Tags: 2019 holiday gift guide, gift guide, gifts, gifts for sisters, gifts for women

Gift Guide #2: Your Outdoorsy Twin Sister Who Tells The Best Stories and Gives Your Kids Sneaky Candy.

Fleece sweatshirt to keep her cozy this winter. (Bonus: It comes in four colors and is made from 32 recycled plastic water bottles.)

One of the year’s best books — like The Witches Are Coming, The Dutch House, Normal People and Grand Union — to start your own two-person book club.

Croissant lamp, which is made in Japan with a real croissant!

Pretty notecards to write each other letters.

A cheese candle because a cheese candle.

Skiing pajamas. (These are cute, too.)

Slippers for padding around at night. (And how insanely comfy do these look?)

A mug to make her smile every morning.

Chub hoops, which would dress up any outfit.

A great cookbook — including Nothing Fancy, Dinner for Everyone and Simple Cake — and time for dinner together.

A donation in her name to the Sierra Club.

P.S. Last year’s gift guide for sisters, and the full 2019 gift guide so far.

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Tags: 2019 holiday gift guide, gift guide, gifts, gifts for sisters, gifts for women

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Laura C

December 16, 2019 11:36 pm

I work as a clean energy organizer for the Sierra Club and SO APPRECIATE you listing us as an organization to donate to! I’ve been a follower for years and this made my week! <3 Y'all we do really incredible work with your donations — my campaign just hit a huge milestone, over 150 cities (and 6 states) committed to 100% clean renewable energy community-wide.

Jacinta

November 25, 2019 6:49 am

I love the Fleece sweatshirt most especially in this list. The cookbook would be nice too. Am gift hunting for my sister whose love for cooking and wearing sweaters is incomparable. Thanks for a great list.

Brittany

November 22, 2019 10:51 pm

I’ve read Cup of Jo for my entire adult life — I was so excited to see the last gift idea because I work for the New Mexico Sierra Club! :) Thank you!!

Chelsea

November 21, 2019 3:16 pm

I love the cookbook idea. I gave my mom Small Victories for her birthday last year. I originally discovered it here on COJ and loved cooking out of it, so I bought a copy for her then made notes throughout it about which recipes I liked or letting her know that I had made one dish for she and my nephews when they visited, or that I like to make a big batch of the meatballs and freeze them and that sort of thing. It’s a fun way to make a gift a little more personal and she loved looking through it and reading my notes.

Mims

November 20, 2019 11:44 am

Just a friendly headsup. Items made from recycled plastics as well as acrylic, polyester and nylon, etc. create more harm to the environment. They shed microparticles of plastic that end up in our waterways and ultimately in our oceans where they are incorporated into marine life. Since plastics are full of bisphenol A and other phthlates, they wreak havoc on immune and endocrine function. Scientists are seeing this plastic in the flesh of fish and shellfish..so we are eating it too! Seriously, what about buying a gently used cotton sweatshirt at the thrift? Our family made the switch to only regifted, repurposed and/or edible gifts like cookie mix in a mason jar. Everyone happier and less stress.

Laura

Reply to Mims

November 20, 2019 1:22 pm

THIS!

Carolyn

November 20, 2019 11:01 am

What a lovely set of gifts! One bonus gift to go along with the lovely recycled sweater could be a GuppyFriend which is a washing bag that helps keep micropastics out of the environment: https://en.guppyfriend.com/

Also, v. obsessed with the croissant lamp <3

Emily B

November 20, 2019 7:05 am

Love the Everlane sweater! If you’re looking for one that is a little more affordable Old Navy has a very similar one. Type in ‘Mock Neck Raglan Sleeve Sherpa Sweater’. Unfortunately it’s not made from recycled water bottles though! love that.

Nane

November 20, 2019 3:38 am

It seems that I am that kind of sister. All these gifts are wonderful! Will forward the link to my brother even though he does “not believe in christmas”. Thanks!

Justine

November 19, 2019 10:15 pm

The Dutch House is so good! I’m listening to it on audio thanks to a recommendation from the CoJ comment section. If you are that person – thank you! It’s an absolute joy to listen to. I want to give this book to everyone I love.

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Justine

November 20, 2019 11:23 am

i’m so glad to hear that!

Katie

Reply to Justine

November 27, 2019 1:16 pm

I am also listening to The Dutch House and loving it. This reads like a true story, I can’t believe it is a novel. Tom Hanks is the narrator, he does a great job.

November 19, 2019 9:00 pm

is it just me or do those earrings look like teeth?!

Bex

Reply to c

November 20, 2019 10:33 am

I thought they were ear plugs!

November 19, 2019 8:40 pm

Maybe a post for non-profits or homemade gifts vs. more stuff. Please and thank you.

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to AP

November 19, 2019 10:13 pm

We are hoping to do a mix through these guides including gifts that people will really use (mug, sweater, etc). Thank you so much!

