Now, you will probably think I'm exaggerating when I say that, being December 10th, you're tardy if you still haven't bought presents for your friends, family and significant others. 

Theoretically, you're right, but practically, I am: as I wrote in my December Goals, this year I truly want to make small, meaningful gifts and we all know that those take time.

So today I wanted to try and find as many meaningful gifts as possible so that you can visualize the kind of person your recipient is and find the most suitable choice. 

Books 

Generally, there are two kinds of people: those who prefer books with no illustrations, just lots of text to read, and those who love a good coffee table book. Now, both of these products aren't hard to find, but, in my personal opinion, books with lots of pictures and amazing covers, aesthetically pleasing are the best kind of books to give as a Christmas gift (or any other gift).

Here I have some of the ones I will be giving my friends this year:

For the foodie: we all have that friend who loves food more than we do, and loves to cook for everybody and throw dinner parties at their house. These are some books that I really liked:

- Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker (H&H): the perfect book for anybody trying to implement more plant-based recipes in their diet; they don't have to be vegan, maybe they just love vegetables!

- Eat beautiful (for Her): I love everything about this book, from the cover to the high quality information that it contains. Perfect for a girl friend that likes to take care of herself. 

- Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto (for Him): I'm so excited to give this to my dad this Christmas! The pictures are so amazing, the text is clear, funny and very informative.

For the artsy: from fashion, to makeup, to photography, there are some people in our lives that are very creative, a quality that we should totally celebrate with some great books:

- The Curated Closet (for Her): my latest purchase, I truly wanted to keep this for myself. So gorgeous, so useful, love it!

- Men in this town (for Him): some fashion inspiration for Him around the world. So excited for my significant other to open this book and love every single picture in it (and reflect his style in most of them).

- Read this if you want to take great photographs (H&H): I own this personally, and I love it. It's helping me so much with my photography skills.

- Face Paint: The Story of Makeup (generally for Her): this is such a gorgeous book, I love Lisa Eldridge and this is without a doubt the best book on makeup history.

Other books that I like:

- Humans of New York: Stories: is this a classic yet? 

- East London Food

- The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck

Everybody need to plan their life out: everybody has their tasks to do, bills to pay and birthdays to remember. We also all have idea going through our head that we need to write down. 

So let's pick a planner and a notebook for those who lack of them or for those who need better ones. 

PIC

Whether you're looking for a minimalistic planner or one that screams colors and creativity, these online planner stores are my favorite:

Papersource

Poketo

Kikki-k

Mochithings

Riflepaper

Anthropologie

This kind of gift can be kind of tricky, so I would advise you on using this for somebody you know really well. It shouldn't be hard if you know the recipient's taste for colors, maybe they like dogs, or flowers, or quotes, and their house is all rose gold and white. You should just go with the flow of their lives and interiors and buy a cute print that embodies their personality and taste. 

Etsy is the perfect place to buy such things, and I do have a Pinterest board for it as well, Prints. 

This is something not many people think about, but a great, very original mug makes a really good gift. Now, I'm a huge mug lover and I do have my own Pinterest board called Mugs that I invite you to check out to see my favorite mugs.

Bottles and travel coffee mugs
I love to take a drink with me when I go out in the morning, but it took me quite a long time to find the perfect container for my coffee or tea. And water, that can be a problem too: can we find a stylish but at the same time practical water bottle? Yes, we can.

I found my perfect travel coffee mug thanks to this article from Gear Patrol: all of the options are really good quality, but I do own the Snow Peak Kanpai Bottle 350 and, let me tell you, this thing does magic. It keeps my tea cold for hours and hours and hours and it's so practical and indestructible.
And don't get me started on the Swell bottles: so sleek, so functional, given it to a friend of mine for his birthday this summer and he's in love.

Make up and laptop accessories

All women need a good makeup bag and all people need a good laptop bag. 

For the first one, I invite you check out Etsy, Urban Outfitter and Anthropologie, and for laptop accessories, my Pinterest board Gear.

PIC

I Came, I Saw, I Contoured - ASOS

Mi-Pac makeup bag in rose gold - ASOS

Love Moschino quilted makeup bag - ASOS

Black Fleece Cat makeup bag - UO

Crushed Velvet makeup bag - UO

Underwear, socks and slippers
These are things nobody likes to buy for themselves, except when we have a special occasion and we want to look fly. But on a day to day basis, who goes to the mall excited for some panties?
Now, I'm not going to stay here and link to you all the websites that sell underwear, socks and slippers but I do want to give you some price ranges:
- if you're going for standard, low to normal quality underwear and socks, Zara and H&M are the perfect stores for that.
- for higher quality, check out Urban Outfitter, &Other Stories, Yamamay and Intimissimi
- for the highest quality, you should go for Victoria's Secret, LaPerla, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger

Homeware
Raise your hand if you love when people buy useful things for your house - or even less useful, but still gorgeous.
When I think about homeware I think about Zara Home: oh my gosh, this is THE BEST shop for homeware goods.
Just check out a few ones:
- Stonewashed Golden Cutlery
- Golden Edge Porcelain Tableware 
- Darker Amber Aromatic Candle

Skincare

Picture from anthropologie.com

I love when I get gifts that are targeted for my own health and beauty. It's such a good thought to treat someone to something they can use to treat themselves.

In my opinion this year Anthropologie had the best selection of beauty products for him and her, as well as perfumes and makeup in general.
It is really important when buying skincare for someone else to either know what kind of skin and issues they have, or just go general.
If you're not sure about the fragrances someone likes, choose a range of skincare with no fragrance, a very light one or one that is generally liked such as a clean, fresh smell or vanilla.
It is also crucial to make sure whether the recipient of our gift is a person who only uses natural, organic, cruelty-free products or not. I do have a few friends that do have this preference, and it is so much fun to look for new brands to initiate them to.
Since this is a trend that is growing more and more, Anthropologie has a huge selection or natural, off-the-path products this season, and I invite you to see if there's something that any of your friends or family would like.

I hope you liked this post and found it useful.
Do you have some ideas to share with me? What kind of gifts will you be giving this holiday season?

Have a wonderful day,