Holiday Gift Ideas For Him and For Her

Are you looking for gift ideas this holiday season?  One of our favorite things to do is to give simple practical gifts.  When thinking about the interests and needs of the person you are getting a gift for consider giving them something useful.

We have listed a few gift ideas below that we have given to family and friends.  Some of the ideas have been inspired by our travels and barbershops around the world we have visited.  These are all items that make nice individual gifts and they can also be grouped together.

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Barbershop Gift Card

Gift Guide For Him and For Her
Treat your loved one with a haircut or wet shave at a local barbershop.

Give the gift of a pampering holiday makeover!  Purchasing a barbershop gift card is also the perfect way to support a locally owned and operated community business.  Placed in a holiday stocking or under a Christmas tree it makes a great gift.  Better still is to send the men in the house out for a pre-holiday seasonal sprucing up for a little extra holiday cheer.

Nine Fragrance For Men by American Crew

Gift Guide For Him and For Her

We were introduced to this scent in The Barbershop by João Rocha where João uses this scent on his customers.  Nine fragrance is described as a fresh scent without being overpowering.  You will find top notes of black pepper, lavender, bergamot, and apple.  Middle notes of jasmine, cistus labdanum, coriander, and clove.  Base notes of patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, amber, and musk.

The fragrance was developed and tested to be liked by 9 out of 10 women.

Lush Salted Coconut Scrub

If you have watched the video we filmed with Klara at Barberette in Prague you may have noticed all of the Lush products in her shop.  She used Lush’s Salted Coconut Scrub while massaging my face.  Lush sells this as a hand scrub, but the sea salt and fresh lemon infused scoop brightened up my travel weary rough face while the coconut and argan oils knocked a few years off with their amazing moisturizing properties.

We love that Lush products are fresh, handmade, and 100% vegetarian.  Every year, Lush has a large selection of wrapped holiday gifts starting from $10.95 that are sure to please.

Prime Ambassador

For a timeless look with functionality consider the Heritage collection by Prime Ambassador.   Each of the three designs are named after the year that inspired them – 1889, 1921, and 1959.

1959 Ambassador watch with black strap
Heritage 1959 watch with black strap

Heritage 1959 recaptures the definitive 1950’s.  Blending grace and allure in this sleek design that is a true tribute to 50’s classic style.

1921 Ambassador watch with silver mesh strap
Heritage 1921 watch with silver mesh strap

Heritage 1921 is a tribute to timeless classical men’s watches.  A beautiful Clous de Paris textured dial and a flat sapphire glass case, this watch has class without the pomp.

Casual wear or all dressed up, Prime Ambassador watches can balance all your needs with the interchangeable straps. To create an assortment of looks inspired by traditional fashion eras is truly unique.

Give Back

Gift Guide For Him and For HerConsider making a contribution to a favorite organization that someone supports.  Often times family and friends would love to have a donation made on their behalf to a favorite local nonprofit to support their work in the community.

Noise Cancelling Headphones


I’ve been using noise cancelling over-ear headphones for years when traveling.  Fact is I still use the first pair I ever purchased.  Made by Sony they have taken a beating and keep on working!  They work great to reduce background noise while you are listening to music or watching a movie.  Current entry level models include the Sony MDRZX110NC Noise Cancelling Headphones.  If I needed to replace mine now, I would consider an over-ear option that is wireless like the Sony WH-CH700N Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones.

Another option are wireless in ear headphones with a neck band.  This style is great for sleeping on a flight and the neck band prevents losing the earphones.  These are also very small, compact, and extremely travel friendly.  For an entry level pair check out Tao Tronics neckband blue tooth headphones or Sony SP600N Wireless Noise Cancelling Sports In-Ear Headphones.  I think there could be a white pair of these waiting for mystery woman Christmas morning!

Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloth By Toddy Gear

These 5 x 7″ Toddy Gear microfiber cleaning cloths come in handy at home and on the go so you can always clean the screens on your phone, tablet, and laptop.  The cloths are machine washable and come in an array of designs.  Toddy Gear is based in Chicago, Illinois and the majority of their products are made in the USA.

Travel Power Bank

We always travel with a power bank for all those times we find ourselves somewhere without a place to plug in and charge our phones.  Ravpower has been our go to power bank for years and we always keep a mini portable charger handy for those long days to keep our cell phones powered.

If you are interested in finding out more information about choosing a power bank, check out the Ravpower blog.

Stationery and Office Supplies

For stationery and office supply lovers, the Rifle Paper Co. makes beautiful notebooks, journals, notepads, calendars, and cards.  You could pair this vintage inspired stationery with pens and pretty gold bow paper clips for a gift that is lovely as well as useful.

Gift Ideas For Him and For Her

Three Rifle Paper Floral NotebooksIf you are looking for a simple solid colored notebook for someone who enjoys writing and journaling, Beechmore Books makes these classic hardcover notebooks.

Plants and Flowers

You may know someone who has a green thumb and adores plants and flowers.  Although who doesn’t love a colorful bouquet of flowers to brighten their day?  We always like buying fresh cut flowers at farmers markets but when a farmers market isn’t available, Trader Joe’s has a great selection of flowers and plants year round.  For someone who enjoys cooking, a set of herbs makes a wonderful and practical gift.

Finding a pretty planter or terrarium for air plants or succulents makes the gift all the more special. Plants are not only cozy and inviting for your home but they are a nice addition to your office as well.

Candles

We love giving candles as gifts every year.  A few of our favorites come from Anthropologie.  One of them is the Volcano scented candle by Capri Blue.  The candles come in lovely jars designed and poured in Mississippi.  The Volcano scent is described as tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens.  This fresh citrus candle scent can be burned and enjoyed throughout the year.

The Boulangerie Jar candle collection smells like French desserts.  A couple of candle scents we find delightful are Whipped Cream & Pear and Angel Food.  The Boulangerie Jar candles have a burn time of 35 hours.

Hand Soaps and Cleaning Supplies

Yes, we have given cleaning supplies as gifts!  Williams Sonoma has a great kitchen essentials kit that includes hand soap, dish soap, and a countertop spray.  We especially like the Spiced Chestnut scented set.  Made in the USA using essential oils and not tested on animals.

During this time of the year, everyone is busy hosting family and friends.  So a natural liquid hand soap that comes in a reusable glass bottle and supplies such as dish soap and a countertop spray are essentials that will get used everyday during the holidays and well beyond.

For someone who makes their own cleaning supplies, glass spray bottles would make another practical gift.  You can also pair a hand poured soy wax candle with any of these gift items.

Gift Cards

Gifts cards definately make useful gifts.  It is not surprising they are a popular option every year. However, getting the right gift card can still be a challenge.  Every year mystery woman gets a gift card from Sephora because there is always something there she needs!  I usually get a gift card from REI or Old Navy!  Since I typically purchase my everyday travel walking shoes from REI and basic travel clothing such as T-Shirts from Old Navy.

If you can not pinpoint a specific shop then go for a gift card with multiple options.  Amazon for online shopping of pretty much anything or iTunes for a music lover.  A Target gift card is always useful as well!

We hope this gave you a few practical gift ideas for family and friends this holiday season!  We would love to know what some of your favorite gift ideas are.

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