Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

*This post was made possible by Penguin Random House, and contains gifted product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Right at the beginning of this year, I made a commitment to myself to read more books. I’m happy to report that I’ve made good on that goal, and am working on finishing my twentieth novel. That’s more than I’ve read in the last three years combined! It has been such a nice change to opt for a book instead of more screen time in the evenings or during the afternoon hours of the weekend.

Just in case you’ve been hoping to make the same type of change (or if you already have!), I wanted to share a list of a few coffee-table-style books to consider, plus a couple other creative-focused goodies. Keep scrolling for my quick gift guide for the book lover in your life, whether that’s you yourself or a friend/family member.

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

Book Lovers Gift Guide (Plus 2 Extras!):

House Planted, by Lisa Munoz: This book is perfect for those of you out there who stocked your spaces with extra greenery during the pandemic quarantine of last year (or if you were already in on that trend!). House Planted is maxed out with dreamy photos of plant-filled homes, plus tips for how to care for each different variety. You’ll learn how to deal with plant pests, pruning and fertilizing 101, plus ways to style your plants, too. The book is on the smaller side (it’s roughly just eight inches square), so it’s an easy one to wrap up and ship to someone on your gifting list.

Minimalista, by Shira Gill: Whether you’re a true minimalist decorator, or you’re like me and just want to minimize what you have, Minimalista, the book, is for you. There are checklists to peruse on how to minimize things in your closet, laundry room, kids’ spaces, your office—you name a space and it’s covered! There are also suggestions for how to maintain your lack of clutter and excess, which is something I’ve struggled with in the past, so I’m excited to put Shira’s tips to the test. I love the chunky feel of this book, and the thick matte finish of the pages. It was a pleasure for me to read from cover and cover.

Simply Sustainable, by Lily Cameron: If you’ve been following along with me for any length of time, then you know I’m on a quest to make our home and lifestyles more sustainable. I’m by no means perfect, and honestly don’t even intend to become totally zero waste, but I am 100 percent committed to doing what I can to help make our home less wasteful. This Simply Sustainable book is a nice complement to my goals. As you’d expect, there are plenty of suggestions, lists, prompts, and tools listed out for you to try, and the floppy paperback feel of this coffee table book makes it easy to grab and go—especially if you’re carting it to a gift exchange this holiday season!

The Home Edit Workbook, by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin: Have you read (or heard of) The Home Edit? Chances are good that you have since this duo has taken the home organization world by storm. They even have a series on Netflix! Anything from The Home Edit brand is a great destination for those looking to get their spaces in order. The spiral-bound layout of the book is easy to flip through, and there are lots of open lists where you can write your own responses to prompts, like, “Things You Need To Get Rid Of,” “Ways To Beautify The Space,” and “Things This Space Could Use.” Don’t worry if you don’t know what you’d put on those lines right now! The book has action tips and ideas that will help inspire you light bulb moment. Did I mention you get a sheet of actual gold star stickers to reward yourself for each challenge completed?! Talk about motivating.

Words of Art, by Catherine Gund: I may be biased (I definitely am), but I think this card game is such a fun addition to this list! You don’t need to know anything at all about art in order to play, by the way. It’s essentially a creative reimagining of Apples To Apples, if you’re familiar with that game. The box comes with 150 cards each featuring images of twentieth- and twenty-first century art works, and players get to come up with the art card that best expresses the prompt given by the designated Storyteller. Full rules are explained here if you want more detail, but trust me that this is a good one to break out during holiday parties.

Roses in Bloom Puzzle, by the New York Botanical Garden: I know this puzzle and the game above aren’t technically books, but I feel confident that the creative premises behind each of these activities will go along nicely with a book lovers’ lifestyle. This puzzle is a perfect rainy or snowy day type of pastime (like books are!), and could be another handy thing to have during this year’s holiday get-togethers. The colorful floral image of the finished puzzle is so lovely, and will help you think ahead to spring if you long for warmth during winter.

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

If you want to see the inside of the books, make sure you’re following me on Instagram! I’m planning to share a couple of extra snippets on social media this afternoon, and will also be showing a quick flip through the physical books themselves if you’re like me and can’t buy a book without at least a tiny peek at the actual pages. I’ve got you covered.

Did I leave a great coffee table book, puzzle, or creative game off my list above that you adore? Let me know about it in the comments since I’m always looking to add to our collection. Happy reading, everybody!

Holiday Gift Guide For The Book Worm | | dreamgreendiy.com + @penguinrandom #gifted

*I earn a small percentage from purchases made using the affiliate links above. Affiliate links are not sponsored. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.

