The holidays are just around the corner. It won’t be long before spices waft out of every grocery store doorway, and sparkly lights shine all around. Warm apple pies will pop up in office potlucks and on windowsills, and cookies will all suddenly manifest colorful frosting. It’s not all candy canes and reindeer, however. It’s also that time of year when you try to find your friends and family the perfect, unique gift. Below are some ideas to get you started.
Sous-vide Tool
A perfect gift for the home chef, sous-vide is a way to slow cook steaks, fish, and other food to achieve the perfect temperature without burning or drying out. While this tool has been used in restaurants for decades, it’s only now becoming popular among amateur chefs. For bonus points, a sous-vide cookbook can be included as well.
Coffee Bean Grinder
A way to take home-brewed coffee to the next level, a grinder means fresher, tastier coffee every single brew. Especially for households with multiple machines—such as both an espresso machine and a French press, for example—it allows the user to set the perfect grind size for each receptacle as the beans are being used, rather than having to commit to one size for an entire bag. And while many people already own a coffee maker of some sort, far fewer will have a grinder.
Crates
More personal than any generic gift basket, crates can be tailored to the recipient and can include everything from bath and spa goods to gardening implements to favorite foods. Among the diverse choices offered it’s as easy to find an appropriate gift for a business acquaintance as it is for a close friend among the diverse choices offered. You can find women’s crates and men’s crates, and even crates for children. Best of all, it doesn’t have to break the bank, as there are crates for every budget.
A Trip or Experience
If buying for someone who prefers experiences to more “stuff,” now is the perfect time to purchase. It’s still early enough to get a good deal on flights and hotels. It’s also close enough to the holidays to get a sense of what events or weather challenges you might face. Certain packaged experiences may also offer holiday discounts, so it’s better to search early than to miss a flash sale by procrastinating.
Sheet Set or Blanket
Not everyone is raring to leave their warm, comfortable home during the holiday season. For many, a soft blanket or a new set of cozy sheets is the perfect gift and one that they’ll use for years to come. It’s easy to run around in the warm summer months, but in winter being able to wrap yourself up in front of a fire or on a soft bed with a good book is a gift in itself, and new sheets or blankets make it an even more luxurious experience.
With the holidays coming, it’s the perfect time to start planning and finding gifts for your loved ones. Planning ahead will ensure that by the time gift exchanges roll around, you’ll have gifts that everyone will appreciate.
