Christmas 2025

We are back at it with our Christmas showcase of the best gifts we are giving our kids (and a couple for adults) this year. We love being able to source specific items that we know our kids will love; from a quiet indoor basketball to a kitten ornament and everything in between. Ours kids are similar in a lot of ways but we love to find unique gifts that speak right to their niche interests. Luckily we have so many companies to show you today, most that we have loved for a long time and a couple new ones this year. Hopefully this list can inspire you as you gift to the ones you love this year!

First up, our favourite water bottles from Owala. Not only do we use these at home but we bring these everywhere because we can toss them in a bag or they can accidentally get knocked over and they DO NOT SPILL. Not only are they functional but they are also come in the most beautiful colourways. The FreeSip Sway is our current favourite because we can carry it when our hands are full with one finger thanks to the durable grab-and-go bucket handle. We are loving all the colour options to pick for any adult or kid this Christmas.

We have found the best line of Christmas partyware and it’s from Josi James! Their new Hearth and Holly line is gorgeous, offering so many different patterns and designs for the holidays this year like their vintage floral dessert plates, or their Farmhouse Christmas Dessert plates, or a classic Red Plaid napkin. So many pieces from their Hearth and Holly line can easily mix and match to bring so much beauty to your Christmas table this year. We love that Josi James is a family run company and helps to elevate special occasions to bring joy and create memories on special days!

Purdys has always been a Christmas treat for us, ever since we were little girls when we found a few Purdys chocolate bells at the bottom of our stockings from our parents. We find it so lovely to gift a Purdys chocolate gift box such as the Milk & Dark Chocolate Nuts and Caramels to teachers or coaches at Christmas or stick a few of their Holiday Miniatures into our kids’ stockings. Whether you need corporate gifts, a hostess gift, or simply want to give some chocolates to your friends and family, Purdys is our favourite place to buy the most delicious chocolates!

When I was 6 years old and Chelsea was 9, our parents hung a Precious Moments pregnant mama bear on our Christmas tree to let us know that our mom was pregnant with our little brother. This is a memory that will stick with us forever and was the start of our family changing for the better. Precious Moments has a way of providing unique gifts to help celebrate or mark a significant time in our lives. From ornaments to collectibles, to advent calendars and so much more, Precious Moments has so many amazing gifts that can bring so much nostalgia during life’s biggest moments. This Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar has all the nativity characters from the bible that are placed in individual boxes and a storybook that you can read along for each day - it’s adorable. They also carry so many different ornaments to choose from and we love choosing ornaments that signify that last year in our kids’ lives in some way.

Another gift idea for the whole family comes from Native Shoes and their oh so comfortable shoes, boots, and sandals. There is something for everyone here from their Kensington Chelsea Boots for kids to their Jefferson Wanderfoam Block shoes for adults (peep the flowered ones I am wearing above!) . Native is well known for making durable shoes while also keeping a big focus on on sustainability and using natural resources in their products. These would make a great Christmas gift as our kids have been wearing Native shoes for years and we have passed them down from one kid to the next so we can attest from experience that they are durable, practical, and easy to clean.

We love including a few books in our holiday gift guide and get a wee bit excited when we start seeing all the Christmas books in our local bookstores. Raincoast carries such a wide variety of books, making it easy to find something for each of our kids (and maybe one or two for us!). Besides a variety of storybooks, they also carry puzzles, sticker books, colouring books, stationary, activity sets, and the list could go on.

Blu Track is a brand new company to us but we can already tell it will see a lot of F1 races in our households! All of their products are made in the USA and are incredibly durable and flexible, making tracks so easy to make and then customize.
They even carry Educational STEM kits where you can use the tracks and all the accessories that come with to teach things like force, motion, and physics. As a homeschooling family I can see Jake doing different experiments with the weighted cars that come with it or even adding salt to one track and using his hot wheels cars to see how that changes the speed of the vehicles. Endless opportunities to learn through play so we are excited to use Blu Track for the first time this Christmas. Oh and the best part? The track comes with a suction cup so you can start your races from anywhere!

We love to get creative with others during the holidays. The only thing better than a gift, is a gift that keeps on giving. Circle Farms is a Canadian company that offers Canadian seed subscriptions. When you purchase a subscription, each month Circle Farms will send you, or whoever was gifted, a new packet of flower, herb, or vegetable seeds that grow well in our Canadian climate. This is a beautiful idea for any garden or flower lover, chef, or anyone who is looking to start a garden. 

You also can purchase individual seed packets if a subscription is not what you need, but the beauty of a subscription is that a new gift shows up in your mailbox each month! The gift that keeps on giving all year long. 

Franklin Sports is a household name around here because they carry so much sporting gear that our families have loved and used over the years. There is so much to pick from directly from their site and even carry many team specific gear for the big fans! We are trying out the Nerf QuietCourt Basketball and hoping my girls can practice their dribbling in the house without waking the whole neighbourhood. We also geared up our boys with Franklin’s CRX Sliding Glove so they can feel like a pro when they steal second base this year. We also have some team footballs (they come in a variety of sizes) and MLB Pop-a-pitch to help practice some baseball timing in the backyard. There is so much to choose from and we always find that Franklin Sports is a one-stop shop for all of your outdoor sports needs.

