Less than 3-weeks left until the presents need to be wrapped and under the tree! I cooked up another fun gift guide this week with the procrastinator in mind. Everything on this list is Prime-Eligible on Amazon, so even if you wait until the last minute you can still steal these gift ideas and have them delivered in time! I love the idea of gift theme, and built out eight fun ideas based on a book, with little add-on gifts to go with each one. From co-workers to couples to families, there’s a little something for everyone — check out the ideas below!
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Can I brag for just one second? I finished my Christmas shopping early on Black Friday with a few last online purchases, all from the comfort of my bed. With the baby due in just 6 weeks I was determined to get all of my shopping done early to reduce holiday stress! I also wanted have things wrapped up (literally) in case baby girl makes an early arrival. So while I wait for my UPS guy to stack up boxes on the front steps, I thought I’d share the love and help out my readers with their gift-giving-lists! I’ve rounded up 50 fun gift ideas, all under $50 (and many under $25!) for just about everyone. Check out my ideas below for travel-lovers, techies, co-workers, hostesses, and all the guys and gals on your list. 
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My holiday gift guide inspiration is continuing this week with tons of festive ideas for the hostess! A host or hostess takes on so many meanings at the holidays. It might be the family that’s invited you to stay with them for the weekend, a co-worker treating you to a holiday lunch, or the Christmas party hostess with the mostest! I hit Bed Bath & Beyond for their huge selection of my favorite brands and a one-stop-shop for these fun, festive and unique gift ideas and came up with a few themed present ideas for everyone on my list.
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One of my guilty pleasures is watching baking videos on Instagram. I *love* to cook but I’m an impatient baker, and while I aspire to be a person who busts out 10 different holiday cookie varieties at Christmastime, I find the baking process daunting most of the time. Lucky for me, my friends at Fancypants Baking Co share lots of their delicious seasonal cookies with me, and I leaned on them for a little holiday cookie box shortcut this year!
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We’re getting close to a very important holiday: Mother’s Day! There are so many amazing moms in my life, I’m lucky to have not only a superstar mom, but also an amazing mother-in-law, two spit-fire grandmothers, and a tribe of mom-friends that I truly could not survive motherhood without. It is lovely to be celebrated as Jane’s mom – the best job in the world – and I think it’s also a perfect day to show gratitude to the larger hive of moms that surrounds our life – there are so many wonderful women that deserve to be thanked and celebrated!
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One thing is for certain this year: our celebrations and holiday look quite a bit different. I’m hopeful though that this slower season will still elicit tons of joy, new traditions, and the making of memories we’ll have for years to come. As we kick off the holidays, I’m taking a more purposeful approach to how I entertain, cook, gift and celebrate – with a huge focus on shopping small and local. Which is why I’m super excited to announce a big project I’ve been working on – a #shopsmall virtual holiday pop-up with my friends at UpNext. I’ve partnered with UpNext and eight of my favorite small batch brands to create a holiday gift guide that features curated and limited-edition products for gifting and entertaining. I’m sharing a little bit more about each brand in today’s post, there’s a little something for everyone in this small batch collection!
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We went to our first holiday party this weekend and it got me quite into the holiday spirit. I also enjoyed the festively stocked bar that was full of holiday spirits so I’m moving a little slower than usual today. But sitting by the fireplace, holiday tunes playing, while looking at my twinkly Christmas tree — that’s a pretty lovely place to be recovering from seasonal celebrations! Sharing a little holiday edition of my download — with entertaining and DIY ideas, stocking stuffers, some holiday looks, and a few books I’m reading now! 
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I have a pretty strong track record of being super organized around the holidays, especially when it comes to gift giving. Some years I’ve started a “gift idea” list on my phone as early as June. This year though, we’re doing a little bit less gift-giving with our family and instead focusing more on experiences, so my to-do-list looks a little bit different this time around. I’m still trying to keep everything in order though, marking things off the list one day at a time to make the most of the holiday season. My friends at AAA Northeast shared a fun, quick online quiz with me to help me find my holiday saving personality and use my #AAADiscounts to save this season as I tackle my holiday errands!
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One of my best memories as a kid at the holidays was heading to our family-friend’s house for their annual Christmas Eve party, and seeing at the back of the dining room a lavish display of cookies and sweets. They were set out on a buffet table on beautiful platters and tiered serving stands, and I would pluck one off the display every time I walked by it. By the end of the party I was so full of linzer tarts and rainbow cookies, it’s a miracle I didn’t get mistaken for Santa himself. I love the idea of these lush cookie displays, full of everyone’s favorite treats, but I just don’t have the stamina for that level of baking-commitment! My solution is a bit of a fake-it-til-you-make it take on the holiday cookie display, using some of my favorite Chinet®brand products!
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I pride myself on being a pretty savvy holiday shopper. I start making a list of gifts over the summer that I keep on my phone and often refer back to when I find sales or discounts, and I go down that list item by item during the big Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. This year I was actually a little late to the game with my gift-giving plans so I am still doing some shopping, and of course, looking for those good deals!I just signed up for an AAA membership for the first time this year (after my car broke down on the highway this summer I’ve been stressed about it happening again, but I have some peace of mind now that I’m a member – phew!). What I just learned though, is that AAA has way more than just roadside assistance, and that membership can get you lots of perks. This month, there are tons of special offers you can access through AAA Northeast for your holiday errands. Here are a few ways you can save during the AAA 12 Days of Savings:
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