Welcome to Friday Favorites: Holiday edition! If you’re like me, every year is a struggle to find nice gifts for friends and family that won’t break the bank. But never fear, I took it upon myself to spread some holiday cheer and make a list for you. #checkedittwice
Enjoy!
Home
If you’re looking for a gift for those who love to stay organized, the Codex planner has it all. It includes inspirational quotes, scripture and plenty of space to jot down prayers, gratitude and notes. You can get either a weekly undated calendar or a daily 2018 calendar.
Because who doesn’t want one of these trendy, instagrammable letter boards to put all their quotes on?
If you’re really good at DIY, you might be able to make these yourself, but if not you can order some on Etsy! These mason jar candle holders would be a great addition to any home.
This stand is perfect for anyone with an iphone, especially those whose chargers get bent easily (like me).
These light up marquee letters are a super fun way to brighten up a room! You can get an initial or spell out a whole name or word. If you want to go the extra mile, you can cover them in pictures too!
Games
A family favorite for many years, this fast-paced game is a great one to play with 2-8 players. The person with the most cards in the middle wins, but you’ll also want to be the first to get rid of your Blitz pile in order to avoid negative points.
Like hot potato with a funny twist – a variety of cats with special powers are involved. This game raised $8.7 million on kickstarter for a reason – its humorous cards and exploding kittens make it a fun one to play with friends! Bonus: there are expansion packs!
I recently played this game for the first time and thought it was so great I had to include it!
The game: Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their CODENAMES. The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.
I’m a big fan of regular old bananagrams, but the party version makes it more fun because it’s even less predictable. It comes with 14 chaos-inducing party tiles. Each tile holds its own special action, allowing the receiving player to bestow chaos on the victim of his/her choice! Whether it’s taking a lap around the game table or demolishing another player’s grid, no one is safe!
I bought this game for my sister last Christmas as we had visited our first escape room together in Phoenix. I was a little worried that this game wouldn’t be challenging like an actual escape room, but I was wrong. You’re not locked in a room, but the game is just as intense! The game comes with four “escape rooms” you must solve within an hour, but there are also expansion packs available. It’s a great game to play with family – it truly tests how well you can communicate with each other!
Fashion & Beauty
I love the ankle cutout and fun stitching on these booties! And not only are they super stylish, but according to customer reviews are super comfortable as well!
I LOVE sequin skirts, and I picked this one because the gold can go with almost anything! This would be a great skirt for Christmas, New Year’s, or really any party. You can dress it down with a chambray top or up with a fancier blouse, so it’s pretty versatile.
I know the point of a sweater is usually to keep you warm, but I really can’t resist a good cold-shoulder sweater. The bows on this are a fun feminine touch and it can be easily dressed up or down.
Ulta is my go-to store for makeup, and I always love their eyeshadow palettes. This collection of eye-shadows is great since it has trendy rose gold shades and matte and metallic colors. Perfect for the holidays!
This Elaina adjustable chain bracelet will go with EVERYTHING. There are lots of stones to choose from, and I can tell you from experience with my other Kendra Scott jewelry it’s worth the $50!
DIY
If you haven’t noticed the mermaid sequin trend that’s happening, it’s time to get on board (literally) with this DIY mermaid board!
These handwarmers are not only adorable, but practical and super easy to make! Your friends and family who live in colder areas will love them.
Because who doesn’t need more Christmas cookies? This cookie in a jar mix is simple and inexpensive but a gift that everyone will love!
This is a super easy but cute way to display photos! You can either make the frame by itself, or if you want to go above and beyond, print some instagram pictures and put them in ahead of time before you gift it!
I made this cute ticket stub shadowbox to collect all our movie tickets and have really loved it! It’s a great way to store memories and to build your ticket collection. Anyone who travels or sees a lot of movies will love this!
Food & Drink
This cookbook stand is both functional and a great decorative item for any kitchen. No more having to bookmark a cookbook to refer to over and over while you’re making dinner!
These flake finishing sea salts are harvest off the coast of my home state Oregon! This set includes some of Jacobsen Salt Co’s best-flavored salts. In addition to the original flake finishing salt you also get the Lemon Zest Salt, Vanilla Bean, Pinor Noir, Oregon Cherry Wood Smoked, and Smoked Ghost Chili flavors.
The world’s first temperature-controlled coffee cup. It’s a bit on the spendier side, but if you know someone who needs their drink at just the right temperature, this is the gift for them. It even has an app to alert them when their drink has reached the set temperature!
For the coffee enthusiast in your life (we all know at least one), this sampler from Stumptown is the perfect gift. It features three of their most popular blends: Hairbender, House Blend, and Holler Mountain.
This handy gadget lets you write with spice! This is perfect for leaving messages for your spouse or roommate in their morning coffee or making an appetizer plate even fancier. It’s easy to use and fun for everyone!
Movies
One of my favorite movies this year… because Dev Patel.
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
I wanted to be besties with Gal Gadot after seeing this movie.
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
I surprisingly liked this better than the first one! I thought it was a lot funnier.
The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill’s true parentage.
I really enjoyed learning about the women behind the scenes at NASA, and there is ome incredible talent in this movie.
The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
This is just one of those insane stories of survival that is amazing to watch – and Kate Winslet and Idris Elba are wonderful in this movie.
Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.
I loved the remake and thought Emma Watson did an incredible job!
An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.
Happy Christmas shopping!
Short & Sweet 
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