Although it may not feel especially wintery outside yet, the holiday season is indeed upon us. Check out this year’s gift guide below! We’ve divided it into 4 sections, covering a range of scenarios, price points, and styles:
- Stocking Stuffers & Host Gifts
- Beauty Products
- Fashion & Jewelry
- Experiences
{Holiday Gifts for Every Occasion – and Budget!}
Stocking Stuffers & Host Gifts
The holiday season brings with it a packed social calendar of dinners, parties and other celebrations. And, as my grandmother used to say, the only thing worse than not showing up at all is showing up empty-handed! These small-but-mighty gifts are a great thank-you token to offer a host, but would also work well as stocking stuffers or surprises for one of the nights of Hanukkah.
Alvéole Urban Honey Tasting Box
This selection of four 140g jars of honey is an adorably unique way to embrace our beautiful city and support vital pollination initiatives. Each type of honey is made by bees from a specific neighborhood (Cabbagetown, The Junction, Leslieville, or Parkdale), resulting in surprisingly diverse flavours created by each area’s particular flora. Taste of Toronto, indeed!
Price: $30 for 4 x 140 g jars
Southbrook Farms Preservatives
While the wines from Canada’s only fully biodynamic and organic vineyard are pretty incredible (the Triomphe Riesling is my personal favourite), their line of locally made preservatives alone is worth the 90-minute drive out to the Southbrook facility. Be sure to stock up on the Cabernet Mustard, a zesty and complex accompaniment to any charcuterie plate.
Price: most of the preservatives are $8 for a 250 mL jar; the Ice Wine Jelly is $9
David’s Tea Seasonal Offerings
Both the Santa’s Secret Holiday Stocking (filled with a packet of limited-edition tea, 20 filters, and a coupon for a free tea) and the 8 Nights of Tea (gift box of 8 caffeine-free, kosher teas) are great options for the tea lover on your list. This year’s collection was inspired by the Danish concept of “hygge”, or getting cozy. Sounds pretty perfect to me – now all we need is snow!
Price: Each set is $20
Party Animals Greeting Cards
Looking for something whimsical and environmentally conscious? Look no further than this wonderful set of greeting cards featuring Toronto photographer Katherine Holland’s images of (rescued) exotic animals enjoying a birthday party. These cards are perfect to help the writer on your list liven up their correspondence, but would also be really adorable gifted individually in frames. Bonus? 30% of the profits from Party Animals sales will go to the WWF Canada.
Price: $24.99 for 20 unique cards & envelopes
Beauty Products
You know we had to include a special section just for beauty items! Give the gift of pampering with these in-demand sets and products.
GROOM Gift Sets
Whether the man in your life is clean-shaven or hirsute, GROOM has got you covered. This Montreal-based haircare company offers both a Beard Grooming Set and a Shaving Care Set, each with the respective creams, balms, oils, and tools he’ll need to create the perfect look. Individual items and trial kits are also available.
Price: Grooming Set $90, Shaving Set $80
Basd Body Care Holiday Bundle Pack
This set smells and feels so delicious that you may just want to pick up an extra one for yourself! Including Basd’s signature coffee scrub, body wash and body lotion, plus a limited-edition lip balm, these holiday bundles are available in both the Invigorating Mint and Indulgent Crème Brûlée scents. Yet another reason to love them? All Basd products are organic and plant-based, as well as paraben- and cruelty-free.
Price: $49.99 for bundle containing coffee scrub (180 g), body wash (450 mL), body lotion (450 mL), and lip balm
Too Faced Boss Lady Beauty Agenda
The perfect gift for the boss babe in your life, this set combines a 12-month day planner with the full 2017 Too Faced Christmas Collection! That’s 24 beautiful eyeshadows; a bronzer, blush, and highlight; a deluxe Better Than Sex mascara; and a deluxe Melted Matte longwear lipstick, all in the same package as an agenda, organizational stickers, and a leatherette zippered agenda cover. This agenda won’t just help her plan her social engagements, either: it’ll help her create makeup looks, too! Each month’s section begins with a face chart and tutorial using some of the products included in the kit. Efficient and glamorous!
Price: $72
Lise Watier 24K Glam Lipstick
Made with real gold flakes, this fabulous lipstick works for any skin tone. While it may look transparent, the formula actually adapts to your skin’s pH, heightening your natural lip colour to create the perfect rosy hue (and helping you feel absolutely decadent in the process).
Price: $25
Fashion & Jewelry
For someone whom you know a little better, fashion or jewelry gifts can be truly special. They’re such a great way to show that you understand and appreciate a person’s distinct style. Finding that perfect item isn’t always easy, however! Here are some of my favourites:
Yoga Culture Workout Wear
This company is all about sustainable, ethical practices that reflect the core values of traditional yoga: their Canadian-made clothing contains Ecopoly fibre – which uses 70% less water, heat and energy to produce than typical fabrics – and a portion of all profits goes to Because I am a Girl. Yoga Culture’s wonderfully colourful leggings can be ordered to fit sizes 0-16, and the high waist design is both comfortable and flattering to diverse body shapes. Their tank tops are incredibly soft and breathable, allowing you to get your sweat on without feeling constricted.
Price: Leggings $89, Tanks $28-$32
Erin Tracy Jewlery
If you’re in the market for a unique piece of jewelry, Erin Tracy should be your first stop. This Toronto designer combines non-traditional materials (Concrete! Acrylic! Wood!) and geometric, modern design to create gorgeous pieces that will have everyone asking, “Where did you get that?!” for years to come.
Prices vary: $80 – $600+
KIP Sleepwear
Inspired by founder Natalie Marshall’s treasured childhood items from England, these timeless and extremely high quality pyjamas are perfect for cuddling up in front of a fire. Made from 100% Egyptian cotton, and available in a variety of colours, in both long and short pyjama sets, nightshirts and robes, this is a gift that speaks to the importance of self-care and times of rest in today’s hectic world. Add an extra dash of elegance by getting the items monogrammed for an additional $20.
Price: Nightshirts $119, Pyjama sets $132-$149, Robes $149
Toboggan Socks
Bundle up with this luxurious take on classically Canadian socks. These are definitely on the pricier side of things for a pair of socks, but – made of 70% Merino wool and 30% cashmere – winter footwear has never felt so snuggly.
Price: $48.00 per pair
Experiences
Sometimes the best gifts aren’t ‘things’ at all, but rather are experiences to share. Mr. Monroe and I have exchanged “Adventure Coupons” in lieu of traditional gifts for the last few occasions, and it has been so much fun. Not only do you get to try an awesome activity, but you get guaranteed time with the person you love. And isn’t creating new memories what the holiday is really all about?
Here are some of my fave ideas:
- Game Night: this can be done at home with a few friends over, or at one of Toronto’s many game-friendly destinations (Snakes & Lattes, Watson’s, C’est What, etc). Throw in some snacks and drinks, plus a bet or two to incite healthy competition, and the hours will fly by.
- Tasting Tours: this is one of my absolute favourite things to do. Pick a food or drink item that your gift recipient loves, then take them on a tour of some of Toronto’s top offerings! You can try one of the city’s many pre-arranged tasting tours, or create your own. Bonus points if you make an adorable map and/or rating cards to see which location comes out on top.
- Obstacle Course: feeling athletic? Challenge your gift recipient to a play day at Pursuit OCR , Toronto’s indoor obstacle course for adults. Featuring monkey bars, rings, tires, nerf-gun fights, vaulting walls, a ball pit, and more, you’re sure to have a blast and get an amazing workout. $20 per person for an all-day pass. Gift certificates, classes, and bundles also available.