Fail-Proof Gift Ideas

Hello friends! With the holidays officially upon us, I wanted to share my tried and true, fail-proof gift ideas with you. These are my go-tos when it comes to buying for people I don't know that well, and perfect for things like grab bags, Secret Santas, or even fun little gifts for people close to you, and you can adjust them to any budget. I hope you can find inspiration within some of these, so let's jump right in!

• The Traditional Movie Bucket - This is probably the most generic of all the gifts, but it's a classic. I like to go to Target's $5 movie section, pick a few classics, then put them in a big popcorn bucket (you can find them at party stores and dollar stores). I stuff tissue in the bottom to lift everything up, then I fill in the space with boxes of candy, bags of microwave popcorn, etc. It's adorable and everyone loves it.
• The Amped Up Movie Bucket - In high school, I was in a small choir that had an overnight trip every Christmas, and we always did Secret Santas. My last year, I had absolutely no idea what to get my person, and then it struck me: the Amped Up Movie Bucket. I took my absolute favorite Christmas classic - Elf - and went with that as my theme. I bought the DVD and ordered a mug with the saying about the elves' main food groups, and then bought one of each of those things (candy [any kind will work], candy canes, candy corn, and syrup [I found a tiny bottle at Target]), and that was the box. It was a hit.
• The Sundae Kit - This is great for anyone who loves ice cream (most people) and is super easy, one-stop shopping. I went to the grocery store and picked up things to make sundaes, such as caramel and fudge sauces, maraschino cherries, sprinkles, brownie bites from the bakery, etc. Of course, you can't really gift ice cream, so I also threw in a gift card to an ice cream place.
• The Warm & Cozy Kit - This was another creation that came out of the Secret Santas I've done. I figured that I couldn't go wrong with a cozy theme, so I picked up a fleece blanket (it was super cheap at Old Navy the day after Black Friday), fuzzy socks, a travel mug, some fancy hot chocolate mix, and peppermint lotion and lip balm. My person loved it, and I think she used everything I gave her on that one overnight trip.
• The Spa Basket - Another traditional gift, but so much fun and you can get so creative with it. I like to choose my favorite things to put in it so I know it's a good basket - a face mask, a sugar scrub, lip balm, hand lotion, nail polish, tea, magazines, etc. There really are no rules with this one.
• The Man Box - For me, the difficulty of buying a gift like these doubles when it's for a guy. I like to make it fun and stereotypically "manly" - the guy always gets a kick out of it. I like to put in things like sports magazines, bacon-flavored snacks, pocket-sized tools or desk games (Kohl's and Target have great selections of these every year) - all practical but fun things.
• The Non-Foodie Box - We all know someone who can't cook to save a life, and this is the perfect box for those people. I like to start with a takeout menu organizer, fill it with menus of places around where they live, and then I'll throw in a few non-perishables like a packet of Ramen noodles and some crackers, and I finish it with some small gift cards to different places like coffee shops, sandwich places, etc. They always love it.
• The Emergency Kit - We all know someone else who is always a mess and isn't prepared for a whole lot. This is a funny take on helping them out, while still being a good gift idea. I like to stock up on essentials (Tide-to-Go, Band-Aids, Kleenex), and then some funnier items (for a new mom: surgical masks for changing diapers, for someone who has a hard time saying "no": a voice recorder with my voice recorded saying "no", etc.), and I like to label each thing with funny descriptions. This gives everything some entertainment value, which is always a bonus.

I wish you all the best,
Erin