It is coming up to that time of year so I thought I would bring you my Christmas gift ideas for spoonies 2020. If you have been reading my blog for some time you will notice that some of these items may have appeared in earlier versions of this post. They have now been combined together into one super post and naturally, I have added some new ideas for this year. Whatever your budget I hope you can find something suitable for the Spoonie in your life. The products with a * are affiliate links but there are no sponsored products mentioned in this blog post.
If it is you who is the Spoonie have you checked out my ultimate guide to preparing for the festive season? I hope if you are feeling stuck, this list may give your some Christmas gift ideas you can hint at to your loved ones. If you think there are any glaring oversights, let me know, I am happy to update the list.
Stocking Fillers
Electric Wax Melter
I have used a tea light variation for several years, but have recently upgraded to a mains powered one. It has made such a big difference in terms of the scent it gives off as well as the ease of using it. A quick word of warning, as with any gift involving scent make sure your spoonie is not too sensitive for this, speaking personally I am completely fine with natural essential oil products, but can’t tolerate chemical scents. This is my wax melt burner* I got for my office/craft room and it is beautiful.
Essential Oil Diffuser
I am a long time fan of these. I started out with the simplest / cheapest possible but over the last couple of years, I have upgraded them. My current model in the office seems to be unavailable. Brands of accessories like these seem to come and go so quickly, have you noticed? Looking through the options available at the moment I sort of wish I had this one because it would look great next to my wax melter. As far back as 2016, I wrote about the benefits of treating pain with essential oil diffusion.
Pencil Grips
iPencil Grips
These are such small things that have made a big difference. For my iPencil, I use these grips*. They come in a pack of three (even though I and I expect most people only have one iPencil) but they are all different colours so I guess you can change them according to mood. They make the iPencil more comfortable to hold for longer periods, like when I am working in procreate.
Coloured Pencil Grips
I also have a similar product for use with coloured pencils. My exact set which is all blue does not seem to be in stock, there are however some much nicer sets of multicoloured ones, like these*. If your spoonie enjoys adult colouring these could make all the difference. They are excellent for hyper-mobility issues. The set of ten grips means you can have several on the go coloured pencils ready to grab.
Mobile Phone Flexible Clamp
I bought mine* to use for over the craft desk filming, but I am aware that many people have said it hurts their arm holding their phone for long periods of time. As a spoonie access to virtual networking communities can be vital. So, if you have your phone temporarily, safely clamped to a table or other convenient place. Your hands are then free other than scrolling and interacting.
Phone/Tablet Stand
More tech aids. During the day, when I am not using the flexible clamp my phone lives on this stand*. It is ready at the perfect viewing position, and so much easier to pick up and go, that when lying flat on a table. I have a very similar one to this* holding my iPad for exactly the same reasons. Being a bit of an Apple geek my workspace features my main monitor for my Laptop with the iPad and iPhone stood in front of it.
Cosy Pyjamas or Leisure Wear
There appear to be three types of spoonies, those who thankfully are still well enough to regularly go out to work. They are very grateful to get comfortable when they are home. Those who are well enough to be out and about when possible, they are also grateful to get comfortable when they are home. Then the third who rarely manage to go out and basically live in comfortable clothing because they can’t wear anything else! I pretty much live in Pretty Secrets pyjamas from Simply Be*. Whichever type of spoonie your loved one is I doubt you can go wrong with cosy pyjamas when considering Christmas gift ideas.
Soft Fluffy Slipper Boots
There is something magical about putting your feet into toasty warm slipper boots. However, I have to confess, being a larger size (weight, not foot size) my slippers are lucky to last a year as the inside tramples down so fast. When this happens a flat unsupported soul is far more preferable to a hard plastic checkerboard that some shoes have. I then end up walking on the sides of the boot that have flattened. Still, I’ve lost nearly two stone in the last three months so this problem will hopefully vanish.
I’m not going to link to any products here because given the issues mentioned I replace my slippers so often that there is not a product or brand I completely endorse.
Mindfulness Colouring
As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, Adult Colouring is great for mindfulness and therefore popular with some spoonies. It is also a good call for some elderly people. Golden Carers have written this blog post about the benefits. So if your Spoonie has not tried it, this night not be a bad shout when it comes to Christmas gift ideas.
Colouring Books
There are so many products available these days. This Amazon Page* shows a good selection, from the pretty floral ones which I like, through to bad language which is not my cup of tea if I’m honest, but I completely understand that this is a venting mechanism for many people. My long-standing favourite adult colouring books and designers are Johanna Basford’s books. Hannah Lynn for digital download individual designs as well as whole books of PDFs (which I either print to use traditional mediums or covert into JPGs to colour in Procreate on my iPad).
