These are a few of my favorite things ……

Christmas is officially here! And now that Thanksgiving has passed, nobody can tell me to stop listening to my Christmas music or that I can’t put up my decorations yet, much less that I should cease watching holiday Hallmark movies (confession: addicted to Hallmark). Smiles.  (I’ve posted some pictures of my holiday decorations on Facebook and Instagram if you want a peek!)  

I thought it might be fun to share a few of my favorite things this year and maybe give you some ideas for great gifts for the special people in your life this holiday season – especially those hard to buy for people!  Later in the month I’ll be sharing some budget friendly / family time ideas so be on the lookout for those as well.

Happy shopping!  (click on the photos to check out any of the items listed below)

This Bose Soundlink Bluetooth Speaker is literally one of my most favorite things ever. I’ve had it for years and use it constantly at home in my bathroom and kitchen (especially right now to play all my Christmas tunes!). I play it on my deck when we’re cooking out, and take it to every lake and beach outing, plus any trip I go on. It’s kind of like my trusty sidekick and my friends always know I’ll be bringing the tunes. It has great sound quality and the battery lasts up to fourteen hours. Since I have the older version, you can only buy this model as refurbished (Starting at $348) but the newer version can be found here for $299.00. Either is one is worth the investment!

 

I’ve also had this Bose Wave Radio (with CD) sitting on my nightstand for ten years – wait, maybe fifteen years – and it still works awesome! These radios are a bit more expensive than some but the sound quality is incredible and they last forever. $219.00 

 

Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses Alexa to play music, make calls, send & receive messages, and lot of other tasks. My brother gave both my parents a set of these last year and they love them! And there is often a pattern of yelling at Alexa when she isn’t “listening” which provides for some good holiday entertainment.  $29.99-$49.99 depending on Amazon sales

 

I know new fragrances come out every year, but I guess I’m a creature of habit. I’ve been wearing this same perfume by Calvin Klein called Eternity for probably twenty years. It’s a fresh, clean scent without a lot of overpowering sweetness. Plus I love the name. 🙂 $55-$90 

 

 I don’t think one can ever be too old for good ‘ol black Converse. These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes I wear every week! My only problem is keeping my daughter, who shall remain nameless, from borrowing them all the time.  $55 

 

This is a family favorite! My daughters introduced me to this Bath & Body Works bodywash and lotion and we go through it way too fast. It’s on my Christmas list for stocking stuffers for sure! $25.00 for the set

 

I don’t normally purchase shoes online because who knows how or if they will fit or if they’ll be comfortable to wear all day? But I took a chance and ordered these shoes and they fit perfect and were true to size. They are also super comfortable (even without socks!) and I wear them all the time. (To be honest, I ordered three pairs & a pair of boots & they’re all great.)  $25.00

 

I used to think primers weren’t really necessary under your makeup…until I actually tried it. I’ve tried several brands and I love this ELF brand the best so far, and you can’t beat the price! It’s a great stocking stuffer too.  $5.00-$8.00

 

Unfortunately, I’ve fallen for a lot of cosmetic gimmicks in my adulthood. One even cost me $200 several years ago. Mercy, what was I thinking? But a friend told me about this Peter Thomas Roth eye firming cream and I had to try it since you can’t beat the price, and surprisingly it actually does what it’s supposed to do. It’s an anti-aging eye treatment, which helps reduce bags under your eyes and minimize the appearance of fine lines. wrinkles and crow’s feet. It does its magic within five minutes and you can use it every day.  $23.00

I was introduced to this Aveda Thickening Tonic a few years ago by a hairdresser and loved it.  If you have thin hair like I do, this might be just what you’ve been needing to help your hair feel a little thicker and less wimpy. And again, a great little stocking stuffer.  $28.00

 

I confess, I was one of the many skeptics about using essential oils and I’m still not an avid user like many people are. But I have found them to be helpful for a variety of reasons over the past year.  Just recently I was suffering with a bad cold and cough and a friend told me to mix together four of the oils in my diffuser as I slept – and I slept almost all night with no coughing and no cough medicine! If nothing else, they make the room smell wonderful. 🙂  $17.00

 

Some diffusers are expensive, but I found this one on Amazon for $18 that worked perfect. For someone that has everything, this might be a cool thing to introduce them to!  $18.00

 

 

Lastly, another family favorite is the Amazon Firestick. No matter how many cable channels we get, we always end up watching Netflix, or Hulu or Amazon movies instead. And we carry it on trips with us to the beach or other rented places which might not have cable.  $50.00 

 

So what’s one of your favorite things? Leave a comment and share!

*The winner of Lynn Cowell’s new book Make Your Move and the 6 part DVD series was Joan Rushing. Thanks to all who entered and congrats to Joan!*

7 Comments

  1. Suzanne on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 8:23 am

    Tracie,
    Thanks for sharing these favorites! What brand are the shoes you shared and where did you get them?!
    You are such an inspiration to me…and “Unsinkable Faith” was instrumental in my life earlier this year!
    Blessings to you this Christmas!



    • Tracie on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 8:36 am

      Thanks for your sweet words Suzanne! All the items are linked to the amazon pages if you click on the photos. 😉



  2. Kerri Shaw on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 11:25 am

    I love your favorite things lists! Thank you for sharing. Could you also share which oils you use? I didn’t see a link to click.



    • Tracie on Wednesday, December 6, 2017 at 4:00 pm

      Sorry I left that link off – here you go https://amzn.to/2iw9jHL. 🙂



  3. Joni on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 5:29 pm

    These were great! Thank you for taking the time to share these with us!



  4. Missy on Friday, December 1, 2017 at 11:50 pm

    Could you send the link to the oils or tell us what kind they are. Nothing comes up when you click on the picture of the oils. Thanks for the good gift ideas



  5. Jessica Orika on Monday, December 4, 2017 at 2:27 am

    These gave me ideas. Thanks so much for sharing these.



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Tracie Miles is a bestselling author and the Director of COMPEL Training with Proverbs 31 Ministries.  She helps women grow stronger in their faith, pursue the life of purpose God designed them for and live a life of peace, joy and happiness despite their circumstances.

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