Tag Archives: holidays

Merry Christmas!!

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Merry Christmas!!

Hello everyone and a very Merry Christmas to you!! Whatever holiday you celebrate this winter season, I hope that all of you have been having the best time enjoying great company and food and making wonderful memories. This is the eighth holiday season that I have had the pleasure of wishing good cheer to my dear friends and readers throughout the blogosphere and it never gets old. Each and every one of you are the reason why I get up extra early to write every morning and my page would not be what it is without that constant motivation. You are all so amazing!

I’m sure all of you have family gatherings to attend and gifts to open so I will keep this post short and sweet. I just wanted to personally send my well wishes to you and yours for a fantastic holiday season and prosperous new year. Thank you for being my friend and for taking the time out of your days to keep up with Lil Red. I love you all!

Merry Christmas!! ❤

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Happy Haulidays: Bestie Edition

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Happy Haulidays: Bestie Edition

Hello!! My best friend, Lea, and I have celebrated fourteen Christmases together and we had our annual holiday hang out this past weekend. It was a hoot! I made us a big baked ziti dinner and our husbands had a man date playing banjo together while Lea and I girl talked the evening away. After almost a decade and a half of prezzies purchased, you would think that Lea and I would be fresh out of gift ideas. That’s far from the case for us, though, and Lea is one of my favorite people to shop for! As always, she knocked it out of the park for me too. Check it out:

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Until a week or so ago, I never appreciated the joy of fuzzy socks. However, one of my clients gifted me with an amazing pair of slipper socks last week and I am obsessed. So, I was insanely excited to receive some more pairs from Lea! These holiday socks are the softest, most comfortable things that I have ever put on my feet. They keep my tootsies toasty and they are too cute to boot. The polka dot pattern is so sweet and how adorable is that little hedgehog?! 😀

Lea loves to frequent craft fairs during the holiday season and the jewelry dish and T-shirt were both bought at one she went to with her mom. The jewelry dish is going to be perfect for housing my stud earrings, which is just what I need. I have so many pairs throughout the house that I have taken off and never bothered to put back smh. This dish is so pretty and simple and the cream base with the mauve rim is divine.

The piece de resistance from this holiday haul is, of course, the hilarious T-shirt that Lea got me. I have never owned any type of Christmas themed clothing and this shirt is the one to have. Its sentiment speaks to me on a spiritual level and I would have bought it for myself if I saw it while shopping. What can I say, after fourteen years of best friendship, Lea knows a thing or two about me! Although this is a holiday shirt, I will be wearing it year round. In fact, it just might make an appearance in an OOTD coming soon!

I had the best time celebrating Christmas and comradery with my best friend. I look forward to our holiday hang every year and here’s to fourteen more years of them!

Do you have any holiday traditions with your bestie? Where do you like to shop for holiday gifts? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Haulidays: Blogging Bestie Edition

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Happy Haulidays: Blogging Bestie Edition

Hello!!! Kate from Live In The Nautical has been one of my best friends for well over eight years. She was one of the first people who I came in contact with when lifewithlilred first began and the rest is history. These past few months have been difficult on our friendship. No, we absolutely did not have a falling out – we have both just been crazy freaking busy. My poor bestie was severely under the weather and my life was insane with a month of almost daily trips to downtown Cleveland to visit a loved one at the Cleveland Clinic.

They say that the holidays bring people together and this was so true for both of your favorite bloggers. This past Monday, I received Kate’s Christmas prezzie in the mail and the best friend telepathy was still as strong as ever. I had been waiting since Friday for Etsy links to the gifts I wanted to purchase for her!! As always, Kate spoiled me rotten and I can’t wait to relax with all of these goodies from Lush. I can feel my worries soaking away already! Check it out:

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Anyone who follows me on my blog or social media knows that my husband and I share a deep love for Halloween and all things macabre. As you can see, Kate knows this too and turned my Christmas gifts into a part two celebration of the happiest time of the year for me. As soon as I opened my package, I knew that there were Lush products involved because I could smell them right away! Kate is so thoughtful because she knows that I would take a bath with a Lush bath bomb every day if I could but I literally never buy them for myself.