Valeria

November 19, 2019 7:48 pm

4 of my girlfriends and I share a tradition since maybe 15 years. Every year we chose a theme and we have to find each other a low budget (5-8€) gift on that theme. It’s a quite challenging research but we have the best fun and laughters brainstorming about what theme, looking for gifts and buying them (tipically on Christmas Eve) and then unwrapping them in a children free night all for us 5 after Christmas, with wine and mountains of chocolate and sweets. We have had 5 senses year, summertime year, forever young year, monochrome year, proverbs year, 7 deadly sins year… But the most unforgettable theme has been: initial letter. You had to find for the others a gift with the same initial letter of each one’s name. Just to mention one of the absurd gifts, from my friend Marta (who always makes us laugh so hard with her finds) I received a V(!)agon lit, hand made by her from a cardboard box, with a bottle of wine (vino in italian) inside. I know it could be wiser to save money and time and not to buy almost useless objects, but through good and bad times (and some of us had really hard times), this tradition with them means Christmas to me. Why did I write this here? Because I don’t have proper sisters, and they are.

Amanda

Reply to Valeria

November 20, 2019 6:51 am

This is great. Knowing your friends are thinking of you along with a real good laugh is the best gift ever.

Bethany Dodson

Reply to Valeria

November 20, 2019 4:08 pm

Lovely!

Darlene

November 19, 2019 7:02 pm

My niece and her husband own a bread bakery and also had a baby earlier this month. I’m thinking that croissant lamp would make a good nursery lamp for late-night feedings!

Allie

November 19, 2019 6:41 pm

Was this written for me? Just sent to my twin brother. Hoping he takes action!

Abby

November 19, 2019 5:48 pm

Hooray for twin sisters! Can’t wait for my “kayak-toting twin sister who knits the coziest sweaters and drinks day old coffee” and I to inevitably gift each other something from this list :) My guess: the cheese candle (because hello Wisconsin childhood)

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Abby

November 20, 2019 11:24 am

i love that description!

Jenny

November 19, 2019 5:47 pm

Gift Guide: Your wildly extroverted older sister who always has a house full of people and elaborate nail art
A hot pink vintage coat with giant shoulder pads
Earrings made our of your childhood favorite plastic dinosaurs that she organized into a labor union when she was 7
A gift certificate to her hair salon for a party up-do
A large tin full of the freakiest tidbits you’ve assembled over a year of flea market finds

Naomi

November 19, 2019 5:28 pm

If your gift recipient prefers audiobooks, Tom Hanks reads “The Dutch House”, and it is simply wonderful.

amy

November 19, 2019 5:12 pm

Cup of Jo gift guides are the bomb!

Rachel Elizabeth

Reply to amy

November 19, 2019 6:59 pm

Agreed! I look forward to them every year!

Gwen

November 19, 2019 4:57 pm

I need to know, and neither the post nor the seller’s site mentions it, does the cheese candle smell like cheese?

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Gwen

November 19, 2019 5:11 pm

no, it doesn’t really have a scent. but it looks so cool!

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Joanna Goddard

November 19, 2019 5:13 pm

PS would be amazing if it smelled like stinky cheese, though! :)

Gwen

Reply to Gwen

November 19, 2019 8:46 pm

Agreed! My favorite cheeses are the ones that stink up the whole fridge, so I’m a bit disappointed that the candle is unscented.

Hali

November 19, 2019 4:49 pm

Your sister description made me smile! Mine would be “For your indoorsy older sister who does the best impersonations and gives your cat sneaky treats.” or “For your outdoorsy little sister who makes the funniest faces and has the best signature dance moves.”

The heart in these guides is so apparent! I love the “no gifts on christmas” sentiment in theory but a sweet and thoughtful gift is pretty precious. Thanks for always getting it right. Can’t wait to hug my sisters in just over a month!

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Hali

November 19, 2019 5:10 pm

what a sweet note! your sisters sound wonderful :)

liz

November 19, 2019 4:41 pm

croissant lamp, canoli lamp, cheese candle… I’m sensing a theme this winter haha

Anonygirl

Reply to liz

November 19, 2019 5:21 pm

It’s just the right amount of hygge.

Taylor

November 19, 2019 4:20 pm

ha! I love the croissant lamp but am more partial to the cannoli candle on catbird! All of my girlfriends are receiving a cannoli candle this year for the holidays, it’s a near perfect gift

Joanna Goddard

Author

Reply to Taylor

November 19, 2019 4:24 pm

yes it’s so cute! http://bit.ly/2r75RuD

Alice

Reply to Taylor

November 20, 2019 5:26 am

OH. MY. GOD!! I wishhhhhh I could get one of these easily in the UK- my boyfriend and I took a trip to Sicily earlier this year, and ate SO MANY CANNOLI!! I’m building him an advent calendar and this would literally be perfect for it, but $25 for international shipping seems a bit much for a funny candle. Sob sob sob!! (Catbird pleeeeeease open a London store!)

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