Welcome to the 2022 Gift Guide! Curating for this year was so much fun. I kept in mind my want to feature companies and makers I’d not featured last year (and, as you’ll see, I didn’t quite stick to it!), offer items across categories and with varied price ranges, and to only include items raved about by someone whose opinion I trust (including myself!). Last, but certainly not least, where possible, I wanted to feature gifts that had a more-positive-than-negative impact on our planet. What you’ll find here are wonderful choices that you can send to pretty-much anyone,that will make a stellar impression, and that won’t necessarily break the bank (although you can absolutely spend oodles if you want to!).
This year, we have offerings in the following categories:
- Delicious Gifts
- Holiday-centric Gifts
- Handmade Gifts
- Office & Home Gifts
- Wearable Gifts
- Subscription Gifts
- Choose-Their-Own Gifts
There are no affiliate links here, nor am I promoting any companies that have asked me to partner with them. What’s here is here because it’s goooooooood, and we’re excited to share it with you!
Without further ado, on to the list!
Delicious Gifts
For your favorite coffee lover, the Pure Over carafe kit offers everything a person needs to make a beautiful cup of their favorite brew in a beautiful and eco-friendly package.
What we love: Jennifer said, “Whether it’s sitting empty or full on the counter, it never ceases to make me smile because the all-glass design is so lovely and goes so well with the minimalist vibe in the kitchen in a way other coffee-making contraptions never have. It’s also awesome to never again have to use a paper filter!”
$90; add a matching cup for $30 more. Insta: @pureovercoffee
From gift boxes and gift baskets, to single packs and assortment packs, to cakes and pies, Grey Ghost Bakery makes nothing that isn’t utterly delicious.
What we love: I (Anastacia) find these to be unpretentious, regular-sized cookies that are perfectly flavored and absolutely delicious. The two-packs are perfect to help prevent eating far more than intended (which is easy with these!). The 4oz canister is perrrrrrfect. My personal-fav flavor is Lemon Sugar!
$8+ Insta: @greyghostbakery
Willa’s Tennessee whiskey shortbread cookies are made by a family business from a family recipe in small batches without preservatives or artificial ingredients.
What we love: Sue said, “Willa’s shortbread has been a beloved thing in my life since childhood. As a whiskey lover, the additional flavor of whiskey with the shortbread is absolutely next level! I also love the spicy cheddar shortbread and the apple butter shortbread.”
$15+ Insta: @willasshortbread
For the whiskey lover who likes a drink chilled but hates having it watered down by ice, Corkcicle has the answer in their whiskey wedge glass, where the ice is embedded in half the glass, leaving diluted space for the whiskey.
What we love: Craig said, “It works a charm to keep my rye chilled, and never fails to impress my friends at parties (I now have a set of six). It’s really a handsome glass.
$25 Insta: @corkcicle
The baker in your life will love this kit! It will net them 27 organic lavender sandie cookies; all they need to add is butter!
What we love: Sara said, “My kids and I had such fun making these positively-delicious cookies, and I loved that we all got to learn more about cooking with lavender, which would never have been something I’d think to do.”
$30 Insta: @lavenderlifeco
It’s hard to explain Last Crumb, mostly because their site maintains the mystery (although they do say, “It’s a cookie so damn good, your grandmother will disown you.”). What they offer changes every week, which allows them to sell limited batches of their cookies, and that means that your recipient gets them super fresh.
What we love: Jennifer says, “All I can say is that they are beyond delicious, and were such a welcomed gift from my friend at a time when I needed a little bit of sweetness in my life. You can’t go wrong sending Last Crumb cookies; they are worth every penny.”
$140/dozen. Insta: @lastcrumb
For decades, the Rothschild family has been farming their land and creating their spreads, sauches, marinades, dips, and dessert toppings from scratch and in small batches. Their site says they never settle for just good enough—only the insanely flavorful and truly exceptional.
What we love: I (Anastacia) was told about this company by my bestie, and went on to order one of the premium reserve spreads. Since then, I’ve come to the conclusion that everything they sell is created so that the person eating it will have an eyeballs-rolling-up-into-their-heads experience. I’m especially fond of the bundle of premium reserve spreads for a gift.
$10+. Insta: @robertrothschildfarm
Over at Spoonabilities, there’s no end to the wonderful gifts available to you, from deliciously-edible gifts, to fabulous items for creating beautiful charcuterie boards. And the blog and recipe sections of the site are full of ideas for what you can do with what they sell. They have a gift guide, too, and a charcuterie guide library that might give you some ideas!
