Pegsville Holiday Gift Guide 2018

Shopping used to be one of my hobbies. Growing up in suburban Southern California, it was one of the things that my friends and I did when we were bored and wanted some air conditioning. Now, I mostly just shop for food, toiletries, and books.

So, it’s kinda funny to be writing a Holiday Gift Guide. Still, I consider myself a maven–from the Yiddish mevyn meaning “one who understands”–and I know how stressful holiday shopping can be. I’m presenting this brief guide in hopes that it’ll make shopping this holiday season a little easier for you.

ENTER MY BOOK & NECKLACE GIVEWAY

Before I tell you about some cool things to buy, I want you to know about some cool things I’m giving away for FREE. This month, in honor of another year as a full-time creative, I’m giving away of one of my favorite books, BIG MAGIC: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, along with the beautiful I AM GRATEFUL necklace ($69 value) by Asha Blooms. Asha Blooms is a Seattle-area jewelry company owned by POC husband-and-wife team, Carol and Amar Gavhane. I love that Asha Blooms creates intentional jewelry–jewelry handcrafted with specific gemstones and intentions in mind–such as the I Am Grateful necklace that features moonstone, a stone that encourages self-discovery, vitality, optimism, and inner peace, and enhances joy and gratitude. To enter the giveaway, simply follow @pegcheng and @ashablooms on Twitter and RT this post by December 1, 2018. I’ll draw one winner on December 2 (U.S. only). Good luck and please tell your friends to enter too!

GET 15% OFF ASHA BLOOMS JEWELRY

If you’re as entranced by Asha Blooms jewelry as I am, use discount code PEG15 to get 15% off all your orders from November 2018 through January 2019. In fact, I liked their mission so much that I volunteered to be a Brand Ambassador for them. They’re giving me a small commission on every order that uses the PEG15 code. If you have a friend or relative that could use some beauty and intention on their birthday or during the holidays, check out the I Am Collection. You just might find the perfect gift there.

HELP A FRIEND WITH THEIR FEAR OF WRITING

I’m offering $20 OFF my Fear & Writing course. It’s normally $65, but with coupon code NOVEMBER, for a limited time, it’s just $45 for 8 days of uplifting, transformative email + video lessons that help people go from thinking/talking about writing to actually writing! When you register, simply click the tiny present icon (box with ribbon on it) to allow for gifting.

SUPPORT AKASHIC BOOKS & GET 50% OFF

Akashic Books is offering an amazing 50% OFF all their online catalog from now through December 31, 2018 (some restrictions apply). Just use the code BF2018 when you checkout. If you like mysteries, check out Vancouver Noir, a short story anthology edited by Sam Wiebe, an author featured in my Interviews with Creatives. Also, if you know a parent with young kids, check out the bestselling and radically honest picture book, Go the F*ck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach. I like Akashic Books because they are “a Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers.” Pretty cool, huh?

GIVE REALLY GOOD SOAP

On a budget? Need some nice gifts for less than $10? Look no farther than Alaffia’s Good Soap, available at Whole Foods. I’ve been using this soap made from ethically traded ingredients for years and it leaves my skin feeling softer and smoother than other soaps. Maybe because they’re infused with shea butter and goat milk? (They also have ones without goat milk for your vegan friends.) They have many scents to choose from and my personal favorite is Wild Strawberry. Buy three bars, wrap them in pretty paper, and for $6 + tax, you have a gift that your peeps will love to use!

SHOP MY TOP BOOKS FOR WRITERS & CREATIVES

Visit my RESOURCES page to see my top recommended books for writers and creatives. This list is filled with perennial favorites that make great gifts any time of the year. If you know a writer who wants to improve their craft, get them Invisible Ink: A Practical Guide to Building Stories that Resonate by Brian McDonald. If you know someone who wants to change their life but doesn’t know how, consider Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits by Gretchen Rubin. And, if you know someone on the brink of burnout, From Coping to Thriving: How to Turn Self-Care Into a Way of Life by Hannah Braime may be just what they need.

I hope this guide gave you some good ideas. Please know that I’m not receiving commissions or affiliate payments from any of these products. I’m recommending them simply because I like them use many of them myself. If you have any questions or comments, post your thoughts below. I’d love to hear from you.

Wishing you stress-free shopping and a joyful holiday season!

Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a middle-grade novel that asks, can enemies become friends? She is currently querying a novel that is a re-imagining of the Snow White fairy tale set in 1980s Seattle. Peg is also the creator of Fear & Writing, a workshop for procrastinating writers from all walks of life.