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
Cannot wait to doodle my way through this one. And not just because I learned from Tameez that Sumner was the same height as Abe!
New York’s Secret Subway
The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit
⭐Matthew Algeo
I’ve doodled my way through three of Algeo’s other books and they are all fabulous. I expect nothing less with this one … though secretly I’m hoping I don’t need to doodle my way through it. (Update: I doodled.)
Reading New York’s Secret Subway made me want to learn more about Thomas Nast.
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
Learn the stories of 650 women who shaped U.S. history.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… 🎅🎁