History Buff Holiday Gift Guide: 2025
Geez, this year zipped right by.
How is it already time to share my personal Christmas registry History Gift Guide?! Anything other recommendations? Let me know in the comments below.
KEY
🎅Please, Santa!
⭐I have this (and/or have tried this) and love it
_________________
Bookends (etc.!)
ARCHd is so freaking cool.
It’s two sisters. Creating “handmade feminist AF goods” and it’s amazing. They make bookends, candles, t-shirts, stickers, and more. The only bad thing? Trying to narrow it down to what to show you. Or what to order for myself. I finally settled on a Shirley Chisholm bookend color drenched in chartreuse green and a pink Women Make History Every Day mini art on wood.
The Quotes by Iconic Women Bookend Set is incredible — and you can pick the set! And all of the color drenched bookends… swoon. 🔥
⭐🎅
Artwork
Abstract Currency Magnet Set by Michele Benton Art
Four of the five magnets are shown below (courtesy of Michele!). Or check out her prints and paintings.
Books
I could have sorted these in alpha order, order of how much I loved them / can’t wait to read them, or by fiction / non-fiction. Instead, I’m just dumping them all here.
Another idea… any banned book.
The Beast in the Clouds
The Roosevelt Brothers' Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda
⭐Nathalia Holt
I got to hear Holt talk about this book at the Theodore Roosevelt Association annual meeting and I am so excited to dive in.
The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln
⭐Stephen L. Carter
The spine stopped me in my tracks. It’s like Stephen King’s 11/22/63. But also not at all.
Button Power: 125 Years of Saying It with Buttons
🎅Christen Carter & Ted Hake
You Can’t Catch Us
Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her
🎅Shannon McKenna Schmidt
Can’t wait until this comes out March 3, 2026. I absolutely loved her book about Eleanor Roosevelt. (I had so much fun doodling my way through it.) Lady Bird is fascinating and I look forward to getting to know her better.
The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
🎅Sharon McMahon
This has been on my must-read pile for a while and I really need to get to it.
We the People
A History of the U.S. Constitution
🎅Jill Lepore
I could listen to Jill Lepore talk about anything for hours. And yet, I haven’t read any of her books yet. I need to change that.
We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
🎅Kellie Carter Jackson
Kin: Rooted in Hope
🎅Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford
Susanna’s Midnight Ride
The Girl Who Won the Revolutionary War
🎅Libby Carty McNamee
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi
🎅Wright Thompson
Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation
🎅Zaakir Tameez
New York’s Secret Subway
The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit
⭐Matthew Algeo
Snafu: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups
🎅Ed Helms
The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier
🎅Megan Kate Nelson
This one doesn’t come out until April 2026, but I’ve heard great things about it. Also, preorders are really important for authors.
The God of the Woods
⭐Liz Moore
I could not put this down. And the cover — *chef’s kiss.*
V is for Venom: Agatha Christie’s Chemicals of Death
🎅Kathryn Harkup
Learned about this from an Ashland Public Library video and it sounds amazing.
All the Water in the World
⭐Eiren Caffall
Accidentally read it in two days.
Embassy Wife
⭐Katie Crouch
Mad Honey
⭐Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan
Another one I accidentally read in two days. (I’m noticing a theme here?)
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King
⭐Rich Cohen
Ohmygod I could not shut up about this book.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration
⭐Isabel Wilkerson
Several people commented about how fabulous this book is when I shared that I bought it.
The Edge of Water
⭐Olufunke Grace Bankole
An Oral History of Atlantis
⭐Ed Park
Not to brag, but I got an advance copy. And also I got to meet Ed Park in person this year!
Big Chief
⭐Jon Hickey
The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President
⭐Edward F. O’Keefe
Reading this now and it’s fascinating.
The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt
⭐Jill Watts
This has been on my shelf since the spring, but I haven’t read it yet. Looking forward to it!
You can learn more about all of these books in my Bookshop.
Disclaimer: I’m a Bookshop.org affiliate and have included a few affiliate links for some of the books in this post. If you click through and make a purchase from an affiliate link, I earn a commission that helps support my project.
Shirts
Abigail Adams Remember the Ladies Shirt from Liberty & Co.
Lafayette Farewell Tour 1824-1825 Shirt from Plodding Through the Presidents 🎅
The Trailblazer Mystery Box (Shirley Chisholm!!) from Resilient Grace 🎅
Founding Fathers Revolution Shirt from The Shops at Mount Vernon
Candles
Grant-, Roosevelt-, and/or Hamilton-scented candles
Who wouldn’t want their home to smell like a cigar, manly woodsmoke and leather, or rum-infused sea air?
In a post like this, I should take the opportunity to subtly encourage you to sign up for my free email newsletter, The POTUS Notice. Sure, there are chances to score free POTUS stuff from time-to-time. But what you really should do is sign up for JD and Kate Industries email newsletter. It is drop-everything-you-are-doing-and-read-as-soon-as-it-hits-your-in-box hilarious.
Candles with less ROFL
ARCHd “Smells Like” candles, available in a variety of scents (Smells Like Banned Books, Smells Like Female Rage, Smells Like Resistance) and two sizes
Misc.
Juneteenth Eco Tote Bag from Smithsonian 🎅
Library Card Tote Bag from Uncommon Goods
Hamilton pennants, camp flags, etc. Oxford Pennant
Alexander Hamilton Pillow from Liberty & Co.
Founding Father Tea Towel Bundle from Liberty & Co.
Abraham Lincoln Pillow from NYHistory Store
Hamilton Burr Travel Mug from National Archives Store
Women’s HistoryPlunge – The Stories of the Women Who Shaped U.S. History from LearningPlunge
Eleanor Roosevelt Bust from NYHistory Store 🎅
(I have a little collection of busts now — but no women! I need some women to balance out all these bros.)Passport to Presidential Libraries from National Archives
Fabulously Flat Paper Pens from NYHistory Store 🎅
Oh, and this.
The Sendak Mini Artist Roll from Peg & Awl. It’s beautiful. They have a larger size, too. I’m embarrassed to admit how much time I spent trying to choose which color I should ask Santa for (coal? sweetshrub? black?) when there’s little chance that Santa will be checking out this post.
My sad, neglected little shop
Playing around with a little online store a couple of years ago was a blast. I still feel fancy drinking out of my Mustachioed Manchild glass while I work. Turns out, having a casual store is a pretty big lift. And the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. There are still a few items to peruse, but I haven’t added anything. If you’re looking for a specific POTUS-themed gift, let me know. Or if you’re a buyer for a historic site and are into wholesale orders, please reach out.
Happy shopping and wishing you a delightful holiday season!
Here’s hoping 2026 has something better in store for us.
For more gift ideas, check out these older posts:
Dear Santa… 🎅🎁