I cannot wait to pamper myself with all of these wonderful bath time treats and it is truly a two part present because it gives me the gift of content! Keep it posted for brand new Bath Bomb Blitz posts to see the scary good results of each product. While I am looking forward to using all of my gifts, I think I am most excited to try the Black Rose bath bomb. And, of course, I am especially partial to the vampire bubble bar or, as Lush cleverly calls it, the Bubble Lugosi lol! 😀

Kate’s Halloween themed Christmas gifts were all treats and no tricks. Not only did she go above and beyond with Lush goodies galore but she also got me a super cool music sheet of This Is Halloween from the Nightmare Before Christmas. It is going to look so amazing framed and hung up on mine and Johnny’s art wall! Anything that adds to the Halloween decor in my apartment is a GREAT SUCCESS of a gift and I also love the front and back of the protective covering she put the music sheet in. The skeleton couple on the back is definitely me and Johnny!

A month ago, I was not looking forward to Christmas at all. However, the holiday season got started with a bang after I received my gift in the mail from Kate. We are reunited and it feels so good and this Grinch’s heart is bursting at the seams!! ❤

What is your favorite Lush product? What gets you in the holiday spirit? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Cardi Party OOTD Bloopers

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Cardi Party OOTD Bloopers

Hello everyone and welcome to the blooper reel from my Cardi Party OOTD! With three Thanksgivings in a row, Johnny and I were exhausted for basically the entire week afterwards. It was well worth it, though, because we had an amazing time with our families! Thanksgiving was the perfect occasion to get back into fashion forward posts on lifewithlilred and I was ecstatic because I missed it oh so very much. Of course, there are sure to be some unflattering pictures among the hundreds that Johnny takes and I took it upon myself to share them with all of you. Check out the bloopers from my Cardi Party look:

I LOOK GREAT!!!!

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Hoisting myself up from this handy little bench that Johnny and his dad made

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Startled by some type of bird activity going on

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Something STANK and I’m pretty sure it’s this picture

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The classic wife look of mild amusement and disbelief every time your husband says something uncouth

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Starting to peter out halfway through Thanksgiving round two

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Looking like a straight up donkey after Johnny said something funny

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High five very nice!!

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Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful, amiright?! Lol but seriously… A while back ago I saw this post on Facebook about a mom who will happily take pictures when her kids hold up a camera no matter what she looks like. Rather than refuse to get her picture taken, she’ll smile. And, instead of vetoing the more than likely unflattering picture upon seeing it she would say something like “I look awesome” or “I love my smile”. The blooper reels from my OOTD posts kind of follow that same concept as well as poking some good old fashioned fun at myself and it is a segment on my page that I am really proud of.

My sister claims that I take way too many pictures (As does Johnny as you can see!) but I just can’t help myself. No matter if it’s a “good” or “bad” picture, it’s important to me to have all of those special moments to look back on later and smile. Showcasing these yikes OOTD shots is something that I would have never done during earlier lifewithlilred times. However, I think displaying these shots for the world to see shows my growth as a person and I hope it encourages others to do the same. Is it really a “bad” shot if it makes someone laugh or feel comfortable with any of their perceived flaws? I think not! 😀

Keep it posted tomorrow for bloopers from my third and final Thanksgiving OOTD and then it is onto more fun here on lifewithlilred. See you then!

Are you a constant photo taker at family events? How many pictures do you have on your phone? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Comfy Cozy Thxgiving OOTD

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Comfy Cozy Thxgiving OOTD

Hello everyone!! Thanks to celebrating Thanksgiving three separate times this past week, I have three brand spanking new OOTDs to share. Thanksgiving humors me so much because everyone gets dressed to the nines to just sit and eat but, hey, that’s my kind of holiday! For my Thanksgiving look book, I wanted to put together outfits that were cute (Of course!) but comfortable enough to lounge in when you feel like your stomach is about to burst lol.

