Looking for a (relatively) easy gift idea? I assembled the “goodies” bags, shown above, for my siblings + their spouses at Christmas. For obvious reasons, I couldn’t share this idea before the holidays, but it would work for any giving occasion, from Valentine’s Day to wedding guest welcome bag to birthday.
Here’s how I assembled mine:
Step One: the “goodies” bag
I wanted a simple, reusable bag, and the obvious choice was the iconic LLBean boat and tote bag for its quality construction and durability. Choosing a color was the only hurdle. I ruled out red and green because I didn’t want the recipients to think of it as Christmasy when they went to reuse it. Orange seemed cheery and multi-purpose (plus, I love orange). Done. I had LLBean embroider “goodies” on each bag in matching thread as part of their monogramming service.
Step Two: Assembling the goodies
This was the fun part. Between blog research and travel, I had no problem coming up with an assortment of goodies. I tried to limit goodies to items that would stay fresh for a bit past Christmas, both for ease of ordering (me) and for less pressure to eat everything as quickly as possible (them). I ended up choosing:
- Mast Brothers Chocolate bars pretty wrapping + delicious chocolate made this a no brainer. I selected a variety of flavors (and wrappings) at Steven Alan, NoLIta, while in NYC for the weekend.
- Bouchon Bakery‘s Fuggetaboutit rice krispies + caramel + chocolate – also picked these up in NYC.
- Matchbox Kitchen S’Mores Kits probably my favorite item in the bag. Sara Tso’s homemade graham crackers + marshmallows, adorably packaged with mini Hershey bars + sweetly flagged skewers. I bought a few extras for neighbors, and me, and can assure you, they’re delicious!
- Weck jars with chocolate covered cranberries
- B. Toffee packages yummy, buttery toffee from Newport Beach, CA (I tossed a couple of packages in each bag)
- Blue Hill Honey I was excited about the online launch of Blue Hill Market this fall, and thought honey would be fun, and yes, pretty.
Step Three: Personalization
To differentiate each family’s goodie bag, I chose small personal gifts to add to the assembled goodies. For example, golf balls for my golfing brother-in-law, a book from my sister’s Amazon wish list, and pomegranate martini mix for another sibling.
There you have it: Christmas shopping + wrapping made easy. I was very happy with how the “goodies” bags turned out, and I hope that you’re inspired to try something similar.
