My Epic Christmas Gift and Wish List: For Health, Productivity, and Creativity

I have a confession: I'm a grinch. Years as a cashier and senseless consumerism drilled the Yuletide joy out of me. For three years straight I didn't put up a holiday decoration or tree, but this year is different. I've felt an inkling of christmas spirit crawl forth from my black and crispy little heart. And then I came home to a beautiful white christmas tree my roomie inherited from her sister.

And this grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. The tree's colorful glow is enchanting, bringing me back to my earliest years when I'd lay under our tree, dazzled by the glowing lights. The simple times when unpacking and stringing up the holiday ornaments and decor was fresh and exciting. My favorite element of the holidays is the kitsch and creativity, but with ample sales it's also an opportune season to thoughtfully stock up on useful essentials. The following are my favorite practical, damn-awesome gifts:

Gifts for Health

1) Berkey Water Filter: According to my research, the best. Water is paramount for food health.
2) Vitamix Blender: Revolutionized my smoothies and raw dishes. No exaggeration. LOVE!*
3) Yonanas: For making smoother fruit or banana ice cream. Better texture than blending alone.
4) Glass Straws: For daily juices/smoothies. The Stainless Steel ones are nice, too.
5) Gym Membership: I have one with Bailey's Gym. Extra points for signing up with a trainer!
6) Slow Juicer: Maximizes nutrition, and they're so much easier to clean!
7) Harvest Haversack: Indie made sacks for keeping your groceries fresh
8) Coconut Drill: Fresh coconuts are nutritious, delicious, and a pain in the ass to open!
9) Spiralizer: I use and adore this one for making fresh veggie noodles.
10) Ceramic Knife: The best for slicing your fresh fruits and veggies.
11) Liberty Water Bottles: Made in the USA with designs by indie artists

Gifts for Productivity & Creativity

1) Canon EOS Rebel: A vital business and creative tool and user-friendly for beginners. Great Deal on this bundle.
2) Stationary Boutique's stamped card and other inspiring paper goods
3) Board Dudes Dry Erase Calendar
4) Board Dude's Dry Erase Notes and Week Of Boards attractive and helpful (Also at WalMart)
5) Huge White Board Board for charting free-flowing ideas a must for creative offices
6) Tiny Composition Books for on-the-go note-taking, I have to write tangible notes (indie alternative)
7) 1 2 Canoe creative and innovative calendars
8) Lineville Letterpress love this simple, elegant calendar.
9) Coffee Press when shit hits the fan, caffeine helps! I prefer a no-fuss, no-waste press over a hard-to-clean machine
10) Pu-erh Tea is a delicious, malty fermented tea that aids in digestion.

11) Office Depot, Staples or even IKEA gift cards are damn helpful for urgent small biz needs that pop up.

12) Hitonari Petit Cafe Tray Set Coffee and tea is better served artfully and beautifully
13) Arminho has beautiful printed notebooks are artwork for your home office
14) I've had PC after PC custom built and each one has broken down, taking precious files with them. I'm no tech noob. I take care of my machines, they just won't live long. Traumatized, I finally switched to Mac when research pointed to Macs being better-built and long-lasting on a hardware level. I haven't looked back. They simply work without glitches. Expensive up front, but it's an investment that saves money in the long run. They'll outlast your hardworking PCs.

*I'm a Vitamix Blender affiliate and love the hell out of my machine. Buy here and receive free shipping! Vitamix is the only affiliate in this post. You'll never see me recommend anything I don't absolutely love.

** Cyber Monday Sale Time! Today is the last day of my Christmas Etsy Sales. After today all prices are going way back up, permanently. If you've been stalking the shop, now's the time to stock up.

First photo Lineville Letterpress Second by Hitonari Works

Did I leave anything out? Got something of your own to promote? I'm always on the look out for indie planners/health tools/organization goodies in particular, so if you have any of your own to share or ones you love to use or make I'd appreciate it if you shared in the comments. Do feel free to toot your own horn if you have sales or interesting things going on for your own shops.

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