There is also the Colouring Heaven magazine subscription, not one gift, but a monthly recurring one which would be a good thing when considering Christmas gift ideas. A gift that keeps on giving. I had a subscription for over a year. However, at this point, I am not spending any more money on books or the magazine, because over a couple of years I have accumulated what is probably several years worth of colouring!
Colouring Mediums
One of the highest-rated brands around at the moment is Arteza at Amazon*. Other than their water brushes which are great, I do not really have very much that is from them. But the next time I need to purchase supplies there is a very high chance I will be getting Arteza. I would completely recommend the Colorista range from Crafter’s Companion for beginners but they seem to be fading this out. They do, however, have these Discovery Collections which look great.
Pill Boxes
A Pillbox could be a good shout if your spoonie doesn’t have one. Both Michael and I have had one of these since May 2019 and they are doing a great job. We previously had a different brand that was good for a year maybe but then stopped closing properly. If they are not currently using a pillbox they should consider it, it takes away and confusion as to whether tablets have been taken or not. Every six days I sit and fill both our boxes for the coming week.
Candles
Much like the wax melt situation, if you are considering scented candles make sure your spoonie is ok with scent. There is something magical about the flickering lights at this time of year. From October through to February at the minimum, you are likely to find me using candles in more than one room. I think there is a good chance these LED candles will be making their way into my life soon, they are so pretty and can be used even in warmer weather. Of course, LED candles would still be great for spoonies with sensitivities to fragrance.
Gifts for under the Tree
Of course, I am assuming like us you have budget-friendly gifts in your stocking and main presents under the tree. Every home is different though if this is not the case for you just swap and change the ideas as you see fit.
Do you do expensive main presents?
Do you do expensive presents? I always have with my parents growing up and with my husband in recent years. Of course, when I say expensive it is a relative term, as in more than £50 for one gift for example. But this year we are really looking at the whole gifting thing. Because, in general, if we need something we get it at the time and if we can’t afford to get it at the time, we can’t really afford to get it at Christmas. Of course, if you have Children things are very different.
So this year we have decided with the wider family to go for a more handcrafted or tiny budget option and for each other we will get some stocking fillers. This will allow us to have the budget to get some special foods and still be able to pay the web hosting bill in March. However, I am including some Christmas gift ideas for a variety of budgets, because of course, we are not all in the same situation.
Amazon Kindle
I am a long time user of Kindles I currently have a Paperwhite, but the only books I read on the device are novels. There is still a place in my life for physical books, in general, these include ‘coffee table’ books. As well as books I read on the Kindle app on my desktop, principally productivity books, recipes and other reference categories. The beauty of a Kindle is that you have on you at any one time, not just the book you are currently reading but a huge choice of next reads. For anyone who travels (in normal times), this is space-saving at its best.
Amazon Echo
Yes, another Amazon product. We have used Echo’s for a number of years now and they keep getting better. I have just ordered one of these 4th generation sphere models in glacier white*. I think it would be a great update from the tall black 1st generation model we currently have in the bedroom. The old one will be reset and passed onto my parents to try and convince them of the benefits of having a smart speaker. As a spoonie one of the first things I relied on Alexa for was reminding me to take my medication, which I talk about on this blog post on the sister blog.
A lightweight vacuum cleaner
Early this year we purchased a cordless stick vacuum cleaner, a Hoover model. In so many ways it has been fantastic and allows me to easily to a spot of vacuuming when I want to. The only negative with mine is the volume. I guess like a lot of things in life, you get what you pay for. If I was to be purchasing one at this point I would choose a model like this Tineco one* which specifically states it is quiet.
Robot Vacuum
If your pockets are a little deeper, Robot vacuum cleaners seem to be a popular choice in the Spoonie community. I was impressed to see that this one* which is highly rated, can be controlled by Alexa (or Google Home). I’m sure one day in the future we may get one of these, each year they seem to get that little bit cheaper!
An iPad Pro
By far the most expensive item on the list! If your loved one is a Spoonie Blogger an iPad Pro* may be one of your best Christmas Gift Ideas because let’s face it they have the power to do everything you need to do combined with complete portability. Forget working at home, this would allow you to work in bed! My current set up is a MacBook Pro, a standard iPad and my iPhone. Further down the line, my plan is to move toward an iMac, an iPad Pro and the iPhone. The iPad Pro for the very purpose of its power and portability.
A Weighted Blanket
I have not tried one of these, but I have seen many discussions about them between people with Fibromyalgia and I have seen many people recommending them. I don’t know if any brands are specially rated. If your Spoonie suffers from stress or anxiety weighted blankets are said to be of benefit. If you have a weighted blanket I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Your Perfect Gift
I am hoping in amongst this list you have found one or more useful suggestions for Christmas Gift Ideas. If you have found it useful, I would be grateful if you could share it on social media so others can benefit too. Why not drop me a comment below and let me know what suggestion you like best. You know I love to hear from you.
Until next time,
Gentle Hugs,
Susan
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