The holidays are our favorite time of the year and one of the things we love the most about it is coming up with cute and thoughtful gifts to give to each other. One of the most memorable gifts we’ve given to each other was during our very first Christmas together (read more about that story in our comic here).
So we thought we’d share some of our favorite types of gifts as well as unique holiday gift ideas in case you were in need of some inspiration for your crush or significant other. 😊
Get her something inspiring to help achieve her goals
One of the best things you can do as a good partner is to support your significant other in the pursuit of their dreams. The holidays are definitely a great time to give something that will help inspire and motivate her plus show your support!
Pro Tip: Think about things that she could use on a routine basis to keep her motivated.
Masterclass Subscription
Masterclass is like the Netflix of learning. The cool thing about Masterclass is that you can learn a variety of skills from the very best at their craft. Want to play ball like Steph Curry or create Emmy-nominated TV shows like Shonda Rhimes? Whether your partner is an aspiring writer, actor, or whatever their dreams may be, a Masterclass subscription is a fun and useful gift to help them get there.
Peloton Bike
With many gyms being closed and in person workout classes not being offered during quarantine, getting in shape can be more challenging during this time. Consequently, a great gift would be creating a home gym for your girlfriend or partner such as getting her a Peloton bike or workout equipment that she can use at home.
Alternatively, gift her a Classpass subscription that she can use towards a variety of live workout videos at home and eventually in person classes.
A Collection of Inspirational Books
Maybe one of her goals for the new year is to read 100 books? So why not gift her a collection of inspirational books that are on her reading list. You can gift them in the form of physical copies of the books, an Audible subscription, or via Kindle.
A Light Up Box with an Inspirational Quote
Whenever the end of the year approaches, we get inspired to reflect and think about our goals for the new year. I love decorating my work space with inspirational things so Chia got me a cute cinema light box that I can customize with different motivational quotes to inspire me when I’m working.
A Passion Planner Journal
Chia knows that I often have a bunch of ideas in my head but I’m not very good at writing them down so she decided to get me a passion planner one year for me to keep track of all of my ideas and to-dos in a nice, organized fashion. Other great journals that I also like include the Clear Habit Journal and the Clever Fox Planner.
Make a DIY gift that is more sentimental
Some of the most thoughtful gifts that Chia and I have given to each other over the years were gifts that we made for one another. The best part of these types of sentimental gifts are rediscovering them years later and going down memory lane.
Pro Tip: Incorporate inside jokes into the gift that is unique to just the two of you.
A DIY Book of Inside Jokes
This was one of my favorite gifts from Chia. Given her creative talent, she took a blank booklet and recreated all of our favorite inside jokes using cute drawings and puns. It was incredibly thoughtful and funny. I still look through this book whenever I need a quick laugh or pick-me-up.
Photobook
If you two have a lot of photos of shared memories together, then putting together a custom photo book (check out Chatbooks) or scrapbook is a great holiday gift idea. You can also leave room in the scrapbook for future memories that you’ll create together.
Mini Christmas Tree with Photo Ornaments
While Chia and I don’t live in a large apartment, having a Christmas tree is still a festive item we like to have during the holidays, which makes this gift idea fun, thoughtful, and sentimental. You can print out mini photos at a local Walgreens/print store or use polaroids and hang them up on a mini Christmas tree as ornaments.
Message in a Bottle USB
Both Chia and I love listening to music and when we first started dating, we would share our favorite songs with one another. Somehow, we both ended up with the same idea to gift each other a USB of our favorite songs that reminded us of the other person along with a cute note inside the bottle. In addition to the USB, I also created a Spotify playlist of all the songs to give to Chia so she could listen to it more easily.
Gift her an experience or date night activity that you two can do together
Sometimes the best gift is not a physical gift but the gift of a new experience together. Whether it’s surprising each other with concert tickets to see our favorite LGBTQ singer, a comedy show to support our favorite comedian, or a baby goat farm tour, I love gifting Chia with a new experience that we can share and enjoy together. I typically have an idea in mind of what experience I think would be cool to surprise Chia with, but if you need inspiration, you can check out our post about our 25 most memorable date night activities.
Pro Tip: Plan out the logistics of the date night/activity in advance to ensure it’s a smooth experience.
Picnic on an Island
On one of our anniversaries, I gifted Chia a romantic day out to a nearby island that we ferried off to. We had a lovely picnic and did a hike around the island while enjoying the beautiful scenery. We both had a great time and it goes to show that thoughtful gifts don’t have to be expensive at all! If you’re looking for a cool backpack to carry all of your picnic items, check out this all-in-one modern picnic backpack.
Book a Private Class for you Two
Whether she enjoys cooking, pottery, art, winemaking, etc. there’s a class for everything. Private cooking classes are always enjoyable because you two will get to devour the delicious foods afterward.
String Art Kit
Get two sets of string art kits and plan a fun date night activity that you both can do indoors and have a keepsake at the end as well. Pair this holiday gift/creative art session with some wine and you’re all set!
Vacation to a New Place
Chia and I both love traveling so for one of the holidays, I gifted her a mini vacation to Hawaii since we’ve never been there together. Note that this doesn’t have to be a long or expensive trip (check out some of my travel hacks here) and even a short weekend trip to a nearby city at a nice Airbnb can be a nice getaway and gift especially during these times. In terms of gifting the other person a vacation, you don’t have to have the dates finalized yet or have the tickets booked, but instead make a cute little letter or invite on a card and then work together to finalize the details.
VR Set
This is a great experience gift especially if you’re both into games. VR games are super fun and addicting and you’ll both look silly when doing it. The Oculus and the HTC Vive VR sets are undoubtedly the best ones out there if you want a world-class experience, but there are many other cheaper VR sets as well.