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Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

I’ve posted an annual holiday décor home tour on my blog for as long as I can remember, but I think this year’s might be the most “me” ever. There’s just something about the non-traditional color palette I ended up with and the subtly of everything that speaks to me so much right now, and I feel really “at home.” Keep scrolling for the full tour and story behind the accents I incorporated into the space, and don’t miss the resource links throughout in case something speaks to you as you decorate your own home for the holidays.

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Resources: Faux pre-lit Christmas tree, assorted metallic ornamentskraft paper gift wrap, vintage ceramic sleigh (similar), green sofa, area rug, faux wooden beams

I decided from the start that I didn’t want to go overboard (anyone else feeling mentally exhausted from 2021?!), and I stuck to that goal by peppering just a few holiday accents throughout our living and dining rooms. I used what we had to decorate these two spaces, with just a couple of exceptions—the pair of layered faux garlands I added over the door to our kitchen and the skinny faux Christmas trees I bought for our dining room buffet (which are, sadly, already out of stock at Target). Otherwise, I used pieces from our existing collection.

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Resources: Wooden houses (similar), ceramic Christmas tree, wooden Christmas tree (similar), deer figurine (similar), floating shelves, amber curtain panels, floor lamp

I often get questions on social media wondering if I purchase all new Christmas decor from year to year, and the answer is definitely no! Our house isn’t nearly big enough (nor is our budget) to store multiple collections of holiday accents and trees, so I just use what we have. I like to treat myself to a couple of new pieces each year, but they’re always small. Our main pieces, like the big pre-lit tree and our ornaments, always stay the same.

One trick I like to use is this: I don’t use every single piece of our Christmas décor every year. Some years I’ll pull out all of our colorful, nostalgic childhood ornaments to create a more eclectic look on our tree, whereas other years I’ll pull out nothing but the round gold and silver ornaments to achieve a more uniform aesthetic. This year I did sort of a mix by incorporating the round gold and silver ornaments alongside our more neutral-colored childhood ornaments. By mixing things up and pulling just certain things from our collection each year, I’m able to get a different vibe without having to buy a whole new set of accents.

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Resources: Faux evergreen garland, ornaments, string lightspainted wooden trees (another option), Frame TV, media cabinet, bead garlandwoven stand

Point being, don’t feel like you have to use every single bit of your Christmas collection every year! I sometimes feel a little guilty about not finding a spot for the retro light-up Christmas tree that John’s parents handed down to us, or the big faux tabletop tree I invested in last year as my one “new” item, but I know it’ll be extra special when I do find spots of those things in future years. It makes everything feel brand new to me, and also more intentional. It’s not about obligation, it’s about intuition! Choose pieces from your collection that make you feel good in that moment, even if it doesn’t involve that set of ceramic houses you bought last year, or Grandma’s nativity set. There’s always next year for those…

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Resources: faux garland, flameless candles (similar), tabletop Christmas trees (similar), cordless diffuser, area rug, record player (similar), pendant light

This year, I decided to keep things low key by focusing just on our dining room and living room. Our main pre-lit Christmas tree got set up in the living room, this year right in front of the windows (it looks so pretty from outside!), and I also restyled our floating bookshelves with a few favorites from our collection, like ceramic trees, wooden houses, a retro hand-me-down ceramic deer, and the “Merry Christmas Darling” cross-stitch my sister made for me that I framed. I placed a stack of Christmas books on our coffee table, and also topped our media cabinet with Christmas trees and a bead garland.

Speaking of garland, I also made sure to hang an evergreen version over the doorway to our kitchen where we’ll clip Christmas cards as they come in the mail. This has become a standing tradition every year, and it’s one of John’s favorites. This year he requested lights on the garland, so I found a battery-operated strand in our dining room cabinet to weave in and out of the garland to give it extra festive flair. More garland, and a couple of Christmasy accents on our dining room buffet finished things off perfectly!

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

I’ll be honest. A lot of times around mid-December I get really sick of Christmas décor. There’s just a feeling of excess that pushes my OCD over the edge, and I end up taking everything down as soon as the holiday is over (I tend to get more excited for the activities of Christmas rather than the décor!). That said, I don’t think I’ll be feeling that way about our holiday accents this year. Everything feels understated enough to bring me joy without making me feel overwhelmed. I guess my style is “minimalist Christmas” after all! How would you describe your holiday style at home?

P.S. My holiday home tour just went live over on YouTube! Click here if you’d like to take a virtual walk through our Christmasy living and dining rooms.

Our Christmas Living & Dining Room Tour

*I earn a small percentage from purchases made using the affiliate links above. Affiliate links are not sponsored. Rest assured that I never recommend products we wouldn’t use or don’t already love ourselves.

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