Top 10 Holiday 2015 Gifts Under $150

Posted by Canadian Gift Guide on December 2, 2015 · 376 Comments

It’s time for another entry into my budget-based gifting series! Today I’m highlighting slightly pricier gift ideas that are great picks for those special people on your list – the grandkids, your spouse, a close sibling, your parents, and so on. Happy shopping!

STACT Modular Wine Racks – $129 USD
Show off your wine in high style with one of these modular wine racks from Canadian brand STACT. The idea? You can buy as many panels as you need to suit your space (and your wine collection). What’s also cool is you can mix and match the panels to create a unique look – there are 10 different colours and finishes to choose from, ranging from high gloss orange or lime to classic deep wood grains. It’s a beautiful pick whether you just use one rack for a few bottles or a bunch for an eye-catching piece of wall art. Consider it for the vino lover on your list or for the family member that just moved into their new home.

Banana Republic Sparkle Scales Necklace – $124
I have a dazzler of a necklace from Banana Republic that always earns me compliments, but this one may very nearly outshine it! Made from glittering crystals, this double-layered necklace features little triangles that move with you and catch the light spectacularly. It’s absolutely stunning whether worn with a formal festive outfit or used to make a casual sweater suddenly a little more special.

Playmation Marvel Avengers Starter Park Repulsor – $119.99 @ Amazon.ca + Sears
So many kids are head over heels for superheroes, especially The Avengers. Now they can actually live out their dreams of saving the world one baddie at a time with this unique interactive playset from Hasbro. Think of it as sort of electronically-enhanced make believe. Your kid straps on the included Repulsor gear and jumps into one of twenty-five missions included with the set (more missions are available with the associated app, which is not required to play). You then move, jump, and dart around in response to the activators (that have an incredible sophisticated way of seeing where you are). Meanwhile, the two included figures respond to your motions as well, making you and Captain America virtual teammates! What’s great is this starter pack delivers hours of active play, but you’ve also got future gift-giving handled by picking up the expansions for more missions, mayhem, and time spent away from a screen and off the couch!

Rare Indigo Beauty Balm – $110 USD @ Mahalo Skin Care
I’m psyched to be introducing this Hawaii-based skincare company. Mahalo prides itself on using primarily American-grown ingredients, often seeking out organic, local, and wild harvested ingredients. Their products are proudly parfume-free, dye-free, wax-free, and synthetic-free, yet they still deliver incredible results. Their latest arrival is their Rare Indigo Beauty Balm, which literally just hit the shelves a little over a week ago. This rich, blue-hued skin product is both anti-inflammatory and designed to moisturize and reverse the signs of aging. Loaded with 21 high performing ingredients like hemp, acai, and bergamot, the real star ingredient is the rare extract from indigo plants, causing this beautiful balm to glide on like butter and leave your skin feeling refreshed all day long.

Lalique Voyage De Parfumeur Candles – $82 USD each @ French Studio Imports
You’ve probably heard of or encountered the brand Lalique at this point – the famed glassmaker is well-regarded for their works of art and housewares, as well as its more creative applications on things like perfume bottles. They’ve also expanded into candles, with these showstopping scents making a huge impact wherever they’re lit. The candle concept is driven by the brand’s emblem, the swallow, and all the journeys it takes around the world. As a result, each candle draws specific inspiration from a different region of the world – like Casablanca, Morocco (scented with orange blossom) or Goa, India (Sandalwood). They make splendid gifts for any jet setters on your list, especially if they have a case of wanderlust! Note that in Canada, you can also nab these candles at Vancouver’s Secret Location.

Sweet Dreams Sleepover Duffle in Petal Pop – $134 @ PBteen
Believe it or not, PBteen actually has an entire Sleepover Shop dedicated to cool gear for your tweens and teens to tote along to their next all night party. While there are plenty of cute sleeping bags and accessories to choose from, I love this cheerful duffle bag for a few reasons. First, it’s multi-purpose – you can bring it to a sleepover sure, but your teen can also use it as a carry-on for her next school or family trip. Second, the bright colours and pattern guarantee they’ll never stumble home with the wrong bag in hand. Finally, it’s just too darn cute! You can even personalize it to make it feel extra special.

Christmas Bundle – $90 @ Hat Trick BBQ
A gift idea for sports lovers with an eco-friendly twist? Yes please! Introducing Hat Trick BBQ, a cool brand that takes old hockey sticks destined for the landfill and breathes new life into them with their cool, collectible products. Geared toward hockey lovers (and quite frankly, men), the mighty hockey stick becomes the base for a whole range of products – from a snow brush and scraper (a must-have for Canada winters!) to BBQ essentials. While I’ve highlighted a special holiday pack (including a 4-piece BBQ set, three bottle openers, and two snow brushes), you can also buy it in smaller chunks – for example, the bottle opener makes for an awesome stocking stuffer and sells for just $10. There’s also cool gifts for other sports enthusiasts – drawing inspiration from Happy Gilmore, the company also sells a composite putter with a hockey stick shaft. It’s an awesome destination for gifts that’ll warm any Canuck’s frosty heart this holiday season. Plus, they’re doing free shipping on orders over $60 this season!

