A Modern City & Main Candle alongside bottles of Black Phoenix Alchemy Essential Oils on a white enamel tray. | FeastInThyme.com

Special & Unique Gifts for the Hardest People to Shop For

Sometimes we all need a little help finding the right gift for that certain someone, whether they already has everything or they simply deserve a special treat. These unique gifts are the answer.

[Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I believe in and all thoughts and opinions are my own.]


For the last few months, I’ve been keeping my eye out for great holiday gifts. I hope this list of unique gifts help you find the perfect present for that special someone that is always so hard to shop for.


Pretty Things

A model showcasing earrings, a necklace, and a ring by Nine Birds Studio.
Photo Credit: Nine Birds Studio

Nine Birds Studio: Run by an incredibly talented lady entrepreneur, this company offers lovely, hand-crafted jewelry locally made in northern New Jersey. With sparkling crystals, raw brass, and bright copper, you can find both stunning statement pieces and more subtle staples at Nine Birds.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab: Completely unique essential oil perfumes in a variety of scents that bring to mind everything from historic and geographic locations, to fictional characters from classic literature, to niche interests of all kinds. Both feminine and masculine scents are available in tiny sample sizes and sets, and many include reviews from customers detailing the scents.

Moderncity & Main Candles: Locally made in Newark, Delaware, each candle has a fun but classy theme and a portion of all sales go to charities involved in domestic abuse advocacy. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I’m sure its no surprise that I love Bourbon Cider & Tobacco Barn.

A Modern City & Main Candle alongside bottles of Black Phoenix Alchemy Essential Oils on a white enamel tray. | FeastInThyme.com
A Bourbon Cider candle from Moderncity + Main & a bottle of perfume and four sample-sized “imps” from Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs. 

Whiskey River Soap Company: I recently spotted these in a local spa and couldn’t get over the hilarious names and fantastic scents. I can say with confidence that despite the cheeky names, the candles and soaps really do smell lovely.

Songfinch: I’ve only heard this company advertised on a few podcasts, but I love the concept. With a brief survey, they write custom songs for any person or occasion. They even sound good! How cool is that?


Foodie & Boozy Things

Two bottles of Dashfire Bitters with cocktail tools.
Two of the many varieties of Dashfire Bitters.

Dashfire Bitters: As a cocktail enthusiast I can tell you – we love bitters but are often overwhelmed by the possibilities. Pick out a flavor you think we’ll like, and you can’t go wrong. Worst case, you’ve bought us a second bottle of something we already love.  Best case, you’ve found us a new ingredient to experiment with. Neither is a problem in my book.

Food52: Full of handcrafted, unique gifts for the home cook, I’m absolutely loving these new wooden rolling pins that help you roll the dough to just the right thickness. At $43, they are a beautiful splurge the bakers in your life likely wouldn’t spend on themselves, but would love to receive as a present.

Burlap & Barrel: Specialty spices for all occasions. They even have gift sets!

Liquor Advent Calendars: In my opinion, it’s never too late for an advent calendar when it contains chocolate or in this case, booze.


Wearable Things

Two TeePublic shirts and a Feast In Thyme totebag.

TeePublic: Independent artists design the shirts you see across TeePublic, and if there is a hobby, interest, or obsession your loved one has, you are sure to find a shirt (or totebag, or mug, or hoodie…) that fits the bill. And if they love food and cocktails, I hope you’ll check out my line of designs

Inkopious: Know a dog lover? This site has shirts with simple line drawings of so many adorable breeds, plus some other animals to boot.

Cyberoptix: I ordered my husband’s and groomsmen’s ties and pocket squares from this site, and I’m positively in love. You can get all sorts of designs on lovely fabrics, from cartography to constellations, blue prints to abstract designs. I couldn’t speak more highly of their products. 


Subscription Boxes

Darn Good Yarn ($10/month): At ten dollars per month, this is probably the most affordable subscription box I’ve seen out there, and it’s just perfect for the fiber artist in your life. Each box includes a skein of premium yarn, a knit & crochet pattern, and a mystery gift – everything you need to make a surprise project every month. Use the special code FEASTINTHYME15 for 15% off your entire order!

Cat Lady Box ($40/month): We all have (or perhaps are) the Cat Lady in our lives. This box is full of curated cat-themed items for her, and new toys for the little fur babies in her (your?) life too. I can attest my two cats loved the toys in the box we tried out. This is a great gift option for the cat lover on your list. 

Shaker and Spoon ($40-50/month): With specialty ingredients – syrups, bitters, garnishes, and citrus for at least three curated recipes to make a total of 12 cocktails, each Shaker and Spoon subscription box includes everything you need except the alcohol. You can skip a box anytime, and each comes with the name of a recommended spirit that can work for the whole box. I haven’t tried this service, but I definitely would not be mad if anyone (hint hint) wanted to send me a box to try!


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