2020 Holiday Gift Guide
WELLNESS-INSPIRED GIVING: EVERYTHING YOU’LL WANT TO GIVE (AND GET) THIS SEASON
Looking for healthy yet fun holiday gift ideas for your family and friends? This wellness-inspired holiday gift guide has some creative yet practical recommendations for the mindful mama, conscious cook, green-goddess, and farm-to-table foodie.
If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that a little wellness goes a long way. It’s also been a great reminder to be a conscious consumer, and supporter of your favourite local businesses. And while giving to others is the focus of the season, don’t forget to make time for self-care too!
This holiday gift guide is a compilation of some of my favorite things to use and give as gifts. I’m inspired to give gifts that are health-promoting, non-toxic and eco-friendly. Here are some suggestions that might just spark the right idea for someone special. I hope you enjoy these gift ideas and maybe even treat yourself to something too!
Xo Wendy
Help your loved ones upgrade their wellness with a thoughtful gift
The Five-Minute Journal: A Happier You in 5 Minutes a Day
A simple, and effective thing you can do everyday to boost happiness and increase productivity. The journal provides a structured format with thoughtfully designed prompts that include: gratitude, prioritizing your day, 3 amazing things, inspiring quotes, daily affirmation, end of day self reflection. It’s an inspiring way to start and end your day.
Chocolate: In the realm of crowd-pleasing gifts, can we agree that chocolate is a no-brainer?
Hu Kitchen’s Chocolate is beloved for being paleo, vegan, and unbelievably delicious. Hu Chocolate is a favourite in our household because it’s delicious and I love how it only contains simple, clean ingredients. The chocolate gems (which are great for snacking & baking), the chocolate-covered hunks (almonds & cashews), and the bars (chocolate hazelnut is my fav!) would all make great gifts. Find it at naturamarket.ca in Canada.
Live on Chocolate is a local Toronto based company that I found and fell in love with this year. Stacey makes really delicious organic, fair trade, bean to bar chocolate that’s dairy free! I love it all, and my boys particularly love her creamy (coconut) milk chocolate & maple birch sponge toffee. She sells her chocolate at Fresh City Farms, Coco Market, The Big Carrot and online. Send her a DM (@liveonchocolate) if you’re looking for some chocolate, as she often delivers within Toronto.
I’m a huge fan of my Oura Ring! Over the past year, it’s been incredibly insightful to wear my ring, and make adjustments to improve the quality of my sleep, which directly affects my energy and how I show up every day. It’s certainly true that great days start with good sleep. I’ve been amazing how making some small adjustments can make a big difference to my readiness levels. Good quality sleep is linked to health & mental wellbeing, so having Oura to monitor sleep quality is highly valuable.
This amazing fascial release tool will quickly become your fav too! Created by The Movement Boutique (TMB) in Toronto, you can use it practically on any part of your body to relieve tension. My favorite is rolling my feet at the end of the day, and I’m always surprised how much it loosens up the rest of my body. I think I even have a deeper sleep when I roll my feet before bed. I’ve used the cork ball to release tension in my shoulders, chest, lower back, and glutes too. A perfect stocking stuffer, you can find it here.
I had given up on perfumes. In my quest to remove toxins from my personal care routine, I had stopped using any fragrances. So I was thrilled to find Henry Rose– the first fine fragrance perfume with 100% ingredient transparency. This EWG verified fragrance means you don’t have to worry about unhealthy ingredients. And all the scents smell AMAZING! It brings me joy to wear Jake’s House everyday. Start with a sample collection, and then get a bottle of your favourite. Since the sample set comes with a $20 credit towards your favourite full-size scent, you can’t go wrong with the sample collection.
Hydro Flask
Our family has been a fan of Hydro Flask for many years. We’ve owned our original Hydro Flask bottles for 7+ years, and they’re still in great shape. Hydro Flask bottles feature double-wall vacuum insulation to lock in cold & hot temperatures, and 18/8 stainless steel ensures pure taste and durability. Keep cold drinks icy for up to 24 hours and hot drinks piping hot for up to 6 hours. Our favorite style is the 20 oz “coffee flask” with flip lid which we use for all types of beverages. Find it here.