It feels like on every Tik Tok video where moms show their top 5 best toys for kids, they are always including Magna-Tiles - it’s just that good! It’s versatile, durable, and provides open-ended creativity. My kids have made letter shapes with them, created ferry boats, made car tracks, and of course made the tallest towers they could. Magna-Tiles recently launched these Rail Racers that we are excited to try and also pack along these MicroMags for travel time or busting out on the sidelines as we cheer on siblings at sports events. Their tiles are engineered with safety in mind with high-quality components to keep them from cracking or pinching fingers when children build their creations. We keep our Magna-Tiles in a basket in our living room because they get played with almost every day and we cannot wait to add to our collection this Christmas.

One of our favourite book series, Heartwood Hotel, comes from Hachette Book Group. This series follows animals in the forest over different seasons throughout the year as they encounter different adventures and problems that arise - highly recommend it! Not only does Hachette carry many different books but they also carry sticker books, activity sets, and even this Teeny-Tiny Cat Nativity whom I know a certain girl will love (*ahem* Kinsley).

Tetley Tea is a perfect gift idea to use as a stocking stuff, a thank you gift for teachers, or even as a hostess gift at Christmas parties this December. We are lifelong Tetley fans thanks to our mother, and our favourites are peppermint, Earl Grey, Camomile, and of course orange pekoe (+ the decaf version). This year we are excited to try Immune which has lemon Echinacea, ginger, and Zinc. Lastly, we wanted to mention that Tetley has some new sustainability practices including the redesign of its famous blue box of Orange Pekoe Tea to now be 100% recyclable. Woop woop!

Blue Orange Games offers a wide range of games and activities that the whole family will enjoy this Christmas. We are trying out a few different board games and want to share a few this morning with you. Linkx is a new game to us that is similar to Tetris that involves strategy to win but this one is a 2-player game so you can compete against a sibling or parent over the holidays.
We also have a game called Little Soldiers which we know our boys will love - it combines that nostalgic throwback of the little green soldiers that have been loved for generations with different game plays using cards, ropes, and various game piece items.
Not only do they have board games but they also carry activities such as FootzyBall, a retractable ball that clips on to a waistband and allows a child to kick the ball forward without losing the ball. This enhances gross motor skills, balance, and hand-eye coordination and I think I’ll be competing against my son to see who can do more!

Warm Buddy offers cozy and cuddly stuffed animals that kids can enjoy Christmas morning. The best part about these is that they all have a removable hot/cold pack that can be heated/chilled and added back to provide a touch of comfort! Warm Buddies can give gentle, therapeutic heat to help promote restful sleep, ease tension, or calm aches whenever someone needs it. I know my girls will love to use these as they head to bed or want a little snuggle during the day on the couch. They have so many different animals and sizes to pick from so you can choose one that suits your child!

Our families are excited to try Finspan, the third game in the Wingspan series where the focus is on marine life and the players are marine researchers trying to earn points to win the game. We have yet to try it, but this one from Stonemaier is on our list to play this Christmas.

Who would like to find a little bit of candy in your stocking on Christmas morning?! We have found an amazing Canadian company called Ollie & Co Candy that we want to showcase to you today. This company brings in candy from Sweden that has much better ingredients than some of the junk you find here, and it also tastes way better! We sampled some as soon as they arrived and trust us, this is the bag to buy this Christmas. You can use it as a standalone gift, add it to a holiday snacking tray or simply pop it into a stocking! We sampled the Christmas mix but they have so many options to choose from so if you prefer sour or gummy there is something for everyone.

Next up we have Asmodee, which makes so many quality games for families to play together and what better gift during the holidays than an activity that brings families together. We have been playing versions of Ticket to Ride for years so we are eager to try Rails and Sails where railway and sea routes are sought after with the map of the world on one side and Great Lakes of North America on the other. Our kids love Ticket to Ride so our families will love to open this one up for family games night.
Just One Refresh has all new cards in this party game where you are giving one-word clues to your team in order for them to guess the winning word. O’Reilly family game nights get competitive and this one is approved in our family where we try to give innovative clues that help our team win.
Finally we have Brick Like This! is a lego game that you work at in teams in order to build the shape on the card. Lots of communication is needed in this game as the builder cannot see the card, only the instructor. This game can be for all ages who can build with lego and listen to instructions and looks like it will be a loud, competitive game!

We are games night families and these are fast-paced, family friendly ones from Dolphin Hat Games that use quick thinking and a fast hand to win. Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza is a popular game because it is simple to learn, great for parties, and works for all ages. I’m sure we will see a cousin game happening this Christmas as they race to see who can slap the deck on the correct match!

Another local Canadian brand we love is Mint Cleaning. We have been using their products for a few years and love that each product is eco friendly, plant based and non-toxic. The products all smell amazing, leaving a fresh scent behind after you are finished cleaning. We use the All-Purpose Cleaner on everything and love the powerful results. New to us is the glass cleaner, which would make a great hostess gift during the holidays. You can order these items direct from their website or find them in so many local shops. We have bought some in local stores from Langley all the way to Gibsons, on the Sunshine Coast.

Last but not least we have our girls most requested Christmas items - accessories and other items from Our Generation. Being able to dress their dolls and create so many different scenarios with them makes for such good imaginative play. Our generation carries clothing, accessories, furniture, and even animals to accompany their dolls - as moms we both get so many unique requests from our daughters for different items in order to keep creating with their dolls. This year we are eager to gift a few items such as the Dreams for Two, Advent Calendar, and a fun new clothing set such as this one called the Best Teas Pajamas. They of course carry a wide variety of dolls with different hair and eye colour and themed accessories there is really something for everyone including this newer doll called Eleanor that would be great to give Christmas morning.