What I Love Wednesday: Dear Santa Edition
- Abby Hillary
- Nov 8, 2017
- 6 min read
Every year around this time, Dan and I ask each other the same question: "What do you want for Christmas?" I'd like to say we both automatically know what the other person will love, but after a few years of gifting, we've found that it works best for us to give each other a specific list of things. The surprise is less "Ooooh, I wonder what they came up with as a gift this year!" and more of "Ooooh, I wonder what gift they picked from the list!" Maybe some of you think that's the easy way out, but it works for us. For both of us, there isn't usually a ton of variety in our lists - we are both VERY much creatures of habit - but we do change up a few things here and there.
All of that being said, maybe you do the same, maybe you don't. Maybe you're a busy mom and don't have the time (or energy) to think about a list. Or maybe you don't want to get too specific for your significant other, but want them to get you something that you know you'll like. If any of that is the case, consider me your Christmas Elf! For today's What I Love Wednesday, and to keep going with the self-love theme from earlier in the week, I'm letting you in on what I'm asking for from Dan this Christmas. If you're anything like me, you'll identify with a few of these and if that's the case, send this list on to your significant other! Trust me, they will thank you. As usual, almost everything on this list can be found on Amazon, so I've taken all the leg work out for your partner. And who doesn't appreciate that?? You can find my previous What I Love Wednesdays below:
I know, I know, you're thinking to yourself, "Socks? She wants SOCKS for Christmas? LAME." And hey, maybe you think it is lame, but I ask Dan for socks for Christmas every year. I'm about as hard on socks as I am on shoes. I sadly inherited my dad's sweaty feet, so my poor socks take a beating. Socks are pretty much a necessity when you live in Michigan, but not necessarily something I want to go out and buy for myself. A few years back, I asked for thick socks because I was always borrowing Dan's. Last year and this year I'm asking for socks that are more along the lines of dress sock thickness. If they come in a 12-pack that includes fun prints AND solids and are less than $20 for the whole package, well, that's pretty much a perfect gift for my feet this Christmas!
I don't know what it is about this time of year, because I don't necessarily get into coloring during the summer, but I REALLY want an adult coloring book for Christmas this year. One that has stress relieving patterns? Even better. Coloring is something you can spend 5 minutes or 105 minutes doing, and I love it. There is something so calming about it, especially when it involves intricate designs. It is as if I'm temporarily transported to a different state of mind where everything slows down. Maybe it's because it takes me back to my childhood when I didn't have a care in the world. Maybe it's my slightly obsessive-compulsive nature wanting to get the coloring just right. Whatever it is, I find adult coloring books very calming. If you know of a frazzled and busy mom, this might just be the perfect gift for her!
Well, it certainly wouldn't be much fun to have a coloring book without some fun markers now, would it? When I told Dan that I wanted a coloring book and markers, his response was, "Don't you already have markers for that?" Oh Dan. Yes, I do, but it's the Crayola fine-tip pack of your standard 8 colors. I explained to him that they were ok, but I wanted LOTS of different colors to choose from. I particularly like these Pandafly markers because there are 2 different tips - one with a deeper shade of that particular color, and one with a lighter shade. Not only that, these are water based, so can be blended much nicer than some other markers. Sure, I won't have TONS of time to figure out how I want to blend and design everything, but I want to know that I have that option if I want to do it!
In case you haven't picked up on it yet, there are a lot of things in my life that I use far past when they should be used (socks, shoes, etc). My phone case is no exception. I've had the same case for I think maybe 2 years now. It started off as this pretty mint green, but has morphed into a dull version of that with various brown spots on it - it almost looks like the case got burnt in the oven. I'm not quite sure how they got there (I assure you I did not bake it in the oven), but it's not pretty. So it's time for a new case. No, it's PAST time for a new case. I love the slight pattern and hints of rose tones on this one. It's a departure from my normal boring monochromatic phone case. I like that it's silicone too. All of my prior phone cases have been silicone and I like that it ensures my phone doesn't slide around on a surface. This case has a measly $10 price tag, which I'm sure Dan will love!
Obviously, you know I LOVE Stitch Fix. It helps me out of my style rut and gives me some gorgeous pieces that I might not have otherwise found. I am ALWAYS down for scheduling a new Fix, and having a gift card to put towards it makes it that much better. Who knows, with a gift card and the right Fix, I might just be more prone to keep all 5 pieces in an upcoming Fix!
Any mom out there knows that we need NO excuse to go get pampered. To me, that means going to get my hair done. I like a new 'do because it lasts longer than, say, a massage. Not to knock massages at all - they are GLORIOUS! I just personally like something that I can see lasts a bit longer, as I'm a visual person. Maybe the mama in your life prefers a mani/pedi, maybe a massage, maybe a full spa day. Whatever her jam is, you can never ever go wrong getting her a gift card to put towards something where she can go and get pampered. Ever. (This is also a great option for the mama-to-be)
While a trip to the salon or spa is wonderful, another great mom or mom-to-be gift option is an at-home spa set. Dan did an amazing job of surprising me with one that he put together all by himself last year for my birthday. It included body lotion, a sea salt body scrub, body wash, foot lotion, foot scrub, and a foot soak. We actually started "Foot Soak Fridays" for a while with the foot soak. We'd get a big storage tub, fill it it steaming hot water, toss in the foot soak crystals, and just relax next to each other watching TV on Friday nights. Since Eloise was born, we haven't done it, but now that she's going to bed at a pretty consistent time, we plan on getting back into the habit. Aside from doing that together, the set he created for me allowed me to have some of those spa luxuries in the comfort of our home. It also gave me that relaxed feeling without breaking the bank, and has been something I've enjoyed and have been able to use to relax and de-stress without leaving the house.
That's a wrap for this week's edition of What I Love Wednesday! Are any of these things on your list? Are there other things you're asking for for Christmas that aren't on this list? I'd love to hear!
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