2015 Holiday Gift Guide For Domestic Gods and Goddesses (and a Giveaway!)
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It’s present season, people. Let’s get serious.
Obviously the holidays aren’t just about presents, but they’re one of the best side perks, and I take my gift giving (and receiving) very seriously. Few things make me happier wrapping up the perfect present (I worked in a boutique when I was 16 and picked up some pretty boss gift-wrapping skills), and then watching someone unwrap it. Especially if they have a Logan-esque tendency to completely lose their shit and shower me with expletive-laced compliments. I’m all goosebump-y just thinking about it!
Anyhoo, I know many of you may have done some serious damage on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, but if you’ve still got a chef/food lover/domestic god(dess) to cross off your list, I’ve rounded up some of my very favorite gifting items below. And if you’d rather receive these things, simply forward this post along to those shopping for you. (Subject: SANTAAAAAA!!!! I know him!!)
So, without further ado…
16 Epic Holiday Gifts for Domestic Gods and Goddesses:
1. Sriracha Lovers Bundle. I’m a shameless Sriracha addict, and while I’ll always have a soft spot for the traditional Huy Fong “rooster sauce,” the fancypants Sriracha-themed items in this bundle get me all sorts of hot and bothered. If you have a Sriracha lover in your life, this one’s a no-brainer. (Margs with Sriracha salt rims! Toast with Sriracha jam, goat cheese and honey! Green Sriracha enchiladas! I could go on…)
2. Hatchery Subscription. I rarely dig subscription boxes because I’m picky AF, and I usually end up only liking one or two things in the box each month. Not so with Hatchery! They curate the very best independent makers throughout the country and send you a fabulous assortment of small-batch ingredients and condiments for your tasting pleasure. If you like a product (I tend to like everything, which is stressful), you can order a larger size from their website. It’s the perfect present for the culinary adventurer, and because I love it so much, I’m GIVING AWAY a free 3-month subscription to one of you. (More details at the bottom of this post.)
3. The Inspiralizer. The vegetable “noodle” trend seems to be here to stay, so if you or someone you love is looking to hop on the spiralizing bandwagon, I highly recommend this tool. It was created by Ali Mafucci, the genius behind the blog Inspiralized (which is completely dedicated to spiralized recipes), and it has none of the flaws of other spiralizers on the market (i.e. it’s compact, easy to clean, safe to use, and requires zero assembly).
4. Mixed Vintage French Shallow Bowls. Pretty dishes make everything more festive, and these mix-and-match bowls are an excellent way to dress up your meals. (I can’t be the only one that eats 99% of meals from a bowl…)
5. The Food Lab. I’ve been following Kenji’s Serious Eats column of the same name for years, and his scientific approach to cooking is not only uniquely informative, but fascinating as well (at least to food weirdos like me). This book is a new age cooking bible.
6. Beauty Dust. According to the package, “this ancient empiric formula expands beauty through alchemizing elements legendary for their youth preserving, fortifying, and tonifying qualities.” Needless to say, that description sold me, and I’ve been adding Beauty Dust to my smoothies for a while now. It could be in my head, but I swear my skin is glowier, and I love it. I imagine other shameless beauty/health junkies will too. (Yes, I realize this is a very Gwyneth-like recommendation given its price point and general ridiculousness. Sorry.)
7. Slate Cheese Serving Board. I’m pretty sure every Domesticate ME! gift guide has included a cheese board, but that’s because it’s probably the most crowd-pleasing present ever. Even crazy people non-cheese eaters need one for serving their favorite snacks. I dig this particular slate board for its rustic handles and the fact that you can write on it with chalk to label your cheeses and thangs.
8. Reidel Stemless Champagne Flutes. For those who love bubbly and chic glassware! If your giftee is super preppy (or just likes his/her initials on everything like my roommate does), Williams-Sonoma will monogram them for you.
9. Moscow Mule Gift Set. The Moscow Mule (in its many variations) has been my go-to cocktail for a years, and this set has everything you need to get the party started. Gifting it with a bottle of vodka would be a rather generous touch.
10. Food52 Genius Recipes. You can always trust Food52 for insanely delicious recipes, and this genius compilation doesn’t disappoint. There’s a little something for everyone, making it a great addition to any and all cookbook collections.
11. Le Creuset Signature Dutch Oven. This is on the pricier side, but it’s a worthy investment. I’ve had mine for years and it easily gets the most play of any cookware item in my kitchen. (I recommend the 3½ or 4½ quart version.)
12. Jacobson Cocktail Salt Trio. I like to bring this as a hostess gift to holiday parties, and it tends to go over well. Who doesn’t love a fancy rim job? (I couldn’t restrain myself.)
