Our Favorite Purchases & Gifts of the Year (a gift guide of sorts...)
With the holidays coming up and lots of folks looking for gifts, we thought we’d share some of our favorite purchases/gifts/gets of 2021. You can call this a gift guide of sorts…or more accurately a random assortment of our favorite material things of the year. Everything shared here is tried and true by our family (and we think they would make great gifts!).
For Kids:
1 // Walker Family Good’s States Duffle Bag - we ordered three of these for this kids in different colors and they. are. Awesome! There are so many pockets and thoughtful touches and they’re the perfect size for a family adventure!
2 // Organic holiday PJs - our kids open matching holiday pjs on Christmas Eve as a tradition and this year I found these Hanna organic pj’s (and they’re currently on major sale!). They’re soft, free of fire retardants, and oh so cute!
3 // Instamax camera - Daphne got this camera for her birthday this year but we use it just as often to document family vacations and special moments. The camera spits out film images instantly so it’s a fun change up from digital!
4 // Rosie doll - Daphne got Rosie last year for Christmas and still loves her! She’s made by Hazel Village, which is a fun company that makes the most beautiful organic woodland dolls and animals, ethically crafted by artisans around the year.
5 // Literati Kid’s Book Club Subscription - Nana got our kid’s this subscription earlier in the year and it’s really fun! You share a little info about your reader and Literati’s experts find the perfect books to encourage a lifelong love of learning. Every month our kids have discovered new books and authors that they love (we usually keep one book per kid, but you can get up to 5)!
6 // Illustrated Harry Potter books - these are such a fun way to introduce younger kids to the wonders of Harry Potter. They’re beautifully illustrated and I’ve loved reading these to our 6-year-old at night this year. (Support your local book store and see if they have this book here.)
7 // Not Quite Narwahl by Jessie Sima - this is the sweetest book that I can’t recommend enough! It’s about belonging, not fitting in, and acceptance with fun illustrations of narwhals and unicorns. (Support your local book store and see if they have this book here.)
8 // A New School for Charlie by Courney Dicmas - a great book about going to school for the first time, not fitting in, and adapting. Great for kid’s starting school or switching classrooms. (Support your local book store and see if they have this book here.)
9 // Magna-Tile Spaceship - If there is one toy our kids play with the most, it’s Magna-Tiles! We have a big basket of these sitting in our living room and they come out almost every day. This spaceship was a gift and a fun addition to our collection.
For the Home:
10 // Welder - Garrett took up welding this year with a little help from Youtube and this basic unit. He built me this garden bed cover, so I am extremely supportive of this new hobby :)
11 // Handmade Mug - every year we’ve added one or two nice mugs to our collection. Because let’s be honest, coffee tastes better in a special mug!
12 // Cordless reciprocating saw - Garrett upgraded to a cordless reciprocating saw and it’s become one of his favorite tools.
13 // Garden umbrella - This umbrella was such a lifesaver in our garden this year! It’s large and added shade over our table in the hot hours all summer long.
14 // Grove Candle - I’ve never been much of a candle person but this year I’ve found two that I love. The first is this Grove candle, it’s such a great scent!
15 // Black Bright Koi Candle - Another candle I’ve fallen in love with is this coconut and soy wax Koi candle. It smells amazing and 50% of net proceeds go to a good cause.
16 // Taco vs. Burrito - this is a really fun game dreamed up by a 7-year-old! All of our kids enjoy playing it.
17 // Toto’s Washlet C5 bidet seat - Toto sent us this bidet seat this summer (we’re SO lucky they’re one of our sponsors this year) and we LOVE it…all 5 of us! The heated seat, the increased hygiene, and less toilet paper…it’s awesome!
18 // Haden Electric Kettle - Our electric tea kettle broke last year and I finally bought this one. I love how pretty it is (it looks great on the countertop) and it has an automatic off and temperature gauge on the side.
