With the holiday season fast approaching, we’re sharing our go-to gift recommendations to help make holiday giving a little easier—and more meaningful.
Below are some of our favorite books, keepsakes, and gifts that we ourselves (hey, Ryan and Sam here!) have given to family and friends. We’ve even included some books that you can give to and read with your kids to start a new family tradition—or just enjoy some extra time together. We truly believe that one of the best ways to tell someone that they mean something to you is to give them a book.
We hope these recommendations help brighten the season for you and your loved ones. Thank you for being a reader of Daily Dad and for being on this parenting journey with us every day. We wish you all the best for a happy, healthy holiday season.
For Grandparents & Grandchildren
How to Babysit a Grandpa and How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan
We’ve given so many copies of these books as gifts—they make for a sweet, bonding storytime experience for grandparents and their grandkids.
Each of these books read as a “how-to” on what to eat and do with your grandpa or grandma when you’re spending time with them. From sharing fun snacks like cookies topped with ice cream (and ice cream topped with cookies!) to looking for dandelion puffs on a walk, kids will learn everything they need to know about “babysitting” their grandparents.
For DIY Enthusiasts
Tools: The Ultimate Guide by Jeff Waldman
This beautiful, giftable volume is a comprehensive guide to tools, filled with over 500 detailed entries, illustrations, interesting facts, care information, and usage advice. It’s perfect for the handy people in your life or those looking to improve their DIY know-how.
For Fellow Parents
The Daily Dad Leatherbound Edition
The act of acquiring one thing to fortify you each day (from Seneca) not only was the inspiration for the Daily Dad email newsletter, it was also the inspiration for The Daily Dad book. The book is full of inspiring quotes and advice, presented in digestible daily entries—one page, one quote, one insight, one idea a day—to help you raise great kids and love and parent a little better.
Our special leatherbound edition of The Daily Dad is bound in genuine leather and includes thoughtful details like hand-drawn illustrations and a ribbon to mark your place or favorite passage. It makes the perfect gift for parents, no matter where they are on their parenting journey. And as Emily Oster said, it’s not just for dads! Get yours here.
Daily Dad Society
Parenting is hard. That’s why we created Daily Dad Society, a supportive community where we talk about challenges, share concerns, celebrate wins, get advice, and learn actionable strategies for the most important job we’ll ever have.
With our private member forum and a live call each month (led by me, Ryan Holiday), we meet with parents all over the world and cover a wide breadth of parenting topics.
For a limited time, get $60 off a yearly membership! It’s the perfect way to try it out for yourself or gift it to a fellow parent. Use code GIFT2025 at checkout.
Horizontal Parenting by Michelle Woo
The premise of this book should appeal to even the most energetic parents: 50 ways to entertain your kid while lying down. In the marathon that is modern parenting, we all could use a momentary break.
This is a funny, lighthearted book filled with creative ideas for bonding with your children while maximizing your own downtime and relaxation. We’re always recommending it to our friends with kids.
Tempus Fugit and Luctor et Emergo Medallions
These medallions serve as powerful parenting reminders for you to carry or display.
The Tempus Fugit medallion reminds us that “all time is quality time” with our kids. Even the ordinary moments—especially the ordinary moments. Because time does fly. Be present.
Our Luctor et Emergo (“I struggle and emerge”) medallion reminds us that our child comes with unlimited potential. The key to unlocking it isn’t removing all hardship. It’s understanding that a child’s life should be good, not easy.
Outdoor Kids in an Inside World and Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars by Steven Rinella
Steven Rinella is an avid outdoorsman and host of the show Meateater. He’s also an advocate of getting kids outside and engaged with nature. We’re always recommending his book Outdoor Kids in an Inside World to parents, and Catch a Crayfish, Count the Stars: Fun Projects, Skills, and Adventures for Outdoor Kids takes the ideas in the first book even further, with accessible activities and great ideas for playing and creating outside. These books and the ideas within help set your kids up to enjoy nature in their own way and explore our world with their own unique curiosity.
Above Ground by Clint Smith
Author Clint Smith wrote this vibrant and captivating collection of poetry after becoming a father. In it, he embarks on a profound exploration of parenthood, delving into the vast range of emotions it entails and how it has reshaped his perception of the world. Gift this book to new parents or any parent in your life who would enjoy these beautifully rendered thoughts on parenthood.
For Coffee-Lovers and On-the-Go Parents
Tracy’s Coffee & Bookstore Travel Mug
Give your favorite coffee-lovers or parents on-the-move a thoughtful gift they’ll savor every day—fresh, locally roasted coffee beans from our own Tracy’s Drive-In Grocery or a travel mug from The Painted Porch bookshop in Bastrop, TX. The mug has features that make it the best one we’ve ever used: it fits in car cupholders, has a snap-in splash guard, and keeps liquids hot for 12 hours or cold for 24 hours. It’s even spill-proof when closed (trust us, we’ve put it to the test!). The 1-lb. bag of Tracy’s Drive-In Grocery Coffee Beans comes in your choice of light, dark, or espresso roast. Bundle them together for an extra special gift!
To Share With Your Kids
Goosebumps Box Sets
Remember the thrill of reading R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and talking about them with your friends? (We do!) Now you can share these scary tales with your own kids with special-edition sets of the bestselling series. Each chilling 5-book set comes with its own collectible storage tin.
The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
This gorgeous book by author Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris has been a favorite at our house ever since Sam’s brother gave her a copy. It’s a celebration of the wild, with poetry and rich watercolors bringing animals, birds, and elements of the natural world to enchanting life within the pages.
Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year by Allie Esiri
As you know, we love a good “one-a-day” book around here, and this one is a great way to read Shakespeare with your kids. For each day of the year, editor Allie Esiri has chosen a sonnet, a passage from a play, or other selections from the Bard paired with interesting facts or explanations. She promises that all of his plays are covered—some you may have never even heard of!
For Book-Lovers of All Ages
Bookmarks
Looking for sweet stocking stuffers for your beloved bookworms? This playful bespectacled unicorn bookmark is one of our favorites for gifting to little readers. We’ve got plenty of unique bookmarks to choose from at the Painted Porch, including the unicorn’s dragon counterpart and some truly special ones for any book lover in your life.
