'Tis the season to spend your hard-earned paychecks on your friends and family. I have a few close friends and family members who are really easy to shop for. On the other hand, I have a few who I never know what to get them. For me personally, I always enjoy practical gifts that I'll use time and time again. Food and books make great gifts as well. Everyone eats and nearly everyone needs to read more books.

Here are just a few fun gift ideas I've rounded up. Of course, these are things I'd want, and I'm not sure others would feel the same. But you can use these items to get a few gift-giving ideas if you're having a hard time figuring out what to get some of the people on your list.

Best Home Items

An Instant Pot is a classic and a necessity in every kitchen. You can make this gift even more fun by buying a Star Wars themed one such as this Storm Trooper Instant Pot.

I recently learned that the oils from coffee can spike LDL cholesterol and insulin levels. I was using a French press to brew my coffee, but it wasn't filtering out the cafestol and kahweol. If you or someone you know are worried about these but you don't want to give up coffee, then this Chemex pour over glass coffee maker might be the right gift to give. Don't forget the filters to go with it. A nice bag of organic locally roasted coffee might pair well with this gift too.

Best Food Items

Who doesn't love chocolate? Actually, don't answer that. I don't want to know. In my mind everyone loves chocolate. And quality matters. That's why I suggest getting the chocolate lover in your life some quality stuff from Hu Kitchen. They sell bundles and also individual bars, which make great stocking stuffers. Use code realfoodedu when checking out.

Another little addiction I have is Siete Foods products. They also have cute gift bundles with food and merchandise to give to your foodie friends. I have this canvas tote, and I am constantly getting compliments on it every time I use it to shop for groceries. You can use code realfoodeducation at checkout to save if you order directly from their site.

There are other things that make great gifts too. You really need to know what the person you are shopping for likes. For example, if it were me you were shopping for, I'd prefer non-fiction books about health, nutrition, or spiritual enlightenment over fictional stories. I don't love candles, but I could use some really good quality clean candles to freshen up my house. I'd also love to receive some high quality skincare items. Again, I'm a practical person. I want things I'm going to use or get a lot of joy out of. I don't need things that are just going to sit around and collect dust in my house. Boise is a very dusty city, by the way. Things in my house collect dust very quickly.

I think it's great to support small crafters and artisans. You can do this by purchasing unique items from Etsy. Or you can see if there is a craft fair in your town. For example, Boise has a wintery market taking place this weekend at Powderhaus Brewing Co. in Garden City. If you're local, make sure you check it out and consider gifting someone some very awesome Kozon Skincare products from my friend Szilvia. I'm not sure how the lady in your life would feel about you gifting her anti-aging serum, but I can tell you from experience it works. I'm almost 39 and I still get carded!

The ultimate gift for me would be a kitten. But this gift isn't very practical (the responsibility, yikes!) and I don't think King would approve. I'd settle for an ocelot or a red panda too. Just sayin...

What are some gifts you are planning to give or hoping to receive this year?