29 Totally Thoughtful Gifts That'll Light Up Someone's Life
Look at you with your heart of gold!
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1. Soft cotton socks that combine personalization and coziness to get the wearer through the cold, long winter ahead.
You get up to eight characters (including spaces) for the top/ankle area and up to 20 characters for the bottom/toe area (also including spaces).
Get a set of five pairs from Uncommon Goods for $50.
2. Fill-in-the-blank books to let everyone in your life know how much they're appreciated and loved.
Promising review: "I bought this to complete for my husband for Valentine's Day. We have a 4-month-old so this was perfect for me to do: something sentimental without requiring much time. I finished it within two naps and liked how trying to answer all 50 statements differently made me reflect on everything I love about him. It definitely made it easy for me to remind him how much I love and appreciate him." —Sarah O'Neil
Get one from Amazon for $7.74 (available in 20 varieties, including bestie, dad, mom, sis, our family, teacher, and more).
3. A cast-iron skillet or marble serving board in the shape of your loved one's home state, or if their state isn't available, the whole dang country.
I hear cinnamon rolls and cheese taste 97% better when they're shaped like New York.
Get a skillet from American Skillet Company on Amazon Handmade for $125 (available in the shape of six states and the U.S.) and a marble cutting board from Bison Hill Stonecrafts on Amazon Handmade for $44+ (available in all or most 50 states).
4. Personalized daily vitamin packs for the friend who's always complaining about how little sun they get, how they're constantly feeling tired and low on energy, and even how backed up their digestive system is (slightly TMI, Jill).
Psst, a pack of vitamin D, iron, and probiotic blend would be a good start.
Build custom packs from Care/of for $5+.
5. A soul-warming candle for all your homesick friends — and you'll probably want to get one for yourself while you're at it.
Get them from BuzzFeed's Homesick shop for $29.95 each.
PSST! BuzzFeed makes money if you buy this.
6. A wacky but awesome microwavable heating pad for the friend who's forever freezing (and perhaps low-key self-absorbed — but you love 'em anyways).
It's lavender-scented too, so sweet dreams! If you live in the US, order before Dec. 5 to ensure it gets delivered by Christmas.
Get one from Firebox for $20.
7. An Echo Dot or Echo because your mom, dad, friend, and literally everyone else is always running around trying to get everything done, so might as well slip them a little helper.
8. A cute and endearing AF family portrait that will blow everyone else's gift out of the water, TBH.
9. A life-changing journal to help everyone get their shit together, but like, in a totally fun and non-intimidating sort of way.
How, you ask? With pages just for venting, de-stressing (coloring, anyone?), tracking healthy habits that actually work, manageable challenges, and overall clever ways to plan ahead and relieve everyday stress.
Get them from BuzzFeed's Nifty Shop for $22.95 each (choose from "Life Journal," "My Life And Other Adult Stuff," and "Busy Parents").
PSST! BuzzFeed makes money if you buy this.
10. A life-size pillow of a beloved furry BFF for double the squeezes and hugs (and a lot of confused barking, probably).
The order comes with a pillow cover only (no inner fill) with a zip closure and photos are digitally printed using water-based inks.
Get one from Mr. Paws Co. on Etsy for $77.61.
11. A custom engraved leather bow wrap bracelet they'll wear every single day (and think of you while putting it on — in a totally endearing and not creepy way).
12. A stackable moon and stars necklace daintily stamped with their initials that will surely ~outshine~ the rest of their jewelry collection.
Get one from Catbird NYC for $38+ (customizable with silver and gold chains; star and moon charms that can be stamped with one letter each).
13. A mouth-watering cookbook that lets you customize its contents to a person's specific food preference and add emojis and personalized notes (which are just as important as the recipes themselves).
Choose seven recipe sections (like Chocolate, Slow Cooker, and Five Items or Less) and the book will be automatically populated with seven of the most popular Tasty recipes for each section.
Get one from BuzzFeed's Tasty Shop for $24+ (available in paperback and hardcover).
PSST! BuzzFeed makes money if you buy this.
14. An oil-diffusing necklace to create a pocket of lovely, sigh-inducing scents so the wearer feels at ease wherever they go.
Promising reviews: "I bought this for my mom, who is obsessed with thieves (a type of essential oil that is supposed to help prevent getting sick). When she is away from her diffuser she puts a few drops on a tissue and sticks it in the top of her shirt so she can smell it all day, so she LOVES the necklace and doesn't have to use tissues anymore. It is effective, stylish, and discreet." —Lauren Finke
Get one from Amazon for $13.99 (three finishes).
15. A customized name/initial leather phone case that is a practical pick for the hard-to-shop "I don't really need anything" crowd.
16. A designer fragrance subscription to help them find their ~signature scent~ or just keep switching things up (because who actually finishes an entire bottle before getting sick of the scent?).
Gift a Scentbird subscription (3, 6, or 12 months) or box (3 preselected scents and a 1-month subscription) from Scentbird for $44+.
17. A morse code bracelet with 14K gold-filled beads for classy jewelry with a twist: a special coded message just between the sender and recipient.
18. A pooch-friendly subscription box since your friends probably spend more money on their pupperinos than themselves anyways.
Scrumptious, all-natural treats and quirky chew toys galore!
Gift a BarkBox subscription for $35+ (1-, 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscriptions).
19. A personalized wine box for the couple who loves pouring a glass of Bordeaux at every special occasion, especially anniversaries.
20. A unicorn-approved pack of affirmation cards to give your loved ones a little boost in spirit without overdoing the cheesiness.
Promising review: "I have bought three sets of these cards: one for me and the other two for my teenage daughter and niece. We use them in the mornings to set the tone for the day and it really has helped them put things into perspective. The cards are beautiful and the words on them timely." —AMSDiane
Get a box of 50 from Amazon for $12.51.
21. A snazzy faux-fur winter coat because friends don't let friends freeze or look like a sad, unfashionable snowball.
22. A relaxing subscription box filled with all-natural health and wellness goodies like bath salts, handmade soap, body butter, and loose leaf teas for a nice ~refresh and recharge~.
Get one from Merkaela on Cratejoy for $27.99+ (available in light and deluxe sizes, both with vegan options).
23. Heattech leggings and shirts that feel like nothing but shell out lots of protection from the biting cold.
24. A beautiful photo book composed of curated Instagram or Facebook photos for ~tangible~ social media memories that can be passed down through the years.
25. A pair of long-distance touch lamps that is the 💡 literal definition 💡 of this gift guide — just give yours a tap to let the other person know you're thinking about them *cue awws*.
Promising review: "This has brought great joy to my son and my mom, as a way to connect from opposite sides of the country. We love seeing the lamp light up each day, morning and evening — feels like we are saying hello each time." —Jessica
Get a pair from Uncommon Goods for $150.
26. Personalized stationery sets for dog lovers and cat lovers alike, because even grocery lists and meeting reminders deserve to look cute AF.
27. Lovely studs in a bottle that correspond to a theme of your choice: good luck, healing, success, or protection.
Get a bottle (three pairs of studs) from Free People for $20 each.
28. Delightful custom face cookie cutters because who doesn't want to eat their friends and family members? Or even a celeb crush — the possibilities are endless, folks.
Order by Dec. 10 for Christmas delivery.
Get one from Boe Tech LLC on Etsy for $40.
29. A luxe purse adorned with all the souvenir pins, tea roses, and prairie rivets you want — only the best and most decked gifts for your BFFs. 💁✨
Get one from Coach for $136.70+ (choose from 10 bags).
Do your holiday shopping with BuzzFeed. Check out all of our gift guides here!