Women’s Brilliant Reflection Space Dye Hoodie – $89.99 @ Columbia
Columbia has expanded their line from the great outdoors to a new ‘athleisure’ collection called Adera. Filled with comfortable pieces that work for jaunts to the gym, running around town, and lounging at home, the brand is already winning fans over with great items like this stretchy fabric hoodie. With open pockets, extra long sleeves with thumbholes, and a drawcord adjustable hem, this is the perfect gift idea for the gym bunny or traveler in your household that could use a cozy yet chic item in their wardrobes. Available in both grey and ‘purple dahlia’ (mauve-ish), this awesome hoodie is also made from moisture-wicking fabric, so no matter what activities get your blood pumping while rocking it, at least you won’t have to worry about getting hot and sweaty!

Cuisinart Single Cup Grind & Brew Coffee Maker – $139.99 @ Major Housewares Retailers Across Canada
The single-serve coffee fad took off a few years ago, and while it’s great for those that don’t love stale carafe coffee, it’s not so great for the environment – or for coffee connoisseurs who prefer their brew to be made from freshly ground beans. Cuisinart is here to solve the problem with this awesome coffee maker, which actually grinds the beans of your choice right inside the machine and then brews them in mere minutes. It’s so easy to use, there are literally only three steps – add the beans, add water, hit the ‘Grind & Brew’ button, and sit back while waiting for your perfect cup to come to fruition. The pieces can then be thrown into the dishwasher for when you’re reading for your next brew. It’s the perfect eco-friendly solution for serious coffee drinkers; no more stale pre-packaged cups to fill up landfills. Just fresh-tasting coffee, one cup at a time!

Urban Decay Vice4 Palette – $70 @ Sephora
Oops they’ve done it again! Urban Decay has just launched their latest and greatest vibrant eyeshadow palette, loaded with twenty brand new shades to make your peepers pop. The colours range from dashing bold shades of purple and pink to shades that look perfect on a Miami tan like gold and peach. The cool kit also comes equipped with a double-ended brush for easy application and blending, and a mirror for those on-the-go touch-ups. A beauty wish list item for all those cosmetic queens on your list!

Once again I have an *amazing* prize package to give away to a lucky reader, valued at over $750! If you win, you’ll receive:

STACT Modular Wine Rack
Playmation Marvel Avengers Starter Pack
Mahalo Skin Care Rare Indigo Beauty Balm
Lalique Voyage de Parfumeur Rose Candle
Hat Trick BBQ’s 5-Piece BBQ Set + Ice Scraper
Cuisinart Single Cup Grind & Brew Coffee Maker

Here’s how to enter kittens:

1) First of all: you must be a subscriber to the Canadian Gift Guide to enter this giveaway. It’s as simple as finding ‘The Gift of Gab’ box in the righthand column and dropping in your email or clicking follow. Then leave me a comment below by December 12, 2015 telling me your favourite gift ideas under $150 from this list!

2) Entries are limited to one per person / per email address / per household (or more if you score bonus entries). A random draw will be conducted on or around December 13, 2015 to select the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen in their place.

3) Entries are limited to Canadians that have reached the age of majority in their province. Quebec is not eligible for this promotion.

4) Bonus Entries: Do as many or as few of the following as you’d like. For every bonus entry you rack up, be sure to leave a separate comment with proof (i.e. a link) or your bonus entries won’t count! For example, leave one comment to start, as per step 1 above. Then, if you decide to like one of the brands on Facebook and leave a wall post, leave a link back to your wall post in a separate comment below. And so on! Google is a helpful resource for learning how to link back to social posts online.

STACT – Like the brand on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall regarding your favourite style of STACT wall rack. You’re under no obligation to mention the CGG.

Hasbro – Follow the brand on Twitter and Tweet about Playmation. Be sure to link back to this post and tag myself (@cdngiftguide) and @hasbronews.

Mahalo – Follow the brand on Instagram and either Regram one of their photos or take a photo from their site and post it to your own feed. Don’t forget to tag them in your photo!

Lalique – Follow French Studio Imports on Instagram and either Regram one of their photos or take a photo from their site and post it to your own feed. Don’t forget to tag them in your photo!

Hat Trick BBQ – Follow the brand on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to this post and tag myself (@cdngiftguide) and @HatTrickBBQ.

Cuisinart – Follow the brand on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to link back to this post and tag myself (@cdngiftguide) and @CuisinartCanada with the hashtag #grindbrewgo.