First, until the end of today, you can give the gift of Karyn and me at a 20% discount for a year! (It still counts if we’re the gift you give yourself.)
So… today I’m talking about my holiday gift list suggestions.
Yeah.
This one will be rough for me as it’s far out of my wheelhouse.
Full disclosure: if I need to give an important present, I ask Karyn what to buy. She generally knows whomever I am gifting, and she will help me come up with a list of options and then I’ll pick what suits them best. (Side note: I would literally rather not go to a party than show up with a bad hostess gift.) So, if you seek a useful, thoughtful, or lovely gift for all purposes, please refer to her list. I make no promises about mine as I plan to figure out this list as I go along. In fact, I am already nervous about what I’m going to say, as this is so not my forte. Again, Karyn’s taste is both excellent and quirky, so I always end up giving the perfect thing when I consult her first.
Anyway, I feel like this is going to be weird, so I apologize in advance.
Left to my own devices, I will buy something either A) that I would want (like that howling wolf fleece), so it’s likely the aforementioned weird or B) so outrageously expensive that it makes the recipient inadvertently feel bad. For example, back in the golden days of publishing, it was all bottles of Dom and Burberry scarves for any occasion, maybe with a side of Longchamp thrown in. As I no longer give Burberry or bubbles with abandon, odds are you will receive something strange or stupid if I don’t consult with Karyn first. But don’t worry; I always ask. If Karyn is not available, everyone on my personal friendship Board of Directors is a reliable source. Ironically, when it’s time to send a fun cheer-up gift, that’s my time to shine, the like year I decided we should all gift Lisa pornaments.
About a decade ago, Fletch and I came up with a no-gift policy with each other. Not for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc. So, every holiday season, when everyone else is frantically trying to check off their lists, we are eating cheese for dinner and watching bad movies. This works for us because we have mutually agreed upon it. Everyone must be on board or it won’t work.
Here’s the thing: personally, I would rather receive no gift than a thoughtless gift. Bad, impersonal gifts are insulting. They show that people haven’t been paying attention to you and, ultimately, everyone wants to feel seen. For example, say someone in your family is an excellent cook, just some real Grant Achatz shit. They take great pride in both their professional tools and the caliber of their kitchen layout. I’m talking Wüstof knives and Breville espresso makers and the Dolce & Gabbana x Smeg Sicily Is My Love Toaster. The worst thing you can do is run to Target and fill your cart will all sorts of cheap OXO gadgets so that person who “likes cooking” can open a bunch of presents and you can check them off your list.
If you’re just trying to fill a gift quota, maybe take a step back and reconsider what you’re trying to accomplish. One great, meaningful thing (and it needn’t be expensive) is far better than a bunch of garbage that will end up in a landfill. Always quality over quantity. My rule of thumb is, if you see something on the department store’s “Makes a Great Gift” table—it doesn’t.
Anyway, since I am forced to create my own gifting list and can’t just slide in on Karyn’s coattails here, here goes. I can probably figure it out in theoretical sense, as my gifts generally fill one of three needs: solving a problem, providing engagement, or giving them something they’d never buy for themself.
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