Turning Starters into Finishers by Teaching People How to Think
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My Favorite Gifts for the Holidays: 2026 Edition
Published 3 days ago • 6 min read
Try This! Gift Guide
Don’t know what to get this year for that person who has it all?
I guarantee you will find some hidden gems in this year’s Try This Gift Guide.
As always, these are items the Acuff house absolutely loved or made this year. (Soundtracks Cards for the win!) Most of these are pulled straight from our Amazon order list, so they are easy to get and quick to ship.*
Get ready to surprise and delight everyone you know with our 12 favorite things from 2026:
Take my money! I bumped into the Faith Driven Entrepreneur guys a few years ago when they came to my house to do an interview for their massive YouTube channel.
Fast forward to last month and William, the cofounder, sent me a message on LinkedIn. He started Tektones to build some of his favorite Biblical stories with his son Liam. As a Lego snob, I initially thought, “eh.” Then I saw the actual Nativity set and I was blown away. It’s 879 pieces, comes with 8 custom figures and tells the Christmas story from Luke 2 perfectly. It’s LEGO® compatible too, so it snaps right in with the bricks you already have.
They also make Jonah & the Whale (1,189 pieces and a whale mouth that actually opens) and Jesus and the Lost Sheep (264 pieces), a perfect first set for little builders. This isn’t just a gift, this is a moment. I wish this existed when my kids were little because we would have made building it together a Christmas tradition. Perfect for your kids or grandkids.
Everything is better in pencil. To do lists? Better in pencil. New book idea? Better in pencil. Grocery list? Better in pencil. Call me old school if you must, but I love a good pencil and these are the best. I even bought the sharpener too this year. The amount of simple satisfaction I get from sharpening a pencil is unbelievable.
This book is built for a stocking or a corporate gift people will actually want. It’s a 90-day reader that gives you a soundtrack, a question and an action you can easily accomplish each morning. Each day takes less than 3 minutes to read and everyone on your list will be surprised how fun life gets in 2027 when they have a new mindset. Buy it for yourself, co-workers or give it to carolers. Everyone needs help with their mindset.
Last year, I recommended SkyJo, and that recommendation still stands. This year, we’ve been all about Monopoly Deal No Mercy.
They call it ruthless, and they are right. This one takes regular Monopoly Deal and amplifies the actions with a series of devastating cards. One of our family soundtracks is, “You can learn a lot about a person by playing cards with them.” Do they cheat? Do they have an anger issue? Are they too cool to play a silly game? Are they too dumb to understand UNO? Playing cards with a date is a great way to quickly figure out who is a knucklehead. It's also an enjoyable way to spend a cold, winter day.
This is 50. I don’t know what else to tell you. This is 50. I now wear and LOVE readers. I had a half century run of not needing glasses and all the sudden my eyes were like “We’re out.” The big tell was restaurants. I found myself saying, “This place is so dark! Why do these hipsters have to print the menu in 2-point font.”
I’ve had a dozen different pairs of readers and there are cheaper options, but these are my favorite. The problem with cheaper options is that they are cheaper. The arms give out in weeks, the glass pops out and you look like you got your glasses in a gas station. These Izipizi are stylish and sturdy. If you’re my age, give in already. Wear readers. You don’t have to keep squinting.
Has there ever been a more perfectly shaped stocking stuffer than the Soundtrack Card decks? Each deck includes 52 of the most encouraging soundtracks (repetitive thoughts) you’ve ever heard and then conversation starters on the back. They’re perfect for dinner with your family, the start of a team meeting, or a chat with your spouse. You’ve got 52 chances to build a winning mindset and open up a wonderful conversation. Best of all, there are Soundtracks for Kids, Soundtracks for Teens, Soundtracks for Entrepreneurs, and Soundtracks for Couples. Buy them for your family, buy them for your team, buy them for your entire neighborhood!
I don’t know if this is just what naturally happens when you turn 50, but I suddenly find myself fascinated by watches. If you see me at the airport or Costco and want to talk watches, please know that I am down. Jenny is very much over it. Behind every watch guy is a wife who is bored of the conversation.
If you have a watch fan in your life or are thinking about becoming one, here’s my favorite watch I bought this year: Timex MK1 Automatic. It’s a classic field watch, powered by your movement (automatic) and is easy to swap out straps to dress it up or down depending on your mood. Plus, it’s all of that for only about $300, which is a great deal. Seriously, pray for Jenny because when I’m not writing paragraphs like that, I’m telling her those same words.
It’s five years too early for me to tell you about this journal, but I’m going to anyway. Leuchtturm1917, my favorite journal brand and the maker of the Finish Journal, has a five-year journal. Each page shows the date at the top and has five boxes for you to fill in day by day over a five-year journey. I’m three months in and loving this simple discipline. I’ve journaled for decades, but never this deliberately. If you want to start a new practice or encourage someone else, this is a great option.
How do you sell a million books without being famous? What does it take to become a professional public speaker? This year, I decided to answer both of those questions by creating a two-day intensive in my office in Franklin, Tennessee.
If you have a writer in your life or someone with a story that deserves to be on stage, a ticket to this will blow them away. There are only 20 people at each session, so it sells out quickly.
I must be the last person on the planet to own this thing because it currently has 168,000 reviews on Amazon. That is insane. A friend gave me this and I love it. If you’re doing creatine, collagen, protein etc. this is such an easy option for shaking up a beverage without any powdery lumps that ruin your day. It’s easy to clean and best of all costs less than $10. If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer, this is an awesome option.
“Boring, but awesome.” That should be the tagline for this present. If you have someone in your life who travels a lot, they will deeply appreciate this simple gift. What does it do? It allows you to refill small travel size toothpastes easily from the bigger one you have at home.
Why does that matter? Because everyone knows that if you have more than 3 ounces of toothpaste you might be a terrorist. So, you have to carry tiny toothpaste tubes which is a hassle because they keep running out. Only they don’t now because your travel nerd friend Jon Acuff told you about this product.
Imagine if Jason Bourne restored Renaissance paintings when he wasn’t saving the world. That’s Gabriel Allon, an Israeli spy who also happens to be one of the best art restorers on the planet. Some people binge Netflix. I binge Gabriel Allon. The writing is smart, the plots are fast, and you’ll learn more about European history and art than you ever did in college. The best part? If you’ve got a reader in your life who hasn’t discovered them yet, you’re not buying them a book, you’re buying them a whole year of books. Start with The Kill Artist and thank me later.
This email may contain affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission. I only share things I actually use, love, or think will help you be more remarkable.
Jon Acuff
NYT Bestselling Author + Inc 100 Top Speaker
Turning Starters into Finishers by Teaching People How to Think
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