Gift Ideas Are Not Good Enough!

Good Housekeeping is a secret pleasure of mine, and it’s the most read women’s magazine out there. And while I am on the hunt for affordable and nice holiday gifts, this month’s edition does not hold up. (Full disclaimer: We bought our dishwasher based on their recommendation and it has been replaced once, all the wheels have fallen off and I regularly find flecks of dirt on my glasses. It’s a disaster…) So, again, I’ve been disappointed lately by Good Housekeeping.

I was still hopeful, however with their gift ideals, all under $30, which should be able to give them enough leeway to find something neat and tangible. Unfortunately, these were all pretty flimsy gifts if you weren’t giving someone something else as well. First of all, maybe it’s because Martha in on the cover, but they ALSO recommend giving gift tags. Hello? Theirs are nostalgic with vintage photos that are kind of cool, but they are what you put on the OUTSIDE of a gift!

Okay, sorry pet peeve. There’s a Joe Mug that you could give your kid’s teacher, and frankly these are the kind of gifts that are featured here. There is nothing here that I would give my near and dear. But perfect for teachers, neighbors, and party hostesses. They have a gingerbread mix, that also comes with a cute oven mit and cookie cutter.

These all smack me as very expensive stocking stuffers, and since our holiday gift giving guide is geared towards Chanukah which is right after Thanksgiving this year, well, I guess they’re probably not the demographic that reads Good Housekeeping? Sigh. No wait, they actually do have one gift suggestion for the Chanukah hostess who has everything. A stainless-steel latke server, that has LATKE stenciled in the flipper.

Okay there’s a cool blanket from Target, and a watch with interchangeable bands that I might think about getting for a tween, or my sister. I was also drawn to the skype camera that looks like a little man. Might be a good gift for my non-Mac brother. Oh and I did really like the set of pretty mugs (Pixies are partial to SETS of mugs, because a whole bunch of individual ones tend to make cupboards look like they’re in disarray even if they’re not. Always consider buying sets of at least two or four.) Oh and there’s also very nice set of cable-knit-and-faux-fur slippers for $24 bucks.

Okay. So I don’t know who this would appeal to. Maybe Classics. They tend to get presents for neighbors, teachers, etc. Kelly, you’ve got to weigh in on this one…I just don’t know!