With the holidays fast-approaching, I want to share a second holiday gift guide with some cheaper gift ideas. All of the items mentioned below are less than $25. Whether you are on a tight budget, need something small to accompany a larger gift, or are part of a Secret Santa gift exchange and need something under $20-30, I hope this guide can help you make your holiday shopping a little easier.
1. Liquid Sunshine Essential Oil Blend from Saje Wellness
Liquid Sunshine is my absolute favorite essential oil blend. It is a citrus blend primarily comprised of grapefruit, bergamot, and lime. It smells heavenly!! While I highly recommend this particular diffuser blend from Saje Wellness, any essential oil blend from a brand of your choice would make a great stocking stuffer.
2. Reusable Coffee Cup from Keep Cup
For your favorite coffee drinker, get a reusable coffee cup to help them cut back on waste. I’m not a coffee drinker myself but I know reusable cups from the brand Keep Cup are very popular in the sustainability world. They have a lot of different options on their website and you can even design your own.
3. Notebook from Pen + Pillar
Pen + Pillar is a small paper goods company based in North Carolina. Almost all of their products are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Additionally, everything is made in the USA and hand-designed by the owner, Taylor Mahlke. Pen + Pillar has a few notebook designs to choose from and I think they’re all really cute. I plan on getting one or two for myself.
4. Plastic-Free Hair Ties from Kooshoo
Any woman with hair long enough to pull back into a ponytail will likely tell you that she can never have enough hair ties. They either get stretched out and break or they disappear and you never find them again. Typical hair ties have plastic in them but these hair ties by Kooshoo are made from organic cotton and natural rubber, making them biodegradable and, therefore, better for the planet. They are also fair-trade certified and made in the USA.
5. Peppermint Halo from Saje Wellness
I know I already mentioned Saje in my first holiday gift guide and once on this gift guide but I just love this company. They have some really wonderful products, including this Peppermint Halo roller. Peppermint oil has a cooling effect on the skin and is kind of like a natural Icy Hot. When you apply peppermint oil onto your temples and along your hairline, it helps to soothe headaches and release tension. I use my own Peppermint Halo when I have headaches and, while it might not completely get rid of more severe headaches, it does feel wonderful on the skin and helps relieve some of the pain.
6. Cookie Dough Lip Scrub from Lush
Chapped lips are very common during the winter months so a lip scrub, especially one that tastes like cookie dough, could be much appreciated. This lip scrub is vegan and Lush as a whole is cruelty-free. I love that Lush sources their ingredients ethically and that they strive to use minimal packaging, or none when possible.
7. Vegan Chocolate Bar from Hu Kitchen
Hu Kitchen’s dark chocolate bars are delicious! They have a few different flavors, such as hazelnut butter, crunchy mint, and almond butter + puffed quinoa. All of their dark chocolate bars are vegan, contain no refined sugars, and are non-GMO. Their chocolate bars are a little pricier than your average bar but they are well worth it. You can find them at Whole Foods or at most health food stores.
8. Bath Bombs from Lush
While I personally am a shower person, I know a lot of people like baths. They’re ultra-relaxing and can feel luxurious. I think we all know that Lush has some really cool bath bombs, from ones that fizz to others that dissolve into a rainbow of colors. The two pictured above are holiday-themed bath bombs, Rudolph and Golden Wonder. One thing that is nice about bath bombs from Lush is that they don’t come packaged in plastic so they’re a low-waste gift.
9. Nail Polish from Ella + Mila
Ella + Mila makes my favorite nail polish that I have ever tried. Their nail polishes are vegan, cruelty-free, and made in the USA. They are also 7-free, meaning they are made without seven toxins, such as Toluene and Formaldehyde, that are found in some standard nail polishes.
10. The Super Attractor Card Deck from Gabrielle Bernstein (Illustrated by Micaela Ezra)
Gabrielle Bernstein is a New York Times best-selling author and has written several books to help people learn to manifest and trust the universe. This card deck was created to accompany one of her books, Super Attractor, and was designed to help those who use it manifest abundance. There are 52 cards in the pack and each card has an affirmation and is beautifully illustrated.
11. Organic Superdark Chocolate Truffles from Alter Eco
These dark chocolate truffles from Alter Eco are vegan, organic, and contain no artificial flavors and the wrappers are compostable (I wish more candy companies used compostable wrappers). Alter Eco has some other truffle flavors to choose from that are not vegan and they sell chocolate bars, as well. You can find their products at Whole Foods or likely at a health food store.
12. Socks from Conscious Step
Each pair of Conscious Step socks supports a cause and they have a range of causes to choose from, such as rainforest conservation and kids’ education. You can either pick a cause and shop the socks that support it or you can choose a pair purely on aesthetics and know that a portion of your payment is going to a worthy charity. I like that Conscious Step supports some really great causes but also is fair-trade certified and has an ethical supply chain.
13. DIY Cookie Jar – Recipe from Veggiekins
I love the idea of DIY gifts, of putting time and effort into making something for someone else to enjoy. I especially love the idea of DIY cookie jars because cookies have always been my favorite dessert. This recipe is from one of my favorite vegan food bloggers, Remy (aka Veggiekins). You essentially put all of the dry ingredients of a cookie recipe into a glass jar. You can then tie a ribbon or piece of twine around it to make it festive and include a card with the instructions. If cookies aren’t your thing, you could apply this same concept to another baked good.