As always, my Amazon recommendations are things I have tried, use, and love. Honestly, one of the best purchases I made this year on Amazon was that portable Apple Watch charger! It holds a charge for a long time and is key to carry around when wearing an Apple Watch (which has notoriously bad battery life).

One // Wet Brush Frizz-Free Detangler Brush

Two // La Blanca Women’s One Piece Swimsuit

Three // Strappy Flat Sandals

Four // Ninja Crispi Glass Air Fryer, 4-in-1

Five // NYX Professional Makeup Lip IV Hydrating Gloss Stain, Petal Pourin’

Six // VANLINKER Vintage Square Metal Polarized Sunglasses

Seven // RUNNING GIRL High Impact Sports Bra

Eight // Sun Bum Kids SPF 50 Clear Face Stick Sunscreen

Nine // Sweed – Eyelash Growth Serum

Ten // Bulk Rainbow Sprinkles

Eleven // Madewell Women’s (Re) generative Cotton Ribbed Scoop Neck Tank

Twelve // Women’s Fit Camisole with Built-in Bra

Thirteen // Woven Hobo Bag

Fourteen // Wireless Charger Compatible for Apple Watch

Fifteen // Charmo Women’s One Piece Swimsuit

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Amazon Best Sellers first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

I IMPLORE you to order the Killer Brownies from Dorothy Lane Market. I’ve never had a more delicious brownie in my life!! We’ve got an eclectic mix of fun things to choose from, either practical (like my favorite toothbrush) or indulgent (like Laundry Sauce).

One // Kate McLeod Winter Rituals | Mini Body Stone Gift Set

Two // Soft Services “VACATION” Buffing Exfoliating Body Bars

Three // Lunch Box Notes | 90 Illustrated Notecards

Four // Brumate Era Flip 40oz

Five // Dorothy Lane Market Killer Brownies

Six // Laundry Sauce Detergent Pods – USE CODE SMALLTHINGS15 FOR 15% OFF

Seven // Ballparks Past and Present Leather Coffee Table Book

Eight // SURI Pro 2.0 Electric Toothbrush – USE CODE SMALLTHINGS FOR 15% OFF

Nine // Stoney Clover Lane Kitten Pouchette

Ten // The SABRÉMOJI Fruit Coin Purse

Eleven // Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

Twelve // Williams Sonoma Classic Stripe Apron

Thirteen // Amish Popcorn Library

Fourteen // Capri Blue x Pura | Volcano Pura 5 Kit | Waterless Diffuser

Fifteen // 67′ Velvette Car Air Freshener

Sixteen // Clyve Sunglasses

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Anyone first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

It’s always great to see the creativity and skill that comes through in small businesses, and as someone who once owned a small jewelry business (and a stamped card business before that!) I know how important each sale is! From tea towels to handmade jewelry, this gift guide is filled with small business gift ideas for anyone on your list!

One // Puckett Creative: Personalized Tea Towel – Custom Stamped Cotton Dish Towel

Two // The Flourish Market: Resin Salad Server – Vanilla

Three // Mr. Christmas: Set of 4 Espresso Mugs – Santa

Four // The Flourish Market: Malawi Aurora Hoops

Five // Intention Boutique: Handpainted Ornaments, Blue Floral – Pack of 3

Six // bowerbird: Honey Lavender Caramels 6 oz Gift Box

Seven // Durham Toffee Company: Toffee

Eight // Beth’s: Golden Nativity Scene

Nine // Lineage: Candle Gift Set – Classic Collection

Ten // Downsized Designs: Tic Tac Hockey Wood Game

Eleven // The Flourish Market: Shower Steamers – Sweater Weather

Twelve // The Flourish Market: Olivia Mahjong Printed Scarf

Additional fantastic retailers:

// Watercolor Home Portrait

// The Flourish Market: North Carolina Birds Tea Towel

// Beth’s: Whispering Pines Vase

// The Zen Succulent: Grand Green Succulent Terrarium Kit

// oh, little wren: Animal Faces Memory Match

// The Flourish Market: Textured Teal Mahjong Card Holder

// Durham Toffee Company: Espresso Crunch

// Beth’s: Advent Pillow

// Downsized Designs: Santa’s Magic Key | Heirloom Wood Keepsake Box

// Mr. Christmas: 18 in. Wooden Wreath – Vintage Santa Claus

// Kands.co: One Step Crewneck Sweatshirt

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts from Small Businesses first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

