The Amazing Hand-Picked Christmas Gift Guide
Sometimes a gift card just isn’t what you’re looking for and I’m here to help!
Ok, I really enjoyed putting this gift guide together! Most of these are things I have enjoyed. A few are things that I find amazing and are on my list, too. I think you’ll find something cool and unique for that really special person in your life…or for yourself!
These meaningful gifts will seriously brighten up your gift giving. Especially for that person that means a lot to you but you don’t know what to give them, and you know that a gift card won’t cut it.
Don’t forget to share this with your friends and family!
Please note: some of the following are affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase through the links I provide, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. This helps me to keep this website up and running and well maintained. Thank you!
Bibles and Books
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible ($80-$95)
This is my most used Bible for personal study and reflection. The text is nicely sized and spaced to allow for really meaningful highlights and underlines and the journaling margins are generously sized. The pages are strong and easily endure my markups using my favorite pens, Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliners. This was a gift I once received and I can tell you it’s a beautiful thing to give or receive!
Systematic Theology ESV Study Bible ($24-$55)
The Systematic Theology Study Bible is perfect for the church leader, Bible student or Bible teacher, but is appealing to all who wish to understand Christian doctrine and how theology is extracted from Scripture. You’ll awaken the inner theologian with this Bible!
ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible ($16-$27)
The Gospel Transformation Study Bible by Crossway is a reliable study Bible and a readable translation. This study Bible is geared towards finding the grace of Christ in all of Scripture. When my wife and I moved overseas, this is the only study Bible we carried along in our suitcase!
You can read my full review on the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible here!
Letters to the Church by Francis Chan ($10-$15)
Very seriously, this is the book every Christian should read right now. The church is the bride of Christ and the bride is being prepared for her groom. If 2020 has shown you nothing more than that, then you should understand the wheat and the chaff are being separated. You hear people talk about the need for revival in the church, but that begins in the heart of every believer. You and I need revival, it begins with us.
Francis Chan’s teaching style in this book is understandable, applicable and very real. I must say it again, this is the book every Christian should read right now.
Study guide available here separately.
Watch this…
A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller ($9-$14)
This book on prayer is practical, realistic, and applicable to everyday life. Not every book on the subject of prayer can accomplish all of that. The subtitle of this book is connecting with God in a distracting world. Never before have there been so many blatant distractions at our fingertips. A very meaningful book for this time we’re in.
My wife and I read this together and it’s on our read once a year list and we highly recommend this book.
And He Dwelt Among Us by A.W. Tozer ($9-$15)
Reading this book brings deeper insight that will fuel the love that you may already have for John’s Gospel and ignite your passion for it if you don’t.
This is the most captivating book I’ve ever read on the Gospel of John. Every time I see this cover, I want to dig into it all over again!
If you know me or have read my about page, you’ll know I’ve been a coffee master since 2000. I have been blessed first by a career in coffee, and by the ability to have had coffee play significant roles in our ministry. I’m excited to share some of my favorite cool coffee items as awesome gift ideas!
Coffee
Bonavita Coffee Brewer ($150)
There are 2 things that are critically important to a great coffee brewer: the spray heads on the brewer, and the temperature it brews coffee. This is one of the best home brewers that has well placed, highly effective spray heads and that maintains water at the optimal brewing temperature of 198° to 205°F (92°-96° C). This beast has a 1500 watt heater and that’s going to be about the highest you can get in home brewing!
We use the one pictured here, but there’s also one that comes with a really cool glass carafe.
Hario Skerton Ceramic Coffee Mill ($35-$40)
This thing is great. I take it on the road, camping, and have used it at home on occasion. What I like most about it is the burrs that grind the beans are ceramic so they give an even grind and they don’t pre-heat your coffee beans with friction while they’re grinding.
You gotta be a real coffee lover to hand grind your beans at home, but it’s small and light enough for travel. Bonus: I haven’t tried this, but if you accidentally break the glass, I heard the mill will fit a Mason style jar!
Baratza Encore Burr Grinder ($150)
For those who don’t want to take their coffee grinder on the road, this is an absolute beast. It has 40 different grind settings from super fine Turkish to super coarse for French Press and again, grinding with burrs gives a consistent grind to your coffee and doesn’t heat the beans as they grind like blade grinders do.
I had an older version of this grinder made by Baratza. When it performed it’s last grind and died, it wass after 16 years of daily coffee grinding! Needless to say, I have no trouble recommending Baratza.
Tech, Fun, and Games
Nokia Phones ($90-$600)
Yes, that Nokia! Nokia released their first “reinvented” phone to the U.S. in June 2017 and I was one of the first in line. It’s one solid phone, crafted out of a single piece of anodized aluminium, it feels like a $900 phone in your hands. They comes with stock Android One with no bloatware and Nokia does provide at least 2 years of updates.
I’ve been using the Nokia 6 since June 2017 (!) and I really enjoy this device. It’s been amazing for multi tasking everyday stuff. I run several social media apps and even edit photos for my blog on this thing. I can’t say it enough, for the price ranges of Nokia phones, these devices cannot be touched!
Fitness Resistance Band Set ($33)
Portable, built well, and stack-able to increase the weight resistance. A really nice set of exercise equipment that you can easily store and take with you if you wish.
Bonus: Guaranteed not to become a catch-all or a coat hanger! But in all seriousness, these bands really are made very well. They replaced some old rubber resistance bands that were not so fun to use.
Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries ($45)
If you’ve ever played Ticket to Ride USA or Europe, then you need this. And if you haven’t played, then you need them all! Nordic Countries is a smaller map and is fit for 2 or 3 players, or teams if you have more people. We love Ticket to Ride, and we love this even more since we’re called to minister in Scandinavia!
Bonus: You can pray for us and all of those called to serve the Nordic people each time you play this game!
For the Blogger in Your Life
Here are two of the most important tools and services I use to keep this blog and site running well and to enhance the user experience.
Here’s where you’ll find the rest of the tools I use in operating a website.
Varial Hosting
Are you looking for a new, reliable, and more supportive web host? Varial Hosting is an award-winning web hosting service provider specializing in affordable yet premium web hosting and optimized WordPress hosting solutions.
I’d be dead in the water without an excellent web host. The personal service and support that I get from Varial is why I continue to renew with them each year. I’m crazy impressed with how they continue to add features and improve on an already awesome service.
Genesis Framework
WordPress sites are powered by themes. A framework is a sort of a super powerful theme engine that handles all of the core elements. Genesis is what I use and it’s a powerhouse supertheme engine for WordPress. Genesis is fast, clean, SEO friendly, and extremely reliable.
On top of a framework like Genesis, you need a child theme. All of the design and layout elements rest on top of the framework. It’s the custom paint on a supercar. I’m using the Essence Pro Theme on Genesis.
Genesis Framework and themes have revolutionized my blog and site. The custom elements you see all over my site are all because of Genesis Framework and themes. That’s not only given my site it’s own character, but it’s also provided the fast, user friendly environment and has brought a level of professionalism to my blog.
Thanks for checking out my hand picked gift guide! I hope you found something unique, fun or useful!