My Complete 2026 Gift Guide
Every year I try to get better about giving people gifts that are unique and tailored really well to their specific interests and personality. All of the items listed below I have personally gifted to someone, have purchased for myself, or have received from someone (or something similar). These are my tried and true recommendations.
I’m not here to waste anyone’s time, so this blog will be set up in more of a list format than my usual blogs are, with links riddled throughout to make your browsing easy. We don’t gatekeep here!
Whether it be for a birthday, holiday, or just because, I hope you can use an idea from this blog to make someone’s day!
For Families
If you’re looking to get something for a family with kids of any age, experiences are a great way to go. Gifting a zoo membership is a gift that has so many perks. For the Milwaukee Zoo, for example, it provides free admission, but it also grants free or discounted admission for other select zoos and aquariums across the country, gift shop discounts, and priority registration for select camps and events for the kids.
Our local zoo is open year-round, making it a great option for families looking for something to do any time of year.
This is the only recommendation on this list I have not personally gifted or received, but my husband and I have been gifted a public museum membership, which is another similar type of gift we always enjoy, especially if your local museum has a planetarium like ours!
Source: Marcus Theatres
For families with older kids, the Marcus Theatre’s annual Ultimate Popcorn Tub makes a great addition to a movie night gift set. Marcus Theatres has come out with these for the last few years now, and my husband and I always partake at the start of each year. You pay $20-30 upfront - depending on your location and seasonal promos - to buy the bucket itself. Every time you bring it with you to the movies until the end of the year, you only pay $5.50 for unlimited popcorn every time you go. We’ve found this super useful when we go to the movies with friends. We bring the tub and can get enough popcorn for everyone for $5.50. If you go to the movies more than four times a year the bucket pays for itself, highly recommend.
For Long Distance Friends
If you have long distance friendships and want to send something that’s more of a “thinking of you” gift, Fresh Sends is the way to go. They have year round offerings like bridesmaid proposals, new baby packages, and birthday flower sends available, with things like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day flower sends popping up as those holidays come around. They also have packages where you can send coffee, candy, pasta, or perfume with your flowers. It’s a very cute and reliable flower delivery service with fun packaging, highly recommend.
Photo credit:
If you want to gift something a little more permanent, Send a Friend might be up your alley. It’s a hit with kids, or people who never grew out of cute stuffies. Send a Friend offers care packages with plenty of furry friend options to choose from. If you’re looking to send more of a complete care package rather than just a singular plush, they also offer different themed bundles that will do the trick.
Have a foodie friend? City Tins is the perfect gift. To make a long explanation short, a City Tin holds a collection of coupons you can use to get a discount on your bill at a variety of highly rated local restaurants. City Tins are only currently offered in Dallas, Twin Cities, Rockford area, or most of Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Madison, Lake Country, Fox Cities, Ozaukee County, and Racine. If you’d like to learn more, their website does a good job explaining, linked here. It’s also a great way to support your local restaurants!
Custom Gifts
For the people who seem to have everything, a custom gift is always a good option. Last year, I commissioned an artist on Etsy to do a family portrait of my husband Tanner, our cat Django, and myself. The digital copy has been both of our phone wallpapers for over a year. The Etsy store I got it from is called IwaKowalska, but if that’s not your style, there are plenty of artists and art styles to choose from.
Art Credit:
Another great option is Artifact Uprising photo books. When I gave this as a gift, I got in touch with my Sister-In-Law’s fiancé who sent me the photos from their Italy proposal trip to make my sister-in-law a coffee table book. While their albums are pricey, they’re more elevated and modern in comparison to other photo book websites like Shutterfly.
If you’re looking for something custom that’s fun and playful, I recommend Wonderbly personalized books. They have a selection of customizable children’s books that incorporates someone into the story - themselves, a family member, whoever you choose.
One of my best friends is a kindergarten teacher, I purchased a search-and-find style book for her classroom with her, Ms. Olivia, as the main character. For adults, they offer friendship scrapbooks, books for couples, birthday celebration books, and more. I’ve personally only ordered the books meant for younger audiences, but the adult-centric books are something I could see myself getting someone in the future.
A few years back, I gifted my Mom a custom stationary set with her name on it. It’s a simple gift, but as someone who still loves to send snail mail, I geek out when it comes to cute cards, fancy stationary, the nice pens that glide when you write, the works. If you find me in a Paper Source, I won’t be coming out for hours, trust. There are lots of places you can customize stationary, but I would personally recommend either Papier or Minted.
The Best Gifts
While buying something that makes you think of a friend, loved one, etc. is a kind gesture, taking the time to make someone something is one of the most thoughtful ways to gift. I have lots of talented friends who do pottery, knit, and make their own clothes. While I’m not an ultra crafty person myself, things like painting a watercolor card, making tie blanket, or painting things at pottery shops are fun for me and make for thoughtful gifts.
Last year, I partook in the trend where adult children gift their parent a handprint plate, the way you would as a kid with the words “Katie’s first Christmas” on the bottom, except this time your hand is huge, and it’s your 26th Christmas. That was certainly a cheap way to get a good laugh and quality present in one go. Now, while I understand most people don’t need a tie blanket or funny plate, there’s something to be said about thinking of a design or fabric specifically with you in mind, taking time to make something out of it, and give it to you.
I hope you found this gift guide helpful. Shoutout to my buddy Ms. Olivia for giving me the idea to write up this gift guide!