November 24, 2020

Gifts To Buy for YOURSELF This Holiday Season


 ...because it's wacky 2020 and why not do the untraditional thing this year?

I like to make a gift idea list each year (well, when I remember to!) but this year is so DIFFERENT in just about every way possible. And since the things I typically recommend are things that I have and use myself, it makes sense to buy something (or several things!) for yourself :)

I apologize for the redundancy of some of these items. When I really love a product, I write about it a LOT. Unless specified, everything listed here was bought with my own money (not sponsored in any way). Also, any Amazon links are affiliate links--just meaning that if you purchase something through those links, I may get a small commission for recommending it.

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite gift ideas... for oneself! :)

A Piercing (or Tattoo)

I may be approaching my 40's, and sometimes I wonder if I'm too old for piercings (other than the traditional one in each lobe) but I LOVE my piercings and I don't care if I look too old to pull them off! I have a nose piercing and several ear piercings--lobes, tragus, conch, helix, and rook. Yes, those words were foreign to me, too. When I went into the shop, I just pointed to the spot on my ears that I wanted pierced! Haha. I really would like to get an industrial piercing, but my age is definitely what is holding me back... I really need to just do it and forget about my age!

I wanted to post the video of when I got my conch piercing (below) but there are a couple of f-bombs in it, hahaha. I'd just had my rook pierced moments before and I didn't even flinch. The conch one hurt much worse! (But there is something so fun about the environment of the piercing/tattoo shop! And needles have never bothered me.)


Special Teas

There is tea, and then there is TEA. And I was thrilled when I discovered that there are teas beyond the typical Lipton's. I started ordering tea from David's Tea online. They have the most amazing flavors! (This is an assortment pack on Amazon.) I love black tea with a little cream and sugar, and the dessert black teas from David's are my favorite. These are loose leaf teas, and this is my favorite item to make brewing them super easy. (I had no idea how to make loose leaf tea, but it's very simple!)


Kindle Paperwhite (10th generation)

I know, I know, I know. I write about this WAY too frequently. But I can't help it--I LOVE my Kindle Paperwhite! I was never interested in e-books until I bought a Kindle Paperwhite on sale (I figured I could return it if I didn't like it) and I was completely sold. In love. I read SO much once I got it. Borrowing from the library was instantaneous! I love mine so much that I even bought one to give away to someone in the Cookies Fall Mileage Challenge :)

You will NOT regret trying out the Paperwhite--I promise! The look of the screen is exactly like a paperback book--I don't use the backlight, so the page looks identical to a "regular" book. And there is no glare on the screen (it has a matte feel as well--not like a cell phone or a tablet), so you can easily read outside. The charge lasts FOREVER and it weighs less than a typical paperback. I can't say enough good things about it!




Paperwhite Case

To go with the Paperwhite, I have this cat case, which I love! There are lots of variations in designs from that link. Jerry bought this one for me. It folds all the way around to lie flat, like you see in the above pictures.


Audible Membership

I've also been listening to a TON of audiobooks this year ever since I started my walking streak back in July. I used a lower-priced trial membership of Audible for a few months during the summer and it was really nice! I currently don't have an Audible membership because I use my library as much as possible, but if you don't have access to a library, an Audible membership is awesome. And there are some books that are only available on Audible, which makes me consider joining again.

You get an audiobook each month to keep with the Premium plan, but with both plans, there is a huge library of books on Amazon that you can borrow through Audible (if you have a membership). You can try out Audible for free if you haven't already used a free trial. Here is the Audible page to see the different options. Below is a brief comparison. I'm willing to bet they'll have a special deal for Black Friday shopping.


A Boudoir Photo Session

I cannot stress enough how life-changing it was to have a boudoir photo session! I felt AMAZING and so beautiful and sexy and all the positive words you can imagine when I was doing this photo shoot. I wasn't even at my goal weight! I encourage ALL women to do this, even if it's just for yourself. Photographers who are familiar with boudoir will know just how to have you pose so that it's most flattering for your body type.

Even if you really dislike your body (I certainly wasn't happy with mine) the poses are extremely flattering. I have always hated my stomach, even after having the excess skin removed, but this is one of my favorite photos that I had taken. You can still see my stretch marks if you look closely, but I asked the photographer not to remove them with Photoshop. I wanted to look like ME, but just with the best angles ;) And using the black and white in this pose helped, too. It's funny--when I look at my boudoir photos, I think, "I want that body!" and it's so strange to think that it IS my body. 

Everyone always says that they want to wait until they are at their goal weight before doing a boudoir shoot. But I PROMISE YOU that you will love your photos, no matter what weight you are at! The shoot itself will make you feel like the prettiest, sexiest woman on the planet. (Assuming that you have a good photographer--mine were done by Catherine Kellie.) Regardless of what my weight is, I plan to get another session for my 40th birthday (just over a year away). You can read a guest post here by my friend Caitlin who lost 240 pounds and let me talk her into a boudoir shoot!


Brooklinen Sheets

This is another product that I tout WAY too frequently, but I just can't help it. I adore my Brooklinen sheets! I have two sets--I've used the Luxe Sateen for a few years, but I recently tried the Percale and I LOVE THEM. They are my new favorite and I plan to buy another set to rotate when I wash the sheets. They are SO comfy and the percale sheets feel like the "cool side of the pillow" all the time.

If you use this link to buy $100 worth of stuff, then you'll get $25 off (and I'll get 1,000 points to use in the future). 


