Gift giving is a great tradition that, unfortunately, ends up being pretty stressful for a lot of people every year. It’s hard to know what everyone will actually appreciate and use since everyone is different, but I’m hoping this guide includes some helpful ideas for anyone you may be buying for.

Best gifts for anyone – gift cards, kitchen items, and things for around the house

First, let’s embrace the fact that everyone loves getting gift cards

I’m starting with gift cards because my husband and I have said for years that gift cards are the present that no one wants to give, because you don’t want it to feel impersonal, but simultaneously, almost everyone wants to receive. Gift cards are a stress-free gift that you know the person will be able to use, and they’re especially great if the person you’re buying for falls into one of these categories:

• College students
• New parents
• Someone who just moved into a first / new house or apartment
• Someone who you know loves a specific brand or place (for example: my husband and I go to Starbucks all the time; we will never ever be disappointed by a Starbucks gift card)

Some of my favorite gift card ideas are:

• Chain coffee shops (Starbucks, Dunkin, etc.)
• Local coffee shops
• Fitness studios (my favorite local yoga studio has gift cards that can be used on classes)
• Athleisure companies (Peloton apparel, Patagonia, Nike, Dick’s Sporting Goods)
• Bookstores (local shops, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon)
• TJMaxx (these are great because they’re redeemable at any of their brand’s stores – TJMaxx, Homegoods, Sierra, Marshall’s, etc.)
• Amazon, Target, Walmart
• Favorite pizza places (local, Dominos, Papa Johns, etc.)

One last note on buying gift cards is that there are a few ways to save money on them. Sam’s Club has discounts on a lot of different gift cards, and sometimes there are good deals if you buy gift cards at Target and have Target Circle.

Best practical gifts for the kitchen:

Think about something that you use somewhat frequently when cooking that either 1) not everyone would have or 2) that you’d appreciate having an extra of. If anything just came to mind, it’s probably a good gift idea. My favorites are below (and I’ve gifted them to almost everyone in my life), but let me know if I missed anything you use frequently – I’m always looking for new kitchen gadgets.

• Fullstar vegetable chopper (great when you need to chop a lot of veggies for soups)
• Goodcook cheese grater (I’ve tried a lot of cheese graters; this is the best)
• OXO can opener (we just bought this after it changed my life at my sister-in-law’s house)
• Anchor Hocking measuring cups (I’ve tried a lot of measuring cups; I promise these ones from Walmart are the best)
• Everything clips (great for clipping anything and everything so the food stays fresh – chips, cereal bags, crackers, carrots, etc.)
• Taste of Home Vegetarian Cookbook (these recipes are amazing and easy to add meat to, if you want)
• Sally’s Baking Addiction Cookbook (Sally is my absolute go-to when I need to bake anything)
• Rifle Paper Company recipe box (this is a cute decoration and great for storing / writing out recipes you use frequently)

Best practical gifts for around the house

These are gifts that just about anyone can get some use out of:

• A good throw blanket – I’ve heard these from The Styled Collection are the best
• Bath & Body Works candle, soap, candle holder, etc. + a gift card to get something else they like
• Games – especially if it’s one you love or a special edition that goes with the person you’re giving it to. (I personally collect Disney versions of games and getting a new one always makes me happy)
• Frixion erasable pens – this is another small item that changed my life; I love them and they’re the only pens I use now. (I have heard you shouldn’t use them to address envelopes though because they can erase when going through the sorting machines?)

Gifts for coffee, tea, and hot cocoa lovers

A lot of gift guides will tell you to get a coffee / tea / etc. subscription box for the person in your life that loves these kinds of drinks. However, I personally don’t like this idea as much as I used to because I’ve realized that generally, people have their specific kinds of drinks that they like (i.e., my espresso beans from a local shop and my Bigelow Earl Grey Tea); I want to branch out in theory, but in practice, I just keep reaching for my usuals. I do love trying new things in small doses – so if you do want to give someone a new kind of drink, try to keep it as small as possible AND as meaningful as possible. For example, instead of ordering a subscription box, I may pick up a small bag of my favorite coffee beans for someone instead.

I really believe a better gift idea for a tea or coffee drinker is a new mug or glass, and at least for me, I know exactly who gave me each mug in my cabinet. The coffee mugs I reach for first in my cupboard are the ones I’ve been given by my husband and grandparents, and my husband always goes for the Starbucks mugs and iced coffee cups I’ve given him. I also personally have gifted myself several iced coffee cups this year, and I can confirm that they increased my enjoyment of making coffee at home.

So, some of my top recommendations for gifts for tea and coffee drinkers would be:

• Glass (not plastic, unless you know someone collects a specific one) mugs or cups from Starbucks. They don’t sell these on their site, so stop in a couple shops and browse. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and see a rare one, like their glass recycled iced drink cups
• Hart & Flora iced coffee cups. I’ve been buying these for about a year now and I’m obsessed. Don’t forget a lid and straw
• Target mugs. It sounds basic, but Target really does have a great variety of mugs

Personally, I think there are bonus points to a mug or cup if it is dishwasher safe. Most of Dom’s favorites unfortunately aren’t, and I don’t put my Hart & Flora cups in the dishwasher just to be safe. I’ll admit I was extra excited last year for Christmas when Dom got me a Starbucks mug that was dishwasher safe.

Gifts for book lovers

It’s hard to buy books as gifts for readers because you don’t always know what books they like, already own, or have already read – so when buying books, I always try to include a gift receipt just to be safe. Alternatively, like I said in the gift card section above, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon gift cards are always great gift options for book lovers.

Some of my favorite gifts for readers are:

• Special editions of classics – like the Chiltern Classics and the Woodsworth’s Collector’s Editions
• Pretty box sets of classics – like this set by Rifle Paper Co
• Special editions of Harry Potter books (there are so many now – pop-up books, illustrated editions, new covers, etc.)
• Personalized leather bookmarks – my friend told me about how meaningful this gift was to a family member recently
• Book-themed shirts – my favorite small shop is Inkwell Threads. I’ve bought a few of their shirts and love all of them, but my favorite is this Books Coffee Happiness tee
• Book sleeves – these are great for protecting paperbacks and library books. There are hundreds of these on Etsy, so you can get one with a print that’s fitting for anyone you have in mind
• If you’re looking for a bigger gift – an Amazon Kindle, case and Amazon gift card. I really can’t recommend a Kindle enough; I have the Kindle PaperWhite and it’s amazing. Kindle books are usually really discounted too compared to buying physical copies, so it’s a gift that keeps on giving
• An Audible subscription. Even if you cancel your subscription, you keep all of the books you’ve bought so you can listen to them forever. They also sync in your Amazon Prime family, so my husband and I can listen to each other’s Audible books

I have my fingers crossed that these gift ideas are helpful and can eliminate a little bit of stress during your holiday season. Let me know in the comments if there are other go-to gifts I should add!