Holiday Gift Guide 2024

With the holidays approaching are you wrapping up your shopping? It is always my goal to get my shopping done early. Then I can enjoy the fa la of the holidays, thus my holiday gift guide! This is my 3rd year of compiling my gift guide and sharing my giving favorites!

The Perfect Calendar

Everyone needs a calendar! While I use my phone calendar to jot down my upcoming appointments, I like to look at a calendar to gauge time frames. A great view makes it even better. Artist Gwen Lewis has been creating a calendar from her work of art since 2013. I profiled her in the latest issue of Senior News & Times. They were so pretty; I had to have a calendar for me and mom. Gwen uses pictures she painted of lovely places she has been. At the bottom of each month, she offers an inspiring Bible verse. Gwen donates all the proceeds of the sales to a local charity. This makes it the gift that gives!  “This is my mission,” she shared, adding one year she was able to give the church $600.00.

This year Gwen’s charity is Compass for Kids. “Compass for Kids is an after-school program for poor or homeless kids,” she said.  “One day a week they go to the United Methodist Church on Douglas Ave. for a variety of activities. I taught art when it first started.”

If you want a calendar, call Gwen to order one at 217-787-2645, or 217-553-3297. Orders can also be made through the Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church at 217-546-4631.

Friend Suggestions!

Dana Jelink, of Visit Grand Island suggests Zabuni Specialty Coffee and/or Kaponi Vanilla. “Both are African run businesses in the heart of Nebraska. They feature African products in an effort to help Africans make a fair living”.

Margaret Anne Jessup suggests A candle hand poured by women survivors at Wooden It Be Lovely. $22.50. Such a worthy charity with beautiful items!

Logan Elliott, of Logan’s Homegrown Cigar Box Guitars shares, “A cigar box guitar of course!” We bought one for our grandson Cade, who plays the base guitar for his birthday. He loves it, Logan makes beautiful and one-of-a-kind creations. Keith has one ordered and says he is going to learn to play it! Maybe Cade, can teach him.

Janet and Amy Chambers, a mother daughter duo of Quilting & the Sewing Room out of Pawnee, are making quilted bowl cozy’s, wreaths, quilted aprons, custom quilts, wall hangings, denim wine holders, pillows and more! I use my bowl cozy’s every day, and one of their pillows graces my upstairs guest bed. Janet has been mending my items for years and I love her work!

Apple Watch

It was actually a birthday gift for me, I received an Apple Watch to replace my fading Fitbit. I love the accessibility this gives me to the social media, the Internet, and the health aspects. You can tell when you need to move. I can record my exercise and much more.

The Gift of Time and an Experience

Then there is the gift of time that can’t be matched. My mom always says, “I just want to spend time with you.” That is true for my husband and I with our children. I love to go and do things. This year my daughter took me to a play at UIS Performing Arts Center with my granddaughter. We went to see Hadestown. Is there anything better than a ticket to see something you are interested in?

For my mom’s birthday, my sister and I took her to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. It was a magical day. Gardens any time of year are always a great choice. During the holidays, many gardens and zoos alike are all lit up for the holiday season!

My friend Janna and I have started doing experiences rather than presents, that way, we see things, enjoy each other’s company, and have fun!

Spirits for the Holiday

This year for the 2nd time, I received whiskey samples to review. I received two bottles of Savage & Cooke, American distillery whiskeys. A group of ten of us had a great time sampling. We decided they are the perfect addition if you are looking for a smooth drink to add to your holiday celebration. 

The whiskeys I selected to receive was a holiday bourbon, and Guero.

The Savage & Cooke restaurant, distillery, and bottling company are located in Mare Island, California. The Distillery Manager, Lauren Blanchard shared, “They are a great mix at different price points with different taste profiles. We really have something for everyone on your holiday list.”

Details of the Sampling

Is there a better name for a holiday whiskey than Bad Sweater? This spiced flavored whiskey was the all-around favorite of our group. The whiskey is infused with holiday spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cacao nibs, brown sugar, Valencia orange peel, and vanilla bean. In our group Sandy said this would be best served over ice or chilled in the freezer. Mark said, “It is pretty smooth.” Janna like the smell. We all could taste the spices in the aftertaste.

The Guero Whiskey is an American whiskey that was aged for 15 years. It was finished in Our Lady of Guadalupe Pinot Noir Barrels. It was distilled in Tennessee and aged at Savage & Cooke in Northern California. The group thought the Guero has long standing staying power in the taste. This was a stronger tasting whiskey. It had aromas of rich caramel, butterscotch and toffee. Sandy said, “It would be good with hot tea and make a great hot toddy.”

This whiskey was enjoyed with a bit of eggnog. We teamed the tasting with crackers and salami, party peanuts, sliced apples and Boston cream pie! One of these holiday bottles will make a great gift for the whiskey lover in your life. It is fun to have a sampling, whether at home, a vineyard or other stop!

Branded Clothing

For years I have had my blog, Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl, but just recently I got a hoodie with my logo. After seeing others sporting their businesses on t-shirts and hooded jackets, I thought it made sense to give it a try.

Life With Becky Kate, a local business in Pawnee creates everything from clothing to cups and more with the desired picture or wording. Becky Combs works with the Pawnee school and more. After interviewing her for an article for the Village of Pawnee, I thought I would take the step and order my own. No matter your particular business, or even just a tagline for your family, this is a very personal and great gift!

Special interest

For anyone that has a hobby, or is part of an organization a gift card, or paying the conference fee is a great gift. This year I am attending both the North American Travel Journalist (NATJA) conference, and the Midwest Travel Network Conference. Help with the cost to one of the winter antique tractor meetups is a great. This year I am going to the Minneapolis Moline Winter show, in my antique tractor calendar, I have several different of the events profiled.

Collectors also love publications that reflect their hobby. For my husband this means Green Magazine, Red Power, Toy Farmer and Farm World. For the quilter, painter etc. there are magazines as well. A subscription is a great present for them too.

Books

Do you love books as well as I do? I always have a book in hand, especially during the cold winter days and nights! I need a book to travel with and love the travel books that so many of my friends have written that help me identify where to go and what to do. Each year at Christmas, I get my grandkids gift certificates from the independent bookstore, The Sly Fox. The owner George Rishel has books available, or if you don’t find what you are looking for, he will order it! I love shopping locally and small!

I also sell some of my books during the holidays like the Christmas Tractor and Tucker’s Surprise that Jane Aumann and I wrote together. Then, there is my short stories in Porch Swing Tales. The Christmas Tractor is illustrated by the famed farm painter, Charles Freitag! If you want any of these, send me a message. All are $5.00 except the Christmas Tractor that I sell for $8.00.

This time of year, the calendar starts to fill up with travel ideas. If looking for a place to travel, check out my eBook, Agricultural Treasures Guidebook it is available on my website to download, or print!

This guidebook offers locations of some of the country’s agricultural treasures, focusing primarily on the Midwest.  If you love to learn about farming and the farming past, you will enjoy the chance to stop at these amazing locations that I have had the privilege of visiting over the years.

These are just a few items to think of for the upcoming shopping season. Be on the lookout for more additions as Christmas approaches!