The Wonders of World Market

I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy giving Christmas gifts.  I love finding that elusive thing that suits the receiver perfectly.  I love to find gifts that are heartfelt, that show the receiver I GET them.

Admittedly, this is not always easy.  It’s even getting harder in my own immediate family.  Once upon a time, I could buy clothes and shoes months in advance for my girls and they would love them Christmas morning.  But now they are teenagers and their tastes change overnight.  I used to be able to get toys that went with whatever collection was currently their thing. Now their “things” are either not easy to figure out or are extremely expensive.

While I wrestle with what to get my family, there are also always a few friends that are difficult to work out.  Enter World Market!  While World Market is probably best known for it’s international home furnishings, it is also a haven for Christmas decor and gift-giving options.

Blessed with a gift card from an early Christmas elf, I took an international adventure to find great ideas to share with you.  And, oh, what wonders I found!

To begin with, I LOVE World Market’s Christmas decorations.  You can find something to suit nearly every style, from woodsy to retro, crazy to classy.  I always find something I “need” for my tree, and often find ornaments for my girls’ trees.

 

They also have an abundant selection of stockings this year, in many different styles.

Of course, you can always find fabulous pieces for your holiday table, as well.  I have the stemless champagne flutes from the Metallic Confetti line and I love them and would love to add to my collection – hint, hint, Santa.

They also have a marvelous selection of Advent calendars this year.  You can find traditional calendars with chocolates, or more unique items like this tea Advent calendar.  How adorable is that?!?

 

 

They have a delicious assortment of chocolate Santas, snowmen, even chocolate Three Kings!

Once you have made a few selections for yourself, you can focus on some of your gift-giving.

One of the best things about World Market is how easy it is to put together a personalized gift basket.  You can find baskets or boxes in different colors and styles at the front of the store, near the cards.  See what they did there?  Clever merchandisers.  You can then take the basket with you and fill it as you shop.

For those people in your life who love a little self-care and pampering, you can find a delightful selection of soaps, lotions and scrubs.  Many are already packaged for gift-giving.  You can then pair those soaps and such with some fluffy towels and washcloths, or bath salts, etc.

If you know someone who needs help staying warm, there is a nice selection of scarves, warm hats and mittens.  You can even find a fashion-forward shawl or poncho for your super-stylish friends.

For the coffee lovers in your life, World Market has a great selection of coffees and flavor syrups to add to coffee.  For the holiday season, they have gift boxes of smaller syrup bottles that would be great in a basket with an array of coffee.

They have great gifts for kids, too.  They have fun retro toys and gadgets and a varied array of goodies for stockings.  They have gummies in as many flavors as you could imagine.

World Market has a mess of gingerbread houses and kits to keep their hands busy those crazy days before Christmas.  Check out this absolutely adorable holiday truck cookie kit.

 

 

One of the best items I found on my wanderings was a giant sheet of marshmallow.  You can package that fun find with some mini cookie cutters and hot cocoa for a fun family gift.

But my favorite options are all of the foodie gifts you can find at World Market.

For the exotic foodie friends in your life, you can find a wide variety of some unique, international spices.  A basket full of spices and some cooking tools would be fun, or you can be more creative. They have metal Tiffin boxes, which are stackable, portable lunch tins traditionally used in India.  You could pair one or two of these with a mix of Indian spices for a fun gift idea.

For the bakers in your life, you can find a fun assortment of spatulas with funs sayings, cute aprons and measuring spoons and cups galore.

Another direction you can take with foodie gifts at World Market is to select a country your friend may love.  For instance, if your friend is an Anglophile, or lover of all things British, you could fill a giant basket with goodies from the UK.

There are also many items that make great gifts that don’t need a basket, as they are fabulous enough to stand on their own.

Many of the kitchen items are great for the person that has everything, but appreciates things just for being beautiful or unique.  For instance, they have absolutely gorgeous cheese boards made of agate, or copper tea pots, or whimsical cookie jars like this gnome.  Honestly, it’s so cute, I can’t handle it.

One last fabulous find that I plan on using this season is the great selection of containers for packaging homemade goodies.  They have a variety of metal reusable boxes for cookies and such and great disposable boxes.

These are a great way to dress up your homemade goodies, and can be embellished with an adorable Christmas ornament for a complete gift.

Speaking of that, please come back next week for the first in a series of recipes and ideas for homemade food gifts, and Happy Shopping!