What we love: Geoffrey said,”We love this cutlery from France because the set includes a cleaver, cheese knife, and spreader, and together they can handle any kind of cheese or spread we might have on our appetizer table. They end up being a great conversation piece too because people notice they are unique and ask about the blades’ inscription “Laguiole” and “Jean Dubost”. FYI, Laguiole is the village in France where they are made, and Jean Dubost is a master cutler who is internationally known for his work. We use these knives whenever we have a guest, a full charcuterie board for a party, and even when it’s just the two of us standing in the kitchen with some crackers and a block of cheese!
$49. Insta: @spoonabilities
Holiday-centric
Lynch Creek Farm sells a beautiful selection of handcrafted traditional and decorated holiday wreaths, centerpieces, garland, trees, and other holiday gifts.
What we love: Every Thanksgiving weekend, Dominic and I (Anastacia) go wreath shopping. It’s been part of our holiday tradition for about as long as I can remember. Last year, friends Susan and Karen sent me a GORGEOUS wreath from Lynch Creek, which, sadly, put our locally procured wreath to shame in terms of its size, beauty, the scent from the greens, and ultimately, how long the greens survived. It was a stunner and blew me away. I think ordering from Lynch Creek will be the new tradition for my fam!
$57+ Insta: @lynchcreekfarm
Handmade Gifts
Mandala Love Affair hand-paints mandalas on a variety of products from mugs to keychains to ornaments.
What we love: Jade says, “As a gift from my sister, I received a beautiful mandala keychain from Mandala Love Affair. It makes me smile every time I pick up my keys because it’s that lovely. I now have a girl crush on Jaime (the artist) and love watching her videos showing her making her art. It’s mesmerizing and awe-inspiring!
$21+ Insta: @mandalaloveaffair
Office and Home Gifts
Twinkle in Time makes personalized (you get to design it!) star maps used to commemorate where and when something special happened. Framed, the star maps become wall art, and a piece of a person’s history! The company also sells custom zodiac and street maps.
What we love: Beth says, “A few years ago, a client of mine gave me a Custom Star Map to celebrate and commemorate my fifth year in business. It showed the sky over my office on the day of that anniversary. It was a heartfelt, meaningful gift that made a gorgeous addition to my office, and never fails to remind me of my success.”
$50+ (framed is $115+) Insta: @twinkle_in_time
The Amaranth Vase is a game changer for people who love cut flowers. It has a “twist, drain, trim” design that allows you to manage the maintenance of the flowers with great ease. It comes in two sizes with six color options and has a lifetime warranty.
What we love: Lee says, “I have always loved having fresh flowers in my office, but the water changes, the trimming of the stems, etc., always made a mess. The Amaranth Vase now makes it so easy and fast that I never think twice about picking up a bouquet for myself!”
$40+ Insta: @amaranthvase
Garden 24 sells the inspirational art of Morgan Harper Nichols; from mugs, to cards, to notepads, to prints, there’s something for anyone you want to uplift with a gift.
What we love: I (Anastacia) first learned about MHN when I attended STORY (a storyteller’s conference) in 2020. Every single piece of her wise-and-heartfelt art shares messages of hope and accomplishment. I have the mug featured here, and it’s a bright spot in my morning when I read its reminder to me to. A MHN gift would be perfect for the client who loves to keep the vibe positive!
$12+ Insta: @morganharpernichols and @garden24co
The Jack of all Trays is offered in two sizes, and in clear, white, or black acrylic, with many options for swapping out the bottom (inserts) to match the decor of any space!
What we love: I (Anastacia) find the Jack of all Trays to be a beautiful way to serve things when entertaining, display items when you’re not, or to curl up next to when you are enjoying a book and a pot of tea. The trays themselves are fairly unremarkable, but the ability to change out the decorative insert to match your mood or decor or even season is one of those things that is delightful, even for people who don’t think of themselves as needing a tray for anything (that would be me!)
$95+ Insta: @shopstatementhome
L’or de Seraphine offers positively-gorgeous containers that surround wonderfully-fragrant, clean-burning, candles and decadent diffusers. If you’re sending something at the holidays, you cannot go wrong with one of the holiday-themed scents, in containers designed by Slovakian artist Paula Varregen with a whimsical nod to The Nutcracker.
What we love: I (Anastacia) pretty much always have a candle burning in my office, and l’or de Seraphine is one of my all-time fav brands, both for the quality of the candle (and the scents…Omgosh!) and the beauty of the vessels they come in.
$36+ Insta: @lordeseraphine
Siblings offers “a radically different DIY candle with luxury-level scents, clean ingredients, and 100% compostable packaging.” This is a perfect gift for the DIYer or crafter in your life who also loves candles!
