For my 2022 German-Inspired Holiday Gift Guide, I am listing some of my favorite things that score high on sustainability, function and beauty! I hope you find a few gift ideas to help make someone's holiday extra special!
Gift ideas for Germany-loving people
It's no secret that Germans value sustainability (recycling is even mandatory there), so when it came to putting together my German-inspired gift guide for this holiday season, I naturally selected items that are for the most part sustainable, functional and beautiful (and edible). Most of what you can find on this gift guide, I already own and love. So you know they're vetted products that I stand behind!
You can find:
- gifts for her
- host/-ess gifts
- kids play things
- gifts for the guys
- gifts for the home chef
I am also a huge supporter of everything local! Gift cards to your favorite restaurants, local spa or shop are always a great option for everyone on your list!
Gift Ideas for Women
This one is inspired by some of my very favorite things! And narrowing this list down was SO HARD! A few of these items are just seasonal favorites, others all-around favorites.
Holiday Fashion. When it came to fashion this year, I mainly wanted to stay comfortable. Since we're adding another person to our family, and this will be our last, I wanted to find non-maternity clothes that will work after this pregnancy as well. I added a few vetted items to my guide like this sparkly top that I love so much for the holidays (and can be pulled up like I did to fit above a belly).
I also love this long sleeve non-maternity dress with ruched sides. Super flattering!
This cloud-like tank and lounge pant pajama set that feels like fuzzy socks made it on my wish list! Please get it for someone you love! I discovered all these items through my monthly collab with Evereve.
This leather backpack made from sustainable, Ethiopian leather is gorgeous and practical! Plus it fits my 13-ich MacBook!
Nutcracker. This super adorable gnome nutcracker is handmade in Germany and just so cute! I got one last year that's sold out now and am so glad I did! It's an heirloom decorative piece that will hopefully get passed onto my kids one day.
Lebkuchen. Every German loves gingerbread! In the USA, the small batch crafted Leckerlee Lebkuchen are just it best (and the tins are gorgeous and need no wrapping).
Organic Home Garden. Flowers make me so happy! Especially when it's dull and grey outside. This flower growing kit is so fun AND edible and will lift anyone's mood!
Better Sleep (and it's on sale!). I love this nifty little sleep tool! We first became Hatch customers when we got them for our babies (they started out with sound machines), but Hatch ecently expanded to include an adult version of their popular sound machine, combining a sunrise alarm, white noise machine, and meditation all in one! I love the app and how customizable everything is. The meditations really help me drift off into sleep. And I am pretty sure better sleep is on everyone's wish list!
Handmade Dirndl. Erika at Rare Dirndl makes BEAUTIFUL handmade Dirndl dresses in Chicago using quality materials and her unmatched craftsmanship. My Little Black Dirndl has even made it to Berlin with me!
What's a Good Hostess Gift?
The hosts and hostesses in your life would love what's on my gift-guide! Here a few ideas!
Bake Something. These Nussecken (German chocolate-dipped nut bars) keep incredibly well and would be great boxed up and gifted as a hostess gift. Who doesn't love a little surprise breakfast to help with all the post-party clean-up? They are also part of my top 5 German Christmas cookies, even though they're not technically a cookie. If you need more cookie and baking inspiration, definitely check it out!
Cutting Board. A house-shaped cutting board that also makes the best charcuterie board. Plus it's a really great price and quality and comes in 2 different sizes. I'd be so happy to receive this as a hostess gift!
Bars Book. We have this book sitting in our wine bar now and I bought it after discovering it at one of the many hotels we stayed at in Europe. It's so neat and would make such a great host/-ess gift. There is a brand new version coming out on November 30th and you can get on the presale list now.
Wine bottle decorated with a bath bomb. I love tying a little something unexpected to a wine bottle to bring over to the party, such as these neat little holiday-themed bath bombs. I first discovered them through Grove Collaborative, where I order all of my clean, sustainable cleaning items and some beauty supplies. You can receive a free gift set by clicking this link.
Sustainable Gifts for Kids
I don't know about you, but aren't kids gifts these days so much cuter than they were when I was a kid? I LOVE all the wooden toys! Here a few of my faves I may gift to our kids this year:
Playhouse. We gifted Zoë this wooden doll house this year for her 4th birthday and both her and her little sister LOVE it. And I do too. Made from non-toxic materials in Europe. The house comes with some furniture, but be sure to buy the dolls separately, but they are so worth it!
Sleeping soft baby doll. Our younger daughter received this adorable little sleeping baby doll for her 2nd birthday this year and she loves it so much. She feeds it with this baby bottle every night and signs it to sleep.
