My 2025 Gift Guide
Like every year, my theme is a “gift guide for people who hate gift guides.” No latest gadgets, trendy fashion choices, zeitgesty references, paid-for sponsors, or twaddley options that you’ll throw away by February. Featured here are the classics: books I love, curated homemade favorites, and beloved staples that please the hard to please. …At least that’s what I’ve found to be true.
Anything you select here supports the work I do at NO extra cost to you, so if you’ve ever benefitted from my books, podcast, newsletter, or trips, this is a frictionless way for you to support my daily work at no extra charge… And always, I’m abundantly grateful for your consideration.
Happy Holidays!
“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”
First off…
A few enjoyable reads throughout the Advent season:
Shadow & Light: A Journey Through Advent, by Tsh Oxenreider (yours truly) — Amazon | Bookshop
Christmas Around the Fire, by Ryan N.S. Topping (one of my book club reads for this year!) — Amazon | Bookshop
Winter Fire: Christmas with G.K. Chesterton, by Ryan Whitaker Smith (I read this last Advent and am doing so again this year — it’s a delight!) — Amazon | Bookshop
Christmas Karol, by Faith Moore (here’s my chat with her about her debut novel; here’s my most recent chat with her) — Amazon | Bookshop
The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories: from Hans Christian Andersen to Angela Carter (I often teach from this in my class during December) — Amazon | Bookshop
Mr. Dickens & His Carol, by Samantha Silva (I read this last year and loved it!) — Amazon | Bookshop
Little Christmas Carol, illustrated by Joe Sutphin — Amazon | Bookshop
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (the GOAT; a must-read!) — Amazon | Bookshop
Books: Fiction
How It Went: Thirteen More Stories of the Port William Membership, by Wendell Berry — Amazon | Bookshop
Charis in the World of Wonders, by Marly Youmans — Amazon | Bookshop
A River Runs Through It: and Other Stories, by Norman MacLean — Amazon | Bookshop
The Word Is Murder, by Anthony Horowitz (first in a series) — Amazon | Bookshop
A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year, edited by Jane McMorland Hunter — Amazon | Bookshop
Around the World in 80 Days (Royal Collector’s Edition), by Jules Verne — Amazon | Bookshop
Unfinished Tales of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien — Amazon | Bookshop
Book Lover Box from Fabled Bookstore in Waco, Texas
Books: Non-Fiction
First Light & Eventide: a Gratitude Journal, by Tsh Oxenreider (yours truly) — Amazon | Bookshop
C.S. Lewis’ Little Book of Wisdom, compiled by Andrea Kirk Assaf & Kelly Anne Leahy — Amazon
Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings: Year C, by Peter Kreeft — Amazon | Bookshop
In Defense of Sanity: The Best Essays of G.K. Chesterton, compiled by Dale Ahlquist, Joseph Pearce, & Aidan Mackey — Amazon | Bookshop
Light of the Mind, Light of the World: Illuminating Science Through Faith, by Spencer Klavan — Amazon
Every Moment Holy (Vol. III), by Douglas McKelvey — Amazon | Bookshop
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, by Mary Beard — Amazon | Bookshop
Seedtime and Harvest: How Gardens Grow Roots, Connection, Wholeness, and Hope, by Christie Purifoy — Amazon | Bookshop
Tools: A Visual History, by Dominic Chinea — Amazon | Bookshop
Books: Kids
The Bark of the Bog Owl (the first of a three-part series), by Jonathan Rogers — Amazon | Bookshop
Swallows & Amazons (series), by Arthur Ransome — Amazon | Bookshop
Make Way for McCloskey: a Robert McCloskey Treasury — Amazon | Bookshop
The Winnie-the-Pooh Collection, by A.A. Milne — Amazon | Bookshop
The Ranger’s Apprentice (series), by John Flanagan — Amazon | Bookshop
The Lunar Chronicles (series), by Marissa Meyer — Amazon | Bookshop
The Green Ember (series), by S.D. Smith — Amazon
The Wingfeather Saga (series), by Andrew Peterson — Amazon | Bookshop
The Best of Children’s Classics, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, J.M. Barrie, Francis Hodgsdon Burnett, & L. Frank Baum — Amazon
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame — Amazon | Bookshop
Experiences & DIY
Watercolor books by Emily Lex — pairs well with a paint set
DIY Cheese-Making Kit (a good gift for couples)
Chatbooks (a great gift for grandparents)
Cooking & Kitchen
Milk Frother & Steamer (pairs well with the coffee subscription, below)
Cookbooks (my current go-to is Carnivore in the Kitchen and I like gifting How to Cook Everything: The Basics)
Atlas Coffee Club subscription (Kyle’s gotten this for Christmas for 4+ years)
Meat press (I use mine all the time now!)
Taste of America regional spice set (pairs well with the above)
Lodge cast-iron skillet (a must-have; I use mine daily)
King Arthur online baking classes (pairs well with pantry or baking staples)
Tech
Wisephone II (the phone our teens have — use code TSH for $50 off)
Aura digital photo frame (ideal for far-away grandparents; pairs well with a Chatbook — see: Experiences & DIY, above)
Remarkable 2 tablet (I use mine daily)
Neck flashlight (I also use mine daily, especially for early morning reading — makes a good stocking stuffer)
Raycon Everyday Earbuds (not to repeat myself, but — I also use these daily)
Wearables
Humorous tee, such as: I’m from the 1900s, what excellent boiled potatoes, and the floor is lava
Wicked good clogs (I wear these daily throughout the winter)
“Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace.”
- St. Ambrose of Milan
You’re smart and know how this works: some of the links used are, quite possibly, affiliate links — this means at no extra cost to you, making a purchase through these specific links helps support this work. Thanks in advance!