đ
I see weâve been discussing gift giving! I wrote a lot⌠I have strong opinions I guessâŚ?
Anyway, I feel like I often donât know/understand what my family members like, but there are plenty of things almost anybody would use. (Note that this is not the same way I approach getting gifts for my close friends).
Letâs start with specific examples:
ADULTS
You could get them a higher end, locally made item that anybody would use. Examples includeâŚ
⢠hand cream
⢠aftershave
⢠candle
⢠bath salts
⢠coffee/tea
Also good are things that will come in handy sooner or later, and theyâll think, âoh, _ got me that so now I donât have to go to the store!â Such asâŚ
⢠phone charger (a 10ft charger that will last a while is always nice to have)
⢠that tea/coffee you know they have every day
⢠pet treats, if you know what kind of treats the pet likes
For sentimental reasons, your parents and grandparents would LOVE a picture of you, and theyâre so cheap to get printed! Just thrift a picture frame and voila.
Dice game? Iâve had success with/watched people fight overâŚ
⢠weighted or heated blankets
⢠personal massager (no not that kind but I would love to see someone try that)
⢠Candy, but like, good or rare candy. For instance, I am American and I won a box of hobnobs last year, they were so good
*tip: avoid alcohol - you probably have at least one current/recovering alcoholic in any given room.
Live in a cold area? TryâŚ
⢠again, hand cream
⢠wool gloves/mittens/socks
⢠balaclava (just finished walking my dog and the whole time my brain was going âfuckfuckfuckIneedabalaclavaâ)
KIDS
Kids in your life under the age of 10? Go to the dollar store. Theyâll never know or care how much money you spent on them. I try really hard not to get a bunch of plastic toys that will live in landfills for a thousand years. I prefer getting coloring books, finger paints, plushies, and books for kids. I have been told that they always get used and enjoyed. I also wrap their gifts in newspaper instead of buying that stupid, waxy, non-recyclable wrapping paper, because they really donât give a fuck what it comes in. I promise. They are going to rip it to shreds either way.
I have little advice for preteens/teens because I donât have any of those around yet. However, I am only 24, and Iâll say that I remember enjoying trendy clothes and money. Pay attention to them and what theyâre into though! Or ask their parents! Obviously your 14 year old goth cousin does not want lululemon. If you do that, you will be proving to them that you donât pay attention to them, and thatâs much worse than just getting them a gift card or cash. I also remember my sleeping schedule being awful, which is a universal truth for all teens, so maybe a calming pillow spray or noise cancelling earplugs?
GENERAL TIPS
Donât skip this part, this is the good stuff! The crux of everything Iâve written so far!
1. Back to âethical,â there is no need to waste your money on non-recyclable wrapping paper, bags, bows, etc. You know, that waxy, kind of shiny stuff? Your loved ones shouldnât care that it came in an Aldi bag or the same box your new vacuum arrived in a few weeks ago. Thereâs also something so downright chic about presents wrapped in plain brown wrapping paper and tied with a piece of twine.
2. Really good advice youâve probably heard before but Iâll repeat now is, âget something that they would like and use but would not splurge on for themselves.â And then get the nicer, splurge-ier version of that thing. This is a GREAT opportunity to shop local and avoid cheap plastic things.
3. If you struggle every year with gift giving for certain people, try, in preparation for next year, to subtly write down the names of restaurants/authors/musicians they mention. I keep a list in my notes app that has saved my life.
4. In that same vein, donât be afraid to get like, hyper specific about itâ last year I got my uncle a gift card for the bar I know he likes to watch football at. Something I had 100% confidence would get used. This year I think Iâll get him a gift card to the butcher shop he goes to.
5. My final and most crucial piece of advice: always think, âwould I be pissed about having another thing I need to get rid of if I received this?â Some examples: if you donât feel confident that you know someoneâs interior design/personal style well, simply do not get them decor or clothes. Unless youâve heard them mention wanting to read it, donât get them a book. This is stuff that will get returned, sold, or donated, so all youâre doing is giving them a task they have to deal with. Like the Kanye West water bottle tweet.
*final plug for shopping local: keep in mind that Amazon workers in major cities are on strike through cyber Monday! You wouldnât cross a picket line would you? Would you???
Nov 30, 2024
Related Recs
đŚ
gift giving is such a classy thing imo and itâs so so good when you get it right.
for people Iâve known for a long time I keep a running list in my notes app with things I know they will like. If you donât know, ask someone who is close with them. Give them a list of options and make them help you narrow it down.
