Shop Small Holiday Gift Guide 2022!

The holiday season is here, and it’s time again for my annual Shop Small Gift Guide! I personally love gift giving when I can give gifts that are in line with, and express, my values. That’s why, every year, I put together a shop small gift guide to share ethical, sustainability-minded, vintage, woman-owned, BIPOC-owned, mindful, and experience-based gifts to inspire you in values-oriented gift giving this year! Let’s get into it!

Gifts for a Foodie: 

Starting off with gifts for the foodie in your life! These also make great gifts for someone who is hosting a holiday party. 

If they like to bake you could get them a  bread pan, or a dough scraper, and combine it with that sourdough starter from your own kitchen, or even a cookbook about baking bread.

For the sweet tooth, you could get them some Eat Deaux cookie dough (gluten-free and vegan!) which can be baked or eaten raw. For already-baked cookies, you can do Maya’s Cookies (vegan), or Superkind Cookies. For the chocolate-lover, grab them some  Tony’s Chocoloney bars.  Or, Alec’s ice cream, which is regenerative and organic!

I also love the idea of a subscription service, particularly a unique one – like Umamicart where you can get Asian grocery store staples.

Beverage  Lover

I’m a coffee girlie, so I love a gift that helps someone level-up their home coffee set-up. You could get them a hot water kettle (for coffee or tea-lovers!) – I love the sleekness of the Bodum gooseneck ones. You could also level-up their coffee grinder – I love my Capresso and it’s been going strong for 10+years! If they like pour-over coffees, you could get them a home pour-over kit from Hario. And if you know they like espresso, maybe a home espresso machine to play with this year!

And a fun experience gift for the coffee lover, would be a local barista course — you learn a bit about espresso, they’ll teach you to make great pour-overs, you get to try pouring latte art — it’s a fun afternoon!

For someone who loves wine – and loves trying different ones! – I think you could do a wine subscription box (Primal Wine – natural wine subscription box | Zwann’s Wine Club | or The Eater Wine Club)or a membership to their local winery. 

And if you’re taking a bottle of wine to a party, I love to pair it with a cute, reusable bag from Baggu. You can buy a set of three of these and split them up for different hosts. 

And for a non-alcoholic option, check out Ghia for non-alcoholic aperitif boxes. 

Outdoorsy

Next up, gifts for the outdoorsy person in your life: 

If they’re into hiking, you could get them a Life Straw or a Berkey water filter for purifying drinking water. And for the coffee-lover’s campsite, they’ll need a portable coffee grinder. Ours is the Porlex Mini Grinder, and we also take it when we go travel! 

In terms of gear, I love Alder Apparel for great, size-inclusive outdoor gear, or Parks Project which makes the cutest gear that gives back to National Parks. 

A couple of years ago, I got my husband a roll-top Got Bag for his bicycle commute, and he still uses it every day. They make bags for all kinds of activities. And, amongst the cyclists we hang out with, I’ve gotten word that Theragun recovery massage tools are the hot gift this year. 

For someone who loves tech, I think they’d appreciate something solar or renewable energy oriented. Check out Group Hug Solar (a solar company owned by a woman of color) or Solios Watches, which are solar-powered. 

Or, you could go the experiential route and get them a parks pass or a camping pass in your area! 

Something for the Home

Next up, we’ve got gifts for the home – perfect for your homebody-friend, the person who just bought a new house, or even a gift for a couple friend that you hang out with: 

Great for the homebody friend or the foodie friend, I love getting a set of nice vintage glassware and a vintage decanter as a gift — they can use the decanter for liquor, or as a vase (give them the idea by showing up with it filled with flowers?), or décor.

I love buying quality ceramics for people’s homes, and this is a great opportunity to shop your local ceramics studio. Or, for something neutral that you can order online, check out Hasami Porcelain, or Convivial is a ceramics brand that makes lovely, neutral, handmade planters. 

For the beginner-plant-lover, get them a 3-month plant subscription to a place like Rooted, or if you’re a plant person yourself, pick out a plat for them and write out a little instruction guide for its care. 

If they have a record player, you could pick out a record for them, or (a safe bet!) a gift card to their favorite local record store.

You could go the cozy route and get them a great candle (Linnea’s Lights | Otherland) and a vintage throw blanket – you could go the classic granny square route, or just find one that matches their style on Etsy. My favorite locally-made throw blankets are from the Amana Woolen Mill. Or a puffer, weighted blanket, or body pillow from a brand like Buffy or Parachute.

And if you’re shopping for a friend and want to find them something cute, with character, maybe a print from an indie artist (I love these David Shrigley posters, or these Kyler Martz prints) OR, what about one of these Libby & My Disco Balls!?

Kids

Alright, next up, we’ve got kids gifts – keep in mind I don’t have kids so I don’t know what’s the hot gift this holiday season, and again I always like to give gifts that align with my values, so no plastic-y toys here. 

My favorite baby gift is always Cuddle + Kind dolls. They’re SO cute, plus ethically-made, heirloom quality, and give back to charitable causes. 

For toddlers, I love the wooden kitchen toys from Maisonette (OMG the little reusable market bag and wooden veggies?!) or Green Toys, which does toys from recycled materials – I love this little recycling truck!