13. Wine Awesomeness Subscription. Again, I don’t usually love subscription boxes, but a friend from college turned me onto Wine Awesomeness, and they really are awesome. Three unique bottles of wine will be delivered to your door each month along with an accessible and hilarious tasting guide containing all kinds of wine info and pairing suggestions. It’s good booze and entertainment sans pretension/stuffiness. (The above photo is the promotional photo from their website. Respect.)
14. Monday Mug. You can never have too many mugs, and I find this one inspirational without being annoying. I particularly enjoy it on Mondays.
15. KitchenAid Precision Press Coffee Maker. This is the perfect gift for the serious coffee drinker. It’s like a French press, but better because it has an integrated scale (which weighs coffee grounds and water independently in the same carafe for the perfect grounds : water ratio) and a built in timer to ensure magical coffee every single time. And I’m GIVING ONE AWAY!! (Details at the bottom of the post.)
16. Hello Alfred. You can literally give someone you love the gift of time with this ridiculously cool service that provides a “shared neighborhood butler.” Members are assigned a dedicated butler who visits every week to take care of errands and to-dos (i.e. grocery shopping, picking up dry cleaning, etc.), so they can spend time doing more important and fun things. It’s currently available in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Boston, and you can buy gift cards! Because I love you (and Alfred loves me), you can get a 10% discount using the promo code: DOMESTICATEME
And now, let’s talk GIVEAWAY. In honor of the holiday season, I’m giving away a 3-month subscription to Hatchery and a KitchenAid Precision Press Coffee Maker to one of you! All you have to do is:
- Leave a comment with your favorite holiday activity/tradition (because I’m curious).
- Follow @hatchery on Instagram. You won’t regret it.
This giveaway will close on Sunday, December 6 at 11:59 pm EST. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday, December 8. For shipping purposes, the giveaway is open to residents of the US only (sorry!!!).
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We have a big party on Boxing Day (December 26th) so we keep Christmas going even after Santa has been and gone.
I like hanging the stockings with my family every year. We’re all adults now, but it brings back so many good memories of waiting for Santa!
following hatchery on instagram @achadwick22 achadwick22 at yahoo dot com
my favorite tradition is our annual holiday party at my aunts house the weekend before Christmas
Our tradition is to pick up and decorate Christmas tree together.
Following! Our best tradition is we have Christmas crackers which are British toys that you pull apart with a bang and out falls jokes and mini toys and paper crowns. Then we all have to wear the paper crowns and tell the jokes over our Christmas dinner!
Would love to win this giveaway! Our holiday tradition is to to hibernate in our home, have our friends over who also stay in town, and watch movies and cook together.
yay! my husband would love the french press. my favorite christmas tradition is making homemade wreaths from our holly shrubs // evergreen shrubs that grow alongside our home. makes the house very festive, it’s free, and a fun craft to do 🙂 also i follow the hatchery on instagram as @teamsobus!
My favorite tradition(s) are chopping down a christmas tree ourselves and making Kranz Kuchen–a recipe for a yeasted dough rolled out thin, brushed with butter, sugar, and nuts, then rolled up and baked in a cresent shape and frosted with icing and sprinkles, a recipe handed down to me from my great grandmother.
I followed hatchery on instagram @rusthawk1. Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
I gather up my grandma’s sweets/baking recipes to make for family and friends.
My mom and I slave away making homemade pierogies the week before Christmas so we can have them on Christmas Eve. Lots of wine is involved and it’s one of my favorite things.
Heading to Grandma’s house and eating all her great Italian sweets!
We have a big tree in the backyard that looks like a chirstmas tree, we are going to start decorating it every year with our son and invite the neighbors 🙂
walks in the crisp air after eating warm cinnamon autumn foods!
Baking cookies and listening to Christmas music (and eating the results, of course). Followed as @hollymbeach
My favorite tradition is watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on Christmas Eve with my family. It’s a cartoon that family of all ages love and connect with. After it’s done we all go to sleep, excited for Christmas morning!
And I followed @hatchery as @laurenbrown8g – thanks!
Favorite holiday tradition is definitely baking TONS of christmas cookies (gingerbread, pinwheels and rum balls are my favorites) with my grandma, mom and sisters. We have been doing it since we were little kids and I hope to do it with my kids some day!
I made my first Buche de Noel 44 years for my then boyfriend, now husband. When I pull out the recipe every year to recreate the delicious memory I can’t believe where the time has gone! Cherish each and every moment and have a fabulous Christmas.
Every holiday season I feel like it is 100% necessary to watch all of the Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes of Friends, specifically the one with the holiday armadillo and the one with the “what if”, where Monica meets Chandler at Thanksgiving dinner. It is unreal.
