Holiday Gift Guide 2025

Whether you're shopping for a planner lover, a journaling friend, or someone who simply loves cute stationery, finding the perfect gift can be challenging. For those that just need a bit of inspiration, this guide provides some great choices as a starting point.

1. Planners and Accessories

Dated planners are great (check out our few remaining Hobonichi Weeks and Hibino planners for 2026), but if the goal is to write a few sentences a day or track long-term well-being, a 5-year journal is an amazing choice. Five-years sounds like a long time, but these planners are great for tracking multiple long term goals. They can also purpose as an multi-year event logger, perhaps for journaling one's college years, or even serving as a research log for long-term scientific experiments.

For ring planner users,  the star of the show this year is absolutely the Carl All-in-One Hole Punch. It punches four different sizes and basically lets you create your own inserts from scratch—a total game changer. New this year is a compact version that punch personal or pocket sizes. For those that don't want to make their own inserts but still want something custom, we also have our own original designs with over 10 varieties in Mini 6 (Pocket) and Mini 5 sizes. For those that want something dated and space-saving, the Accordion Fold Calendar Inserts for 2026 from Atabo can be an excellent choice.

For leather planner fans (especially Traveler’s Notebooks and Ring Planners such as Plotter), we’ve gathered some charming accessories—think cute planner charms and knitted covers—to give your planner buddy a little fun upgrade.

2. Calendars

Mini calendars usually sell fast, but luckily, some adorable ones from La Dolce Vita just landed. Each day comes with a unique illustration, so this cute little gift refreshes itself everyday!

For something larger, we have beautifully illustrated Cozyca Products wall calendars. Each month features artwork by talented artists like Midori Asano. Printed on premium Van Nuovo paper, these pages handle fountain pens and markers very well. The pages are single-sheet, so you can slip them into your desk setup easily, and since they’re A4 size, they even fit into an A5 ring planner if you don’t mind folding!

We also still have a handful of holiday stickers and message cards—perfect for sending a sweet greeting to someone special.

3. Cute Stamps & Ink Pads

Stamps make wonderful gifts: small, reusable, charming—and even better when paired with a favorite ink color.

For something fun and whimsical, Littlelu stamps are always crowd-pleasers.

For something functional, our original icon stamps are cute and perfectly sized, especially for habit tracking.

And for those who prefer aesthetic journaling or daily affirmations, Pooi Chin’s 9pt stamps are an instant win.

As for ink pads, we recently restocked most colors of the Shachihata mini ink pads and also many from the regular sized lineup. With over 25 colors available, you’re sure to find the perfect one!

4. Cute Memo Pads

If your gift recipient loves writing, doodling, note-taking, or simply collecting pretty papers, cute memo pads are a fantastic choice. Memo pads are versatile too—they’re great for planners (use just like sticky notes), and they’re perfect for layering in art collages.

We carry a huge variety from Cozyca Products, BigHands, NYRET Design, OURS Studio, and more.

5. Tapes & Stickers

Not sure what your crafty friend is into this year? Stickers and tapes are always a safe (and adorable) bet.

Alongside traditional Washi and PET tapes, kiss-cut tapes have been trending lately. They’re basically Washi/PET tapes with pre-cut shapes—an innovation for easy (and economical) decorating. We currently have designs from artists like Pion and La Dolce Vita.

Of course, stickers are always fun for all ages. From beloved brands like Mind Wave to indie favorites like Ivy Snow, you’ll find plenty of cheerful options here at Desk Gems.

Final Thoughts

As always, thank you so much for supporting our little shop. Curating these items and sharing them with you is one of our highlights for the year, and we hope this guide helps you find something that sparks joy—whether it’s for a loved one or a well-deserved gift to yourself.

Wishing you a cozy, creative, and peaceful holiday season.

Happy gifting, and happy journaling! 🎁✨

June