Gift Guides - Cool Mom Picks

The coolest virtual experience gift ideas for kids and adults. They’re fun, we promise!

You might think experience gifts are out this year, with the pandemic is still raging, but I’m here to tell you they are very much in. They’ve just gone virtual. And yes, I realize we all have serious Zoom burnout at this point, so if you’re looking...

Political gifts for women who need to laugh, need to recharge, need to keep going | Holiday Gifts 2020

by Liz Gumbinner | Holiday Picks

Political gifts from some of our favorite shops over the years, and some new ones I just had to share The truth is, it took me so long to get this post up this year because every day I found something new and amazing I wanted to highlight. At some point I had to just...

10 funny Christmas cards for 2020. Because we all need a laugh. Or a hundred.

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks

I think I speak for all of us when I say, wow, that was awful. If you too desperately need some end-of-the-year levity, check out these funny Christmas cards that riff on all things 2020 — from masks to Zoom to that big election you may have heard something...

Our giant list of more than 200+ homemade holiday gift ideas: DIY gifts for boyfriends, girlfriends, men, women, kids, neighbors, teachers…

by Liz Gumbinner | DIY, Holiday Picks

I can see in my social networks this year that so many more of us are looking for homemade gift ideas for the holidays. It’s not just that homemade gifts allow us to save some money (well, depending on the gift of course!), but they allow us to give an...

Explaining Hanukkah to kids: Start with this PBS documentary

by Liz Gumbinner | Entertainment + Media, Holiday Picks

Living in New York, I kind of take for granted that everyone knows what Hanukkah is, and we don’t need help explaining it to our kids. But last night on Twitter, I came across a thread started by a curious mom asking for documentaries or other resources to help...

10 of the best holiday gifts on Amazon this year, most supporting small businesses

by Liz Gumbinner | Holiday Picks, Living

Not to be cynical, but like, what happened, Amazon? You search for cool holiday gifts, and next thing you know there are 47 sponsored listings for the same item, from brands like XIPOSIRPOWR and HARINGOH-783. On the other hand, Amazon is often where a lot of small...

We found 50+ seriously cool gifts for men and women, all under $15

by Liz Gumbinner | Holiday Picks

We’ve shared our favorite gifts for kids under $15, and now of course, we’ve got gifts for adults under $15. After creating these affordable holiday gift lists for years now, we have one rule: No stocking stuffers! In other words, a lip balm from the drug...

This handmade ornament set celebrates the heroes of 2020

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks

I was thrilled to discover this set of four ornaments celebrating 2020 heroes: nurses, teachers, store clerks, and delivery people. The handprinted set comes from our friends at Brooklyn’s Goose Grease, and I think it’s the perfect holiday decoration for...

How to “meet” Santa this Christmas during COVID: 5 fun, safe ideas to get kids in front of the big guy.

by Caroline Siegrist | Holiday Picks

Let’s talk ways to “meet” Santa this Christmas this year, during Covid. Because my young son will want a Santa Claus visit this year, and I know he’s not the only kid, by a long shot! So I’ve been brainstorming alternatives to sitting on...

More than 50 amazing holiday gifts for kids under $15: Like, GOOD gifts. Not stocking stuffers.

by Liz Gumbinner | Holiday Picks, Toys + Playthings

Each year, we love putting together a list of affordable holiday gifts for kids under $15. With budgets tight for so many this year, it really helps to know that there are plenty of affordable gifts that still seem like big deals to kids, tweens, and even teens....

These retro-modern tree skirts make your Christmas decor the ginchiest.

by Liz Gumbinner | Art + Decor, Holiday Picks

With lots of us going a little bigger and bolder with our decor this holiday season, I realized I needed a new tree skirt that was not an old bed sheet. (Don’t judge!) An Etsy search yielded the gorgeous retro-modern tree skirts from Crash Pad Designs. Oof, be...

These shirts remind us that it’s almost as if…there’s no war on Christmas at all. Weird.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion, Holiday Picks

I had to laugh when I caught wind of Kayla Pekkala’s wonderful holiday gift collection on Tiny Werewolves — the highlight of which are the mugs, hats, tees and sweatshirts, all lovingly adorned with a classic Christmas sweater pattern. Oh, and the words,...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.

Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.