Christmas morning is my fav; put on Christmas music, eat breakfast casserole, drink mimosas and open presents and relax. Perfection I followed @hatchery as @mfgill. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
following on instagram – jenannhayden
My favorite tradition is driving around after the first snow looking at Christmas lights with my family.
My favorite holiday tradition has got to be Christmas morning. We go downstairs, have a cup of coffee (coupled with a glass of Ritz Christmas punch), and see what Santa brought us. That’s followed by orange rolls and breakfast casserole. Best morning of the year!
(and I followed @hatchery – duh!)
CONGRATULATIONS! You win, you win!!! Please shoot me an email at serenawolf@domesticate-me.com with your mailing address please so I can send you your prizes! Happy holidayssss
I Follow @hatchery on Instagram as @sweetums82
I like when we decorate our tree and our home for Christmas
We put the Christmas tree up on December 4th in honor of my mother-in-law’s birthday. She passed away due to a bad heart after 2 heart transplants. She is missed dearly.
I like to make ornaments and bake for the holidays.
ours is buying gifts and then the day we do presents we draw names and it is so so so funny i mean one year i got mens underpants like we cant stop laughing its all in good fun then we can exchange them withen the people we drew names from its is a good way to liven up the holiday spirit i mean its just way fun
The “kids” (we’re now in our late 20s/early 30s :P) open a present on Christmas eve and are usually directed to either pajamas or a board game that the family can play together 🙂
Every year my mom would make the best home made candies for Christmas! Now my daughter and I make all kinds of Christmas candies together every year.
Wow, I am now feeling sort of “tradition-less”! Except for the normal tree decorating this question has made me realize, I need some more traditions!! So Thank You and thanks for the great giveaway!
Everyone in my house gets new pajamas for Christmas so after dinner and before midnight we take off our fancy clothes (in private) and switched to our new warm, comfortable pajamas!
We have a baking day tradition before Christmas. Our traditional breakfast on Christmas includes mushrooms on buttered toast and pastries.
Bagels and all sorts of fancy toppings (besides cream cheese we almost always have smoked salmon and pate, but past years have also included things like caviar) on Christmas Eve. My father grew up in the Foreign Service and I’m not quite sure where they were when they picked up this particular tradition, but I love it!
You are definitely not the only one who eats nearly everything out of a bowl, and those vintage French bowls are SO. PRETTY. My favorite holiday tradition is probably decorating cut-out cookies with my family, but it’s hard to pick! Thanks for putting together this guide!
What a FABULOUS giveaway! My favorite tradition is our annual tree cutting and decorating while listening to classic Christmas tunes! 🙂
heatheranne99 at gmail dot com
We gather each year at my in-laws house. My 89 year old father-in-law writes poems for all of his children, their spouses and grandchildren. We read the poems aloud to the family in order of our birth. Our talented theatrical niece began writing poems for granddad several years ago. She recites hers to him. We exchange gifts immediately following then quickly clean up to welcome 50 to 60 extended family members for a huge Christmas dinner. The 25th is also my birthday! A chocolate fondant cake is served and the meal concludes with birthday song to me!
I love a long game of monopoly on xmas day in front of the television. No one is allowed to leave untill there is no money left in the bank
My favorite holiday tradition is going out to dinner on Christmas Eve as a family and coming home to open one present.
I love decorating the Christmas tree. We also used to order Chinese (a special treat) when we’d do this, which made it even more fun 🙂
Love this list! My favorite tradition is that every December I host book club for my friends and we do a secret santa exchange and drink lots of wine…and talk about the book!
This is an amazing list of holiday gifts! My favorite holiday tradition is definitely Christmas Eve dinner. My family cooks a fabulous fish dinner, filled with calamari, shrimp, claims and lobster. It is what we look forward to all year! Then we wait until the clock strikes midnight before any of the kiddies (and adults) can open presents. Kids get antsy, but always manage to stick it out!
My favorite holiday tradition has always been baking christmas cookies with my whole family. We end up making far too many more than we should eat because everyone wants to participate. We make the same sugar cookies and peanut butter chocolate kiss cookies every year.
Following on Instagram (lhpuppy24) would love to win either!!!
We look forward to cutting our own tree every year!
My husband builds a fire and we have hot coco on Christmas Morning
favorite holiday tradition is that my mother would make this biryani dish. It’s an Indian rice dish with meat and lots of spices. It’s a great dish to brings us all together, whether it’s just the 4 of us or if my cousins come down to spend to holiday with us, this biryani is always used as a celebration and for 20 years, we haven’t had a holiday without having biryani. It might also be the reason why I love food. I love when food can bring people together and celebrate good times! I also am following hatchery on IG!