One // “Squeeze Duo” Gift Set

Two // Italian Woven Cotton Throw Blanket

Three // Round Porcelain Box

Four // Super Chill Chilling Coasters

Five // Letter Writing Set

Six // Hotel Checkered Ceramic Vase

Seven // Serving Platter Trio

Eight // Threshold 320 Thread Count Cool TENCEL® Lyocell Sheet Set

Nine // Nuno Splatter Stoneware Individual Bowl

Ten // Large Porcelain Serving Platter

Eleven // European Linen Scallop Edge Napkins

Twelve // Hotel Lobby Candle “Fresh Snow”

Thirteen // Kitsch Satin Pillowcase

Fourteen // Ninja Crispi Portable Cooking System

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Home + Family first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

One // Rolo Bracelet – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Two // Kate Huggies – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off

Three // London Bracelet – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off

Four // Slim Rolo Necklace – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Five // Ellie Huggies – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off

Six // Gold Moi + Toi Cluster on Clipt Belcher Necklace

Seven // Diamond Letter Jumble – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Eight // Martini Ring – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Nine // Small Gold T-Bar Earrings

Ten // Find Your Way Compass Pendant – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Eleven // Mixed-Metal Triple-Ring Hoop Earrings

Twelve // Princess Diamond Pendant – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Thirteen // 14K Gold Lab Grown Diamond Bezel Set Tennis Bracelet

Fourteen // Emily Necklace – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off

Fifteen // Diamond Arc Layering Necklace – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Sixteen // Lucy Williams Pavé Knot Small Hoop Earrings

Seventeen // Tennis Classic Hoop Earrings

Eighteen // Small Gold T-Bar On Belcher Chain

Nineteen // Plus One Cuff – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Twenty // Rendezvous Cuff – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

Twenty-one // Custom Gold Necklace – Use code SMALLTHINGS15 for 15% off until 12/31

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts of Jewelry first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

One // Crown Affair The Mini Air Dry Mousse Ritual Hair Set for Volume and Texture

Two // Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum and Travel Spray 2-Piece Gift Set

Three // Kate McLeod The Body Stone Set of 3 Mini Samplers

Four // Kérastase Elixir Ultime & 8H Magic Mini Duo Bestsellers Hair Value Set

Five // Patrick Ta Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo & Lip Balm Makeup Gift Set

Six // OSEA Undaria Body Dynamic Duo

Seven // The Classic Clean Perfect hair Day™ Dry Shampoo Duo

Eight // Laura Mercier A Taste of Caviar Mini Caviar Stick Eye Shadow Trio Gift Set

Nine // Westman Atelier Mini Petite Party Eye & Cheek Makeup Gift Set

Ten // NARS The Multiple Mini Blush & Sculpt Duo

Eleven // Crown Affair The Bestsellers Trio Hair Gift Set for Volume, Hydration & Air-Dry Texture

Twelve // Armani Beauty Effortless Eye Tint Long-Lasting Liquid Eyeshadow Duo Gift Set

Thirteen // Kérastase Chronologiste Trio Gift Set for Dry, Thin, Aging Hair

Fourteen // Laura Mercier Awaken Your Eyes Secret Brightening Powder & Brush Gift Set

Fifteen // Natasha Denona Mini Eye Sculpt Eyeshadow Palette & Eye Crayon Pencil Duo Makeup Gift Set

Sixteen // Bumble & bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil Style for Days Starter Hair Set

Seventeen // OSEA Undaria Body Bestsellers Set

Eighteen // Westman Atelier The Essentials Edition

Nineteen // Pureology Hydration Handled Holiday Gift Set

Twenty // DULCE HOME + AWAY HOLIDAY BOX – USE CODE SMALLTHINGS20 FOR 20% OFF

Twenty-one // YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick Duo

Twenty-two // Soft Services Buffing Bar Miniature Collection

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Beauty Gift Sets first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

I would genuinely love an e-gift card to Crank Sports to stock up on my e-gels! That was how I fueled during my marathon! I’ve included a lot of other running favorites in this list roundup, and even if you aren’t a runner–those Kane recovery shoes are very comfortable.

