FA LA LA LALALALALA! HO HO HO! TIS THE SEASON!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and no, I’m not talking about the Bath and Body Works candle day sale where all three-wick candles are only $9.95. Which by the way, I did try to attend but the line at the mall was INSANITY and I knew that if I waited I would be stuck with the suckiest smelling candle.
What I mean is, IT’S HOLIDAY SEASON! If you aren’t like me and didn’t start shopping for presents before Halloween, don’t worry. You are a normal human being. And I am also here to help.
Welcome to the Operation Happiness Gift Guide! This is a collection of all of my personal favorite things that make me feel happy, feel less stressed and feel good. From books to therapy dough to yummy smelling things, I got you covered. Plus, I figured that all of you know someone who also likes to feel happy, less stressed and good so, here you go. Enjoy! Don’t blame your bank statements on me after this one!
*All of these photos were taken from the respective yellow buttons under each gift
14,000 Things to be Happy About By Barbara Ann Kipfer
Okay people. I’ve said it on here before but I will say it again. This is the book that changed everything for me. My mom left it in my room when I was home from college during my freshman year - and if you are new here and don’t know by now, freshman year was not the best year of my life. Anyways, it’s literally a book of an ongoing list of 14,000 things that the author wrote down over the years of things that made her happy. It made me realize that it really IS the little things in life and there are so many things every single day to be happy about. It totally changed my mindset and eventually led to me starting my Take 5 Write 5 journaling technique, where I Take 5 minutes at the end of every day and Write 5 things that made me happy. I would literally recommend gifting this book to anyone. Whether they need a pick-me-up or not, it’s truly inspirational. Plus, it’s fun to read the things she wrote!
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life By Jen Sincero
This is another book that everyone should have on their nightstand. In fact, it would be a great idea to gift the two of these books TOGETHER! Jen Sincero has a ton of other books similar to this on different topics, but this one is the OG. This book is essentially a bunch of chapters filled with reasons why there is nothing you CAN’T do. Again, it’s a game-changing book. I left the book at school BUT before I came home I was trying to read a chapter every night before I went to bed. Plus, the cover is yellow, and we all know how much I love yellow.
If your loved one doesn’t love to read, like really hates it, that’s okay too. Because “You are a Badass” has a whole line of products ranging from a calendar to a talking button to notecards and more. Check out all of that good stuff by clicking that cute little button down below!
Pinch Me Therapy Dough
Do you ever feel like you need to squeeze something that isn’t your favorite Operation Happiness stress ball that is available for purchase and would make a great stocking stuffer? Well, if so, I have the perfect thing for you. Pinch Me Therapy Dough is basically like adult play-dough that smells fabulous. It comes in a bunch of different aromatherapy scents like ocean, sun, grapefruit, spice and MORE. Plus, a portion of each purchase goes toward The Wounded Warrior Project which is awesome. I keep a big tin of this on my desk at school and just roll it around during class or when I’m watching TV. The fun never ends!
Purity by Philosophy Face Wash
This is the #1 face wash in America according to the website. So. In case that doesn’t speak for itself... I will speak some more. I have tried just about every face wash in the biz. Some of them were good for exfoliating my skin, which was all fun and games but didn’t take my makeup off. An expert taught me that makeup wipes are awful for your skin and eyes so I needed a face wash that was going to do the trick in a jiffy. This one will be your saving grace. Its smell is minimal and it leaves your skin feeling smoooooth as a baby’s tushy. The face lotion is also fab. Just take my word for it. It comes in cute little travel sizes too which would work great for a stocking. I just realized this…of course it’s yellow. Go figure.
Foil Resin Jewelry Tray
Bijouxbycatherine is one of my favorite small businesses to support. She makes beautiful jewelry, accessories and most recently these GORGEOUS jewelry trays. I feel like this is something that a lot of people don’t think that they need, but once they get one, they will never go without one ever again. Or at least, that’s how it went for me. I keep one on my bedside table and keep my everyday earrings and rings on it to take off right before I go to bed. Not only is it convenient and makes it so you won’t lose one fricking back to an earring - hate when that happens - but they are PRETTY TO LOOK AT and won’t be an eye sore in your room or bathroom or wherever you want to keep it. If not for jewelry, I would honestly use these as coasters or keep them in my kitchen. They are definitely not meant for that but I’m just saying…she’s a beaut.
I mean….come on!
Did I mention that you can get 15% off your order with the code ‘Happiness15’ ? Well, you can. So if that isn’t an incentive to go ham…
Voluspa Candles
I’m a huge candle gal. Who isn’t? I used to like getting big ones but I found that because I would accumulate so many and it took me forever to burn through them, that getting a bunch of smaller ones was the better bet. You can find these ones at Anthropologie, Sephora, Bloomingdales, No Rest For Bridget, etc., or just on their website. My favorite scents are the Mokara and Moso Bamboo. What those mean? No clue. But I can tell you that the first one smells refreshing and light and the second reminds me of Christmas. Plus, they are gorgeous, gorgeous candles. You can get a cute little tin or a big beautiful glass textured jar with a pretty patterned top. Love these guys. Their room and body sprays are also wonderful. 10/10 would recommend.
Capri Blue Volcano Candles
I just ordered this one…She will look amazing on my desk.
Have you ever walked into Anthropologie and been hit with a wonderful smell? Yeah, that’s the Volcano scented Capri Blue candles. In case you need another candle, you can never EVER go wrong with these. Like literally never. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my Voluspa ones. BUT, I have to say that these are the best because even when you don’t burn them they just make your room smell amazing. If you like the scent but don’t want a candle, they also make soaps, lotions, body washes, even laundry detergents. They also make beautiful holiday ones - so check them out.
The Perfect Journal
I have a gray suede tie one similar to this and I love it so much I don’t even want to write in it.
Coming from someone who buys journals like they’re candy, you can never have too many. I have a wonderful stack accumulating under my desk of empty notebooks that I know I will fill one day, just not anytime soon. I use probably five different journals at once, all for different things. You obviously need one for Take 5 Write 5, then you need one for planning your blog, podcast and life, then you need one that serves more as like a diary for more dramatic or feely moments and then I have one for random notes. Needless to say, I have a bunch and I love them all. With that being said, they are all different and you can never have enough. Getting someone a really nice leather or suede journal elevates the gift from just being a bleh notebook to a WOW notebook.
The Perfect Planner
Okay. This is probably the coolest thing on here. If you’re like me, you like to plan your life down to a T. My planner is my baby. I love her. I don’t know what I would do if I lost her. HOWEVER, I want 2021 to end and it hasn’t even started yet just so I can buy a new one already BECAUSE I want to order a beautiful, customized one from Papier. I am a sucker for a monogram and anything personalized. I think that if you were to get a planner that you MADE and designed you will be much more likely to use it. One of my friends just bought one and it’s lavender themed and so dainty and pretty. The website has so many different options and you can change the font, the color, the boldness, EVERYTHING. Go go go. NOW.
Operation Happiness Stickers and Stress Balls
Last but not least, I had to throw these in here, but because I’m #humble, I stuck them at the very bottom. There’s not much to say about these other than the fact that they make me smile and it makes me smile when I see other people put them on their computers or water bottles or mirrors, or send me a picture of the stress ball on their desk. The whole reason why I even made these items in the first place was to help spread some positivity and smiles. If you’re interested in any of these items, just reach out to me on Instagram @operationhappinessblog and I will hook you up!