Because this is about the time all of our stress levels peak. And we all know someone who’s had a rough year (raise your hand), and needs a break. Maybe that someone is you. Maybe it’s everyone you know. Show them you care by gifting them with time, love, maybe a way to step back from the whirlwind for a while, and focus on themselves. Here are a dozen gift ideas from the Local Wishlist that may help.
Yoga mat spray to encourage their practice, magnesium oil to soothe aching muscles, and a little dose of Serenity Now aromatherapy. This gift set is from THERApotions in Musquodoboit Valley.
A dreamy facial massage with a customized blend of concentrated extracts, available in a 60-minute or 90-minute session at Spirit Spa’s downtown or Hydrostone locations. Gift cards are available online.
Good Burdens: How to Live Joyfully in the Digital Age
A how-to book by Christina Crook, published by Nimbus, that provides “practical, research-based solutions to help readers begin to reclaim joy, unplug from toxic influences, and retake decision-making power over their time and emotional energy”. Reclaiming joy and prioritizing well-being sounds good to us.
Peace & Tranquility Aromatherapy Gift Set
A gift set with five of Sage and Sweetgrass’s best-selling roll-on aromatherapy blends: Calm, Exhale, Headache Heroine, Hormone Harmony, and Peaceful Sleep. Made of 100% pure, all natural plant botanicals.
It’s well-known that sketching improves your mood and eases stress, along with other benefits. Bonus points if your sketchbook is so beautiful that it sparks joy every time you use it, like these ones from Briana Corr Scott.
A soy wax, wooden wick candle that smells of warm coffee, almond milk, and cozying up by a fire. If that doesn’t sound soothing enough for you, Haven Candle Co has plenty of other hygge-inspiring scents in their collection.
The ultimate weekend escape package to White Point Beach Resort, focusing on health and wellness at their Ocean Spa. If the massages don’t relax you quite enough, two nights of listening to the waves while you sleep definitely will.
Creative Mind Happy Soul Journal
Therapeutic doodling from Doodle Lovely, published by Nimbus. They say that using this mindfulness journal for five minutes a day will give you a place to help calm your mind, improve your focus and help you to sleep better. Even people who don’t think they’re artistic can benefit from doodling.
Going through rituals can be very calming, and there’s no ritual quite like a proper British afternoon tea service. Birkinshaw’s Tea Room in Amherst offers an elegant “most English of tea ceremonies”, complete with sandwiches, savouries, sweets and complimentary prosecco.
Often what we need the most is just a really good night’s sleep. A luxurious, wool filled pillow might make that achievable, and these ones are from Woolies of Upperbrook Farm, in Central North River. Support your local farmers and sleep well for a change.
Boom Box Curated Wellness Subscription
A curated quarterly subscription box “for tired-ass women”, filled with premium wellness products to help you get a great night’s sleep, nourish your skin, and nurture your soul. It’s from Duckish Natural Skin Care, and features some of their new products as well.
We don’t need science to tell us that chocolate elevates our mood, and sometimes chocolate is just the cure-all we need. Peace by Chocolate offers up this wonderful collection of favourite holiday items, but if that’s not quite enough, they also have a Super Mood Booster Box.
These are just a handful of the hundreds of local gift ideas available in this year’s Local Wishlist. Head to the full list and start browsing!