What we love: Once upon a time, my (Anastacia) friend Carla owned an amazing candle company. To this day, I remember visiting her Seattle studio and being awe-struck by the process of making the candles. I thought to myself that it would be so fun to make my own candles, but, living as we do in a right-sized home with no real space for all the “stuff,” I became a person who heavily invests in great candles made by others. Then, Jude told me about Siblings and their DIY candles, and I was royally hooked. Anyone, even with a tiny space, can easily make these candles,having fun in the process. You can buy one that’s scented, or unscented, and use your own vessel (hint, the vessels from l’or de Seraphine are perrrrrrrfect for this!) or you get a bundle with one when you order.
$25+ Insta: @siblings_essentials
Hyggelight makes The Growing Candle, which combines a pretty vessel, a great candle, and a label that becomes wildflowers when planted in the vessel when the candle has fully burned.
What we love: I (Anastacia) love that the vessels are lovely. The scents are beautiful and not overpowering. And being able to plant the label and grow wildflowers extends the entire experience. For me, it’s several gifts in one! Right now, I’m burning their sandalwood and vanilla candle, and it leaves my office feeling absolutely cozy!
$32+ Insta: @thegrowingcandle
Every piece at Flying Edna is made by hand and heart, wrapped in an eco-friendly way, and ready for gifting to anyone who loves stories. They offer wall calendars, desk calendars, prints, sculptures and other art pieces, and cards.
What we love: I (Anastacia) love the stories with their whimsy and depth of emotion, and the care with which Fia and Kai Skye (also known by many as Brian Andreas) create their art. There’s something beautiful and meaningful for every human on your list.
$25+ Insta: @brianandreas
Craftspring offers ethically-made, eco-friendly felted ornaments for the holidays, or to match just about any interest.
What we love: I (Anastacia) received one of these as a gift. It was such a sweet, beautiful, and touching gift and matched one of my interests completely and perfectly! I went on to send a few to other people who also found the gifts to be sweet and touching.
$22+ Insta: @craftspring
The only gifts specifically geared to kids on the list this year, Cuddle+Kind offers heirloom-quality, handmade and ethically-produced knitted animals. Each doll sold pays for 10 school meals for kids in need. They also offer framed inspirational prints that help pay for five school meals.
What we love: I (Anastacia) first saw the baby fawn in the arms of a neighbor’s little girl. It was so stinking cute I wanted to snatch it and cuddle it myself! Weeks later, I saw several of the full-sized dolls in a shop in Fredericksburg, VA, and I didn’t hesitate to stop for a cuddle. They may be heirloom quality but they really do beg to be loved on, rather than to sit up on a shelf and admired for their quality.
$33+ Insta: @cuddleandkind
Wearable Gifts
Kristen Mara’s jewelry was included in last year’s guide, and it’s here again because she created a beautiful gift guide of her own that we fell in love with.
What we love: I (Anastacia) love her jewelry, and the company is so nice to deal with! And this year’s gift guide is broken down into sections, each describing the sort of woman her jewelry might resonate with (she’s bold, she’s spiritual, she’s confident, etc.). I love the idea of sending a piece of Kristen’s jewelry to a someone in our life based on how we think of her, and wanted to share this with you in case you thought it would be fun, too!
$50+ Insta: @kristen.mara
Subscription Gifts
The fine folks over at Apartment Therapy have has put together a subscription box roundup with 46 suggestions. If you’re keen on giving something over a year or even a few months, you might find something here.
What we love: Having experienced four of the subscription boxes that made the AT list, I (Anastacia) feel sure that the recommendations are solid. We’re grateful to them for pulling it all together!
$20+ Insta: @apartmenttherapy
Choose-Their-Own Gifts
If you’re a person who wants to send a great gift but feels seriously stuck when choosing what to send, Loop & Tie has your back by letting you choose the amount you want to spend on your gift (inclusive of taxes and shipping) and a collection for the recipient to choose from (like beauty and wellness, lifestyle, food and drink,etc.). They then send a message to your client so that the client can choose something based on the choices you made for them (and never see price tags).
What we love: I (Anastacia) have been the fortunate recipient of four Loop & Tie gifts. Every single time I’ve gotten immediately excited because I’ve known it’s going to be such fun to explore all my gift options. There’s always a great variety of quality gifts to choose from, including an ever-present option to donate the cost of the gift to charity!
$25+ Insta: @loopandtie
Tada!
There you have it; 20+ great companies to shop with, each with a variety of awesome gifts. Wish there were more? You can always check out last year’s gift guide. Here’s to some very-happy shopping, and some wonderfully surprised recipients of your care and generosity!