Want to help your friends and family jump-start their New Year’s resolutions? Try these gifts!
t I’m big into New Year’s resolutions, so this year, I’m using them as my inspiration for all my holiday gift giving. I’m asking all my friends what their resolutions are and crafting my holiday gift ideas around how to help them. This way, I am able to give them a unique and thoughtful gift and encourage them to stick to their resolutions.
t Here are some common New Year’s resolutions and a few gift ideas to make those resolutions easier to follow through on!
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Get physical!
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t The most popular resolution I hear is people wanting to lose weight or get in shape. Only give these gifts to someone you know well and who has told you that fitness is one of his or her goals.
Fitbit Aria
t A scale?! It’s not a traditional gift, but for someone who is serious about weight loss, the Fitbit Aria (Fitbit, $130) is awesome. Aria syncs with any Fitbit activity tracker (Fitbit, starting at $100), so you can tie the Fitbit app into your weight-loss goals and track the activities that make a difference.
Nesting bowls and prep set
t Cook more! This compact and colorful food-prep set from Joseph Joseph is great for getting a new home cook started (Amazon, $50).
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Diet makeover!
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t Because I’m studying to be a nutritionist, I have lots of friends who ask me for diet advice. Here are gifts for that friend who wants to eat better in 2014.
Cookbooks
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- How to Cook Everything (Amazon, $35). All the recipes in this collection are printed on recipe cards in little boxes.
- The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook (Amazon, $35). The photos alone make you want to cook everything!
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Herbs & Spices
t It’s hard to embrace cooking if you don’t have the basics. Kick-start a friend’s healthy-eating adventure with a set of the 10 herbs and spices that every home cook should have. My favorite brand is Simply Organic.
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“Eat, Pray, Love”
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t I have quite a few Eat, Pray, Loversin my circle this year — friends embarking on new adventures, seeing the world or taking time out to assess where they are and where they’re going. Here are a few ideas to help them prepare for the journey ahead.
Relax
t Give a gift card for a deep-tissue massage. When gifting any service, be sure to include the tip in the total amount.
Snapshot
t I love pictures, but I don’t always take the time to print my favorites. If your friend is off to see the world, give her a gift certificate to Artifact Uprising and encourage her to document the journey.
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Bring sexy back!
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t Here are some gifts for friends who are getting back into the dating scene.
New makeup
t I love giving Sephora or makeup-lesson gift certificates to newly single friends. Sometimes, a new shade of lipstick is all they need to get their confidence back.
A style makeover
t For a totally new style or just a little refresh, I recently discovered this amazing, personal-style online service called Tog+Porter. Get paired with a personal stylist who hand-selects items for you. Keep the pieces you love and return those you don’t.
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Be a better BFF
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t We all get busy and sometimes lose touch with friends. Here are a few ideas to make staying in touch a little easier.
Tickets & passes
t Going to a movie or seeing a show is a great way to spend meaningful time with friends. Gift a book of movie or theater tickets.
Send a letter
t I love getting mail and sending it, too. You can find fun stationery everywhere nowadays. And throw in a book of stamps. I have so many letters that go unsent because I can’t find a stamp!
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It’s all about (saving) the Benjamins!
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t For your friends who are trying to be more resourceful in the New Year, try these gifts that can help them save money and still have fun.
Cocktail party goods
t I decided to bring back the pre-gaming of my 20s but class it up a bit. Cocktails for a Crowd (Amazon, $15) makes a great gift for mixologists. Add in these etched botanical glasses (Food52, starting at $64) for a little something extra.
Lunchboxes for adults
t The amount of money we spend buying lunch daily really adds up. For the budget-conscious friend with discerning taste, this lunchbox makes a perfect gift (ECOlunchbox, $25).
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