Featured image: Saks Fifth Avenue in Toronto

My family is big on gift-giving for Christmas. One of my favourite traditions is sitting around the Christmas tree together, exchanging gifts one by one. It’s so much fun to hear the little details we’ve picked up about each other throughout the year and to see how well we really know one another.

I've gotten more into it now that I'm older and love hand selecting every gift. Although exciting, it's always a little stressful thinking about my shopping decisions. I'm so tired of boring gift guides that don't speak to an individual. (An indoor putting green for dads, yikes)

I'm always curious to hear about what others are gifting, so this year I've decided to share what I'm gifting everyone for the holidays.

Also, this goes without saying, but if you're my family, DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT.

I recently went to the Christmas Market at Toronto's Distillery District. There's a really cute vintage store, Blackbird Vintage Finds, that has a great selection for gifts. I got these beautiful vintage postcards to use instead of typical Christmas cards. I love that each one is thoughtfully chosen to match to everyone's style and personality.

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My siblings and I are splitting a group gift, but I also wanted to give him something small. It was my second-eldest brother's idea to get something related to his cars. He chose a foam cannon to make washing his cars easier since they shouldn't go through a typical car wash. I'm still deciding on the additional gift, but it'll likely be a nice sweater.

Update: I got him some snacks from the UK to remind him of his years spent there.

My siblings and I also went in on a group gift for my mom. My second-eldest brother once again chose the gift, and a car-related one at that. I'm unsure of the exact name, but it's basically a mechanism that allows her to connect Apple Carplay to her Cayenne. I honestly completely forgot about the group gift and got her bigger items anyway, but I'll split it up and give her the rest on her birthday. For her additional gift, I got her a rose candle from Anthropologie. She loves candles and anything to do with roses, so I know she'll enjoy it.

My eldest brother recently moved to a new place for law school and I thought it would be nice to have a house-warming-related gift. During our most recent visit to New York, we perused the Ralph Lauren flagship store. I really liked the design of the store and I thought this candle would be a nice luxury to add to his place.

Honestly, I'm still mulling over this gift. For some reason, I always find it the most difficult to choose something for this brother. His birthday is also on Christmas, so I'm procrastinating on the worst possible person. I'll update this though when I come to my decision.

Update: I got him some 100% cotton tops from Ralph Lauren.

Vi is the easiest to shop for in my opinion. I chose her a top during my most recent shopping trip to Brandy Melville. I thought it was cute and fit her style. I also chose her some basic Lululemon align tops in True Navy and Legacy Green.

I know they're probably not expecting anything, but I though I'd get them something cute and simple. I chose them these basic Aritzia socks because having high-quality socks are such a nice little everyday luxury.

For my friends and coworkers, I usually bring something small like baked goods. I know it's not necessary, but it's something simple that everyone will enjoy. I usually pick up some goods from a local bakery, and this year I chose classic cookies to bring to the office.

As I read over this blog post, I’m realizing just how basic my gift choices are. Christmas gifts are not only a test of how well you know someone but also a way to show how you connect with them on a personal level. Looking at my list, I guess my gifts reveal that I’m a pretty basic person—and that seems to carry through to everyone’s present.

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Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Wishing you all the best of luck with any last-minute holiday shopping!