All you have to do is think about what you’d want as a present.
We all want to give the perfect holiday gift to our friends – especially our girlfriends. Last week, I posted a holiday gift guide for our guy friends and the response (mostly from the guys I know) was incredibly positive. They loved all of my suggestions – with some of them saying that I must have read their minds!
Because I’d helped them with “guy” gifts, a few friends (both men and women) wondered about gift ideas for close female friends and family. Here’s my big tip of the day: if you like it, chances are, your girlfriends will love it too. The trick is to first think about either what they love to do or what their activities are. Sometimes it’s enough just to hear them say: “I wish I could do more…” to discover the best gift ideas.
Let’s take a look at my list:
When I travel, I like to stay organized. I used to use plastic bags for everything – standard and easy to find but not very cute. Then I found these cool canvas travel bags from “Bag-All.” They’re lightweight, easy to clean, and they organize all my travel stuff nicely: dirty laundry, my hair stuff, toiletry, and makeup. They have so many different sizes and shapes. Some of the bags have French printed on the front. They even have a “pink collection” where 15% of the sales go to breast cancer research. How cool is that? An ideal gift for the friend who loves, like me, to stay organized while they’re on the road. $28-30 each.
We are all trying to reduce how many plastic water bottles we use in our daily lives so – how about a water bottle? This is not your average plastic water bottle, but a really beautiful and fresh design in a ton of colors and patterns. It’s from “SwellBottle” – spelled ‘S’Well’ – and it makes a real statement with a small footprint. The 500ml bottle is perfect for spin class and keeps drinks cold all day. $40
How about a friend who’s into the zodiac? Or, maybe they just like to keep their pretty things in a fabulous designer marble box? Michael Aram has a collection of beautiful boxes. I got the “Gemini” Zodiac box because, you know, that’s MY sign. There’s an original design for each of the 12 zodiac signs. I’m going to use this to put my earrings in at night. It’s just too pretty not to use! $100
Speaking of cool designer containers – L’Objet has this porcelain candle jar that caught my attention. I think this is an especially unique gift for the friend who has a taste for simple elegance. Because I don’t love heavily scented candles this one is perfect with a beautiful clear scent called “Pink Champagne.” Elephants are used to symbolize general good luck and many Feng Shui practitioners believe that elephants should have their trunks facing upwards. So, the elephant on the lid is going to bring luck, everyone can use a little. You can buy direct or look up a store near you. $135
If your friend loves to get cozy after a nice warm bath or curl up in front of a lit fireplace – this is the gift for them! I absolutely fell for this grey cashmere robe designed by Chris Arlotta. With a great shawl collar and simple tie belt to close – it’s the perfect design. It’s available from Bloomingdale’s. $398
One more for the serious traveler. I saw the Oslo 4-wheel Compact Carry-on from Tumi and instantly thought – this was the one for me. For its size and profile, it’s ideal for toting a laptop or pad safely and any files you might need not to mention enough space for at least an overnight trip. It will easily fit in almost any overhead storage – perfect. $495
And if you can imagine yourself swooning after you received one of these items as a gift, then that’s the right one to give!