Good general categories for when youâre just not sure are:
- books (ask someone what they like)
- kitchen items (find out whether theyâre a baker, a cake person, a bread person, etc)
- outdoorsy shit if theyâre outdoorsy (multi tools, portable cooking equipment etc)
- cute boxes or bags (if the thing is cheap or practical but boring you can give it that wow factor by putting it inside something else)
Finally, if you have no idea what to get someone, most people will appreciate a really nice jar of small-batch jam or honey. Or movie vouchers.
Nov 30, 2024
đ
This is partially inspired by an anti-rec I saw on here and a conversation with a friend. Lol Iâm here to defend gift cards as a gift!
I seriously love them! I grew up in a not so financially stable household and Iâm still in my mid twenties, so spending anything literally on myself thatâs not groceries or housing, I feel guilty for!
So when my boss, after a conversation we had about how I like going to the movies for fun, got me a movie theater gift card for Christmas, I was actually so hyped. Movie theater tickets are expensive and sometimes not in my budget, but she granted me that experience without any doubt. It was so fun. I took my partner and his little sister.
Another example, my friend is an athlete and loves getting massages and trips to the chiropractor so she loves getting gifted a gift card to those clinics.
Another example, I told my sister that my âdown badâ meal was Mendocino Farms. I would order it everytime I was having a bad day. Weâre besties and couldnât hang out cause of living in different cities. If she were to get me a gift card to Mendocino Farms, I wouldâve literally cried. It wouldâve showed that she cared for me, even at my lowest.
Another example, I have a friend who has to commute to work and tends to eat out often. He says chipotle is his favorite and is aligned with his training/diet. So naturally, he was happy when he got gifted a chipotle card.
Of course a general target/visa gift card is wack, but a gift card with context? ;) *chefâs kiss*
At the end of the day, gifts are lovely and it always matters about intent!
Feb 16, 2025
đ
This is for your rich aunt, your designer bag friend, the boyfriend's parents in law you want to impress but don't know how. What money can't buy, the right brain can make.
This recipe calls for:
(1) thoughtful gift
(1) custom spin
For example: When my friend turned 20 she already had everything I could possibly give her. A drawer full of her favorite candles. A line up of expensive perfumes she stands by. Internet access and her parents' credit card.
What doesn't she have? My right brain. My ability to craft the perfect set of 10x12 drink posters with witty cocktail names and an easy-to-follow ingredient list. Each element was chock-full of inside jokes from my personal quote list of our most debaucherous nights.
Other ideas: a custom candle, a photobook of your favorite memories. My sister's go-to: hand-crocheted ornaments (Bonus points if it's mini figures of them or their pet).
Sure, these may take more time to craft than logging into Amazon and clicking through the "Gift Guide for Her" brochure. But if you're still on an hourly wage, think to yourself: Would you rather spend an hour on Canva or the equivalent of 4 hours of work for a coffee table book whose spine will never be cracked?
Dec 18, 2024
Top Recs from @erikrikrika
đŚˇ
I encourage you to rip into me if you disagree because shying away from disagreement is what??đ OUT!
IN
⢠Reading books
⢠Folk-rock and folk-country
⢠Doing stuff on the computer and not your phone like god intended (social media, online shopping, etc.)
⢠Clothes-wise: colored tights, mini skirts, scarves
⢠Being late to work
⢠Talking to strangers, in the same vein: making new friends
⢠Writing
⢠Taking the bus and the train
⢠Saying what you need to say and doing so succinctly
⢠Unionizing your workplace
OUT
⢠Boring convos with coworkers
⢠Wearing clothes you donât really like
⢠Minnesota nice (see also: being nice is not always the same as being kind)
⢠VAPING OHHH MY GOD. WRAP IT UP!!!
⢠Caring about makeup, unless youâre a drag queen or a goth. Like you get 15 minutes max
⢠Shying away from disagreement
⢠Fast casual chain restaurants - go eat local and sit down for a while
⢠Paw Patrol (copaganda)
⢠Ass kissing
⢠Being under 25
Dec 23, 2024
I mean. Wow. I wish I could formulate coherent literary analysis but I think I just need to sit with this for a month. Humanity, gender, politics, fear, love. The heart of culturally long-lasting, impactful sci fi is when the sci is merely a background to the fi, ya know?
Tried to pick a quote but canât right now. If you hear shrill screaming in the distance just know itâs me wailing over this book
Illustration by David Lupton
Jan 30, 2025
đ
Even though it hurts like hell. Even though itâs wildly inconvenient. Even though you feel stupid or embarrassed for feeling it. Even though youâve psychoanalyzed yourself to death and traced the issue all the way back to your childhood mistreatment. The only way out is through here.
Oct 20, 2024