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don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m a great gift giver.

It’s true – I was recently working the merch table for a band that had a mug as one of their items. It was selling well on its own because it’s cute, unique, and super functional (probably everyone has a band shirt with their favorite band on it, so there’s no need to buy at a show. But a logoed mug? Sure! Give it to me!) I got this idea that it would make a cute container for a gift basket type thing – wrap up a scarf and tuck that in along with an iTunes gift card or book and a hot chocolate mix and it’s even better. Original and creative and if I got that, I would love it.

More evidence to support my case: my family does Christmas at Thanksgiving, and typically that involves a lot of Black Friday running around the stores for last-minute forgotten gifts (or, if you’re most of my family – running around to get ALL of your gifts at once.) This year my uncle was laid up after achilles tendon surgery, so I did all of his bidding. I got everyone’s gifts knocked out between two stores, and they were the biggest hits of the night (Lush’s FUN and shower jellies were big winners, along with a Hot Wheels set for the 5-year-old and one of those elastic chairs for the 10-year old.)

So I think my gift suggestions should hold some weight. Here are a few ideas for the giftees in your life:

RawSpiceBar’s subscription box: RawSpiceBar delivers freshly ground, small batches to your door every month. The $6 monthly fee is affordable and spices are a great way to mix up your cooking!

I’ve never been a big gadget-y person and track all my activity using apps on my phone, but if I were considering a watch, I’d go with this watch by Nike. The big letters make it easy to read while wiping away sweat and lets you track activity, map your route, and inspires you with fun sayings for PRs.

Score the perfect Christmas sweater from Boohoo.com. This British website features funny pop culture references as well as classic designs, so whether your girl is an Elf fan or prefers the more traditional fair isle design, Boohoo has you covered.

At work the other night, we had a big discussion over gifting. What to get the people who just buy themselves whatever they want, what age you stop giving gifts to all of your siblings, etc. The most popular thing we all decided that we would want is to spend time with people. If you have a hard-to-shop-for person in your life, consider inviting them over and cooking their favorite meal, or taking them to that museum exhibit they’ve mentioned checking out.

This wine and book holder bath caddy is perfect and fun to keep the necessities in arm’s reach for a uber-relaxing bath. Pick one of the books from NPR’s Concierge and the only thing missing is a waterproof iPad case to get your Netflix fix in the tub as well!

If yours is anything like mine, she works hard and can use a whole lot of relaxation (but would never set aside time to take care of herself.) Put together a gift mug for her: the bigger the better for maximum stress reduction. Tuck in some teas, a cozy scarf, a bar of  Swedish Dream Sea Salt Invigorating Bath Soap (super exfoliating and great-smelling,) some candles and her favorite Lush bath melt and she has everything she needs for a night for herself. (Substitute this for your sister, girlfriend, yoga teacher, whatever woman in your life needs some pampering.)

I was provided a complimentary product for review from Boohoo.com, but all opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliate links!