The holiday gifting season continues! While we’ve published our holiday gift guides on the blog, I’m also putting together a few additional “mini gift guides.” These mini guides will include gift ideas for some of the more specific, hard-to-pinpoint gifting dilemmas many of us tend to encounter.

These gift guides will be shared each week on the W&D Instagram Stories. As we go, I’ll also be adding each mini gift guide to this blog post, so you can easily refer back to them all in one comprehensive list.

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Wit & Delight 2022 Mini Holiday Gift Guides

Mini Gift Guide #1: If You’re Meeting Your Partner’s Family for the First Time

1. Something Sweet to Share With the Group

The experience of opening a box of Vosges Chocolates really speaks for itself, but any sweet treat would be a thoughtful gift. You could bake something or bring something store-bought—anything the group can enjoy together will be appreciated by the host!

2. A Game or Puzzle

Table topics that guide conversations are a great way to get to know each other. Anthropologie has amazing options that are beautiful, age-inclusive, and affordable.

3. Offer to Make Dinner One Night

All you really need is high-quality pasta, a great sauce, and amazing olive oil. This is the time to spend extra on high-quality ingredients. The dish can be simple, but the better the ingredients, the better it will taste. It could also be a fun experience to cook all together!

4. Flowers in a Vase

I think going this route is the safest if you don’t know them very well. Florals work for everyone. If you want to make your own arrangement, this class is great for learning how to put it together really well (use code WIT&DELIGHT15 for 15% off). Otherwise, find a local florist who can make something beautiful for you. To make the arrangement a little more special, add ribbon to the vase or choose a vase that goes beyond the standard glass cylinder to give it a more personal touch.

5. Something to Enjoy the Next Morning

There are very few people who wouldn’t be excited about a high-quality baked good to enjoy together in the morning. Put it in a cute basket to sit next to the coffee pot and invite people to help themselves. This looks like an amazing muffin mix!

6. Something Special to You

Gifting something that you love or that is special to you will give you an opportunity to connect! I’ve brought gingerbread sandwich cookies from a bakery in St. Paul. Bringing fresh coffee grounds from a local spot would also be a great little gift. Or, you could bring a wine you know a bit about and share why you enjoy it. You could even bring a beautiful set of candles to light during the gathering.

Mini Gift Guide #2: Gifts for Hosts

1. High-Quality Sea Salt

A simple pleasure that they might not splurge on for themselves.

2. Fresh Bread and Jam From a Local Spot

A thoughtful gift they can enjoy the day after hosting. Pick up a few goods from your favorite local bakery—or better yet, from *their* favorite bakery!

3. Amazing Parm

Look for the nicest Parmesan you can find at the store—even ask the person at the cheese counter what they recommend. Just *don’t* buy a bag of shredded Parm!

4. A Candle That’s Universally Enjoyed

Here are a few I would love to receive!

• Maison Louis Marie – This is my personal favorite!
• Homecourt Cipres Mint Candle – This scent sounds amazing.
• Wacks Co Bumpy Beeswax Pillar Candle – I love the idea of gifting a funky-shaped candle as well! These are local to MN.

5. Wool Socks

These are a few great options!

• I love the merino wool socks from J. Crew.
• Nordic Socks – I love this Fair Isle pattern.
• Bombas Microstripe Calf Socks – You really can’t go wrong with a pair of socks from Bombas.

6. A Bottle of Wine

Bring something you’ve tasted and enjoyed so you can share a little bit about it. Tie a nice bow to the bottle to make it extra special. I get almost all of my wine from Henry & Son.

7. Your Favorite Cookies

 This is a simple way to contribute to dessert. Stick to chocolate chip or snickerdoodle—something everyone will love. 

• Buy frozen Levain Bakery cookies and heat them up in the oven when you’re ready to eat them. They really are truly delicious.
• If you’re local, I love Bellecour’s sandwich cookies.
• If you’re very confident in your baking and want to make something homemade, go for it and bring them warm!

Mini Gift Guide #3: Gifts for Teachers

When it comes to gifts for teachers, I’ve always been under the impression that cash and gift cards are best! But if you want to do something a little more personal as well, here are a few additional ideas.

1. A Gift That’s Personal to Them

My kids’ school gave us a questionnaire with answers to the following questions, so we could gift the teachers throughout the year with a few of their favorite things in mind. If you don’t know the answers to these questions for your kids’ teachers, you could send them the questionnaire yourself and save the answers for future reference!

• What do you like to do to unwind?
• What do you like to drink at school?
• What do you like to drink outside of school? 
• Where’s your favorite place to eat?
• What is your favorite snack?
• What is your favorite flower?
• What are some of your interests/hobbies?
• Is there anything on your personal wish list?
• Is there anything on your wish list for school?

2. A Gift Basket

Give a gift basket filled with some of their favorite things. You could put this together yourself or go in on it with other parents in the class.

3. Their Favorite Coffee Order

During the last week of school before break, bring them their favorite coffee order when you do drop-off in the morning.

4. The Gift of Baked Goods

If they like sweets and you’re a great baker, a tin of homemade baked goods always makes for a great gift.

5. A Handmade Card

Every teacher would appreciate a thoughtful handmade card from your child alongside any gift.

6. A High-Quality Notebook

A high-quality notebook will always come in handy—whether for taking notes in the classroom or for their life outside of school! I’m gifting a few W&D products to teachers this year.

7. Donate Classroom Supplies

Whether you have kids or not, if you want to support teachers locally or around the country, here are a few ways to do just that:

• Donate through Adopt A Classroom
• Donate items on teachers’ wish lists. Things I Bought & Liked curated a very detailed list with links to directly support teachers all around the country!

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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.