January 5, 2021

Best Gifts of Christmas 2020: a round-up

(No affiliate links. Just sharing for fun! I love seeing what others buy/get for holidays so I thought you might too.)

I shared what we got our 2.5 year old for Christmas and his grandparents, aunts, and uncles also got him some fun gifts: tractors, trucks, Lincoln Logs, lots of puzzles and games, a stuffed polar bear, books, clothes, a new winter coat(!), a tool bench, and so on. LOTS of stuff and we are so thankful. This kid isn't getting a darn thing until his next birthday. (FWIW, he's already "bored" and just follows me around all day, despite all of the new toys.)

When it comes to adults, I wanted to share a little of what I got for relatives and what they got for us, because now I have confirmation on what works, what is liked, and what was a good buy. This isn't everything, but it's some of the highlights. 



This s'mores set. If you need something to do this winter at home, it's a steal for $23. I saw a blogger recommend an absolutely gorgeous s'mores set-up that was a "quarantine purchase" and it had cost almost $80 from like Williams-Sonoma or something. No, thank you. This was perfect and has high reviews from the families we gifted it to. It works! Don't forget to add in the s'mores ingredients if you're giving as a gift. They're not included!

This charger that I gave to Scott. I don't know what those reviews are about; he's already gotten his $10 worth of use out of it. I also gave him a wok so we can perfect our fried rice. Scott got, among other things, a meat thermometer and a Hydroflask thermos from my parents, which are both very useful (and I told my mom those are things he wanted). Sometimes useful gifts are just the best ones. Like the new slippers I also wrapped up from Santa (those were half-price on Black Friday). 

I gifted copies of Hillbilly Elegy to more than one person. Also, I gifted a Book of the Month 3-month subscription to my cousin. I rarely buy books but this is such a fun treat each month. 

Blue light-blocking glasses. Bought some for us and gifted a pair. I like these ones because they don't have the odd orange tint.

I got myself these glass mugs I've been eyeing for over a year just because I think they're pretty and I never buy mugs anymore, and also these Kate Spade studs I've had in my Amazon wish list for quite awhile. (These are not small, dainty studs..which is what I had wanted..but they're still really pretty and I'll make an effort to wear them.)

I also got a similar coat to this at the PX for a fraction of the website's price. And I got this a bag and told Scott it was from him. (Mine is a "desert" color but this gray one is very pretty too!)

My mom and dad got me the Stars Above robe. It's as fantastic as I'd heard and runs big so size down. And we got a new rice cooker (see: goes with wok) to replace our 15 year old one. 

We also gifted a lot of gift cards and books...I tend to give away more obscure books that are favorites of mine, hoping they haven't been read yet by the recipient!

Our big gift to ourselves was considered and ordered on the day after Christmas. We bought an exercise bike on Amazon. No, not a Peloton and not even a Bowflex (they have wait lists and are still more expensive than what we want right now). We just want a way to get in decent cardio so we'll try this one and I'll report back. It has great reviews. There ain't no gym time happening around here so anything is better than nothing. The on-base gym is open to only soldiers and is only open in two-hour chunks of time throughout the day. We've tried and Scott can't make it work with his schedule since he's still doing virtual learning. 

I've already found a bunch of online f-r-e-e workouts but if you have any bike workout recommendations, send them my way!

Linking up with Tanya!



6 comments:

  1. Those are the best studs ever and I lost one in the river this summer! I had them for three plus years and wore them a ton. Buying new ones ASAP! Maybe I need a wok for my fried rice! I use the frozen jasmine rice from Trader Joe’s. You have some good picks and I’m glad you love the robe. Mine is blue from laundry tabs so I may get a new one while I can.

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  2. That black stars above robe would match my nordstrom jammies perfectly! I will have to consider that. I have a smores kit I bought back in March for around $20 I think? We used it every single weekend for months. The only reason I didn't whip it out a lot the last few weeks is because we had Christmas cookies. I have a feeling it will make a regular appearance again soon.

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  3. That smores set would be a great gift! My son's girlfriend would love that!

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  4. I love the glass mugs too - simplicity.
    I keep seeing those smores makers everywhere & I need to get them before my grandkiddos come back up this way :)

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  5. I'm thinking of getting the robe - great finds. I have the blue light glasses and love them. I got a pack with clear, tortoise and black that are also reading glasses. Thanks for linking up with Prime Purchases! Tanya - The Other Side of the Road

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