Holiday Gift Ideas 2019

It’s that time of year again! I love holiday gift shopping because giving and receiving gifts is my primary love language (take this quiz to find out yours!) …but I know it’s not for everyone. If buying holiday presents feels a little bit daunting to you, I’ve got a few suggestions that might help. This is my 5th year in a row writing a Holiday Gift Guide and I love sharing some of my favorite art, books and gifts with you. Here are my recommendations for 2019 and then, if you read to the end, I have an extra bonus for you!

Art

Lori Portka. I had the pleasure of meeting Lori this spring while visiting Asheville, North Carolina. I used a deck of Kris Carr’s Crazy, Sexy Love Notes in a women’s retreat in March and posted some photos online. A Facebook friend commented “Oh, I just love Lori Portka’s art!” So, I decided to look up her website and learned that she had been on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday a few years ago and had recently moved to Asheville and had a studio there. I spent my 20 year reunion anniversary with my birth mom in Asheville in April, so we got in touch with Lori through Instagram and she invited us to swing by to see her studio. While there, I chose a piece of art for my best friend from high school whose mother died a few years ago. It had an orange sky (her favorite color) and a deer (which is how she feels her mom visits her from the other side) and I knew it was the perfect gift. When I told Lori why I had chosen that piece of art for my friend, she started crying and told me that she had painted that in honor of *her* mom who had recently died. Lori has a big heart and a bright spirit and it shines through in all of her creations. You can visit her Etsy shop here.

Story People. I have loved Story People ever since they first came into existence 25 years ago! I have several magnets and prints in my home. I love the uplifting messages and whimsical art that goes along with it. How can you not love a company where every print has this message on the back of it:

Imagine a world
where we listen to
everyone’s stories
and learn we are
not as different
as we are the same.

Books

The Gifts of Imperfection. Brené Brown is pretty much one of my favorite authors of all-time. I’ve read most everything she’s written but this is the book that I pull off of my shelf and thumb through again and again. In her preface, she states “…we cannot give our children what we don’t have.” and that is why I am so committed to doing my personal healing work. I want it to be different for my daughter. My mom, raised in an orphanage, was filled with shame and feelings of unworthiness. Even when she died, she didn’t think she was “enough” despite my repeated attempts to show her otherwise. I struggled with my self-esteem in my teens and twenties thinking that I, too, wasn’t good enough. I intend to break the cycle with my kiddo and Brené Brown is a wonderful guide on the journey. If you haven’t watched her TED talk on vulnerability, it’s worth your time. It’s one of the top five most watched TED talks in the world.

Everything is Figureoutable. Marie Forleo is a powerhouse. If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, chances are good you’ve heard of her. She leads a popular B-School program, has her own show called MarieTV and while she looks really shiny and glossy in her marketing, she’s really quite down to Earth and hilarious (she is a Jersey girl, after all). I got hooked on her book by standing in the bookstore one day and opening up to a random chapter. She shared a very funny story about the insane lengths she took to overcome a series of seemingly insurmountable obstacles to get on an airplane to a 4 day getaway in Spain. I bought her book and devoured it in two days. You don’t have to be a business owner to appreciate her perspective and insights. She’s all about taking inspired action and I guarantee you’ll do that when you read this book!

Where the Crawdads Sing. If you’re looking for an immersive fiction read, look no further than this story set on the marshy coast of North Carolina. It’s simultaneously gorgeous and heart breaking about a young girl abandoned by her family and how she musters grit and determination to fend for herself and learn about life and love. It’s also an intriguing murder mystery and the author seamlessly weaves back and forth between the story lines and time lines. It was on the New York Times Fiction Bestseller list for 20 weeks this year so clearly it struck a chord with readers everywhere.

Gifts

Essential Journeys soap and personal care items. I’ve been a fan of Kimberly Master’s Essential Journeys soaps for years. She used to attend my women’s business networking functions when I lived in Asheville, North Carolina. When I rebranded my business this past year, I have a new dragonfly logo so I went to her studio this summer while I was in the mountains and she custom designed a soap for me to give to my clients as gifts! Her designs are pretty and playful and the smells are divine. She also carries a line of lotions and other skin care items. Tell her I sent you!

Table Topics. These cubes are excellent hostess gifts and great conversation starters with open ended questions that lead to great story telling. Last Christmas, when answering the question “What was your first job?” we learned that Riley’s grandmother worked as a school bus driver. She grew up on a farm (with Eric’s mother) and because they lived so far out in the country, her stop was the “end of the line” so they simply hired her to be the bus driver and she parked the bus at the farm every night. Can you imagine being 16 years old and driving one of those big yellow school buses? They have many versions–family, teen, couples, etc.–but our favorite is the original.

I hope you enjoyed all of these favorite gift ideas from 2019. So here’s my special bonus for you…

I’ve compiled my recommendations from the past five years into one MEGA Holiday Gift Guide–a beautiful, downloadable PDF as my gift to say thank you for being in my community! I hope this helps to infuse your holiday shopping with more meaning and intention.

Let me know if you especially love anything on this list. And, if you have some favorite gifts that you love to give, please leave a comment and let me know. I’m always on the hunt for cool, interesting and meaningful gifts!

Happy holiday shopping!
Elizabeth