Relax, plan ahead and steal my holiday gifting spreadsheet...

Consider it mission (and budget!) control for all your holiday gifting or Black Friday shopping.

This is an incredibly frazzling (is that a word? I’m making it one!) time of year even if you have no complexity at all in your personal life— though let’s be honest, almost all of us do.

I love this time of year and want to savor and enjoy it, but the to do list and the costs pile up FAST. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.

I do a few things to try to stay on top of 1.) my lust for shopping and 2.) my to do and holiday gifting lists!

• First and foremost, I keep a Pinterest board where in the months leading up to “go-time” (that space between Thanksgiving/Black Friday and Christmas) I can keep track of gift ideas that are highly personal or attuned to inside jokes, shared experiences, etc. This way I’m not caught out or scrambling for a last minute gift idea… ever!

• I also keep a Pinterest board full of things I’m keeping my eye on or want to remind myself to check back in on during a Black Friday sale. I just moved, so right now it’s a lot of furniture or bedding… but it also includes more practical investment purchases like a winter coat.

• When it’s time to put pedal to the metal and I actually start buying stuff, I keep track of everything in a holiday gifting spreadsheet that’s organized to the nines… and that, dear reader, is what I’m sharing with you today!

Keeping the train on the tracks and being organized and strategic is what I do for a living— it’d be silly to not bring a dash of that to my own life!

Me, at work.

Okay, time to expose my secrets for success. If you’re my friend or family member, omg, for the love of God, do not read the rest of this!

As you can see, the spreadsheet is fully configured with gift ideas, spaces where you can enter the name of the giftee directly, helpful labels by gift budget, and trackers to help you figure out what’s done and what still needs doing.

You can steal my actual gift ideas— like the under $50 personalizable gift all your friends will think is so thoughtful, or the perfect gift to send to friends and family who you want to spread holiday cheer to but aren’t seeing in person this year— or you can just make a copy of the spreadsheet and fill it in with your own great ideas.

When you’re done duplicating the spreadsheet to make it your own, you can sort gift ideas by price, by person, by status (so you know what you need to order, need to wrap or what’s done), or by category— like stocking stuffer, standalone gift, “pairs well with”… you get the picture!

Not a spreadsheet person? Prefer to make your list and check it twice by hand? I get that! Scroll on for some of my best ideas, sprung free of their spreadsheet form…

• Extremely divine scented candle // Hotel Lobby Candle. I didn’t know how good these were until I was gifted one myself, and now I’m obsessed with them as gifts-- and selfishly, for myself! 🫠 I’m thinking London for a bestie who lives there, Spa for a mom or aunt.

• Plan ahead and customize a boat & tote // LL Bean. A favorite gift to give and get! Customize a boat & tote for a bestie, your cousin or your sister in law with a pet name, nickname, or inside joke. It’s so thoughtful and actually surprisingly more affordable than you think. (Mine pictured above is this waterproof version!)

• Cozy boucle clogs for around the house or errands // Rothy’s. For aunts, moms, mother-in-laws and besties-- I own and love these and I need to spread the joy because they are as comfy as orthopedic clogs but as cozy as slippers!

• The perfect vase for a garlic-loving pal // Anthropologie. My dad eats a head of garlic a day. (This is not an exaggeration.) I saw this and knew it was perfect!

• The coziest robe there is // LAKE. It’s so soft. No one in your life (your dad, uncle, aunt, grandma, sister, brother or mom?) will be mad about receiving this plush, cozy slice of heaven. I got this for my dad for Father’s Day and it was a hit.

• Homemade candle // Siblings. I’ve been collecting beautiful, large seashells on the beach and I will be filling them with wax and making my own scented holiday candles as part of my Christmas Cookie Care Package for a few friends this year! You could do the same with a gorgeous vintage mug or homemade ceramic cup?

• “Please Leave by 9” needlepoint pillow // Etsy. For the friend who always wants to stay in... maybe paired with a bottle of their favorite wine or a non-alc spirit?

• Journal with cleverer than usual prompts // No Particular Order. For your homebody cousin, or the friend that wants to write but just can’t seem to get started...

• Broccoli pajama set // Dairy Boy. Not your average matching pajama set. Does your sister or best friend need a pair?

• Consistently classic men’s slippers // UGG. These are the best price to quality ratio and the most classic, easy to wear style out there-- for dads, grandpas, husbands and boyfriends!

• An extremely impressive cheese & charcuterie spread // Boarderie. I’ll be spending Christmas abroad this year, so this is a perfect way to let my extended family members know I’m thinking of them and sending them a cozy (tasty!) holiday-- from afar!

• The cutest (customizable!) planner or notebook // Papier x Damson Madder. How adorable are these!??! Maybe my favorite brand partnership of the year.

If you use this spreadsheet for yourself, I want to hear about how it goes and any changes you make to make it work better for you! Do you have a holiday organization system of your own? Calling all Type A, eldest daughters and Virgos… I want to hear your secrets in the comments, please!

If you liked my spreadsheet, I would so love for you to forward and share this with a friend… hopefully it’s an actually useful tool that can help you juggle being a thoughtful gift-giver and also manage your budget and your timeline in one fell swoop!