: $159.99 at Costco.

My Parents

Brooklyn Butcher Block: Not all cutting boards are made equal. Butcher blocks are durable, reliable, sanitary, and easy to maintain. They’re ideal for keeping your knives sharp and long-lasting. I personally have the end grain one, and I also bought my parents a 12 x 18 x 1.75 end grain walnut butcher block. Price: $250.

Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle: Still one of my favorite kitchen appliances. I feel like it makes coffee taste better! The precision pour spout is perfect for making pourover coffee, and you can control the temperature of your water for coffees, teas, etc. Price: $159.

My In-Laws

Artifact Uprising Photo Book: After getting married in 2019, I made my husband and I a photo book with our wedding photographs to commemorate that special day. I decided for this Christmas, I would gift my in-laws a similar photo book and choose photos of them and their side of the family. It’s a sentimental, heartfelt gift for families or friends. Artifact Uprising is one of many custom photo book creators (alternatives: Mixbook, Adoramapix, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Printique, Vistaprint), but I find it very easy to use. I also bought one for my friend who got married in the fall. Price varies depending on which photo book you purchase.

Lang Lang Concert Tickets: Sometimes, the best gift is an experience. I grew up playing piano so I know of the famous pianist, Lang Lang. My in-laws live close to Los Angeles, so I decided to check out some concert halls and theaters in the Los Angeles area to see if there were any noteworthy concerts happening in the next year. To my delight, I saw that Lang Lang was going to be performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I decided to buy tickets for my in-laws so they could have a night out and go see one of the world’s best pianists perform in one of the world’s best concert venues. Price: $60-102.

Ember Mug 2: A beautiful, useful item for the home or office, this smart mug keeps your drinks at an exact drinking temperature. It can maintain the chosen temperature for up to 1.5 hours with the 10-oz. mug and up to 80 minutes with the 14-oz. mug. Price: $99.95.

My Friends

Pressed Flower Necklace/Earring Set: I love shopping on Etsy because I find that many items are handmade and unique, and I like supporting small business owners. This one that I bought has yellow baby’s breath flowers and silver vines in a teardrop pendant on a silver plated chain. I think it’s beautiful, and I purchased the set to give the necklace to one friend and the earrings to another friend. Price: $49.99.

Levain Bakery Signature Cookie Assortment Gift Box: Levain Bakery is a very popular bakery from New York City. Since their opening in 1995 with four shops in NYC, they have expanded to Washington, D.C., so I have had the opportunity to try a cookie at their Georgetown location. I thought it was decent, so I bought a 8-pack gift box to send to friends living elsewhere. Their classic assortment includes one of each of their original cookie flavors: chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip, and oatmeal raisin. The cookies are packed in cellophane bags with hand-tied blue ribbons. Price: $49 for 8-pack.

Sheet Masks: Taking care of yourself, inside and out, is a top priority. I’ve always been a fan of using sheet masks to hydrate, nourish, and moisturize my face. There are a variety of different sheet masks at many stores that you can purchase. I’ve gifted LAPCOS sheet masks this year, and this brand has a range of daily sheet masks from collagen to escargot.

My Dog

BARK Costco Party Pack Dog Toy Bundle: On that same Costco shopping trip where I bought my husband his Christmas sous vide gift, I also bought this adorable bundle of dog toys. They are Costco-themed and include an “Executive Dog Card” toy, a “Kirkland Whine” toy, a “DOGKA Hard Licker” toy, and a “Sheddar Cheese” toy. Each toy has a squeaker and crinkle, perfect for my dog! Price: $16.99.

Wild One Harness Kit: We’ve been searching for a new harness and leash for our dog. At Bloomie’s, we came across Wild One. I liked the look and feel of the harness and leash, so I decided to purchase a new harness kit. This kit comes with a harness (soft stretch poly base, woven webbing straps, coated carbon steel D-rings); leash (flex poly coated webbing strap, zinc alloy snap hooks and buckle, coated carbon steel D-rings); and poop bag carrier (soft touch plastic, elastic band with iron clasp). Price: $98.

Happy Holidays!