Edition #155: A Gift Guide For Me
The perfect white crew neck, a book of questions for mom, and a magic show
A Note From the Editor
It happens every year, yet every year I am surprised—the spooky, orange-colored mess of Halloween is replaced by googly-eyed reindeer and tinsel, the pumpkin spice latte is relegated to second most popular girl in school (rejoice, the gingerbread latte has returned for the first time since 2019! ), and I have to fight to stay awake past 7 pm. All of this can only mean one thing—’tis the season, baby! Or at least that’s what the gods of consumerism want us to think.
Personally, Thanksgiving is my holiday of choice, but I can’t pretend I don’t love the general jubilance that comes in December. In a world where glumness has held a starring role for several years, the cheery anticipation is a welcome change of pace. My family is big into Christmas. Because my siblings have younger kids, the holiday has retained much of its original luster. I’ve been away for the past two Christmases, so I’m eagerly awaiting this one, which I will spend with them.
Going home for Christmas means I must participate in mass gift-giving—can’t be the aunt who shows up empty handed. The annoying, indignant part of me prefers to resist buying a bunch of stuff. My new intrusive thought before buying anything is to imagine it sitting in a landfill, assessing the likely timeline in which this inevitable fate will occur. It’s been a useful tactic in resisting the mindless urges of consumerism. Still, I can appreciate being a kid on Christmas, waking up to a pile of wrapped treasures.
I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty terrible gifts in my time. An old boyfriend in college once bought me the most grandma looking set of hospital pajamas you’ve ever seen, plus a pack of generically flavored K-cups. I, on the other hand, like to think of myself as a superb gift giver. And one of the people I love getting gifts for the most is me. Sorry to say it, but no one knows how to do it for me like me!
As such, here is a gift guide for me by me, meaning everything on this list is something I would be sincerely thrilled to receive or something I already own that passed the mental landfill test. Hopefully some of these ideas will work for someone on your list, too, especially if that person is yourself. BYOS: be your own Santa.
Something For Me | A few items I actively want right now, pulled from an on-going list on my iPhone titled “Gifts for me.”
Travel accessories that are functional and pretty | For the amount I travel, I should really be better prepared. I’m going to up my game this year, starting with a small leather jewelry case—this one is the prettiest but this one seems most practical. These packing cubes and this dopp bag have also caught my eye. Side note, if you have a dopp bag you love that isn’t trifold but still holds a good amount of stuff, please share!
Hats, hats, hats galore | I want an obscene amount of hats. Bucket hats! Baseball hats! I want to hide my skin from the sun and my dirty hair from the public; I want to be decisively known as the hat lady.
The perfect white crew neck sweater | I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect white crew neck for years and finally found it in the most unlikely place, the Spanx store at LAX. I tried it on en route to a tropical climate and almost bought it even though I had no extra space in my carryon. It’s unbelievably soft and the sleeve detail is pristine.
Something Sentimental | Hailing from a family of softies and a friend group where frequent, adamant expressions of love are a requisite, I’m a sucker for a tender gift. Sweet, sentimental, and a nice compliment to just stuff.
A book of questions for mom | I’m a big fan of gifts-for-you-that-are-also-gifts-for-me, and this book is the ideal version of that. You give this as a gift, your family member (I linked to the mom version, but there are several versions out there) fills out the questions and gives it back. You get to know them better, they feel touched about your interest in their life outside the scope of you, and you have a family keepsake for generations. I’ve shared this book before and several readers have reported back that they gifted it to a parent—it’s always a home run!
A memory advent calendar } Knowing I would be alone in Costa Rica for Christmas last year, my older sister made me the sweetest gift I will cherish forever; a homemade advent calendar. It was essentially just a little notebook and for each day of December, she wrote about a memory of the two of us. Some were holiday themed, some weren’t, and reading her sweet notes was always the best part of my day.
A custom bracelet | The sentimentality of an old-school friendship bracelet, but customized! Plus, these are actually cute.\I got one for my little sister that says “Best sister” which is what we call each other (in fairness, it’s also what she calls our two other sister). She never typically wears jewelry, but I'm told she hasn’t taken this bracelet off in months.
Something Experiential | A few years ago, a previous partner and I decided to nix the stuff and only exchange experiential gifts for Christmas. It was such a fun exercise and fell under the beloved gift-for-you-gift-for-me umbrella. Give it a try!
A fancy magic show | Have dinner beforehand, enjoy a nice cocktail or two, and watch yourself become a kid again after one good trick—you’ll thank me later. This is hands-down the best magic show in New York.
A fancy omakase | There is no dinner experience quite as luxe as an omakase. No choices, tons of raw fish, counter seating, what’s not to love? The Den has been calling my name for a minute now, but I haven’t quite been able to pull the trigger. One of these days.
A night at the ballet | I told you this was a gift guide for me. Even if you don’t think you like ballet, going to seeThe Nutcracker during the holiday season will probably change your mind. It's a whole, elegant spectacle.
Something To Last | At 31, I have fully embraced the notion of not buying the cheap thing just to save a few bucks. On the other hand, I don’t believe price is always directly indicative of quality. See: Reformation dresses that tear after one wear vs. Uniqlo staples that last for years. Still, we love a good long-wear buy.
Petit signet ring | The daintiest, sweetest little pinky ring that I never take off. Buyer beware: it’s gold, so it does bend quite easily. Be sure to buy it in a snug size.
The best Doc Martens | I’ve got short little legs, so chunky boots typically don’t jive with my body type—these big boys are the exception. They’re vegan leather so there’s no telltale yellow stitching, which I prefer. Zip them on and stomp through and over absolutely anything.
The ideal travel duffle | I’ve struggled to find an adequate personal item carryon for years and this one does it for me. It’s chic, it’s durable, and it holds so much. I have it in black but the light golden brown is also gorgeous.
Something Just For Funsies | That special brand of gift—not entirely practical, not necessarily sentimental, and just a little ridiculous. You can’t take it with you, folks!
The cutest grill | I’ve never owned a grill, yet for a full two weeks I was seriously debating buying this one. Do I have a permanent home at present? No! Do I still think I need this grill? Yes!
A weekly flower subscription | I wouldn’t hate this, though it would take the thrill out of knowing whether my weekly DIY Trader Joe's bouquet will end up a gorgeous masterpiece or an ugly, ugly mistake.
A fancy, equipment-lite karaoke setup | If you don’t have a go-to karaoke song list on your phone, then it’s time to live a little. You’ll be surprised by how into karaoke everyone in your life gets once you have an at-home karaoke setup.
Cheers, my dears, and as always thanks for reading! I begin my two-week East Coast escapade tomorrow. First stop: Epcot for the Food and Wine festival with my brother and sister-in-law and my first time at Disney as an adult. Weird! I won’t be sending an email next week, but I hope you have a sweet weekend and a lovely Thanksgiving if you celebrate. For my fellow designated potato people, these mashed potatoes and these sweet potatoes are the best. I’ll see you in December! Sending you lots of love.
**Bonus Content** (Cursing in Sign Langauge)
From one potty mouth to a bunch of others, this made me chuckle.
Also, the best photography collection of the year, this song is a musical masterpiece, and me every morning.
A Quote From A Book You Should Read:
“You can't consume much if you sit still and read books.”
-Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
This newsletter is best served with a side of conversation, so drop your opinions, reflections, and thoughts in the comments below and let’s get to talking.
Or, share the most thought-provoking piece from today’s edition with someone you love, then call them up to discuss, debate, and percolate. As a wise woman once said, “Great minds discuss ideas.
OMG I'm not alone- I also keep a Karaoke to do list for whenever I find myself at Karaoke (a lot)