It's the most wonderful time of the year...and I can't believe it's already here. I have barely had time to do my holiday shopping this year and Christmas is only days away! My cousin got married this weekend in Tahoe-so instead of shopping for all those on my "Nice List" I drank my share of spiked mulled cider or eggnog and roasted marshmallows over the fire with my very large family in the Sierra Mountains. Aka: Bliss.

Even though I still have some gift giving to do with little to no time left, I am excited! I love to give thoughtful presents to friends and family. I think gifts are a great way of showing you care, but also creating a shared moment between one another. For example, my cousin and I scrapbooked together over this summer and got into crafts. So, to show I really enjoyed that time with her I created a personalized "craft bag" for her filled with DIY kits and craft goods. I like to think of those in my life and personalize the gifts to things they love.

For the Spa Lover: 

All of these gift guides may or may not contain things that I would buy for myself-but I was thinking of one of my closest girlfriends when I created this set. She loves essential oils, natural beauty products, and quality, locally sourced goods. My personal favorites (I use them daily) are the local Bay Area Etta + Billie products and Turkish cotton towels.

1. Etta + Billie Lotions & Body Scrubs
   These make my skin feel so smooth and buttery. They do the perfect job of exfoliating while deeply moisturizing your skin. I love the fresh scents from the different scrubs and lotions (lavender, ginger, lemongrass, etc) and the local lady boss behind this brand.
2. Essential Oil Diffuser
   Between the cold weather and dry heat I love the idea of having this in your home to diffuse essential oils for health as well as acting as a humidifier. I'd feel as if I lived in a spa. Besides, the changing LED lights and soothing oils would really help combat holiday stress.  
3. Wooden Paddle Brush
   Great for massaging your body. Helps unclog pores to release toxins 
4. Travel Spray
   I like the idea of bringing a portable spa experience with you while you travel. Having a special scent that calms and soothes that you can spray anywhere you go is like having a tiny spa to go in your bag. 
5. Turkish Cotton Towels
   I love how little space these towels take while still feeling luxurious. I use them daily in my bathroom and even have bigger ones I take to the beach with me.  
6. Voluspa Tin Candle
   This is one of my favorite candle brands I discovered ~10yrs ago and still love to this day. The scents are lovely and fragrant-without ever feeling overpowering. Luxury candles can really make you feel like you're being pampered and spoiled. 
7. Organic Cotton Spa Robe
   I don't know if there is anything that screams, "Spa," more than a fluffy cotton robe. This super soft robe is made of organic cotton and folds up well to take the spa wherever you go. 
8. Spa Experience Gift Tin
   Rather than putting together your own spa kit to give this is all ready to go with the best of portable spa experiences in a cute tin. 
9. Essential Oils
   Not only are they personal and relaxing but they can instantly soothe, enliven, or balance both body and mind. 
10. Fig + Yarrow Sea Salt Scrub
    I love how this scrub leaves you feeling soft and like you just had a whole body spa treatment. It's so pampering and perfect. 

For the Travel Lover:

I inherited my wanderlust from my mother, so this list is dedicated to her. She LOVES to travel and it re-energizes her like nothing else. I love gifting to my fellow travel lovers because I can really appreciate how these little gifts can really improve their travels, as well as hope they may remember how much I care about them whenever they use it. I would want to steal the inflatable travel pillow (my last one finally gave out) and the cashmere travel set, because who wouldn't want that!?!

1. Cashmere Travel Set
   So ridiculously soft and luxurious. The perfect travel set to make you feel at home and comfy on those long flights or when jet lagged and adjusting to the time changes. It comes with a sleeping mask, scarf, long socks, and cashmere bag.
2. Transparent Travel Phone Case
   I like how minimal, but cute this is. This slim case has a impact-resistant outer shell that protects your device from scratch, drops and dust-which is perfect if you are a frequent traveler like me. This would make me smile every time I looked at it and feel inspired to travel.
3. Leather Luggage Tag
   Soft leather that is really durable and chic. Smarten up your suitcases and carry-ons with this handcrafted leather luggage tag, detailed with meticulous stitching, hand-painted edges and a signature brand stamp.
4. Fossil Leather Passport Case
   Upgrade your on-board experience with this sleek leather passport case. The luxe and minimal design is stylish and classic. 
5. Fresh Lip Balm
   My lips always dry out so much when I travel. Fresh Sugar Nourishing Lip Balm Advanced Therapy smoothes dry lips with a refreshing sugar mint flavor and wild mango butter to help protect and soften your puckers.
6. Weekender Bag
   Versatile, minimal, and stylish. This could be a gender neutral present that will be used over and over again for ages. Unless I'm traveling for long periods of time I always always travel with a sleek weekender bag and never regret it.
7. Inflatable Travel Pillow
   These are perfect for long journeys or red eyes when you need to catch some sleep or a place to rest your head. I prefer inflatable over memory foam because once you're done you can deflate it and fold it up to fit in a pocket sized bag-so it fits with my travel light lifestyle. Bonus: with inflatable you can choose the softness or firmness to your personalized liking. 
8. Wool Scarf
   Made from 100% soft lambs wool-this was one of the 10 things I never travel without. Perfect to keep you warm through transitioning climates as you travel, can act as a blanket while on a chilly plane, and triples as a stylish accessory to complete any outfit. 
9. Gunmetal Headphones
   Minimal, stylish, and sleek; these headphones are perfect for traveling. Not only do they block outside noise but their collapsible design allows them to fit easily in your bag wherever your travels take you.
10. Soft Leather Phone Charger Wallet
    Another of my 10 things I never travel without: I always bring portable chargers on my journeys. The leather wallet comes with a power bank that has a 4000 mAH battery (produces 2 full charges), a micro USB input port and USB output port, and a small leather Stowaway envelope to hold tiny mementoes. Bonus: The arrives packaged in a smart branded gift box and dust bag, so no wrapping required!