Inspire loved ones to upgrade their wellness in the kitchen
Designed to do the work of eight traditional pieces of cookware. The Always Pan is a versatile all-purpose pan that I’ve used to make everything from scrambled eggs to sauteed veggies, meat & mushrooms . It’s hard to find a pan that has a healthy non-stick finish. The Always Pan is coated in a non-toxic, environmentally-friendly ceramic non-stick coating. No PFOA, PTFE, GenX chemicals or other questionable materials in sight! Click here to save $20
Make homemade dairy-free milk with Almond Cow! A simple way to make healthy plant-based milk at home, Almond Cow simply transforms nuts and seeds into dozens of different milks at the touch of a button in less than a minute. My favorite is coco-cash milk (made with filtered water and a combination of coconut + cashews). No preservatives & no-plastic bottles. A win for your health and the environment. Use this link to save $10.
I became a big fan of Ten & Co this year. This Toronto based company designs eco-conscious, beautiful and functional Swedish Sponge Clothes and tea towels. The Sponge Cloths are authentically Swedish with a modern twist. I love how they are streak free, highly absorptive, and can be cleaned by throwing them in the top rack of your dishwasher. The towels are a mid-weight cotton-linen blend. They really soften over time (they get softer and more absorptive every time you wash them) while maintaining durability. Both the sponge cloth and towel would make great waste-free wrapping for a special bottle of wine or olive oil.
Danielle Walker Cookbooks
I’m a huge Danielle Walker fan, and own all four of her cookbooks. It’s hard to choose, but I think my favorite is her Against All Grain Celebrations Cookbook. Celebrations has 125 recipes for grain-free, dairy-free, gluten-free comfort food dishes that are perfect for holidays and special occasions (or anyday). Get it here!
No Crumbs Left Cookbook
This cookbook is inspiration for everyday food made marvelous! I found Teri Turner this year, and have become a huge fan. Food is Teri’s love language, and that love of food is contagious. She proves that simple dishes can be incredibly delicious. Most recipes are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and Whole30 compliant. Find it here.
SHOP LOCAL for healthy living inspired gift certificates & more
One of my favourite spots in Toronto! Coco Market is a modern day version of the convenience store offering customers healthier options to traditional snacks, food items, home goods and wellness essentials. As my family eats gluten & dairy free, it’s amazing to walk into the market and be able to buy almost everything. I really appreciate how they carry US-brands that are hard to find in Canada as well as small local brands. Do you know someone who would appreciate some healthy snacks and menu items? Or maybe a little something for yourself? Choose some stocking stuffers, assorted items for a gift box, or a gift certificate for your foodie friend.
The Movement Boutique, better known as TMB, is a vibrant, next generation Toronto functional medicine clinic, pilates studio and wellness brand that focuses on holistic health empowerment with a personalized approach. I highly recommend the FIIX sessions where they work their magic by focusing on your fascia, which wraps around all muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels and organs, to release body tension. A gift certificate would make a perfect gift for yourself, or your special someone– just be prepared to leave the session in a state of bliss.
NaturaMarket.ca is a Canadian online grocery store that offers healthy food products from best-selling brands. The online store is a great source for Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Gluten Free and Plant Based products in Canada. Natura carries many US brands that are difficult to source in Canada, as well as some Canadian brands. I love the convenience of shopping from home, and receiving free delivery on orders over $49. Send an assortment of items or an e-gift card to your wellness inspired foodie friend.
Located in Leaside Toronto, Bloom Beauty is committed to healthier ways of looking your best. Their product selection encompasses the three C’s — Clean, Conscious, and Curated — meaning they focus on selecting safe, non-toxic and effective clean beauty products that will never be harmful to animals, the environment or you. Think differently about beauty, and find a great gift from their selection of products from around the world.
For even more holiday gift ideas, check out my 2019 Holiday Gift Guide.