I know.

It’s too early.

It’s not even Thanksgiving yet. It was JUST Labor Day. How are we thinking about gifts and trees already?!

Well, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, these are ideas to GIVE. And many of them are created by friends of mine, and I would like you to get a head start on getting their goods.

I’ll start with someone I introduced to you in the Light At The End… post earlier this year. As things were dark during Covid, I found someone who was creating a light through creative expression. Angie Hall Anderson is an abstract embroidery wizard.

Every day last fall and winter I would log on to Instagram to see the brilliant magic of Angie’s threads. Seeing the color combinations brought me so much joy. The chaotic shapes and lines came together in a harmony that truly illuminated some really dark days.

I commissioned Angie to create an abstract embroidered piece for my home! Isn’t it glorious? This is a gift of true artistry. Contact Angie about creating something special for a loved one.

And the beautiful thing about a custom gift like this is it’ll more than likely be finished long after the holiday so it’ll be like giving and receiving something twice! It’ll be worth the wait!

My college friend Eric Cole and his husband Joe McMurray got busy during the pandemic and started researching what it means to build and market a product. Lots of testing and experimenting led them to this gorgeous Bath Bombs Gift Set. These make a great holiday gift for women, men, as well as kids - (agents, housekeepers, doormen, tutors, nannies, teachers, etc) The set includes 12 Large individually wrapped natural bath bombs that won't stain the bath tub, providing a relaxing bath bomb spa experience.

They have adjusted and readjusted the formula so these Bath Bombs actually smell like the essence of the scent on the label rather than just like generic perfume. And part of the formula adjustment also provides maximum suds, long lasting fizz and vibrant colors. I’m so proud of these gentlemen for getting their vision out into the world.

And our friend Chad Kraus took these fun photos for Eric and Joe!

One of my childhood friends, Stacy Winchester Dellisanti, announced on Facebook earlier this year that one of her good friends, Sabina Miller, invented a product. Since I support friends supporting friends, I went to the link. Once there, I couldn’t help myself. I immediately made a purchase. As someone who is paid to haul food around, I was intrigued.

Foil Decor is a tasteful, decorative way to use and transport foil pans but with the look of a casserole dish. It’s kind of brilliant. The lid becomes a vessel for chips or crackers. And the colors are so pretty. When it’s time to leave an event, just slip the tin out of the Foil Decor and be on your way. No more trying to track down containers later.

Is there someone in your life who is a coffee person? Or maybe you have someone that is a chocolate person. Maybe your person loves them both. These next two are pretty special.

Maybe some of you remember that my mom grew up in a Spanish speaking home in Colorado. Her mom and grandmother made cookies called Biscochitos for their family. Biscochitos are the state cookie of New Mexico.

One Christmas a few years ago I surprised my mom and her siblings with their childhood cookies in the mail. I made my version of this anise seed flavored treats. The recipe is in one of my all-time favorite AGT’s Little Rita Says Yes.

My friend Jolynn is from New Mexico and shared a glorious thing from one of her trips home this year. Biscochito flavored COFFEE!!!
This medium-roast Arabica coffee has notes of sugar, cinnamon, and anise flavors. It’s seriously good. The Piñon website actually has a lot of great ideas…

Did you know that the proper way to eat chocolate is to suck on it, not chew? Okay, that sounds crude. Here’s a better (sexier) way to describe chocolate eating: let it dissolve in your mouth. Place the chocolate on your tongue, close your lips, press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, the chocolate will slowly melt, and you’ll experience the perfection of the chocolate. It’s true!

In fact, there’s a French Chocolate Truffle Company that is so insistent on that concept, that they named their product No Chewing Aloud! Man oh man, they know what they’re talking about. You’re going to need to buy at least two tins, one to give as a gift and one to indulge in for yourself. You’ll never eat chocolate the same way again. No. Chewing. Aloud.

Nut butters are all the rage, right? The beloved classic, sometimes allergy inducing, peanut butter has taken a back seat to almond butters, cashew butters, granola butters, cookie dough butter… I am all for yummy spreads in a jar. But after trying this Pistachio butter, um, they can all sit in the back seat!

I was gifted a jar of Il Colle Del Gusto Sicilian Pistachio Spread from my fancy chef friend Andy. How can simple pistachios ground up with sugar be so decadent? Get some fancy pistachio butter and find out!