Gift her something that she needs or can use an upgrade on
If your girlfriend appreciates more practical or useful gifts, then a great idea is to get her something that she could use an upgrade on or that she would need in her day-to-day life.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye out for things she uses often or has had for a while that’s getting worn out.
Modern Minimalist Desk Organizer from Ugmonk
With so many of us transitioning to work from home and remote work this year, having an organized workspace and desk at home is key to being productive at work. Chia loves an organized workspace and I'm a huge fan of the brand Ugmonk and all of their beautiful, minimalist designs. This desk organizer helps us cut through our clutter and makes it easy to have all of our tools always within reach.
The Latest Electronic Gadgets
In our high-tech world today, there are an endless number of gadgets that power our everyday life from iPads to Kindles to smart home tech. If you notice that your girlfriend hasn’t upgraded her phone, earbuds or laptop in awhile, a great gift would be to give her the latest iPhone, Airpods, Apple watch, etc. and you can pair the gift with a case or add-on accessory item.
A Rainbow Pride Hoodie from TomboyX
You can’t go wrong with a more practical gift that the other person can use in their day-to-day life. One of the gifts that Chia gave me was this hoodie that I love wearing on cold winter days to stay warm when we’re lounging around at home or watching a movie.
Comfy & Durable Hiking Boots
Both Chia and I love the outdoors but this year we noticed that our hiking shoes were in need of some serious upgrading especially since we were trekking through the cold and snow. We loved these new hiking boots that we got and they’ve been clutch on so many of our hiking trips.
If you’re looking for something fancier, check out these hiking boots from On Running (made for the Swiss Alps).
While hiking boots are a very specific gift, another thoughtful and practical gift idea would be to upgrade any sports equipment or gear that she would appreciate.
Cookware from Great Jones
Cooking has become one of our favorite past times and quality time activities during quarantine. But our kitchen appliances and cookware were pretty bare bones and in need of an upgrade. When you have the right tools in the kitchen, it makes cooking so much easier! If you’re looking for a great cooking set to upgrade with, check out Great Jones or grab this all-in-one set from Amazon with great reviews.
New Coffee Maker
One of our favorite parts of our morning routine is making coffee. Chia and I love our mini Nespresso machine, but we also like switching things up and using our Aeropress especially if we’re traveling or enjoying a cup of pour over coffee with our Chemex. You can’t go wrong gifting something coffee related to a coffee lover.
But if your girlfriend or partner’s coffee maker doesn’t need an upgrade, you can gift a coffee subscription instead. There are many types of coffee subscriptions out there depending on what you’re looking for.
Put together a cute gift box with a collection of her favorite things.
If you have more than one idea, you can combine them all into a cute gift box. I love a care box of things because you get to be creative with the variety and type of items you put in there. Some ideas to include in there could be her favorite snacks, books, LGBTQ stickers, and gadgets. You can also customize the box to include things that are more sentimental or remind you of her. Be as creative as you want and include some holiday themed things in there too!
Pro Tip: Keep in mind that smaller items are typically better and easier to package together.
Cute Greeting Card
Every gift box should have a cute note inside. You can see our list of the best lesbian and LGBTQ themed holiday cards for inspiration.
Lesbian Comic Print
Get a comic print that represents your relationship or an inside joke.
Christmas Sweater
While the norm is to wear an ugly Christmas sweater for the holidays, you can opt to gift a cute one instead.
Hot Cocoa with a Custom Mug
Cold, winter months mean warm, yummy beverages. Pair a box of hot chocolate with a cute mug.
Stickers
These are great add-on items to round out your gift box.
Gift her something to help her relax & destress
We all could use a bit more relaxation and ways to destress this year. These types of gifts are a great way to pamper your girlfriend with love and luxury and help her get away from the stresses of modern day life.
Pro Tip: Everyone’s idea of relaxation is different (perhaps your girlfriend would prefer a picnic on a beach or a hike instead). Go with what she would enjoy best!
Zen Tea Set from The Qi
We love these cute, modern tea sets to help you unwind or get your day off to a relaxing start. What’s unique about The Qi is that not only are their tea sets and flower teas aesthetically pleasing, but they are steeped in aroma and flavor as well.
Yoga Starter Set
Gift her everything she needs to start her daily yoga routine with this Yoga Starter Set. Yoga is a mind and body practice that has existed for thousands of years and is known to help reduce stress, relax the mind and increase flexibility.
Enhance this gift by pairing the Yoga Set with a pair of fun workout/yoga leggings from Outdoor Voices or Fabletics.
Beautiful Plants from The Sill
We love being plant moms and will never say no to a new plant baby. Not only are plants calming to look at, but they also help filter the air and make any living space more beautiful.
Mini Cocktail Set
These are the cutest cocktail kits and super convenient to bring with you when traveling or to keep handy for an impromptu happy hour.
Weighted Blanket
While the best weighted blanket of all is your partner cuddling on top of you, but it’s a little impractical to have them sleeping on top of you all night, so a weighted blanket would be the next best gift. People who sleep with weighted blankets swear that it helps them sleep much better throughout the night.
Meditation App
Meditating is one of the most recommended ways to destress but if you’re a newbie (or even if you’re a pro), it helps to have a little guidance and luckily, there’s no shortage of good meditation apps nowadays. So why not gift an annual subscription to Headspace, Calm, or Balance?
We hope this holiday gift guide has inspired you to get the best gift for your girlfriend or partner this Christmas. Remember at the end of the day, being thoughtful is what counts!
Shop our Holiday Gifts collection now.
---