Great Gifts Under $50

Under $50 Holiday Gift Guide pic

If you’ve braved Black Friday and Cyber Monday then you may be absolutely fed up with words like deals, free shipping, just a few hours, or even the holidays in general. Hopefully this gift guide will provide you with one or two things that can easily meet a need on your holiday list. Each of these items is under $50 and can be given to both males and females. I’ve personally four of the items on here for hostesses, girlfriends, family, and my sister-in-law.

1. Harry & David Triple Treat Fruit Classic: Amongst all the popcorn tins and cookies that clutter our office each year, I always look forward to the Harry & David fruit delivery. The fruit is a healthy treat and gives me the energy I need to combat the holiday chaos. Regardless your friend or co-workers taste, they’ll like at least one of these delightful fruits. At $39.95 this can also make a great gift for in-laws or your office. 

2. BaubleBar+Essie Set: Do you have a sister-in-law or cousin who loves fashion and jewelry? What about a girlfriend who is always ready to try the latest nail polish colors? If so, then for just $50 you can give her the gift of her dreams this holiday season. First, start by choosing one of six colors from Essie’s new trend collection. Next, choose a bracelet that matches, hand selected by the BaubleBar stylists. Last but not least, choose a final bracelet which is a fun, more flirty option such as bright beads or a light bangle.

3.  Wine.com Gift Certificate: Wine is one of the best gifts out there, especially for hostesses! At the beginning of the season I order a few of these in $25 increments to gift to friends and save for last minute gifts in case someone gives us a gift we aren’t expecting. They are good on your favorite wines and bubbly or for accessories such as wine glasses or cork screws.

4. Power Mate Plus for JCrew: I stumbled upon this little treasure three weeks ago when I was doing some Fall shopping at JCrew. The tiny backup battery can charge in your computer and then is ready to charge your iPhone at a moments notice! It’s so small that it easily zips into the coin section of my wallet! While the $39.95 price tag may seem expensive, in just 3 weeks it’s already paid off for this social media addicted gal! (Edited to add: Thanks to readers, I now know that there are plain black versions on Amazon for only $5! Or colorful ones for $29.99)

5. Amazon Kindle Gift Card: These days almost everyone has an Amazon Kindle whether for catching up on the daily news, surfing the web, reading magazines, or enjoying a good book. Why not gift a Kindle Gift Card to someone on your list. The best part is that you can make it be awarded in any increment and includes free 1 day shipping!

6. Agloves Sport: Two years ago my parents gave these to me for Christmas and ever since they have been my go to glove whether for a business event, long run, or walk in the park. They are rated #1 for touch screen accuracy and the snug fit keeps the wind and elements out. The worst thing is getting a draft  from the wind during a winter run! In addition, these gloves are sleek and black unlike some of the other touch gloves on the market, making them perfect for any occasion!

Hope one of these helps you this holiday season!

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A Two Family Christmas

Many friends and readers have asked how Bo and I manage two families during the holidays.

It is not always easy even though we are both from Savannah.

This year, however, we both feel we’ve done pretty well so far. We did our best to discuss our thoughts with both families ahead of time so no one was confused or hurt. This year we did Christmas Eve with Bo’s family and then spent Christmas Day with my family.

Christmas Eve

After enjoying the Christmas Eve service at Isle of Hope Methodist church, we stopped by a neighborhood cocktail party for drinks and socializing with some of the Diamond’s close family friends.

Afterwards, we returned home for a late evening of dinner, lots of wine, and presents!

008 009 010 011013016 017 018 019 Dinner was a group activity as Bo and his dad grilled the meat and Meg finished off the mushroom risotto while Bo’s mom was the master mind behind it all! Everything was delicious and a wonderful way to spend the holiday together.

Christmas Day

After a cup of coffee with the Diamonds, we headed over to my parents’ home 20 miles away. We’re lucky that it’s only a 20 minute trip which allows us to go to and fro between the houses easily. We enjoyed Christmas breakfast before diving into the presents! Mom and I prepared easy stick buns, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit for Christmas brunch! (Pictures to come later as they are on my other camera.)

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001 001 007 As you can tell from my face, I wasn’t sure how long the gift giving process would take. We’ve always done gifts one at a time so each person can appreciate it but this year it took almost two hours!

After the present fun and completing our virtual holiday 10k, Bo and I returned home to help with Christmas dinner. This year, the weather didn’t work in our favor, and therefore we weren’t able to fry a turkey. Instead, the boys smoked a turkey in the infamous Green Egg and enjoyed a random array of sides. Each person was able to make one request this year and it resulted in a random but delicious array of flavors and dishes.

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072077 081 These poor boys were in and out of the rain and wind for over two hours smoking the turkey. Meanwhile, inside the rest of us enjoyed a few glasses of delicious wine and a cheese plate.

088 093 094 097 095My favorite part of the meal was enjoying two cookies which only come along once per year, peanut butter blossoms and and Mrs. Battin’s cookies.  I’ll share the Mrs. Battin’s cookie recipe in my next post!

103 104 109 Happy Holidays  from our home to your home! I hope everyone had a cookie filled holiday!

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Wish You Were Here

 

The eggnog is spiked, the tree is fresh, and the food is hot in our home right now. I wish I could invite each and everyone of you here tonight to celebrate the holidays with us, but alas a quick photo tour and menu will have to suffice until I can fully recap the recipes and fun tomorrow!

Menu

Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, from The Meatball Shop’s new cookbook

Honey Glazed Ham and fresh potato rolls with three types of mustard

Spicy Seafood Dip and chips/crustini

Cheese platter complete with five types of cheese, crackers, and grapes

Vegetable crudités platter from Whole Foods

Goat cheese stuffed peppadew peppers

Mixed nuts and olives

Homemade mini red velvet cupcakes

Bo’s homemade eggnog

and

more beer, wine, and bubbly than you could imagine

 

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