This first OOTD was from actual Thanksgiving when Johnny and I went to my mom and dad’s and just chilled. It was a wonderful day filled with the best company and this is what I put together:

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Who? What? Wear?

In my humble opinion, there are few things that invoke comfy cozy more to me than a soft, chunky sweater. Not only is it great to snuggle up in but it also gives you some wiggle room after having a big meal! With that in mind, I went shopping in my closet to see what I could find and decided on my patchwork sweater by Monteau. I probably wouldn’t have selected it if I was cooking that day because we just ordered Bob Evans for dinner and it would have been a shame to stain it! However, this was perfect for the lazy day we shared watching Lego Masters, catching up, and vegging out.

With a top picked out, it was time to move downward in the outfit to the pants department. This part was a no brainer and I went with one of my favorite jeans in one of my favorite patterns – my Wit & Wisdom snakeskin skinnies. I am a huge fan of snakeskin in any color palette and these jeans paired just right with my sweater thanks to the grey, taupe, and cream pattern. Not only was it a match made in heaven but these jeans also feature an elastic waistband, which definitely assisted in providing maximum comfort on Thanksgiving day.

The base of this outfit was quite simple so once it was assembled, accessories were the final step. It took me a minute to decide on which shoes I wanted to wear but once I put my Free People boots on, I couldn’t believe I didn’t go with them from the jump. These are one of my favorite pairs of winter boots and they remind me of putting on ice skates every time I wear them! Although each shade of cream in this look is slightly different, it was all close enough for it to be completely cohesive and I loved how it tied together from top to bottom.

Finally, for a pop of color since this look was almost fully made of neutral pieces, I chose my dark green Argentino Vivo hoops. Argentino Vivo hoop earrings are the absolute best and while I love my huge gold ones, I think I might be a bit more partial to my green pair. Of course, for no other reason than because they pop amazingly against my hair! ❤

This Comfy Cozy Thxgiving OOTD was just what I pictured for a laid back Thanksgiving day. No muss or fuss, just pure comfort and some wiggle room to boot! Keep it posted here on lifewithlilred for more from my Thanksgiving look book!

How was your Thanksgiving? What is your favorite holiday to put an outfit together for? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Gift Ideas For The Littles On Your List

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Gift Ideas For The Littles On Your List

Hello! Johnny and I are the proud aunt and uncle of a toddler aged boy and girl and a newborn little girl. They are each so precious and we love to spoil them rotten every chance we get! Prior to them being born, we both had little to no experience with children. Now, we can make mom and dad jokes with the best of them every treat day and the novelty never wears off. Being an aunt and uncle is an absolute hoot and every gift giving occasion makes us want to buy out the entire toy aisle! If you have some littles on your holiday shopping list, here are some ideas to get you started:

LEGO DUPLO:

Johnny and I are both avid lovers of building LEGO and we are about to give our nephew a head start on the fun with his own DUPLO set. DUPLO are LEGO bricks made specifically for little ones that are bigger and have simpler builds. Our nephew is a fan of anything and everything related to vehicles – especially fire trucks. I was so excited to find a DUPLO fire truck set and just know he’ll have a blast putting it together with his mom and dad!

Book Nook:

Our oldest niece has a staggering collection of books and being read to is one of her favorite things. Among other gifts for her, I purchased a purple (Her favorite color) book nook. It is basically a bookshelf with cushions built in so she has a comfortable space to flip through the pages of her go to pop up books. The book nook is going to be so perfect in her playroom and I hope it continues to harvest her love of reading since her TT is a big reader too. ❤

Mothman Baby:

Our youngest niece is a newborn girl and this will be her first Christmas. Her big sister has grown fond of all things spooky thanks to me and Johnny so there is no better time than the present to get started with the youngest member of our niece and nephew crew. Aside from a “My First Christmas” gift for our little, we also got Mothman, Nessie, and Yeti Baby pop up books for her. They are absolutely DARLING (I read through them online before making the purchase) and are an awesome introduction to cryptids. These books show all of the baby cryptids on adventures that typically end with them being safely tucked in for a good night’s sleep. Too cute!