A Hammock

This is completely random to put on my list, but it's truly one of my favorite things. I wish I was able to use it more often! I first tried one when I ran the Ragnar Relay Key West (my brother brought one with him and I tried it out). After that, I knew I wanted one!

I read a ton of reviews on Amazon and ended up buying this one by Winner Outfitters. I'm more than happy with it! I was very intimidated to try to hang this thing up, and then I was shocked at how easy it was. It took me about 60 seconds. I love to lie in it and kind of curl the edges around me so I am in a little cocoon with a book or playing Best Fiends on my phone. (I bought the two-person size so that it was roomier.)


Goal Journal/Planner

Just like I'm a sucker for water bottles, I definitely have a hard time holding back on buying all sorts of journals. There are two that I have kept consistently and have really enjoyed writing in. The first is a five-year journal where you write just a little bit every day (one sentence, one line, just something short). There are 366 pages, so that each day of the year has its own page. Then there is room on each page to write something for five years in a row! For example, when you write in it on today's date, November 24, you can see what you wrote last November 24 and the one before that, etc... all on the same page. It's fun!

I also really like this journal/planner by Clever Fox. It has goal prompts in the beginning to get you thinking about what you'd like to accomplish (daily, monthly, even years ahead). I just ordered one called the Goal Crazy Undated Planner that looks very similar to the Clever Fox planner--only it's a 3-month journal, so it's more detailed. I haven't written in it yet, but I'm excited to get started on it!


Sewing Machine

After Jerry broke my sewing machine my sewing machine fell out of its case and onto the floor, breaking into several pieces, I was super upset. I used my sewing machine a lot! I missed it, but I just didn't feel like trying to find another to buy. I searched on Facebook Marketplace with no luck, and I tried not to think about it.

And then on Christmas last year, Jerry gave me a new sewing machine that he picked out himself. I was shocked! It's perfect and does everything I need it to (and more). I love that he picked it out--but it's honestly something that I would have picked myself. He did good ;)

I set this up in the garage recently to avoid having sewing stuff all over my dining room. Notice the little baggie of nuts on the left--haha, those are for the squirrels that come begging while I'm working in the garage ;)


Novelty Pajamas, Shirts, Mugs, Coasters, etc.

I LOVE novelty items. Maybe they are tacky, but they are so much fun when given as a gift to the right person. (I admit, I do buy them for myself sometimes.)

When I'm at home and I'm not going anywhere, I put on pajamas! It's a guilty pleasure of mine. And there is nothing more fun than a novelty pair of pajamas. (The top and bottoms shown here weren't together as a set--but the top can be found here. I'm can't find the bottoms on Amazon, but they were part of another pajama set.)


When remodeling my kitchen, I found some mugs that worked well with my theme. 


A few years ago, someone left me a blog comment calling me a "smug c*nt". It became a joke among my friends, which is how this t-shirt came to be ;) 


You can never go wrong with something nostalgic! I played hours of The Oregon Trail in school--elementary? Junior high? I don't remember, but I loved that game! 


Some fun coasters that I bought while I was visiting friends in Kansas City:


A Puzzle

Call me 100-years old, but I really love to put together puzzles. I especially like the 1,000-piece puzzles because they take a lot of time to sort and then work on. I used to do them all the time, but after my neck/back/carpal tunnel problems (like I said, 100 years old!) I've not been able to work on them. 


An Electric Toothbrush

This isn't a very "fun" gift, but I bought this one on Amazon in early October. My hygienist recommended an electric toothbrush because she said that I brushed too hard, which was wearing on my gums. I really didn't understand how it could be much different from brushing manually, but I tried it out. This is the one I bought.

Jerry and I both love it! I can't believe how much cleaner my teeth feel. I always felt like I did a good job brushing before, but now that I have been using this, I can see why my hygienist recommended switching. This one alerts you if you're brushing too hard, which is good for me. Even though I've only had this for six weeks or so, I highly recommend it!


Well, there you go! Some items that I enjoy and recommend. If you have a product you LOVE or really wish for, please share! Lord knows my Amazon Wish List couldn't get any longer, haha ;)

5 comments:

  1. I'm 44 and still getting piercings! I have my tragus, rook, three helix piercings (all done 20+ years ago at this point!), a faux rook, conch, daith, and a forward helix. Plus four traditional lobe piercings! I love getting interesting and pretty jewelry to put in them once they're healed. The daith was the worst for me pain-wise.

    I *think* I'm done, but there are still a few open spots, haha. And orbital in one of my lobes would be cool. And maybe another forward helix. Also got my first tattoo at 39 and have gotten two more since, so IMO you're never too "old" to do something fun for yourself. If you want an industrial, go for it!

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  2. I do not see the name of the toothbrush you have. I want to get an electric one and I am interested in what you purchased. :)

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  3. I loved this list. I just put an order in to Celestial Seasonings for some teas and got it the next day! A new one to me was Sugar Cookie and now I need to order more. It is so good. I am going to look into the tea you mentioned as i love tea and am always looking for a new favorite. :)

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  4. Great list. I am going to treat myself to a few of these ideas.

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  5. I also often wonder if I'm "too old" for a couple of my piercings. Mostly my tongue, which I had done when I was 18 - at 42 I've now had it longer than I didn't, so it just seems like a part of me at this point. When I started working for a pharma company I thought they might make me take it out, but no one has ever said anything about it at all.

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