just another holiday gift guide

my second annual list of wonderful things nobody asked for

For Your Favorite Japanophile

This adorable tea set (or anything, really) from November 19. 

For Your Favorite Kitchen Idiot

If you’re buying a present for somebody–like me!--who is incapable of completing even the simplest kitchen tasks without causing grievous injury to the food, delight them with a hyper-specific kitchen tool: a corn de-kerneler, a thingamajig that scrambles eggs inside their shell for some reason, multi-blade herb scissors, a shroom broom. You get the idea. 

For Your Sibling

You can recapture that childhood holiday magic with a grown-up advent calendar. There’s a calendar for everything these days, from luxury beauty to laduree to lego. You can get the wino in your life a series of 24 mini bottles or make your favorite scent snob’s dreams come true with enough candles to make their house smell good for a year. But the best part of giving this to your sibling? They’ll probably share some of the goods with you.

For Your Significant Other

It’s nice to have a “special occasions” piece of jewelry that reminds you of your love, but you know what’s even better? Having a totally run-of-the-mill wear-anywhere “oh this old thing?” piece of jewelry that reminds you of your husband/girlfriend/coparent every day. I love these ear cuffs from Pigna Studios (I have one in silver and one in gold and I wear them together) or you can browse The Real Real for unbranded fine jewelry like this simple gold bracelet or a pair of chunky hoops. 

For Your Craftiest Fashion Friend

You know, the one who’s always sending you links to cool vintage clothes on ebay and depop, the one who’s not afraid to rummage around in a thrift store bin, the one who probably looks cute in overalls. (There are two types of people in the world: people who look cute in overalls and people who look like oompa loompas. I am of the oompa loompa variety.) Give them a fun way to upcycle their clothes and brag about their sustainable wardrobe with an at-home plant dyeing kit. 

For Your Friend Who’s Got the Winter Scaries

The best present to get the summer babies in your life is a trip somewhere hot and sunny after the holidays, but if that’s not in your budget, you can at least make their winter a bit cozier. A lilac fleece funnel neck top and sweatpants should do the trick if they’re sporty and if they’re more of a couch potato, you can never go wrong with a cashmere sweatsuit. 

For Your Favorite Extrovert

Social butterflies usually like to throw a good party, so they’ll especially appreciate something to jazz up their dinner table. Candlesticks might seem like tchotckes for fuddy-duddies, but there are all sorts of styles for every occasion - like these elaborate glass candlesticks or these earthy candle-holding rocks. (Don’t forget to include some good beeswax candles, too.)

For Your Friend Who Loves to Travel

Prior has sneakily become one of the most interesting travel publications out there. You can subscribe to the newsletter for free, but $150/year gets you access to destination guides, custom travel designers, and the company’s group trips to places like Egypt and Nepal. 

For Everyone

You know what you can never have enough of, even if you’ve got one of everything? Books, that’s what. Everybody needs more books, especially pretty ones that look like works of art or become conversation starters. You can go highbrow/lowbrow with this $50 book about eggs or you can get someone a huge, beautiful book that barely fits in their apartment, like this truly extraordinary one on Japanese woodblock prints or this exquisite tome on Walton Ford’s whimsical watercolors. 

For Your Preppy Friend

Get them this plaid wool bag straight out of The Secret History. 

For the Aspiring Literary It Girl in Your Life

She’s got an entire shelf dedicated to Eve Babitz. She’s obsessed with Bennington College. She casually browsed the Joan Didion estate sale and earnestly considered bidding on her sunglasses–but they sold for a whopping $27k. If you know this chick, get her the same Celine glasses at a fraction of the price. 

For Your Friend Who Has a Cool RV

Yes, you’ve heard of camping chairs. You might even already know about the camping loveseat. But the camping couch takes the cake, letting your outdoorsiest friend create a cute little outdoor living room.

For Your Friend Who Doesn’t Have a Cool RV

Get them their very own adventuremobile.

Still not inspired? Check out last year’s list here.