Growing up, this time of year seemed truly magical. Getting to stay up later than usual, wearing cozy matching pajamas, sugary treats everywhere you looked. Houses glowing from the inside out made our regular driving routes seem like a theme park adventure.

More than anything, I remember coming home to our Christmas tree. It beamed with welcoming from the street, and every little ornament had a story to tell. There was a photo of me with a bad haircut glued to construction paper shaped like a church bell. Then there were my mother’s antique German ornaments that had survived not only a fire but a previous year’s tree crashing to the ground. We would decorate the tree together and tell the stories of each bauble as we hunted for the perfect limb to hang it on.

When I was little, the holidays seemed long and slow, an epic buildup to a Christmas morning crescendo. I want to recapture this mentality. I want to revere this time of year as a window for slowing down. I want to shake off how challenging and exhausting life can feel and just sit by my tree, watching the lights dance in my daughter’s eyes. I want to cook warm, nourishing food (and some obligatory cookies) and delight in the process for process sake. If you’re feeling the need to hit the brakes and finish out this year with an intentional shift to slowness, I want all of these things for you, too. 

The Local Milk gift guide below is an homage to home, to stillness, to quality over quantity. It’s is a tangible, giftable reflection of what Local Milk is. 

Speaking of giftables — If you haven’t already pulled up a chair to the rest of the gift guides from this week, make yourself a cup of velvety cocoa (bonus points for adding some adaptogens!) and settle in with the whole series. We kicked off on Monday with Gifts for New & Expecting Mamas, followed by picks For Those Who Live Slow at Home, Gifts for the Playful Yet Practical Wardrobe, Gifts for the Wellness Enthusiast, and rounded out all of our guest guides for the week with Gifts for Babies & Littles! 

Gift Guide for Those Who Dig the Local Milk Vibe (Editor’s Choice!)

1. Helen Levi Cobalt Stoneware Dishes
2. Blockshop Metronome Rug
3. The Good Liver Candle Holder
4. Lauren Manoogian Woolen Bowl Bag
5. Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music
6. The Art of Escapism Cooking by Mandy Lee
7. Activist Manuka Honey
8. Elizabeth Suzann Clyde Jumpsuit in Midweight Linen
9. Bambino Baby Feeding Set
10. Binibamba Merino Booties for Mama & Baby
11. Oracle Oil Olive Oil
12. Ingredients LDN Snowflake Crackle Glaze Tiny Dish Set
13. Ingredients LDN Belgian Linen Throw Blanket in Raw Umber
14. Minna Abstract Throw in Oat
15. Sunday Somewhere Yetti Sunglasses
16. Eesome Co. Meraki No. 10 – White Ceramic Earrings
17. Haoma Hydrating Body Cream
18. Babaa Coat in Oak
19. Luvhaus Ametrine Mug
20. Tracy Tanner Fatty Pouches
21. Nanao Candles
22. Hairu Rattan Laundry Basket
23. J. Hannah Himalayan Salt Polish
24. Stella Maria Baer Earth, Wind, Water Print
25. Camellia Fiber Co. 2020 Yarn Membership