Shopping season is almost in full swing. Thanksgiving is three weeks again, followed by the official start to the holiday madness. By madness I mean the mad rush to find a great gift for anyone on your holiday shopping list.
No matter how easy you think it MIGHT be, there is always one or two people on your holiday shopping list that is hard to buy for. For me that would be my husband and my son. I’ve always had a hard time buying gifts for men. Sadly there is no “one size fits all” type of gift that would work for just about anyone… or is there?
Calendars make great gifts. I know some people might think a calendar would make a lame gift. Not me. I think calendars make great gifts, especially because women, men, teens and children can all use and appreciate calendars.
There are so many calendars available, from wall calendars to desk top calendars, and from page-a-day calendars to calendars that resemble appointment books and journals. There are calendars to inspire you, calendars to make your laugh, calendars to keep you organized and calendars to educate you. This is why I think calendars make practical gifts. Take for example the vast variety of calendars from Workman Publishing.
Workman Publishing was kind enough to send me some delightful calendars to check out for myself.
Today is Going to Be a Great Day
This is a page-a-day calendar. Each day there is a new and inspiring or motivating quote and beautiful artwork to go along with it. You can even tear the pages out and hang up your favorite quotes.
I went through this calendar to see what some of the pages looked like. The artwork varies from whimsical to more sophisticated. The quotes are wonderful as well. Sometimes we all need some inspiring words to get through our day (I sure do!).
The artists are also found on the back of the pages, in case you want to check them out.
This calendar would make a great gift for someone who might be struggling with something, or dealing with things that might be getting him/her down. At the same time, even people whose lives might seem “perfect” could benefit from these great quotes.
This is another example of a page-a-day calendar. What I mean by that is that each day there is a new page to look like, where as a wall calendar shows the entire month on a single page.
If you are like me and experience “wunderlust” (a strong desire to travel), then this is the calendar for you. Not only does this calendar point out some “must see” places in Europe, it also features snippets of the area as well as a beautiful, full color photo.
I went to Europe when I was a teen. My husband has never left the U.S. and has barely travelled at all. I want to take him to Europe some day (maybe when we retire). This calendar has given me some place I want to add on my “Bucket List” of places I want to see.
There is also a Rick Steve’s Europe Picture-a-Day Wall Calendar. It’s similar to the page-a-day calendar in a way. Each month there is a large photo from a specific area of Europe, and each day that month has a photo of a place in that area. They are labeled too so you know what the photo is.
This is a fabulous gift for a traveler or someone who aspires to travel some day.
Here is another page-a-day calendar for people who love nature, and can appreciate Earth’s beauty and all the amazing creatures that live here with us on our planet.
The photography in this calendar is STUNNING. I am a huge nature lover too, so seeing the pages excited me.
I wish my photos did this calendar justice. The photos are incredible. They are also labeled so you know where the photo was taken.
This calendar also comes in a hard plastic case to make it easier to use and display.
If you are a fan of Audubon’s stunning photography, you might also be interested in the following product.
This is more like a traditional appointment book rather than a wall or desktop calendar.
This book features a spiral binding, which makes the pages easy to turn and for the book to lie flat, making it easy to write it.
On one side you’ll find a breath-taking photo. On the other side you’ll find a weekly calendar with plenty of room to write on each day.
Just like with the page-a-day calendar, each week will have details on the picture, so you know what the photo is of that you are enjoying that week.
This would make a great gift for not only a nature lover, but also someone who is super busy and needs to keep track of things. I used to use an engagement book to keep track of my college assignments and tests.
Men and sports lovers have special calendars just for them too.
My husband LOVES football. He’s a Dallas Cowboys fan, but he also knows a lot about other teams and players too.
I showed him this calendar and he already went through a lot of it reading over the trivia stuff.
He’s going to put this on his desk at work. He said his co-workers will have fun with it too. They can challenge each other every day.
Another great calendar for those who love to travel, or people like me who have a “Bucket List” a mile long (my Bucket List is so long!), there is 1,000 Places to See Before You Die page-a-day calendar.
Each weekday (the weekends are combined) you’ll find a color photo of a place somewhere in the world and a brief description of it.
I read through some of the pages, just to get an idea of what it was about, and all I can say is from what I’ve seen, I have already added more things to my “Bucke List.” I can only imagine how long my Bucket List will be by the end of 2023 after I go through all of the pages in this calendar.
For people who love funny and silly things, they might appreciate the hysterical antics of squirrels in the calendar The Secret Lives of Squirrels.
This is not a calendar about squirrels climbing trees or gathering nuts in nature. This calendar features bright, colorful pictures of squirrel having picnics and playing with toys.
If you know of anyone who is into “mystical” things like crystals, herbs and natural stuff, they might appreciate the gift of a Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Wall Calendar.
Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom reflects the author’s belief in the power of plants, animals, and minerals in helping us understand and direct our own lives. Each month encourages developing a personalized spiritual practice tied to the seasons. Where does your mind go between waking and sleep? Allow yourself to journey to your place of Dreaming. Learn about important crystals—the Moonstone is a reminder that the night and the moon are just as meaningful as the day and the sun.
I am not familiar with these kinds of things, but my daughter is. She looked over the calendar and really enjoys it. She thought it was for 2022 originally. I told her she can’t hang it up and use it for a few more months. Ha Ha.
This calendar is beautifully illustrated.
Lastly there is even a fun calendar for KIDS. Yes, kids! It’s called the Kid’s Awesome Activity Wall Calendar.
Not only is this a great way for kids to keep up-to-date on dentist appointments, sleepovers, parties, lessons and so much more.
This calendar comes with many colorful stickers children can use to mark calendars of the important dates.
Each month there is a fun activity for children to do.
Not for nothing, but I am an adult and looking at some of the activities, “I” am going to do them!
I really love the font used with this calendar, and I love that they have all the pages decorated in ways that kids will really enjoy using this calendar.
As you can see, calendars are not a “lame” gift like they once were. Calendars make for wonderful gifts (affordable too!).
A calendar would make a great gift for a “Secret Santa,” co-worker, favorite hairdresser, neighbor, new home owner, student and more!
If you are interested in seeing more calendar ideas, visit Workman Publishing at Workman.com. On the side navigation scroll down the “calendars” to see more great options.
Workman Publishing can also be found on social media. Their links are on the bottom of their website.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.