For a school-aged kid, I think it’d be cool to check out your local zoo or conservation program to see if they have any ‘Zoo Parent’ gifts. A lot of them have programs where you can “adopt” an animal for a kid and they also get access to educational materials about the animal and invites to special events. 

I also think a fun bath product like a Lush bath bomb (they make little kid ones) would be a fun gift for a kid that’s a little older. 

Or go for something active that encourages them to spend time outside, like this Botanical Press.

I also love to give pre-loved vintage toys – things that give me (and probably their parents!) that 90s kid nostalgia. Think vintage Barbies, a Caboodle, BopIt! – all gifts I’ve given. 

Teenagers

Perhaps even more challenging, we’ve got gifts for teenagers, but I’ve got some fun ideas! 

I think any teenager would like a Hydroflask water bottle (you could get them a bunch of stickers to put on it, too) or a JBL portable blue tooth speaker, or a sustainable phone case from Casetify or Pela.

Teenagers are also SO game for pre-loved gifting, so if you’re interested in getting them clothes, I’d shop secondhand. Try: a Harley tee, Champion, Carhartt, Dickies, Levis, or a vintage sports sweatshirt of their favorite team. Honestly, vintage Carhartt anything is a good, safe bet, but I think a Carhartt beanie would be a great gift go-to gift.

On the “cute” end of things, I’d do either Machete or Kov Essentials hair accessories, a Glossier gift set or Glossier You perfume/candle.

Experience Gift

I think experience gifts are so fun, and there’s so many ways you can go with this from memberships to event tickets, but here are a couple of ides: 

You could get them tickets to a show (Mean Girls is doing a stage tour and that would be so fun!) or a museum membership – maybe a botanical garden?!

Or you could do a cooking class, or a Book of the Month subscription, or a subscription to some kind of content they love – a Patreon membership, New Yorker subscription, Masterclass, some kind of streaming platform. 

Your gift could also be for a movie date night, or if they have kids you could pay for a babysitter (or offer to sit for them) so they can have a night out! 

You could do a gift certificate to a spa or a massage, or take them out for a girls day where you get your nails done together. I also think it would be really fun to treat them to something like Float Therapy, which they might be interested in but wouldn’t check out on their own. Or, for an at-home spa option, the Forever Eye Mask from Dieux.

For a cozy experience gift, you could get them a Wool and the Gang knitting kit, or a puzzle from a cool brand like Le Puzz or Whiled.

For something low-cost, but oh-so-sweet, you could make a playlist just for them (you could even burn it to a CD if they’re a nostalgic like that) or write them letters or postcards over a period of time, which could eventually be bound in a little memory scrapbook. 

Finally, I love a gift-that-gives back, such as a donation to their favorite non-profit, or you could sign up to volunteer together for a cause they’re really passionate about!

Go-To Favorites: 

Alright, these are just some of my favorite brands, which do go-to type gifts that anyone would enjoy: 

Tradlands is my favorite clothing brand for basics (the Shelter cardigan would be a great gift!) * PRELOVED20 for 20% off, and Girlfriend Collective is my favorite for workout and lounge gear. 

Nisolo is my favorite brand for boots, Le Bon Shoppe and Hansel from Basel do my favorite socks, and Sheertex as my favorite tights. 

For accessories, I think these Wray scarves are super cute, GLDN is my favorite jewelry brand for classics, and for personalized jewelry, Portland Leather Goods does great quality handbags and leather accessories.

If you’d like to get that persona fragrance, I’d highly recommend The Nue Co. — I think their scents are great for any gender. Their fragrances are clean, and their climate positive, so I feel really good about recommending them. I personally have tried and loved Forest Lungs and Mind Energy, but I’ve heard rave reviews about all of them!

Patches, pins, and other little doo-dads are also a really fun gift — check out World Famous Original for some great options! PS: I think I need this mushroom bolo tie…

If you know the person’s size and style, this is also a great time of year to support your favorite upcycler or maker! Some faves to check out online (but also shop your local makers!): Picnicwear | Atomic Tangerine | No Flight Back | The Consistency Project | Psychic Stitch | and OMG so many more…

You could also thrift their wish list! Take them to the thrift store and look just for them. Or if you know they’re really interested in a specific brand, you could put your expert pre-loved skills to the test and show them how to track down that special piece on the secondhand market and then treat them — so it’s like an education and a shopping excursion in one! 🙂

Or, I love the idea of vintage accessories: you could do a vintage gold charm bracelet, and then over the years you can pick out vintage charms for them. I also love these vintage corduroy hats — you can pick a cool design or something meaningful, for example a team they love.

Books:

And finally, a gift giving gift would not be complete without a list of books! For the vintage and secondhand lover in your life, I’d recommend Mildew Magazine. This is a print magazine all about vintage and secondhand fashion! There’s lots of great independent magazines for different hobbies out there, so do a little hunt and pick out one for the person you’re gifting!

For book shopping online, I recommend Bookshop.org, which supports networks of local bookstores and gives back funding to indie books! 

I’m a Bookshop.org affiliate, and I’ve curated a list of Books to Give as Gifts, which you can shop through their site!

Hope this gives you some fun ideas!