And whomever is receiving a jar of pistachio butter also needs this next thing, they go perfectly together. My friend Paige sees something she likes and immediately buys 10 of them to share how great the thing is with her friends. She’s generous and truly thoughtful. Paige thinks about which of her 10 friends will benefit the most from her find.

As a kitchen person, I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of this little spoon and I’m in love. It’s an end-of-the-jar spoon! It actually does a whole lot more but my favorite thing about it is the flat squeegee tip and flexible scraping sides, making it perfect for scraping every last bit of pistachio spread from the jar!

Growing up on a small farm in southwestern Missouri, our dad was always tinkering. On a lawnmower, a tractor, a boat, a tiller, a car. Inevitably, dad would still be tinkering after the sun went down and he’d need someone to “hold the light.” Ugh. It was a thankless job, in that none of us could ever do the job well enough to satisfy our dad, and there was rarely a thank you because of our poor execution. I mean, granted, the man would be exhausted from the hours of tinkering, but I digress. I wish I could go back in time and hand my dad a Love Beam! Because it would be a gesture of love AND I wouldn’t be stuck holding the light.

My friend Ambyr is the new CEO of Love Beams and she’s had a huge hand and heart in getting this invention off the ground. Lovebeams dim when you look up so the light doesn’t shine in someone else’s eyes and it illuminates the face of the wearer for visibility! This gift can go camping, fishing, biking, with you. (It can even go to Burning Man.) Or get it for your dad so he can tinker around in the garage changing the oil in the car… Use Ambyr’s code CEO for 10% off!

Rechargeable with included USB
Epic battery life. Battery life depends on the brightness you use. Most people get around 20 hours on a full charge.
Lightweight, 2 ounces
Reflective, adjustable, breathable headband
Weatherproof

These shoes are pillows for your feet. I am a Pisces and supposedly Pisces have bad feet because we are the fish of the Zodiac and fish only have fins to swim, not feet to walk. Well, I have taken that as gospel for my whole life.I am continually on the lookout for the perfect shoes that will give some love to my tootsies. I found them!

My friend Paige (spoon giving Paige) and I were in Martha’s Vineyard a few months ago and after walking many miles, we happened upon these shoes in a lovely boutique. We promptly removed our own shoes and wore these out of the store. They are called Tulips and I can’t wait to find some tulips and go tip toeing with my new kicks.

They are made in Denmark and the Ilse Jacobsen website is gorgeous. Unfortunately, they do not sell to the United States from what I can tell. But Zappos and Amazon have them! Maybe you don’t want to give love to those companies, but I say put your feet first (or the feet of someone you love) and add them to your cart. Pillows, I tell you.

Of all the potions and lotions you could slather on your face or on your body —I am here to suggest Avon’s Anew Vitamin C Illuminating Body Serum and the Anew Vitamin C Brightening Serum. This line is a little bit of sunshine that adds moisture and vitamins to your skin. They feel good. They smell good. You’ll feel like it’s summer even though it’s 35 degrees outside.

Do you have an Avon Lady? Chad Gilkison is my Avon Man! Chad gave me a sample of these products a while ago and I was hooked. And if you’re looking for some products for a male in your life, Chad says ”I really like Anew Vitale Day lotion, Farm RX Eye Cream, and Perceive Cologne. Those are my go tos.”

It wouldn’t be an All Good Gifts list without something from my favorite illustrator Lisa Congdon. Are you following her on instagram yet? Lisa’s art, thoughts, words, and actions are all so inspiring. You will find a zillion things on her site you’ll want to give to someone special. Her book You Will Leave A Trail Of Stars was one of my favorite gifts I gave this year (to two high school graduates!) but it is a gorgeous book to give to anyone you admire or anyone for whom you have high hopes. (Oooh I think I wanna write a blog about High Hopes…)

Because Thanksgiving is closing in on us, here is a rerun of my Cranberry Pear Ginger Chutney Recipe. This will be bubbling on my stove this week for sure. This recipe first appeared in the 2015 The Gift Closet holiday roundup.

Cranberry Pear Ginger Chutney

3 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups finely chopped peeled pear (about 3 pears)
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 1/4 cups dried cherries
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons dried currants or golden raisins
4 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom