Easy to Mail Christmas Gift Ideas: Light and Small

Nothing on this list is sponsored. They are all legit items we own, use and love. Affiliate links are used in this post, giving us a commission if you purchase items through the links, at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting our work!

If you’re celebrating Christmas from afar this year, but still sending presents in the mail, here are our best ideas to help save money on shipping. We’re trading in super personal gifts for new standards: Must be small(ish), and must be light.

The Quick List: Mailable Gifts

A summary of items. Scroll down to find descriptions and photos. (Any Amazon link is an affiliate link.)

COMORT + PERSONAL | Headphones embedded in a headband (cozy versions for kids too!) | A huge mitten with built-in window scraper | A quality, beautiful travel mug that keeps your drink the right temp | Incredibly comfortable socks | A milk frother to level up homemade coffee

TECH | Mini lanterns for camping, emergencies, or blanket forts | Phone tripod with flexible legs | A “why didn’t we have this sooner” motion-sensor light

HOME GOODS | A collapsible, silicone to-go cup | Wool dryer balls (Grove or Amazon) | A host of unique ideas from Etsy (whisky flight, antiques, leather wrap bracelet)

PAPER GOODS A journal to capture everyday memories

The Details: Mailable Gifts

Home Comforts & Personal Pampering

Headphone headband: If you are shopping for a “watch Netflix on your phone in bed” kind of person, this is the gift. You can stop looking. Kid versions also available!

Window Scraper + Mit: Revisiting a favorite from last year’s gift guide. A genius idea for those in snowy areas.

Travel Mug: I am in love with Swig mugs. So many sizes for keeping hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold (shout out to winter cold brew drinkers!). They have a huge selection of gorgeous prints and mug finishes, shaped perfectly for car cup holders, and even mugs for wine on-the-go. All with sealed lids for the perfect travel option.

Bombas Socks: Buy a pack and tuck a pair into each of your packages. Socks are usually boring gifts, but fancy socks are a treat.

Mini milk frother: We use this religiously for leveling up our homemade caffeinated drinks. Without an official espresso machine and steamer, this little tool gets close enough for the delicious frothy milk.

Tech-Related

lantern in blanket fort — Blanket fort, powered by lanterns

Battery-Powered Mini Lanterns. We were gifted four of these last year for Christmas, and they are amazing. Super light, durable, and put out plenty of light. We keep them stationed around the house for any power outages, and the kids love using them for blanket forts.

Phone Tripod: For all the Zooms and video chats with family where you want your phone hands-free and stable. (We have two: One tripod with flexible legs to grip anywhere, and one traditional mini tripod)

Motion-Sensor Light. HEAR ME OUT. I know this is a lame gift by itself. But included in a package with all sorts of other small, delightful gifts, it’s such a bonus. In my whole house, this is probably the cheapest item we value the most. We have one in our bathroom, so any middle-of-the-night bathroom trips or early morning stumbles to put in contacts are dimly light *without* the need to hit a light switch.

Home Goods

Stojo Cup: Collapsible, silicone, stylish. This cup can be tucked into your bag or kept in the car, ready to go when you order coffee and want to save a cup from the landfill.

Wool Dryer Balls: We swear by this set from Grove Collaborative and use them exclusively for all our laundry — no more dryer sheets! We love not having an overpowering laundry smell, and they reduce single-use dryer sheet waste. They work great to manage static and have held up with years of use. (Not a Grove Collaborative member? These dryer balls have positive reviews on Amazon (paid link): Smart Sheep).

The Magical World of Etsy. This is our absolute favorite place to shop for super thoughtful, handmade, one-of-kind pieces. Bonus points for supporting makers and small businesses. Etsy has unique gifts like custom prints and cool maps, plus the usual small shops selling home decor, jewelry, clothes, and more. Here’s our favorites:

I bought this beautifully crafted whisky flight and glasses for my husband’s birthday, after the pandemic nixed dreams of a Kentucky Bourbon Trail adventure.
I found an antique Etsy shop selling a vintage salt and pepper shaker set to replace ones that were lost — a one-of-a-kind find.
Leather wrap bracelet: We got a custom one with a short scripture and our two kids’ names on it. Lots of great options available.

For Babies/Toddlers

EZPZ Mini Cups: I wish we would have found these sooner! My 1-year-old loves drinking out of these tiny cups. Previously he had been exclusively using Munchkin 360 cups, and I was surprised he didn’t spill with this new cup. It’s so thoughtfully designed, with a weighted bottom and small opening, that the transition to an open cup is made super easy.

Zutano Booties: Cozy, cute, won’t slip off like other tiny, unreliable socks, and lots of room for those babies with extra pudgy feet.

For Preschoolers

Painting Smock: We love the full sleeves on this smock. Pair it with a watercolor palette and a pad of painting paper for a ready-to-go art package.

Smoothie straws: Silicone, easy-to-clean, big enough to manage a smoothie. We even cut one shorter for our toddler to fit better in smaller cups.

UnbuckleMe: A great gift for anyone who has a hard time pressing the car seat release button. I keep ours in the front console and toss it back once we’re parked. My 4-year-old loves his new responsibility of unbuckling himself.

Felt Play Food. Our set of felt food is no longer available, but Melisssa&Doug has other similar felt food sets available.

Mini Digital Camera: My son (age 4) received this last year for Christmas and has spent the entire year gleefully taking photos around our house. There’s one second video clips of the floor. Photos of the toilet. He’s in love.

A Christmas book: If you have a bigger box, a Christmas book is great addition to tuck in. Both our favorite books use color to celebrate the holidays.

Just released this year, All the Colors of Christmas quickly became a beloved Christmas book. The words are almost lyrical, describing all the wonderful, delightful things about Christmas. The illustrations are beautiful, including diverse characters — notably in the nativity scene.
Our other favorite kids Christmas book is The Snow Tree. It has gorgeous illustrations, raised designs for kids to feel, and a non-religious holiday narrative celebrating peace and friendship. (Look for books at your local, independent book store! Also try IndieBound or ThriftBooks.)

[Our kids are young, and we don’t recommend anything we haven’t tried, so we don’t have sections for kids 5+. If you have suggestions or questions for older kids, pop them in the comments below]

Paper Goods & Packaging

One Line a Day Journal: Another popular item from last year’s post, this journal is a super easy way to capture memories throughout the year. I’m on my second book, and these are easily on my top “would save in an emergency” list. I started a kids version for my son as well, if there’s a kid on your list who’d enjoy an easy journaling/memory-keeping gift.

Bonus Ideas – Going Rogue!

Here are some extra ideas that do not pass our “have it and love it” standards. We’ve heard great things from other people, but don’t actually own these. In case you need more easy-to-mail gift ideas, consider:

Nixplay Digital Wifi Frame. This came highly recommended in one of my favorite parenting Facebook groups. Give it to grandparents as a gift and upload photos directly to the frame remotely.

PhoneSoap UV Sanitizer. We are very intrigued by this product. Would be great for a higher budget, germ-conscious gift exchange.

Solar Phone Charging Kit. For any family that’s been hitting the hiking trails more.

Looking for even more ideas? Here’s our other top favorite lists: