There are just 8 days until Christmas. If you celebrate, it’s time to get moving on the gift buying. I ordered some items on Amazon that, despite my Prime Membership, won’t make it to me until 12/28. I know. Unbelievable! I know… I’m really spoiled by Amazon Prime.
Personally, what I want most for Christmas is to spend time with my family, immediate and extended, enjoying good company and good food. Despite my best efforts to convey this to my parents, grandma and other relatives, however, I can tell they have a ways to go before they get into the whole ‘minimalist Christmas’ thing. I do believe we’ll get there – I just think it will take a few years.
So, if like me, your loved ones want some hints about gifts on your wish list this year OR if you have a mother runner / triathlete in your life who you want to surprise with something lovely, here’s a my list of gift ideas, all of which can be procured or created at the very last-minute.
- Babysitting Coupons – Especially during my
pregnancy, loads of people offered to watch my twins for me once they were born – the generosity of this offer is not lost on me, buuuuut how many times has it actually happened? Zero (not counting my mother, who is also our current nanny). To be fair, I haven’t asked – it’s just not my style. So, if babysitting is truly something you’re up for, put it on paper, make sure the receiver knows you’re serious, and follow-up to schedule a time.
Delicious Coffee and Travel Mug – and I don’t mean Starbucks. My household is currently obsessed with Stumptown Coffee. We go through so much coffee these days – it’s unreal. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than fresh, hot coffee, brewed at home. But since we are usually sprinting from home to the pool to work and back to the gym again, we need a solid, leak-proof cup that holds enough coffee to keep us going and keeps its contents nice and toasty!
- Triathlete T3 Kit – I think that combining some great ‘transition’ gear (that enables the speedy transition from training to work… the third transition in triathlon) in a waterproof cosmetic bag can be an
easy last-minute idea. And it enables you to be creative with the contents, most of which can be found at your local drugstore (in case you’re reading this on December 24th). My ideal bag would contain:
- Aveda dry shampoo
- Face wash wipes
- Disposable razor
- Hair ties (for those who have long locks)
- Travel sized tinted moisturizer (with spf) and mascara – for me these are the basics that I usually wear even on minimalist make-up days
- Protein bars – for recovery, of course. My favorite are Vega
- Electrolyte tabs – Nuun or Endurolyte Fizz
- Tiny first aid kit – with band-aids and antiseptic wipes
Meal prep for a week – For this gift, you can hire a cook or DIY. My sole experience with a gift like this (so far) was when my SO met a personal chef in the RRCA coaching class he took, who he later hired in advance of a particularly busy week to prep meals for us. The result was amazing! We had healthy, delicious vegan meals packaged and labeled in our fridge to eat from for about 4 days. Highly recommended.
Happy shopping to you! I’m wishing Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all of the mother runner / triathletes (and their loving, supportive, awesome families)!