Activity/Sticker Books:

My oldest niece and nephew are obsessed with stickers and Water Wow books and these are such great stocking stuffers on the cheap. Coloring books, connect the dots, and picture finds are also wonderful ways to go too. They are sure to give your littles entertainment for at least five minutes – long enough to get some sips of coffee before it gets cold! 😀

Treat Day Tickets:

Taking our niece and nephew crew on treat days is such a joy for me and Johnny and can also make an awesome gift. Outings like a trip to the zoo or a child friendly amusement park will have to wait for warm weather but that will give them an adventure to look forward to! If you aren’t keen on waiting until summertime, indoor activity centers, children’s museums, a trip to the movie theater, or lunch at their favorite restaurant are all solid options.

Take A Class:

My niece and nephew are both three and that is a perfect age to get started on extracurricular activities. Our niece is currently taking dance classes and our nephew is taking tumbling. Funding a current class or signing them up for one would be such an amazing gift. Some ideas include classes for swimming, crafts, sports, singing, or baking. Bonus points if you take them to some of their lessons!

The holiday season is always a special time but it just hits different when you see little ones experiencing it. I cannot wait for another Christmas with my favorite lil besties! ❤

What is one of the best gifts you received as a child? What is something that one of your littles want for the holidays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hello everyone and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!! The holiday season is now in full swing and I am so thankful to be able to share in it with all of you for the eighth year in a row. Normally, Thanksgiving is my freaking JAM. A family meal with all of my favorite foods makes for a very happy me. However, that will not be in the cards this year because it has been a very tough few months for my family and we will be missing someone at the table until she is able to come home. Rather than feast, I will be spending my day being incredibly thankful that that special someone is on the mend and will be back really soon. Although the food is important to me (lol), feeling #blessed on Thanksgiving is what the day is all about and I’ll be doing that in spades. ❤

Holidays are such a special, joyous time and it can be hard when they don’t feel that way. If that is the case for you too, then we can look forward to better days ahead together. If that is not the case for you, then please take some time out of your day to feel thankful for it. While my stomach won’t be full of my beloved green bean casserole (Hate all you want!!), my heart will be bursting at the seams for all of the good that has happened and will be coming up soon.

Thank you to all of my sweet lifewithlilred family for being a reason why I will be smiling today. My message to you today is that even when things suck massively – there is always a reason to smile. No matter how you spend the day, have a very Happy Thanksgiving and I am thankful for each and every one of you! Much love. -Sarah

Black Friday Shopping Pro Tips

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Black Friday Shopping Pro Tips

Hello!! I can hardly believe that it is Thanksgiving this week and, of course, with Thanksgiving comes Black Friday. I have actually never shopped during Black Friday before. However, I worked retail for about five years and have five insane Black Fridays under my belt to show for it. During this time, I acquired a lot of pro tips for a successful Black Friday so keep these in mind when you set out for your day of shopping:

Check The Store Hours:

This might seem like a no brainer but it needs to be said since so many stores have updated their Thanksgiving/Black Friday hours in the past few years. A lot of places are no longer open during Thanksgiving evening and that is a wonderful thing. But, you will need to know the store opening and closing times to go about planning your day. This way, you can stagger your shopping and pencil in driving/waiting time if, for example, Target opens at midnight on Friday and Best Buy opens at two AM.

Have A Plan A, B, & C:

A ton of people are very serious Black Friday shoppers and the chances are high that you won’t walk away with everything on your shopping list. This is why it is a MUST to have a plan B and C in place for the items you want that are no longer available. It will also save you the time and frustration of scrambling on the spot to find something else.

