The Best Holiday Gift Guide

The holidays are upon us, and finding the perfect gift for every family member, friend and co-worker can be a daunting task. But before you get your holiday stockings in a bunch just thinking about all that shopping, relax. Red Typewriter has you covered. Here are some fun and unique ideas for everyone on your list—from Uncle Fred to Fido.

Charitable Gifts:

1. We can’t think of a better gift than aiding in the fight against leukemia and possibly saving a life in the process. Sign up with the Be The Match Registry and the company will send you a simple kit: Just swipe the inside of your cheek and return the samples in a prepaid, self-addressed envelope. The company then tests to see if you match anyone in their current registry who’s need of blood-stem cells or new marrow.

2. Help a local family in need by contacting your church or local school and asking how you can contribute. You may be able to donate food items for a special holiday dinner, or even purchase toys or gift cards to make a child’s holiday more magical.

3. Volunteer at your local pet shelter. Whether you want to cuddle with the kittens or romp around with the dogs, pet shelters could use an extra hand during this busy season. If you’re a softie, you might even have a new gift to put under the tree this year.

4. Bake some cookies and visit an assisted living home. Better yet, bring the kids along with you. You’ll bring smiles to many faces and brighten people’s holiday in the best way possible.

Nostalgic Gifts: 

1. Assemble a basket of items that harken back to the yules of yesteryear: Start with a cozy plaid Hermine throw and some balsam fir incense, and throw in a classic novel such as Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

2. Relive the boogie nights of a decade past: Get them a pair of Vintage Roller Skate Bookends to corral those old novels, or a colorful Crosley turntable to encourage them to dig out that old vinyl (or purchase some new records).

3. Gone are the days of mixed tapes, but you can jump on the ’80s retro craze with a set of six cassette tape drink glasses. Each guest writes their name on a glass and then gets creative penning a favorite song from a bygone era.

4. Gather a ton of special moments into one great gift by creating a custom photo album or a cookbook of family recipes using a service like Shutterfly. Your recipient will have a year (or lifetime!) worth of photos to cherish long after the holiday.

Gifts for the Gourmand:

1. Enroll the exuberant chef into the Spice of the Month Club through Spice Grinder. This is the gift that keeps on giving, especially if you live with the recipient and will benefit from all those great meals they’ll cook up.

2. There’s no better way to generate holiday cheer in a fellow oenophile than to give them a year’s subscription to Wine Spectator magazine. Throw in a bottle of the top-rated Dow’s Vintage Port 2011 to round out this festive holiday present.

3. Stock up on a few of their favorite cheeses and deliver them with an Orvis Swiss Cheese Board. This adorable server is shaped like a cheese wedge and comes with three self-storing cheese knives.

4. Give them an excuse to get tipsy at breakfast with a fun breakfast basket. Start with Williams-Sonoma’s Bloody Mary mix and a box of William-Sonoma’s award-winning butter croissants, then round it out with a bag of Peet’s Holiday Blend dark roast coffee. You can even add some old-shool charm with a copy of the morning newspaper.

Gifts for Women:

1. If she loves gardening and longs for some greenery on those dreary winter days, order some paperwhites or a terrarium to bring a little (plant) life back into her home.

2. For the girl that insists she sparkles instead of sweats at the gym, proffer her a S’well Sparkling Champagne water bottle, which is available in other glittery colors too. There will be guaranteed double glances on the stairclimber when she rehydrates.

3. When nothing but some pampering will do, the Clarisonic Pink Mia 1 electric facial cleanser pack is the perfect option. Say hello to softer, more radiant skin.

4. This season, wide cuff bracelets that incorporate nature themes are all the rage. If you want to go all out, give her a classy, sterling-silver version from Tiffany & Co. This one has a gorgeous olive leaf pattern that plays into another big fashion trend: forest-inspired motifs.

Gifts for Men:

1. If he loves to grill, surprise him with an Everest Grill Crate that includes a salt block from the Himalayas. Steak never tasted so good!

2. Keep him charged with Tumi’s electric grounded adaptor for when he’s traveling for business or pleasure and needs to stay plugged in.

3. Stream HD videos from his computer to your TV with the Google Chromecast HDMI streaming media player. Now he can finally catch up on all those episodes of The Walking Dead.

4. Whiskey doesn’t taste any better than when the glass holding it looks simple and understated.  The notch inside this version from Normann Copenhagen allows for more movement, thereby increasing the flavor and aroma of the whiskey.

Gifts for Kids:

1. A paperless LCD Boogie Board is great for the car or for errands that require a long wait. It’s a sketch board that erases with the touch of a button. Skip the apps and games and let their imaginations take over.

2. For outdoor fun on a wintry day, give them some Sno Stompers, a fun toy that allows kids to create a winter wonderland right in their own backyard. Children just strap the plastic devices onto their shoes and leave bear or dinosaur prints in the snow as they walk. The versatile molds can also be used to make snow blocks.

3. A subscription to Highlights magazine will offer kids all kinds of games, puzzles and activities, encouraging mental stimulation long after the thrill of Christmas morning subsides.

4. If your kids love listening to music, turn things up a notch and plug your computer or smart device into a watershow speaker. The lights and water will dance to the rhythm of the music they’re playing and allow them to dance along to their favorite songs. At bedtime, the soft music and the accompanying visual effects may even lull them to sleep.

Gifts for Furry Friends:

1. A fleece therapeutic dog bed from L.L. Bean, featuring a memory foam top (great for older dogs with joint problems) and foam inserts for temperature regulation, will be Spot’s new favorite napping place.

2. If you feel like whipping up something delicious in the kitchen for your favorite pup, try Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis’s simple recipe for peanut butter dog bone treats. You can even make an extra batch to drop off at your local animal shelter.

3. Dogs deserve to stay warm and fashionable too. American Eagle makes some quirky pet hats, including an adorable beanie that announces “Hump Day” and will have you and everyone you meet on those chilly neighborhood walks smiling.

4. If your cat is in need of some exercise and your kids are bored, have them point the Grreat Choice Laser at the wall and let the laughs begin.

Stocking Stuffers Under $20:

1. An adorable and stylish accessory to add to her purse is a Good Luck faux fur keychain in fun colors like pink and electric blue. It’s softer than anything you can imagine and cuter than a button.

2. The pampering Soap and Glory Heel Genius Amazing Foot Cream will leave mom’s, grandma’s or your best friend’s tootsies feeling amazingly soft and smooth.

3. For a sweeter stocking stuffer option, order 10 raspberry chocolate jewels in pink jubilee. These gems almost look too pretty to eat…almost!

4. A pack of his favorite beef jerky (try the organic grass-fed version from Rain Crow Ranch) or some canned nuts makes a healthy and relatively inexpensive stocking stuffer he can later stuff in his car glove compartment for on-the-go snacking.

5. If he’s a Star Wars fan, get him something especially memorable whenever he whips out his business card, a Han Solo in Carbonite card case.

6. Stick some Dino Hand Tattoos in the kids’ stockings. They’ll have fun roaring like a T-Rex or soaring like a Pterodactyl.

7. Listen and laugh when the kids discover the Red Voice Changer Worlds Smallest Set. The mini megaphone features four distinct silly voices.

For more amazing holiday gift ideas, visit Red Typewriter’s Pinterest page. And you’ll find great hostess-gift selections here.