Well I come from a family of immigrants so when my sister and I were little we celebrated Christmas. My parents never celebrated it before and didn’t know exactly what to get so they thought it should be a small simple gift. They got us honey in stick form. It came in a box and there were 10 sticks filled with honey. We were so excited and happy for the honey sticks as it was our first Xmas. So every year my parents would get us honey sticks just as a reminder of how simple things in life are always sweet.
I am following hatchery on Instagram
Favorite tradition is opening my aunts Christmas gift on Christmas Eve! My family has done it since I was a kid and my husband thinks it’s crazy that we keep doing it!
One thing we do every year we buy one Christmas ornament with the year Ingraved on it and hang on the tree with others we’ve collected over the years. There’s about 17 so far and we we’ll be getting one for this year also.
One of my favorite holiday traditions is opening one small gift on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Eve, my family and some of our neighbors decorate the entire neighborhood with luminaries. Then we break for cocktail hour and dinner, and proceed to consume too much wine to go to Christmas Eve mass.
3, 7, and 9 – I heart all of those.
On the way home from my grandparents house on Christmas Eve, my tradition is to listen to Christmas music. And not just any Christmas music…. I play Hanson’s Snowed In, N*Sync’s Home for Christmas & 98 Degrees This Christmas. And I sing every word!
favorite holiday tradition is eating summer sausage while decorating the christmas tree. my husband did not object to incorporating this into our own tradition
My favorite holiday tradition is making homemade eggnog the day after Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas. We do include alcohol in the eggnog (my Grandma always told me it helped warm up the adults after hanging the lights and cutting the tree…I can now understand her rationale). It’s great because all the family is still around and it let’s everyone do something constructive and creative together. Sharing time with loved ones is the true meaning of the holiday season.
My favorite holiday tradition is a relatively new one, but a group of friends and I have started hosting winter solstice dinners. Not exactly an official “holiday” tradition, but a “holiday season” tradition for sure. We make foods with a connection to the season, dress up and just enjoy being together outside of the craziness of the holiday season. <3
Favourite activity: listening to christmas music and spending time with family. If a snow ball fight or tobogganing follows, theres nothing wrong wit that.
I love having all my friends over to share in all of their traditions as well as introducing them to our on. The best part is that now that I have a son – we are constantly making new traditions!
My favorite tradition is driving around with my family to look at Christmas lights!
Oh, I for real need that french coffee press! I bought a basic one a few months ago but hardly ever use it because I literally panic every time about the appropriate amount of grounds to coffee. My favorite activity is actually wrapping presents. I’ve been my family’s designated present wrapper for about 15 years, and I actually find it soothing to put on my favorite christmas playlist, light up a home for the holidays yankee candle, and let me creativity do its work.
Favorite holiday activity/tradition: Dressing up in Hanna Andersson’s on Christmas Eve and having a sleepover with my older sister. We (still) wake up really early, open our stockings and watch The Santa Clause with Tim Allen while the rest of our siblings wake up
My favorite tradition is Christmas morning homemade cinnamon rolls before we open gifts.
I love decorating the tree with my husband and snuggling up next to a fire in the fireplace with a big cup of cinnamon hot chocolate during the winter season!!
christmas eve means eggnog or hot apple cider around the fireplace, and that’s my most favorite thing all year!
Every year we all come together (we are out of state from the rest of them) and do a marathon holiday weekend (3 or 4 day). At gift opening we each take turns while the group watches the opener – this can take several hours! This allows us to have appetizers and drinks! Annually we have ice cream cocktails too – either Pink Squirrels or Grasshoppers!
Followed Hatchery and my favorite holiday activity/tradition is eggnog at Rolf’s and Pete’s Tavern followed by buying our Christmas tree the first Saturday of December
My favorite holiday tradition: Each member of my family has a mailbox hung on the tree. These were crocheted by my grandmother who has since passed on. Every year we write notes to each other and put them in the mailboxes. We open these every Christmas morning before the presents. Always has been my favorite tradition! PS I just LOVE your blog. Keep doing what you’re doing you rock!
I live across the country from my family (me in Pittsburgh, fam in California), so I usually fly out to see them sometime during the holidays. Bonus, it is usually around 60 degrees in California and butt ass cold in Pittsburgh so I can escape the cold for a week.
Thank you for this awesome giveaway!
My holiday event: a yearly cocktail party where restaurants and bars create winter cocktails with food pairings and they battle it out to be voted the best by the crowd and professional judges. I’ve been trying to decide if it would be worth it to call in sick the next day or if I should be an adult and just go to work hungover.
Every year on Thanksgiving our grandmothers gives us each a tree ornament. This is yet my favourite tradition.