The holiday season is upon us, and with it, the stress that can come with trying to find that perfect gift for the special people in your life. Let JDRF help with your shopping.
We’ve put together a gift guide with a few creative ideas for your loved ones living with type 1 diabetes – but that can also work for just about anyone on your list. Whether you choose to go simple or fancy, homemade or store-bought – gifts chosen with care will always be a winner.
For the fitness lover
Online exercise subscriptions
Bring the gym to their home, by giving your friend or loved one a subscription to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) yoga, Pilates or Peleton classes. With so many people making the switch to home workouts, there is a world of choice online at your fingertips.
Fitness trackers
Maintaining an active lifestyle is an important part of effectively managing diabetes and trackers can be great motivators. Help a friend monitor his/her progress with a tool that counts steps and calories burned, observes heart rate and sleep patterns, and syncs it all to a smartphone.
Home exercise equipment
Free weights, exercise bands, yoga mats, even exercise clothing. Consider a gift card or purchase the equipment that they’ll use to stay fit throughout the winter and into the new year.
Turn their home into a spa
Socks and slippers
Foot care is important for everyone, but especially for people with T1D. Compression socks can help with fatigue and nerve pain in the feet. Non-skid, seamless, moisture-wicking socks, along with a pair of slippers with a hard sole and a closed toe can help to prevent slips and falls. Look for cozy socks with fun seasonal patterns.
Body cream
Dry skin and winter go hand in hand, particularly for people with T1D. Glucose monitoring is also easier when skin is moisturized, and with so many scents and brands to choose from – you can make something that is functional feel like being pampered as well.
Humidifier with essential oil reservoir
Help stave off winter dryness with a humidifier. Finding one with an essential oil reservoir can spread soothing scents throughout their house and create a relaxing atmosphere; while helping to ease the sore throats and uncomfortable skin that can result from the dryness of central heating.
For the foodie in your life
Online cooking classes
With so much variety and expertise online, why not offer a subscription to online cooking classes. You can find classes to inspire anyone from a beginner to serious foodie. Consider truffle-making, dumplings or canning/pickling your own veggies and jams.
Cooking equipment
Air fryers are all the rage these days, as a way to enjoy ‘fried’ foods in a healthier way. A slow cooker makes meal planning and prep a lot simpler. Consider this gift to make carb counting and meal planning easier and more fun.
Cookbooks
A professional cookbook, or even a homemade book filled with special family favourite recipes passed down over time will bring joy to the foodie in your life.
For the bookworm
Books
The holidays are the perfect time to catch up on some reading and a good book is always a welcome gift. Or consider a gift card to your local bookstore so your loved one can choose their own. Or perhaps a gift certificate for the e-reader if they prefer to read that way. Reading is a great way to unwind and recharge.
Journaling
If there is a writer in your family, they might appreciate a personalized journal or diary. They can use it to help track blood sugar readings, food intake and exercise. But it can also be a place to be creative, write short stories, poems or just their thoughts on any given day. Be sure they know it’s completely private and only to be shared if they want.
For the fashion forward
Fun and stylish diabetes supply bags
Living with diabetes means carrying a lot around, so why not make that supply bag fashionable and fun? These fashionable accessories are often designed by people who have diabetes, making them the perfect choice.
And supporting a charity, including JDRF will help you to feel good while doing good. The gift of philanthropy goes a long way, and the ripple effect impacts more people than you know.
Whatever the approach, on behalf of everyone at JDRF – we wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season.
