How are you in the holiday gift giving arena? I must be honest… I’m TERRIBLE at it. The holidays always seem to sneak up on me, even though Santa Claus paraphernalia starts to show up in the stores around Labor Day. I think, “I’m going to give everyone very thoughtful gifts next year. Perhaps something handmade!” Then I realize that I have no flex time to make gifts, I haven’t taken note of anything in particular that would apply to every individual I have on my list and before you know…

You get a gift card, you get a gift card, you get a gift card!

I spotted an article on Facebook about the 7 Habits of Thoughtful Gift Givers and clicked through, knowing full well that I was going to meet very few, if any, of the criteria.

The first “habit” is: They Plan Ahead

I’m already failing!

In fact, the only one that I could actually claim was that I enjoy giving more than I enjoy receiving. Funny how that happens over the years, as a kid you really want ALL THE THINGS and as an adult, well… I’ve usually bought the things I need and I struggle with thinking of what I want. Don’t me wrong, there are always things I want… but they’re not so much “things” but more ways life could improve.

Have you ever visited the website Uncommon Goods? They have a ton of really unique and interesting gifts, many of them curated into collections that will help you shop for those in your life. I think it’s interesting that half of what is sold on their site is made by hand, most of the products they carry are created in the USA and about one-third of the collection incorporates recycle and/or upcycled materials.

Take men, for example. Why are they so hard to shop for? I don’t think I’ve ever truly delighted my husband with a gift, with the exception of buying him a letter opener one year. Seriously, I’m pretty sure a letter opener was the best gift I’ve ever given him.

So to break it down to find gifts for men, you can browse into their collection and find a bunch of stuff that guys like… apparently it is a lot of booze related items! The soup and sandwich tray in the collection made me hungry though… soup and a grilled cheese sandwich is a great winter combo:

But it’s versatile too:

Women, we’re easier to shop for, right? (Right guys… or do you find us just as confounding?) So UncommonGoods has some recommendations for the fairer sex too. [For fun: origins of the phrase fairer sex] Apparently we like our booze-related gifts too, but not nearly as much as the men. We also like cheese. But I did really think this Tipping Teacup was clever. I like a cup of tea during the winter months. This is great because you could hold it or keep it on the desk while it steeps, then tip the cup away from the tea leaves or bag when steeping time is done.

Stockings are great to fill with candy and toothbrushes… but if you’re looking for something a little more fun, there are options. I find it’s nice to get something other than just candy and toiletries in the stocking!

Looking for a gift for a runner? They carry the RunBell! Ultrarunner Podcast posted a review of the Runbell a little while back and it answered several of the questions I had… like, “When would you feel the most appropriate using this?” and “Do you feel a little goofy using it?”

With every purchase made, UncommonGoods will donate $1 to the non-profit of your choice. Over the past 12 years, they’ve donated over $300,000 to charities around the world!

And if you’re too indecisive… well, you can even dole at a gift card to UncommonGoods!

What would you want from the UncommonGoods site? What was the best/worst gift you’ve ever received?

This post is sponsored by UncommonGoods, but all thoughts/opinions/picks are my own.