Bath bomb maker kit. My 4-year-old especially is obsessed with bath bombs! And making their own is double the fun. I am sure every kid would love this!
Advent calendar. This fabric advent calendar is literally like a blank canvas and ready to be filled with daily little surprises for every day in December leading up to Christmas. We got both of our daughters this same calendar and fill it with German chocolate candies, fun little accessories, stickers and more. The pouches are a great size and I wrap larger items that stick out of the pouches. I may also get them monogrammed.
Play tent. I plan to get this quality play tent for my daughters for Christmas. I have been looking for a tent like this that's larger than a teepee, so my older daughter can also sit in it comfortably. I love that it has windows and I plan to decorate it similar to how it's pictured here.
Toniebox: Audio fun without screen time! We got our Toniebox audio box in Germany a couple of years ago, but Tonieboxes have since made it to the US. What's really fun is that you can add Tonies from Germany (next time you go visit there), which will play audio in German. They have music ones (the kids' favorite), shorter TV shoes and movies. They're easy to navigate even for toddlers (we found out with Eloïse and she is 2). Each Toniebox also comes with a blank Tonie that you can record audio to using the app and play MP3 files on. Our kids love them and I love them because it keeps screens away.
Sustainable Play Toy Subscription. We have LOVED the Lovevery toys we've subscribed to over the past 4 years! Lovevery toys are sustainably made toys that are thoughtfully and beautifully designed and that engage your child with the right toys for their age group. We also love the books the subscription comes with. Overall, would 100% recommend to anyone with babies and little kids and the subscription price is totally worth it. We don't buy any other toys for our kids other than larger ones for birthdays and Christmas.
Gift Guide for the guys?
If you're like me, then I am sure you agree that shopping for guys is hard! Here some picks for the guys that are both practical, great quality and fun!
Organic pajama pants. I love the look of these pants and plan to get them for Jason for Christmas. I also love that they are made from organic cotton.
Das Cook Book. We tested several of the recipes in this German cookbook for our monthly cookbook club and I have loved them all! I think this would make a wonderful gift for someone who is interested in getting into German cooking or even just for kitchen decor ;-).
Beer Cooler. Jason has always complained about how he doesn't have a practical beer cooler. Well now he does. This cooler looks good and is super practical! It works for bottles and cans and comes with a retractable opener. It also has an over-the-shoulder strap for easy carrying. This is just one of the many Picnic Time favorites we have loved this year!
Beer tasting kit. Fill 4 little beer glasses with different beers, then place the bottle caps in the designated holes in front of them or label the beers with a chalk pen that's included. This beer flight tasting kit is so fun and would make a great present for those beer lovers in your life.
For the home chef
Here are a few more home chef-inspired gift ideas that I just LOVE! All of these items I own and use on the regular.
Bread slicer. You probably won't find a German household that doesn't own a bread slicer. And if you have been baking bread these past years like I have or just love artisan breads, this one's a great gift to yourself or that baker you love. The slices always come out perfect!
This gorgeous bread slicer is available at Frieling I love for a few reasons. It is manual and doesn't rely on electricity. It's high quality and will not break. It's beautiful and will easily become a family heirloom. And lastly, it does the job!
Get all Frieling baking items (that includes this slicer, bread proofing baskets and more) at 20% off when using code DIRNDLBAKE22 at checkout (ends November 30th).
Frieling also happens to make an award-winning, patented French press coffee maker that leaves no sediment on the bottom of your coffee cup. I love it for my morning and afternoon coffee needs.
Scratch-off dinner dates. Wanna stay home, but do something fun? This surprise dinner date book definitely adds lots of fun to your kitchen. This would make such a fun gift to anyone that loves to cook.
Spätzle press. I cannot live without this spätzle press. I use it every time I make my pork goulash, beef rouladen or lentils and it's served me well for years! I am sure that any German food lover would appreciate this kitchen tool that Germans couldn't imagine their life without.
Mushroom Growing Kit. Grow organic mushrooms from scratch with this fun mushroom growing kit. Ever since watching Fantastic Fungi, I have been just mesmerized by the power of mushrooms. I incorporate them into meals often and I think it's so fun I can easily grow my own now!
Insulated lunch box sized picnic basket. This picnic basket is so CUTE! Perfect for taking to the park for a little shared app or to the office as a lunch box. It also features a removable insulated pouch, so it's also super practical. Pair it with this beautiful picnic blanket for that home chef in your life that likes to take their food outside.
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