Maximize Efficiency:

If you have never shopped or worked Black Friday, you can only imagine how crazy it really is. Jam packed stores, frazzled employees, and picked over inventory are all things that can slow your shopping down. If you know that you are going to need help from an employee, you can help them too! Have pictures of what you want pulled up on your phone or printed out so you can get an immediate yes or no on if it’s still available and where it would be in the store.

Fuel Up/Hydrate:

Crowded stores will get incredibly stuffy really quickly all over top of the fast paced atmosphere of the day. I don’t think I have to spell it out for you why a fall or other medical emergency is dangerous on Black Friday! For that reason, it is so important to make sure you have ate and are properly hydrated. Keep water bottles on hand and snacks in the car and do make sure you make a reservation at a restaurant if you plan on eating out so you know you will have a table.

Just So You Know:

So many people think that once Saturday rolls around, the Black Friday deals are simply over and that is not the case. SO many stores continue to offer Black Friday prices and promotions for several days after the fact. While Black Saturday doesn’t have the same ring as Black Friday, you are more than likely still going to receive a deal. Speaking of deals, remember that you might not be able to use coupons or rewards perks on top of a Black Friday deal so do your research to see which option will save you the most money.

Finally…

This is the time of the year when stores are hiring seasonal workers and a lot of them might not have much retail experience. In fact, Black Friday was one of my first shifts at fifteen and a half. Please keep this in mind and keep your cool because the day is already stressful enough for an employee without getting yelled at by angry customers too. If you think you could do a better job, then put on a name tag and get to work! 🙂

Shop smart on Black Friday with the tips above so you can walk away with something for everyone on your list… And maybe something for yourself too! 😀

Have you ever shopped or worked on Black Friday before? What was your experience like? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Experience Gifts For The Holiday Season

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Experience Gifts For The Holiday Season

Hello! Are you bored with giving the standard holiday gifts? You know, lotions, candles, fleece blankets – all of the usual. Or, perhaps, you are shopping for the person who has everything? Regardless, maybe it’s time to switch gears and think about presents that you can’t wrap up and stick under the tree. We’re talking the gifts of experience! Shake things up this holiday season with these ideas and create lasting memories for your giftee in the new year:

Cooking Class:

Is your giftee gifted in the kitchen? Or can your giftee not cook at all lol? Either way, a cooking class would be such fun and something different. Whether it’s a class dedicated to delicious desserts or learning to cook Indian food, it will be a rewarding experience as well as a filling one because you can dig in afterwards! This is also a great gift to give to a couple for a unique date night.

Wine & Craft Class:

Wine or beer craft nights became wildly popular a few years ago and there’s a reason for that – they are a blast! Even if your giftee isn’t the crafty type, that’s okay! There will be a teacher to walk you through the entire process step by step and offer input to improve your project. Lots of different bars and restaurants host these events and I have seen everything from painting nights to woodworking and everything in between. You will also get the bonus of being able to display your creation in your home… Or tucked away in a closet depending on how it turns out. 😉

Girls Night In:

Do you and your bestie have some serious catching up to do? How about booking a hotel room for a night? You can gab, watch all of the HBO, and enjoy the indoor pool and hot tub. I don’t know about you guys, but I always want to go swimming in the winter! DoorDash some grub or order room service and indulge yourselves with the ultimate girls night in.

Event Tickets:

Does your giftee have a love for the theater? Or maybe they are an adrenaline junkie and frequents amusement parks in the summer? Sports fan? Easy. All you need to do is buy a couple of tickets! It can be as big as tickets to a concert or simply treating them to a movie night for the latest flick they have been dying to see. Whatever you choose for your giftee, it is sure to be a much appreciated present.

Take A Hike:

Do you have an outdoorsy giftee on your list? How about planning an excursion on a hiking trail or a camping trip? Take a drive, pack a picnic lunch, and enjoy each other’s company in the great outdoors. Of course, you might have to hold off until warmer weather but that’s totally fine! One of the points of experience gifts is to give the person something to look forward to. If your giftee has a green thumb, there are also lots of classes available to create your own succulent terrarium or potted plant display.