For the adults:
19 // Outlawed by Anna North - This is a fun novel that crosses genres. The story centers on Ada, a barren women who must flee her home and husband to escape persecution. She joins up with the Hole in the Wall Gang, and works on building a safe haven for more women. This story is such an adventure and I couldn’t put it down! (Support your local book store and see if they have this book here.)
20 // Beach Read by Emily Henry - just as the title suggests, this is a lighter ready but still well-written, touching, and thouroughly enjoyable. A romance novelist and a fiction novelist trade genres for the summer and what ensues is hilarious and touching. (Support your local book store and see if they have this book here.)
21 // Born a Crime by Trevor Noah - this was one of my favorite reads all year. It chronicles Trevor Noah’s childhood in South Africa during apartheid. His stories are hilarious, haunting, and beautifully told. Highly recommend the audio version if you can get your hands on it! (Support your local book store and see if they have this book here.)
22 // Alpaca and wool hat - this was an impulse buy this fall and I’ve worn it so much! It’s soft and cute and currently 40% off (with code SHOPEARLY).
23 // Garmin watch - after years of running and working out without a watch, I finally caved and bought this beauty. And I’m obsessed with it! It tracks steps and stress and my heart rate and I love the body battery feature, which accurately assesses my energy level. I opted for the pink, but it comes in a few different colors.
24 // Blouse - this was my favorite cotton blouse this year and I’m already looking forward to warmer weather next year so I can pull it back out!
25 // Travelers Chai Tea - Garrett and I took a tin of this tea to on a camping trip on Hawaii in 2008 and have been forever looking for it in grocery stores since. I finally found it on Amazonand it’s become a staple in our cupboard!
26 // National Geographic road atlas - Garrett got me this one for our anniversary and is great for anyone looking to take a road trip or travel the US! (BTW I’ve seen this sold at most National Parks or you can support your local bookstore and see if they have this book here.)
27 // America the Beautiful pass - Get into all of your National Parks in the US this year for $80. The pass also helps support our natural treasures, historic places, battlefields, monuments, etc, so it’s a great buy!
28 // Butcher Box subscription - for anyone who eats meat, Butcher Box is a great way to get 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, pork raised crate-free, and wild-caught seafood sent directly to your door in a monthly subscription box. We’ve been buying from them for a year now and love it!
29 // High-Rise tights - these are my FAVORITE TIGHTS EVER! They don’t slide down and they’re great for running, working out, and wearing around with a chunky sweater or flannel. Worth every penny in my book.
30 // Women’s Flannel - I bought this soft and cozy flannel this fall and can’t count how many times I’ve worn it. It’s currently 40% off (with code SHOPEARLY).
31 // Men’s hooded flannel - This is the only item of clothing Garrett specifically asked for this year. It’s a wool-blend flannel (with a hood!) and so cozy.
32 // Inflatable Paddle Board pump - anyone who’s blown up a paddle board by hand (or three) knows how hard it is. This 12V pump works off of our car and makes the whole putting so much more enjoyable!
33 // HU chocolate - I discovered this organic vegan chocolate at our grocery store this year and have a square or two almost every night. They’re all so good, but the hazlenut and mint are my favorite flavors!
Wowza that’s quite the list! I don’t tend to put out holiday gift guides on the Grit and Polish (mostly because the consumption around the holidays tends to overwhelm me, plus I never seem to get to it early enough and other people do them better) but these are things we really love and have ourselves, so if you’re looking for a gift, we recommend all of these. How about you? Any favorite buys/gifts this year? I’m still looking for some thoughtful activities and/or toys for the kids to open on Christmas morning and would love any suggestions you have!
*note some of these items were gifted to us for projects and collaborations throughout the year, but everything here was selected by our family. We don’t take compensation for product recommendations or inclusion on our list/gift-guides - this is just stuff we’ve loved this year!
*this post includes affiliate links, meaning if you buy through one of our links, we may get a small commission (at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting this blog!
