From the coasts of Laguna Beach, CA, to the music-filled streets of Nashville, Kristin Cavallari has always kept it real on our TVs. And for the festive season, she gave us the inside scoop on her holiday traditions and her gifting must haves.
Cavallari enjoys watching "Home Alone" and "Christmas Vacation" and jamming out to Christmas albums by Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé. Her Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. The cookbook author loves to make pumpkin pie or key lime pie for the holidays. "I'm also a carb girl, so like give me mashed potatoes, give me stuffing, and I am a happy, happy girl," she explains. "Every Christmas Eve, I make homemade meatballs and sauce, because my dad did that. It's just something I've kept up with my kids, and they look forward to it."
Cavallari also has her own unique take on Elf on a Shelf with stocking stuffers. "When I was growing up, my parents said that the elves would come a week before Christmas. If we were good, we got a little something in our stocking, and if we were bad, we got coal. I've kept that up, and now I've sort of incorporated Elf on the Shelf as well."
The Uncommon James founder knows a thing or two about gift shopping as well. She recommends shopping at a place that has everything you need, like Amazon. "They have such a good variety, and they support small businesses. As an entrepreneur myself, I know how important it is to support small businesses, especially during the holiday season." She curated her ultimate gift guide with Amazon featuring unique and thoughtful picks from small businesses. Cavallari's biggest tip for holiday shoppers? "Get it done early. I'm actually completely done with my holiday shopping so that I don't have to stress out last minute."
If you're shopping for someone who's indecisive, she advises you to "find a couple of gifts that [you] think would work for almost everybody." Her top pick for this year is the Ember Mug. "[It's] what I'm giving to everybody in my office. It's universal, and that's why I love it. Basically, if you drink warm drinks, you love that mug," she explains. She has plenty of unique and thoughtful gifts in her guide perfect for anyone on your list, including bath bombs, a jade eye mask, and a whiskey-decanter set. "It's really just about knowing the person you're going to buy a gift for and thinking what they're going to use the most," she says. We rounded up the best gifts from Cavallari's Amazon gift guide ahead.