Now Accepting Submissions: The 2026 Emily Reviews Holiday Gift Guide
The holidays will be here before we know it, and that means it’s almost time for one of our favorite traditions here on the blog. Our annual holiday gift guide is coming back for 2026, and we’re now taking submissions from brands, shops, and PR reps who’d like to be part of it.
If you’re new here: we’ve been publishing a holiday gift guide every year for more than fifteen years! It runs from November 1st through December 15th, and the idea behind it is simple. Our readers are trying to find something thoughtful for everyone on their list (kids, partners, grandparents, teachers, neighbors, the pets) and we do the legwork of pulling together hundreds of gift ideas so they don’t have to. This year we’re sorting those ideas into the following categories:
- Gifts for women
- Gifts for men
- Gifts for teens
- Gifts for big kids (ages 8-12)
- Gifts for little kids (ages 3-7)
- Gifts for babies & toddlers
- Gifts for pets
- Stocking stuffers for adults
- Stocking stuffers for teens & young adults (ages 13-23)
- Stocking stuffers for kids
- Last-minute gifts for adults
- Last-minute gifts for kids
How brands are featured
Every brand in the guide gets a spot in at least one gift idea round-up. Those are the “30+ Gift Ideas for Little Kids” style posts that our readers scan through when they’re shopping. Beyond that, depending on the level a brand participates at, we also publish standalone review or feature posts dedicated to a single brand or product, run giveaways, share to our social media channels, give shout-outs in our email newsletter, and place sidebar ads on the blog. The full breakdown of what each level includes is in our [2026 holiday gift guide media kit]. If you’d like to see what a finished guide looks like, you can browse [last year’s gift guide directory].
What does it cost?
Nothing. Our gift guide runs on product exchange: you send us product samples, we keep them as compensation for our time, and in return we promote your brand across the blog. The amount of promotion you receive scales with the retail value of what you send, starting at $25 in product for our entry level. On the rare occasion that a brand would rather not ship samples, Emily is open to discussing a paid placement instead, but the vast majority of our sponsors participate through samples and that’s what we’re primarily looking for.
What kind of products fit?
Almost anything you’d wrap up and hand to someone you care about. We deliberately build the guide to cover every recipient and every budget, so we’re happy to include:
- Toys, games, puzzles, and clothing
- Classics like candles, slippers, perfume, ties, gift cards and gift baskets
- Hobby gifts, from brick building sets and gardening items, to a soap-making kit, to skincare to porch goose clothing
- Subscription boxes and memberships
- Personalized items like photo gifts and monogrammed anything
- Books, educational toys, and learning games
- Practical gifts like bedding, kitchen tools, and outerwear
- Handmade goods from Etsy sellers and other small shops
Most of what we feature falls between $15 and $150, but we always include a good number of budget-friendly stocking stuffers as well as some big ticket items.
What makes a pitch easy to say yes to
A few things that help us move quickly:
- A link to the product page and the retail price, so we can tell right away which promotional level fits.
- A note on whether you can ship by mid-November.
- Some flexibility on which item(s) you send. We only take on products that we’d actually buy, will get real use out of, or can give to someone we love. If you pitch one specific item and it’s not a match for our household, we sometimes have to pass entirely. But if you’re open to us choosing from your catalog, or to sending a couple of different samples than the one you first suggested, we are more likely to be able to find something that works.
Frequently asked questions
When should I pitch? The sooner, the better. Ideally we’d hear from you by November 15th so your product can be included when the round-ups first publish. We can accept pitches up until December 7th, provided shipping is quick and our schedule still has room. Brands whose items arrive after mid-November will be placed in one of our last-minute gift guides, so a late start doesn’t mean missing out entirely.
Can I include a giveaway? Yes, at any level. Every brand in the guide has the option to sponsor a giveaway for their product, and it’s a nice way to bring extra attention to your post. Details are in the media kit.
Who reads Emily Reviews? Mostly women in the US between 25 and 44, the majority of whom are parents and the primary shopper for their household. More detail is in the media kit.
My business is small. Can I still participate? Yes, and we’d love to have you. Etsy shops, independent consultants, and one-person businesses are all welcome.
What if I’m not in the US? You’re welcome to join as long as you can ship to US addresses.
Is this a Christmas guide? Our family celebrates Christmas, but the guide is meant for anyone shopping for any winter holiday.
How to submit
Email your pitch to EmilyReviewsCom@gmail.com with a short description of the product(s) you’d like to send and their retail value. If you have questions before pitching, send those our way too. We’re happy to help you figure out which level makes sense for your brand.
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Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
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