The gift they didn't know they needed

10 recommended journals for every person on your list, plus a few others I didn't want to leave out

Is it possible to come to the end of the year and realize you don’t remember much? Absolutely. It’s like when we don’t recall how we got someplace once we’ve driven there. Scarily, a life on auto-pilot, where we’re not paying attention, can happen quite easily if we let it. Thankfully, nifty social media and smart technology functions on our phones help to fill in our memory gaps with 10-second photo montages. But for some of us, the warp speediness of life makes us yearn for a little more. How do we capture treasure moments when they are passing us by so quickly?

The answer is not to take more photos. I’d like to offer a better solution - the journal.

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

- Mary Oliver

I write a lot about journaling, all kinds of journaling, and the role of journal-keeper is not one I take lightly. As an avid recorder of my comings and goings, my thoughts, my prayers, even my creative musings, I have found genuine help, hope, and healing in the art of journal keeping, no matter the format.

In fact, on my website, I have dedicated a page solely for the art of journaling because of its importance in my life but also because I wish for others to know what journaling could do for them. I open the page with this…

I journal to listen to my life. I write to discover. I record to remember. I journal in silence and the silence keeps me listening, open, and available for the words that need space to breathe on the page before me. My journal pages are an extension of my life. They hold secrets and prayers, dreams and sorrows; often, they hold me.

Of course, nothing compares to having an intimate and personal relationship with Jesus, but a journal ranks up there for me. It’s a forever friend I can trust and won’t betray me. It goes wherever I go and carries the weight of my deepest secrets, longings, and prayers judgment free. Yes, a journal, in some shape or format, will always be in my life.

And maybe it’s time for a journal to be in your loved ones’ lives, too!

If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for a loved one or friend, below are a few blank and guided journals that I recommend. Remember, you are not just gifting a book - it’s a tool for living a richer life, for investing in oneself, and for experiencing more delight and enjoyment, perhaps even some help, hope, and healing. A journal may just be the gift they didn’t know they needed.

“Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.”— Jen Williamson

*The links provided for these books are Amazon affiliate links. That means should you purchase through the link, I receive a small commission from Amazon, which goes right back into buying more books (and art supplies). I’d be grateful if you did!

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I. For the lover of beautiful books, journal keepers, nature lovers, Mary Oliver lovers, poets, romantics

This Wild and Precious Life: A Journal by Mary Oliver

Firstly, this journal is aesthetically pleasing; the colors are perfect with that green and blue combo! Additionally, it’s the perfect size and with its flexible hardcover, it is surely to end up in their everyday bag and be a constant companion.

Peppered throughout the entire journal, and on the sturdy pages, are excerpts from Mary’s poems, as well as simple nature-themed illustrations.

As a watercolor nature-journaler, although thick and sturdy, the pages lack tooth to hold paint, in my opinion, but certainly could withstand pencil or pen sketches to accompany illustrative journaling, should the journal keeper want to add a few here and there.

II. For the creative/artist, the one who wants to be more creative and/or mindful, the color lover, the playful explorer, the friend who is not afraid of commitment or needs something simple to commit to

One Color a Day: A Daily Art Practice and Visual Diary by Courtney Cerruti

This small book packs a powerful punch with a simple and profound tool - the daily creative practice.

A daily creative practice isn’t reserved only for the artist or creative needing to stir creative juices before their day begins, it’s also an incredibly useful therapeutic tool in your healing toolbox; a tool anyone can use. A few minutes a day mindfully committed to yourself and a creative practice is scientifically proven to improve mental health¹. I can testify to this statement as it’s something I’ve been doing for a while now for my mental health. I recently started a new Instagram page for my 5-10 minute daily creative practice here, if you’re interested in following along. On the days I don’t get to it, I feel off.

This small book provides the space to create a new color with watercolor for every day of the year. Courtney teaches us the basics of watercolor and provides prompts along the way. One of my favorite parts of this is naming the color you created. Little Kelly adored the names of my beloved Crayola crayons (cornflower, periwinkle, orchid, and sea green) and many years later, I saw this poster and knew I had to have it. When we lost everything in our toxic mold adventure², I had to buy another one and it’s currently hanging in my art studio. It brings me so much joy!

a close-up of a small section

III. For the creative/artist, poet, lover of guided journals, the one who wants to be more creative, the hopeless romantic, the curious, the collage lover

Find Your Voice: A Guided Poetry Journal for Your Heart and Your Art by Noor Unnahar

This sweet little journal is filled with delightful prompts and illustrations from the author, which particularly appeal to me as many are collages. The pages and prompts are formatted uniquely, with some pages being dot, grid, or loose-leaf paper lines. It has poetry prompts and other thoughtful prompts to explore your poetic voice.

Don’t let the word POETRY scare you (or your gift receiver). This book is very thoughtfully written to help anyone feel welcome to the poetry table.

IV. For the nature lover, your retired family member with a sudden interest in nature or bird watching, the one interested in nature journaling but may not know where to start or doesn’t have the time to make in-depth watercolored pages, your observant friend who appreciates record keeping

The Naturalist's Notebook: An Observation Guide and 5-Year Calendar-Journal for Tracking Changes in the Natural World around You by Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich

When COVID hit, our family spent nearly every single day exploring different trails, nature preserves, and wild and untamed places. I had dabbled in nature journaling prior to that but since I had nothing but time, I took the art and practice of nature journaling more seriously and completely fell in love. I purchased several books about nature journaling to help me find my style and this was one of them.

This thoughtfully designed guided journal provides a few lines to record daily observations over a five year period. Perfect for tracking when the first migrators show up at your feeder each year, or when you saw your first question mark butterfly or dogwood bud burst open for the season.

At the time, I wound up sketching and painting fairly in-depth pages so I didn’t use this journal, but now that my time is extremely limited I may go back to this style. It allows me to continue observing, recording, and appreciating nature without the time constraints of making fully painted pages.

V. For the walker in your life, the one who enjoys practicing mindfulness or wants to be more mindful in their everyday life, your deep-thinking friend, the quote lover, the philosopher

Afoot and Lighthearted: A Log for Mindful Walking by Bonnie Smith Whitehouse

If your gift receiver is already a walker, this could be the perfect supplement, providing thoughtful prompts and exercises to become more aware of their surroundings and thoughts. If they are a casual walker, and already doing some of the ideas in the book, the quotes will add richness to their walks. If they aren’t a walker, they might want to become one, and this book then becomes a nice suggestion. Walking is good for everyone. We could all walk a little more.