Perfectionist DIY

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year, in large part because I love to buy gifts and make special treats for my friends and family. This year a put a lot of thought and energy into making an Advent Calendar for my 13 month only daughter, and realized that I should also do something for my husband. I of course had this thought just a few days before December 1st so it was unrealistic for me to try to pull off 24 days of gifts and activities, but I realized I could pretty easily do 12 days with many of the stocking stuffers I had already grabbed for him. That combined with some family activities we were already planning to do made for the perfect little gift to help count down until Christmas! Here are the gifts and activities I chose for my husband. Hopefully it gives you some ideas if you want to do the same for someone in your life! If you want to see a video of all of this put together check out my reel on Instagram🎄

FYI this post may contain affiliate links. All that means is that if you purchase something through one of the links, you won’t pay a cent more but I might make a small commission.

1. Dobby Ornament With Countdown

I can’t resist these little Harry Potter trinkets when I find them. They just make the perfect stocking stuffers or small gifts. I decided to make this the first gift of the month because it includes a Christmas countdown so I figured my husband would put that on his desk at work to count down the days until Christmas 🎄

2. Christmas Movie and Candy Board

I’ve done candy boards before for my husband (the one on the left above is from his birthday a few years ago) so I thought I would do a Christmas candy themed one to make a movie night extra special. I got a variety of Christmas themed candies from the grocery and even added Christmas sprinkles to the popcorn for an extra touch.

3. New Christmas Pajamas – Kyte Winterberry Pattern (Family Matching Set)

Kyte pjs are hands down my favorite kiddo pjs. I always wait and buy them during their annual sales- typically done in January and July. I was able to score all these for almost 50% off this past July.

4. Mini Desk Christmas Cactus

How cute is this! My husband is from Texas so the cactus is perfect for him and it’s small enough that it will fit on his desk at work.

5. Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread

I’ve seen tons of different ways to do this on Pinterest so I’m not sure exactly what I’ll do, but I like the idea of stuffing little balls of pizza dough with all sorts of different fillings and placing them together in the shape of a tree. I’ll probably do several different kinds- some balls with pesto, some with marinara and pepperoni, and some with veggies.

6. Fresh Baked Christmas Treat

Baking is one of my favorite things to do over the holidays. And there are so many great recipes out there! Shortbread and spritz cookies are two of my personal favorites. I have some of my dessert recipes shared on my Instagram and I plan to post more throughout December so feel free to check it out here if you need some baking inspiration.

7. Family Christmas Movie – Polar Express

We don’t have any active streaming subscriptions that carry this right now but you can rent it on Prime Video for $3.99. I have some saved up e-credits from opting for slower shipping so we’ll use those to rent it without any cost. You can also rent it on Apple TV for the same price or buy it for $9.99

8. Family Shopping Trip to Pick out Christmas Gifts at Barnes and Nobel

Pick your favorite store and head out to buy a few stocking stuffers for everyone. Our family’s favorite store is Barnes and Nobel because we’re all such book lovers 📖 They’ve got a great selection of toys and knickknacks too.

9. Christmas Dad Jokes

My husband has been the king of dad jokes since before we even had kids so I know he’ll get a kick out of these. I found this exact version at my local HomeGoods store but found a very similar looking option on Amazon that I’ve linked above.

10. Santa Chocolates

Because who doesn’t love chocolate! And it tastes even better when it’s in a fun seasonal shape. Again I found mine at HomeGoods but linked a similar looking option on Amazon.

11. Twas the Night Before Christmas Book

This is a special Barnes and Nobel edition of ‘Twas the Night before Christmas and I just thought it was so beautiful! I got it on sale after Christmas last year but right now Barnes & Nobel is having a buy one get one 50% off so it’s a decent deal if you want to get it before Christmas- linked here.

12. Decorate Gingerbread Houses

I found this super cute Hogwarts Castle Cookie Kit and thought it would be perfect for my Harry Potter loving husband. I’ve linked it on Amazon but I actually found mine at the local Walmart so if you have one near you and would rather get it in person check there.

And that is it! I’m sure my husband will love the items and activities I’ve chosen but more than anything I know he (and most husbands out there) will mostly appreciate the thought has gone into making something special for them.

Merry Christmas everyone!! 🎄☃️