2025 Christmas Gift Guide – Miss Mustard Seed

Posted by admin

November 27, 2025

On November 27, 2025

The Christmas shopping season is among us, and Black Friday (which seems to last over a month now) Sales are already happening. As I have in the past, I’ve put together a few gift guides, mostly consisting of things I own and love that might be good for someone on your list. While I love bargains and good deals, I’ve never been one to shop for or buy something simply because it’s on sale. Instead, I hope the things I want are included in a sale; if not, I’ll wait for them to go on sale. So, some of these things are included in Black Friday sales, and some aren’t.

Here are my gift guides, of things I curated for cooks, makers, gardeners, Jane Austen fans, writers, readers, and a few guides that include tech accessories. things that are just fun, and some of my favorites from 2025.

Of course, I think books make great gifts, and cookbooks are a great gift for the people in your life who love to cook. A couple of my go-to books are Cook’s Atelier and Upper Crust. I bought The Pig Cookbook after eating at one of The Pig’s restaurants in the Cotswolds. All three of these cookbooks are more than just pages of recipes. They tell compelling stories and have beautiful photography.

I always include a KitchenAid stand mixer in my gift guides for cooks or new homeowners. Jeff bought me one as a housewarming gift over 25 years ago, and it’s still kneading dough, mixing cookies, rolling pasta, and whipping icing. I also love my Staub cast-iron Coq au Vin pot. I keep it on my stove because it’s so pretty and cook in it at least once a week. It’s pricey, but it makes a very thoughtful gift that will last a lifetime.

A couple of nice stocking stuffers are a wood & natural bristle dish brush, and one of my favorite French wooden spoons.

THIS pencil has been my favorite for years. There are other pencils I like, but this is the one I must have and use daily. It’s a great stocking stuffer for people who like writing, sketching, or who are writing utensil snobs. (I almost called it an implement or recordation, which is what one of my friends used to call pencils, and that memory nugget just popped in my head.) THESE forged scissors have also been favorites for years and are great for anyone who values quality, sharp scissors for fabric or paper.

I bought this watercolor leather-bound journal earlier this year, and it is fantastic! It’s a luxurious gift for anyone who keeps a visual journal of any sort.

Of course, I had a hard time narrowing down art books, but I picked these two as broadly appealing to people who like crafting, art, design, color, and creativity. They are both beautiful and inspiring and will make you want to make things – Making a Life and The Artist’s Palette.

A couple of new things are THIS adorable pouch from Emily Lex (it’s lined and great for either toiletries or art supplies), and the Creativity is Calling hoodie or tee from my Dashery store.

Several of these items were on my gift guide for the gardener last year, and they are still favorites. THIS knee pad is the best – thick, comfortable, and easy to move around. It’s not glamorous, but it’s practical! Speaking of practicality, these garden gloves are affordable and provide good dexterity for basic weeding and planting. I also put on my gloves and Hunter Chelsea boots when I got out to work in the yard. For prettier gifts, I love Sneeboer tools and Haws Watering cans. Both are garden brands that are beautiful, well-made, and feel like heirlooms.

Lastly, Bunny Williams’ Life in the Garden is still my favorite gardening book. It is a gorgeous, aspirational garden book, but it also offers practical gardening information and encouragement.

After going to Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, Hampshire, this fall, and reading three of her novels so far, I decided to include a gift guide for the Jane Austen fan. The book A Jane Austen Year was put together by the organization that maintains the home and collection, so it’s a great purchase for anyone who wishes they could visit the home or who wants to relive seeing it in person. It includes details about the collection, rooms in the house, the garden, and Jane’s writings. Of course, I needed to include one of her books, and I selected Sense & Sensibility. This particular series of books features beautiful blue and white colors and has blue-ombré pages when displayed on a shelf together. Julia bought me the book My Dear Cassandra, which contains Jane’s letters to her sister, Cassandra. It’s a great read if you want to know more about Jane’s life and family.

I also included a few things that I don’t own, but looked like fun gifts – Society of Obstinate Girls tee (a quote from Pride & Prejudice), Jane Austen wrapping paper, lavender water (for your constitution), and a custom wax seal (for your penny post letters).

