The happiness gift guide | 5 min read

Hey Santa,

Happy Sunday. December 1st is tomorrow. If you’re not already done all your shopping, here’s a list of ideas and options to spark some ideas. I hope you make it to the challenge, though.

There are no affiliate links or monetization. These are just things that bring joy or help get closer to happiness, and may unlock some extra smiles this holiday season, on the day of gifting and as recipients use the goods.

Mind & Mood

Daylight Lamp — My winter mood insurance

SAD? Give this lamp a whirl to cure your Seasonal Affective Disorder. Ten minutes with this thing blasting in your face makes waking up a bit easier. Check it out at sleepeh.ca (yes, it’s available at Amazon, too).

Apple Fitness+ — A workout always waiting for you

I never wonder what workout to do. I press play and move. Twenty minutes with a 2 sets of dumbbells will keep you consistent. I used Centr as well and loved it, too.

Open — Meditation that feels like exhaling

Open is the app I use when my brain is moving too fast. The teachers make meditation feel human & real. There are also breathwork sessions and Yoga & Pilates classes. I tried Calm and Headspace, but Open at the end of a workout helps me calm right down and start the day feeling a bit lighter. Yes, there’s a free trial, which is worth it because it’s on the pricier side of meditation apps.

Opal — The app blocker that gives you your time back

Opal shuts down the doom-scroll before it starts. It’s simple, free to try, and forces me to do the things I actually want to do. If you’re spending 5 hours a day on your phone, that’s 22 years of your life.

A good morning starts with a good night. Here are some ideas.

Rise Sleep App — A 30-day sleep reset

Rise teaches you how your body actually works. The 30-day trial is enough to fix bad habits you didn’t know you had. The big learning for me was two-fold: take melatonin at dinner and start your routine much earlier. I deleted the app after 30 days, and that’s when the discount offers began rolling in.

Red Amber Reading Light — Nighttime peace

I read beside my partner without blasting blue light around the room. It’s tiny, soft, and helps me drift off instead of staring at the ceiling (or worse, at my phone). Amazon has many options.

Daily Rituals

Local coffee beans — Toronto-made joy in a bag

Wallace Espresso, Propeller, and Reunion are among my favourite coffee shops (and bean roasters) in the city.

I make espresso on a Breville touch screen, but my goal is to make slower coffee with pour-over gear from Knife. At this knife-and-coffee shop, you can watch them manually weigh, grind, heat the water to the perfect temperature, and more before you take a sip. It tastes far better. If you can’t make it to this mystical shop, you can buy everything online. Their Instagram is drool-inducing.

Habit Coffee Subscription — The perfect daily cup

Habit is my drip coffee ritual.

It shows up once a month and tastes like a morning I can count on. It’s roasted to be a diner coffee. You know the one, when you’re at the diner, and you’ve had 17 cups and the server walks by, and you accept the top-up because it’s a good conversation and the coffee is easy-drinking…that’s Habit.

Also, Bryan, the owner, is a gem of a human. Subscribe to his beans, you can thank me later. https://www.habitcoffeeclub.com/

Owala Water Bottle — Hydration before hustle

Drinking water before coffee changed my entire morning. It’s also hard to drink coffee during a workout (though I’ve tried).

This bottle lives beside my bed, so the first thing I drink isn’t caffeine. I carry it everywhere, so water is always on hand. It’s cheaper than a Yeti and doesn’t hold the cold as well, but I fit in with my kids’ friends, so who’s the real winner? Well, Yeti will be…one day.

Evening Reset

Journaling Tools — A quiet way to close the day

I bounce between the Stoic app for voice notes and my leather-bound Moleskine.

Both help me mark the day instead of letting it blur by.

If you’re a paper person, Etsy is full of local makers who craft beautiful journals to make it feel a little more special. I also recommend buying an expensive pen. Whatever you need to create the habit.

Money & Meaning

Book: The Psychology of Money — A calm, clear guide

The simplest book on money I’ve ever read. It helps you understand yourself as much as your finances. My favourite section is that no one makes a bad money decision. Our decisions are all based on our knowledge of money growing up and situational context.

Gilded Plan — See your financial future

Ever wanted to know what retirement looks like for you now? This tool shows you your financial path at a glance. It includes CPP and OAS to set you up for success so you know clearly how much you’ll need to set aside to live your rich life in the future. Check out Gilded Plan

Self & Learning

The Happiness Advantage — A science-backed mood lift

My favourite happiness book I read this year. It blends research with real-life stories in a way that sticks. The writer coaches companies and teams on living happier. He has a few frameworks that are worth discovering (we’ve covered some in this newsletter)

Beautiful, Useful Things

RAK Dish Rack — A premium tool for real kitchens

This modern dish rack is built like a Yeti for your dishes. I helped my friend Raffi with the brand, and the mission is powerful: Get men back into the kitchen and share the mental load at home.

You can follow the journey here: https://www.rak-clever.com/

Leafii Leaf Wallet — Crafted from nature

I bought mine at a local craft show and expected it to fall apart. Three years later, it’s still going strong, and people still compliment it. It’s light, beautiful, and feels different in the hand. Get your own at https://leafii.ca/collections/wallets

Sound & Atmosphere

Vince Guaraldi — A Charlie Brown Christmas (Vinyl)

This album lives on my turntable every December. It’s warm, nostalgic, and instantly makes the room feel softer. Buy it from Chris at High Notes to support a local shop.

I’d argue that over 70% of Christmas music is covers. I made a Spotify playlist of the original recordings of some of everyone’s favourites. Feel free to give it a listen here. A friend of mine commented he felt inebriated without any libations, so, expect that vibe.

Comfort staples

Manmade Boxers — Zero hype, all comfort

Yes, the ads are everywhere. Yes, the boxers are actually worth it. Perfect stretch. Perfect feel. Zero bunching. Socks are good, too.

Anthurium Plant — A gift that keeps blooming

My wife received one when her father passed.

The flowers still bloom, and it’s always a welcome surprise. A gift that keeps giving. Buy one from your local plant shop with a ceramic pot from your local store, mine’s Urban Gardener, and they’re great people.

Boring Friends — Joy you can hang on the wall

Bright, fun art that brings a smile every time you walk past it.

Great for offices, nurseries, or anyone who needs a little more colour (or happiness without the fluff, but all the cuteness) https://boringfriends.ca/

Pebble

Maybe we shouldn’t give so much stuff…

Challenge:

I’m so happy you’ve made it here after the list of consumerism, because I want to ask you to choose experiences over stuff.

Maybe we don’t need another gift to wrap, only for it to be forgotten. Ask your family and friends if they remember what you got them last year. The confused look may give you pause.

Recently, my son and I were in NYC, and we went to a hockey game at Madison Square Garden. He remembered all the other arenas we’ve been to: Toronto, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Detroit - 5 out of 32. He didn’t remember what we got him for Christmas last year.

He came up with the idea of hitting the other 27. At one per year, hopefully I’m still alive in my seventies to see it through. But what a gift that would be - a memory from experience(s).