One // Free People Women’s Tempo Ruched Long Sleeve Tee

Two // WATERFLY Running Belt Fanny Pack

Three // Petzl IKO CORE Headlamp

Four // Gimme Beauty Grip + Go Hair Bands

Five // Feetures Elite Light Cushion Quarter Sock

Six // TheraGun Therabody Mini 3rd Gen Massage Gun

Seven // Kallin Running Short 3″

Eight // Kane Revive Active Recovery Shoe

Nine // Momentum Flex Muscle Tank

Ten // HOKA Clifton 11 Sneakers

Eleven // She’s Birdie – The Original Personal Safety Alarm

Twelve // Lux Sarah Sports Bra

Thirteen // Raycon Everyday Bone Conduction Headphones

Fourteen // e-Gel Pro Pack

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for a Runner first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

One // Hesi Performance Hoodie

Two // Legend Button-Up Shirt

Three // Italian Leather Money-Clip Wallet

Four // On Men’s Cloud 6 Sneakers

Five // XT-6 Gore-Tex® Waterproof Sneaker

Six // Session 2-in-1 Shorts

Seven // Sunday Element Half Zip Pullover

Eight // YETI Rambler® 20 oz Tumbler

Nine // Downeaster Crew

Ten // Stance Icon Classic Casual No Show Socks

Eleven // Tracksmith Eliot Runner

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Him first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

I can say with confidence that this is the hardest guide to keep to a reasonable size because there are so many things that I love that would make good gifts. From cozy slippers to my favorite perfume, most women would love something from this list!

One // Organic Pima Wide Leg Pant

Two // Le Bon Shoppe Wally Socks

Three // Triple-Ring Huggie Hoop Earrings

Four // The Casual Clog

Five // Blake Nylon Varsity Bag

Six // Small Jewelled Gold T-Bar On Trace Chain

Seven // Solid Mini Marina Sweater

Eight // Cozy Era Long Sleeve Shortie Set in Coffee Stripe

Nine // Bryanna Ivory Longline Knit Jumper

Ten // N.04 The Massaging Detangling Hair Brush

Eleven // YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick Duo

Twelve // Always Effortless Jacket Evolve

Thirteen // Lab-Grown White Sapphire Tennis Bracelet

Fourteen // Organic Pima Tee Short Set

Fifteen // DULCE Home & Away Holiday Box – USE CODE SMALLTHINGS20 FOR 20% OFF

Sixteen // Mini Dia Bag

Seventeen // Voyager Travel Case

Eighteen // The Après Clog

Nineteen // Dolce Vita Joney Stud Mules

Twenty // Effortless Eye Tint Long-Lasting Liquid Eyeshadow Duo Gift Set

The post 2026 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for Her first appeared on The Small Things Blog.

I ran the NYC Marathon on November 1st, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life! I could talk about it in detail for hours, and honestly I have a few different places where I recapped everything on Instagram, but I wanted to share a couple takeaways from the race while they’re fresh in my mind. If you prefer video recaps, go check out my Instagram!

There were a couple of unexpected challenges of the marathon, as well as things I thought were going to be really difficult that ended up being super easy.

One of the challenging elements was the number of people on the course while I was running. Now, I don’t think anything was done wrong about this; I think it’s just the pace I was running amidst a lot of run/walk folks, and just a record-breaking number of runners for this year. The course was crowded; I had to weave a little bit more than I expected to. It was a little challenging to get into a good flow because people would abruptly stop in front of me, although I will say a fair number of people raised their arms to let me know they were stopping, which I really, really appreciated! There were a couple of spots along the course that felt pretty darn narrow, but they didn’t last very long. I could completely understand why people say this is a tough marathon to try to PR because there are physical blocks of crowded areas (as well as hills, but that is a different topic).

Maybe the most mentally challenging part of the whole day was my brain computing the amount of time it was taking to be transported further and further away from the finish line, knowing the only way I had to get back was via my legs. The logistics of getting from Midtown to Staten Island couldn’t have gone more smoothly. I think NYRR had that really dialed in! I also left about 45 minutes of buffer into my morning commute in order to allow for things running late, crowds, the freedom to use the bathroom if I wanted to, etc.