Of course, there’s also the tee I made for my Dashery Shop – I am excessively fond of a cottage tee, which combines Jane’s quote from Sense & Sensibility and a thatched cottage from George Herbert Kitchin’s sketchbook.

I have several fountain pens that are a delight to write with, but the Kaweco Brass Sport is a high-quality pen at a reasonable price. It has a nice weight because it’s made of brass, but it won’t break the bank. I always used Noodler’s Ink Buttleproof Black to fill all of my fountain pens. I’ve also included a couple of my favorite notebooks – a Moleskine journal and a refillable leather notebook. And, of course, I included our Write On tee/hoodie.

If you want more ideas for fountain pens and ballpoint pens, you can find them in these posts – Favorite affordable fountain pens & Refillable Ballpoint & Rollerball pens.

Of course, I could recommend hundreds of books, but I was trying to think of accessories and little thoughtful gifts beyond just books. If you want book recommendations, you can find lists of art books HERE, creativity books HERE, and decorating books HERE that are in my library.

For this round-up, I included a library embosser, which is just a good, old-fashioned gift for those who keep a home library. I also thought these throwback library cards were fun for those who lend books out. I don’t have a Kindle, but my mom loves hers. I do so many things on screens for my work that I like having my books on paper, but if I did get a Kindle, I would get this colored version.

This is a small (and more affordable) version of The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries, and it is a gorgeous book for bookstore lovers. Lastly, we have my favorite book-hoarder tee and a pair of cute reading glasses (because I’m at the age where I need both contacts and reading glasses, which is super fun.)

And, I have to include Book Darts. They are awesome to use as a bookmark or for marking pages you want to revisit.

When I was looking around at some of my favorite things, a tech theme came together, so I wanted to share a few of my go-to tech accessories. I have a few different Apple Watch bands, but THIS is my favorite to wear when I’m dressing up a little bit for church or going out. I like that it’s genuine leather and a “statement band.”

Everyone in our family has a leather or wood AirPods case from Andar. It provides some protection and also helps us tell them apart. Speaking of cases, I have a few iPhone case designs on Society6, including THIS cute checked one. I also included both of my favorite Bluetooth speakers (the larger Marshall speaker I have in my studio, and a vintage-style mini Bluetooth speaker), a charging cable with a weighted knot to prevent it from sliding off when unplugged, and a wall adapter with USB and USB-C outlets (handy for travel or if you live in an older house).

Marshall bluetooth speaker

I don’t own it, but Marshall also has a small, portable version of this Bluetooth speaker, and it’s on sale for $89 HERE.

I wanted to include a round-up of things that are just fun. These are things that people gather around, and I have found them to be good gifts for all ages. When we were at the beach with four generations of family members, I brought some watercolor workbooks, and several of us sat around and painted together. Everyone liked them, from my very young cousin to my great-uncle.

I included a few favorite games – Cat Stax, a fun puzzle game for cat lovers, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza ( a fast and easy card game that is great for all ages), and Telestrations (a hilarious group game we place at large get-togethers with family and friends). I am always in tears with laughter when we play Telestrations.

We all hovered around Find the Cat when I got it for my in-laws for Christmas one year. It was the biggest hit of the day!

I got Letters from a Nut for a gift years ago, even before Jeff and I got married. I would read it out loud to everyone in the room, and we’d be rolling with laughter. It is such a funny book and one you can pick up, read an excerpt, laugh, and put down again.

And Calvin & Hobbes is always a good idea.

And this last guide includes some of my favorite things from 2025. I bought this Seasalt Cornwall raincoat after I tried it on in England, and I love it. The cut is flattering and classic, and the color is fantastic. Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart, Still, and A Rich Spot of Earth are three of my favorite books I read this year.

I also love these linen gingham sheets from Quince, this English-style garden bucket for weeding and yard clean-up, and THIS large umbrella that comes in tons of colors.

Lastly, I got THESE leather clogs as a part of a blog partnership, and they are what I’ve been looking for! They are casual and comfortable, but look a little elevated because of the quality leather and buckle detail. I have worn them a lot and would recommend them to my fellow clog-lovers. They also come in several different colors.

I hope you find something in this round-up that will help you with your Christmas gift shopping list or give you ideas for things you want to add to your list!

Source link