A Gift List That's Actually Good
A Gift List That's Actually Good
Evergreen present ideas, self-gifting (i.e. the best kind), and the best fashion writing of 2023.
Over the last few weeks I’d slightly begun to lose my nerve over how to approach this month’s newsletter, thanks to the absolute avalanche of Christmas gift lists already published so far this year. Would anyone even be interested in a gift list come early December (which is when I personally start to do my Christmas shopping, but which I’ve noted described elsewhere as ‘last minute’)? Should I be creating a gift list divided into a million tiny sub-sections titled ‘For Him’, ‘For Her’, ‘For The In Law You Secretly Resent But Have To Buy Something For So What’s Nice But Not Too Nice’ etc. etc.
Fortunately I happened to read fashion journalist Amy Odell’s
newsletter about the absurdity of so many of the gift lists published at this time of year, and it confirmed that my initial instincts on how to approach my gift list had been correct (and that the majority of Christmas gift lists published by retailers, the media and brands have entirely lost the plot). All people really want right now is a tight edit of a few interesting and original gift ideas that can work for a variety of people in their life - so that’s what I’m focusing on with this issue.I used to be terrible at giving gifts. I enjoy giving them, but I hate (or hated) looking for them - and not just at Christmas, but year round. New baby gifts, birthday gifts, anniversary gifts… looking for presents to a deadline stresses me the f*ck out, and so I’d hide my head in the sand and leave it to the last possible minute, which of course only compounded my stress, and led to increasingly desperate choices over the years.
My personal Christmas present shopping low point came in 2014, when I’d left things so last minute that I found myself in the Stratford Westfield Hallmark on Christmas Eve (i.e. one of Dante’s nine circles), and ended up literally bribing* a stranger so I could avoid a queue that stretched twice round the shop and out the door. I’ve found myself on Oxford Street the weekend before Christmas on multiple occasions in my life, though I did bump into Zadie Smith one year which in many ways validated my own poor decision-making.
*(he was at the front of the queue - I offered him £5 in cash if he’d beep my £1.99 wrapping paper through along with the items he was buying. I’m not proud of it, but it worked).
Thankfully I’m much better at present shopping these days, mostly because I’ve finally freed myself from the tyranny of the ‘suggested gift products’ given top billing on shop floors at Christmas time (trust me - nobody in your life wants a trio of sparkly nail polishes), and realised that the key to buying good presents is to think of them as a treat. The aim is to buy people slightly nicer versions of things they already like or have, but that they probably wouldn’t treat themselves to. ‘The smallest thing in the fanciest shop’ - those are the gifts they’ll actually use, appreciate, and buy again for themselves or others.
And you want to make them feel good! Lately I’ve realised that giving people interesting gifts makes the recipients themselves feel interesting. It’s been a genuine compliment when I’ve received some of the items below - they’ve made me feel chic, and erudite - and ultimately isn’t the point of giving presents about making people feel good?
All that to say that this is less of a ‘gift list’, and more a gifting-themed list. Most of the items on it would, yes, absolutely work as Christmas presents and stocking fillers, but they’re also presents you can give to your loved ones year round - a gift list for life, not just for Christmas (sorry). These are gifts for saying thank you, or happy birthday, or simply to cheer someone up - gifts for when flowers feel too impersonal.
A collection of things I love and can’t live without, I originally received many of these as gifts myself and have since gone on to buy them for other people. I make the case for a fancy pot pourri (yes you read that right - everything old is new again). I’ve included an interior design handbook that explains what looks good and why, and was indispensable to me when I was renovating my home.
Almost all the items on it are permanent offerings from the brands that make them, so they’ll still be available in six months time and likely much longer - I’m hoping that this newsletter will be something you can refer back to time and time again, when you’re stuck on what to buy for someone you love.
Also in this newsletter:
Ideas on self-gifting, if you feel like you deserve an end of year treat (you do), or never know what to say when your loved ones ask ‘what you want for Christmas’.
A roundup of my favourite fashion writing from 2023 - articles that have changed how I shop or think about style, or merely provided an insight into the inner workings of an industry I find endlessly fascinating.
And, a reminder that paid Add To Wishlist subscribers can enjoy a 30% discount code on all HURR clothing rentals from now until December 31st - I spotted a few days ago that they’ve just partnered with Net A Porter on an edit (think lots of Christopher Esber, Simone Rocha and Emilia Wickstead) and have also introduced ‘one night only’ rentals rather than the usual 4-day minimum so... have at it!
I sincerely hope you all have a lovely, restful Christmas - God knows this has been A Year - and hey, if you’re really stumped on what to get your loved ones for Christmas, feel free to buy them a subscription to this newsletter :)