My morning time stamps:

My race start time was 11:30am, which was the final wave of the day. Justin, Jordan, and I left the hotel at 7:15am. to walk 1 block to the subway. We got on the subway at around 7:21am and got off the subway at Whitehall at 7:38am. Then it was a short walk over to the station, which I reached at 7:48am. I waited for a ferry to arrive and got on it at 8:29am. I exited the ferry at 8:54am. I stood in line for the bus to Start Village from 9:15 to 9:42am, then rode it to Fort Wadsworth, which arrived at 10:18am. I walked into Start Village and sat down on my towel at 10:33am. I got up around 11:00am to strip off my donation clothes and get in line to enter the corral. I used the bathroom one more time inside the corral, and then it was time to move to the start line closer to the bridge.

I honestly preferred to be “in motion” instead of sitting in one place for 2 hours, so if I had to do it again, I would repeat every single element of that Sunday morning commute.

But– I will say that sitting on the Staten Island ferry was daunting, knowing I kept getting further and further away from Central Park! It was so incredible to look out the window and see the Statue of Liberty, so the ferry is definitely the way to go, but be prepared that it’s a long sojourn and there’s only one way back!

This wasn’t a challenge, but it was absolutely so loud and so energetic that I couldn’t have heard my music via my Raycon Bone Conduction Headphones even if I wanted to! I listened to my playlist during the beginning of the race, trying to get settled into a good rhythm, and then eventually turned off my music after seeing my people for the first time at mile eight. If I were to run New York City again, and if I absolutely wanted to listen to my own personal playlist, I would get in-ear noise-canceling headphones for the race. Again, I loved the energy and the people spectating the race, so I didn’t mind it at all, but just wanted to share this note.

The spectator sections are so thick with people; if I hadn’t known exactly where to look for my loved ones, I could’ve easily missed them. I would pull my phone out to check my texts to see exactly where they were going to be, which was crucial!

The more detail, the better, and the easiest thing was to say something like “we are right after the gatorade/water station on the left” so I could look for that location and then scan the crowd just after. I also gave my husband a bright umbrella to hold really high up in the air when I was approaching, so I knew to look for that umbrella! It was really strategic because it was a gorgeous sunny day, so no one else had an umbrella. My husband was the only guy holding an umbrella straight up in the sky, so I knew as soon as I saw it down the course that that was my group!

Cell service was not an issue at all; I was not on my phone very much, and if I had my phone in my hand, I was filming. I sent two texts when I was walking up the incline of a bridge asking where my group was going to be at mile 16, but otherwise I didn’t text anything. Even at the end of the race, I did not have cell service issues.

The climb up 5th Avenue was a lot harder than expected. I couldn’t believe how much the elevation was impacting me, and it also felt like it would never end. I was warned about the rolling hills in Central Park as well, and while I didn’t think they would be so bad, I can tell you that they are pretty tough when you get to that point of the marathon!

The walk from the finish line to exit Central Park and start heading down to the family reunification center was tough! For me, the sun had been going low in the sky, so it was starting to get cold, and my legs were beat to death, so the walkout felt like an eternity! I just wanted to be with my loved ones instead of walking alone for another 45 minutes.

The mess at the hydration stations was pretty annoying. I don’t think there’s really anything you can do to avoid it, but the ground was extremely sticky, and the cup pile-up by wave five, which was my wave, was pretty large! Even if you didn’t want to slow down through hydration areas, you pretty much had to to make sure you weren’t going to slip or trip on a smashed cup. A lot of people were kicking them by running through, so it just felt pretty chaotic. It’s a short time, and once you know what it’s like, you know how to prepare for the future hydration stations.

I wish they were more obvious and more of the Culligan water refill stations. I was looking for them several times and couldn’t find them, or I would find them after the fact! I wish there were a warning like 100 feet before the Culligan water refill station so I knew it was coming. I ended up having my flask refilled at the regular hydration stations because I didn’t know when I would ever see one of the Culligan refill stations. Again, this was marked on the map prior to the race, but I was not trying to memorize where they were thinking they would be, well-marked along the course.

If I could go back, I would’ve stayed in New York City for the rest of the day on Monday and booked an early flight out Tuesday morning. I was so sad to leave Monday morning first thing and miss all of the post-marathon events and activities on Monday in the city! I also would have very likely returned to the expo and bought about 10 more things!

Every single person I interacted with that entire day was friendly, supportive, and encouraging, and the positivity and good mood were so impactful! The energy was unmatched; everyone was buzzing! It truly was a 10 out of 10 experience I’ll never forget!

The post 9 Takeaways from the NYC Marathon (a few were very unexpected) first appeared on The Small Things Blog.