It’s that time of year again. For most of us, the festive season is a favorite time of year, but it’s a lot of work. Major props for people who have many children, but I find even with one, there is a lot to organize.

I love gift-giving and consider it an art form of sorts. The research, the time, the wondering if this product conveys the right message or is too much?

The look of joy and gratitude on the recipient’s face when they receive the gift and are at times amazed and surprised and at other times feel truly seen. And of course, after all that time and effort, we can look forward to giving gifts again the next year!

Of course, the internet and sites like Etsy.com make gift-giving easy and exciting. There are so many ideas for just the right gift at a certain price point. Depending on the person you are buying for, 10-30 USD is appropriate. Of course, if you have a favorite babysitter or music teacher, then a holiday gift could be upwards of 100 USD.

I found the cutest selection of Christmas cookie rolling pins from CookieRoll, Poland on Etsy. As well, I found a great artisan cookie mix company, MarleneMayBakingCo, UK, that creates the most tasty array of cookie mixes. Double chocolate, Smarties, Banoffee Pie, Gingerbread – and so many more!

How cute to have a premixed bag of delicious cookie mix that only needs a few added ingredients and festive rolling pins to make a fun batch of tasty holiday treats!

A gift that is easy and fun to do at home with some cookie flavors one might not always buy for themselves. Coupled with a rolling pin that can be added to one’s Christmas holiday repertoire and used for future Christmas time cookie making and baking.

Tea Towels!

Probably one of the best gifts for any occasion, the tea towel is attractive and easy to ship, and even if the person doesn’t love the design, the towel is still usable.

Sites like Esty have so many tea towels makers and sellers all over the world. I really like Mollymac on Esty. They are super friendly and have a great selection of fun and festive tea towels, table runners, lampshades, coasters, clocks…the list goes on!

Chocolates!

Chocolate or nougat, candies, anything that you can pick up on your travels and keep for the holiday season. Although chocolate is the easiest and most common gift on most holidays, what if it’s from another country?

Chocolate from a recent trip to Switzerland? Nougat from Spain? Next time you are traveling, look for tasty treats with a long shelf life that you can put away until the holiday season!

Well, my shopping is done, and now I just need to buy some ribbon to tie the rolling pins and some little bags to carry the pins and mix.

I started researching and purchasing early this year as I wasn’t sure how long everything would take to arrive. I definitely recommend planning holiday gifts early to avoid the holiday-buying flurry.

Do you have any gift ideas you recommend? The perfect gift for the people in your life who you may not know very well but appreciate immensely? Let me know!