Animal Lovers:

Did you know that some zoos offer “Get Closer” experiences? This allows you to have one on one time with certain animals at the zoo. I actually did a Get Closer experience with my brother at the Akron Zoo to see the Galapagos Tortoises and it was amazing! We got to love on them, feed them treats, and learn about them from one of the employees. If you have an animal lover to shop for, this is a fantastic way to go!

The gift of experience is sure to please everyone on your list and it gives you the opportunity to get creative too. Use some of the ideas above or put your thinking cap on to come up with the perfect gift for everyone on your list!

Have you ever received an experience gift before? What kind of gifts do you like to give? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Subscription Boxes: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

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Subscription Boxes: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Hello!! I take my holiday shopping very seriously because I love being able to spoil my family and friends. We have been discussing lots of holiday gift options here on lifewithlilred and today we are going to continue on by chatting about the gift that keeps on giving – subscription boxes. Subscription gifts are awesome because it’s not just a present for Christmas but every month! This is a gift that will always go over well so let’s talk about some popular choices to treat your giftee to this holiday season:

Entertainment:

One of the most obvious subscription gifts has to be streaming services and there are plenty to choose from. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are all excellent for your standard viewing options and cover every genre imaginable. However, there are specialty streaming services like CrunchyRoll for anime fans or Shudder for horror buffs so bear this in mind if your giftee has one specific genre that they love. Remember, you don’t have to gift an entire year’s worth of a streaming service, either. Most of these services offer a three month, six month, or full year package.

Food, Glorious Food:

Is your giftee handy in the kitchen? If so, a meal kit subscription like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh could be a great choice. These kits offer meals for all kinds of different diets and are mindful to any allergies or restrictions. Not only will it be fun for your giftee to whip up something brand new but it is also a huge time savor too. A meal kit means that no grocery shopping is required – score! 😀

If your giftee isn’t too keen to cook, you can also do a subscription for DashPass to eliminate delivery fees on DoorDash. This is something that my Johnny would love because his favorite Sunday activity is DoorDashing Popeye’s or Steak N’ Shake lol.

Beauty:

It’s always nice to try out new makeup, bath and body care, and skin care and subscriptions to Ipsy, Sephora Play, or BirchBox allow you to do just that every month. This is a subscription that will be sure to please the beauty guru in your life and it gives them the opportunity to try products out without committing to a full price and full size item. As someone who deeply enjoys testing out new products, I would be thrilled to receive a beauty box subscription!

Ride Sharing:

Although ride sharing programs like Uber and Lyft don’t have a subscription, per se, they do offer gift cards. If your giftee lives for a night on the town, this could be a wonderful way to go. It’s always a blast to have a night out at a restaurant, bar, or theater but it’s never as good when you have to worry about transportation. A ride sharing gift card will fully eliminate this issue and can allow your giftee to let loose safely.

Oh You Crafty, Huh?

If you have some kiddos on your shopping list, fear not – there are lots of cool subscriptions for them too! Options like Little Passports and Cratejoy can provide your littles with a fun and educational craft every month. You can sweeten the pot of this gift by offering babysitting services to their parents so that they can have a night out and you and your lil giftee can complete the craft together. This is a total two for one gift deal and one that parents and children will both love!

Pet Parents:

Is your giftee the parent to a spoiled rotten pet? If so, you can’t go wrong with BarkBox! Pet subscription boxes will send you toys, treats, and chews for the beloved pet and will help deepen the bond with their owner. This is a really good option for pet parents because they are going to be receiving things that they would more than likely end up buying anyways. The money that they save can go to even more pet products! 😀

There is, truly, a subscription for every hobby and interest and it is a gift that everyone on your list will enjoy. The best part? No gift wrapping required!

Do you use any monthly subscription boxes? What is a subscription that you would like to receive? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah