My 2020 Christmas Wishlist

Look, am I really just making this so that I can send it to my husband because he asked what I wanted for Christmas? Honestly yes. Prices range from literally $8 to $300 so it’s basically impossible to disappoint me. Online window shopping is one of my favorite activities, so, in a way, simply making this list was its own gift. Here are all the (mostly) practical things on my Christmas list this year.

Bling

  1. HARP Designs Classic Hairpins – Shelly makes the most iconic jewelry in the game, and these hairpins combine fashion and function. I’m such a dork that I “tested” using the hair pins with a cheap set from Target, and I’m absolutely sold. I want one in every size!
  2. On that note, I would also like a pair of these in every size, starting with the largest. Hoop girl for life. P.S. HARP is 20% off sitewide right now with the code “ENJOYBY2020.”
  3. Tiffany Mini Double Heart Tag Pendant – I feel like owning something from Tiffany is kind of a rite of passage, don’t you? This necklace is super dainty and timeless.
  4. Roxanne Assoulin Color Therapy Bracelet Big Set in Pink – I’ve wanted these forever! I also love this rainbow bracelet set (Shopbop).

Slippers

I hate wearing anything on my feet (flower child forever), but people are constantly getting on me to at least wear socks or slippers in the winter. Perhaps I can be convinced if I get one of the following pairs…

  1. Minnetonka Moccasin Lolo Slippers in Blush / Nordstrom
  2. Sam Edelman Jinnie Faux Fur Slipper in Blush
  3. UGG Fluff Yeah Slide Slippers / Nordstrom
  4. UGG Scuffette II Slippers in Leopard or June Gloom
  5. Madewell Leopard Slippers

Snow Boots

It’s bad enough that I live in a cold climate, so do all snow boots have to be super ugly? For the past few years, I’ve avoided being outdoors in inclement weather at all costs, but when I did have to traverse the snow, I just wear a cheap pair of faux leather riding boots from Target that I don’t care about ruining. This year I think it’s time to finally invest in a decent pair, and knowing me, they’ll last the rest of my life due to how infrequently I’ll wear them. And hey, maybe when the virus is less of a constant looming lethal threat, I’ll go skiing to really justify the purchase.

  1. Sorel Joan of Arctic Next Snow Boot in White or Mauve Vapor – I can’t picture a more classic snow boot.
  2. UGG Adirondack III Waterproof Boot in Charcoal / Nordstrom
  3. Sorel Out N About Plus Waterproof Bootie in Alpine Tundra
  4. Hunter Original Waterproof Chelsea Rain Boot in Cavendish Blue or Yellow – I mean, theoretically a rain boot would also be a sufficient snow boot.
  5. Prada Mini Bag Combat Boot (size 10.5 please, they run small!) – Okay, this is actually a joke since these are way beyond my budget and I’d never allow anyone to spend this much money on me. A girl can dream, though!

Home Goods

  1. SMEG Retro Style Electric Tea Kettle in Pink / Pastel Blue / Cream – Smeg is my dream appliance brand. If/when (optimism!) I ever become a woman of means, I want an entire Smeg kitchen. I’ve always loved retro/mid-century design, and I truly thought I’d be over it by now, as I approach my 30s and my tastes refine, but nope! I’m a mid-century girl for life. Now I just have to somehow pick between those three colors. This Pastel Blue set comes with a 2-slice pop-up toaster, which I actually also need. Compelling…
  2. SMEG Drip Coffee Maker in Pink / Pastel Blue / Cream – So, I have about every coffee accoutrement under the sun, but I actually have never owned a drip coffee machine! I think it would be nice to brew a whole pot of coffee in the morning that would actually stay warm until I went for seconds. Right now I use a French Press or Chemex for brewing more than single cups. The Smeg machines also come in bundles with grinders – Cream / Pastel Blue – which would be a dream coffee bar setup.
  3. Retro Microwave – I rarely use the microwave in my house because I’m one of those odious people that heats up leftovers on the stove/in the oven when time permits. The microwave we have now is perfectly fine, but it’s bulky and takes up a ton of counter space. This one is tiny, which is totally fine because we never have occasion to put a full dinner plate in there. I also love this Nostalgia model, as it’s on legs, which would make cleaning the counter so much easier, but it’s actually bigger than my current one.

Personalized Gifts!

I am an absolute sucker for personalization. Monogramming? Yes, please! It’s such an easy and often, inexpensive, way to let the people in your life know that their gifts are just for them. Anyone else come from a huge regifting family? *raises hand aggressively*

I’m sure there’s some deep-seated psychological reason that I like personalized gifts (it could be the regifting thing I’ve just mentioned). I’ve always been kind of a private person, especially with my family (the primary purveyors of gifts), so it wasn’t until adulthood that I felt that gift-givers really *got* me, and even now, I mostly choose my own gifts, or buy them for my damn self (gif of Beyoncé in “Independent Woman Pt. 1”). Or, it could be that the Carrie necklace from Sex and the City imprinted on me at a young age. Either way, I think that intentional gifts, ones made just for the gift-giver, are so special, and can range from a homemade card to a monogrammed luxury bag. Below, I’ve included several across different price ranges that I’ve come across this season.

Under $25

  1. If you have a musician in your life, I can’t think of anything cuter than customized guitar picks.

Under $50

  1. These custom Simpsons portraits are SO COOL. There are a few shops that do them, at a range of price points, so it’s definitely worth shopping around.
  2. These Birth Month Flower necklaces are so gorgeous. And, I may be biased, but the August one is definitely the best, right?
  3. These personalized name rings are a perfect gift for anyone with children or pets. I have one with my cat’s name on it, because I guess I’m that person now, and it arrived in just over 2 weeks in beautiful packaging.
  4. This initial necklace is dainty, adorable, and once again, perfect for anyone with kids or pets. Or, if you’re me, you can buy one that spells out “ADHD.”
  5. I think the seller of this custom necklace intended for buyers to requests to have important names or dates engraved on them. But again, if you’re me, you currently have two in your Etsy cart, one with the names “George, Jerry, Elaine, and Kramer,” and one with “Frasier, Niles, Daphne, Roz.” They can’t legally prevent me from doing that.
  6. These custom Pisa necklaces from Baublebar are the best. I have one in the white multi-color (my name) and one in black/gold with my birth year. They take up to 9 letters or characters. They give me summer camp craft vibes!
  7. Speaking of arts and crafts, how cute are these beaded bracelets?

Under $100

  1. Did you know you can customize Converse? I did this once years ago and they were a big hit. They let you choose everything, from the eyelets to the stitching, and you can embroider text or designs onto them to make them totally one-of-a-kind.

Under $200

  1. The Medium Transport Tote is a classic leather bag, and Madewell offers free monogramming! And they have pouches and clutches to match, which you can also personalize!

Under $300

  1. If you have a fashionista in your life, but you’re (like me) a “practical gifts only” person, may I suggest the Louis Vuitton 6 Key Holder? You can customize it with different materials or colors, and hot-stamping is totally free, so you can monogram the gift for yourself or your loved one. PLUS, LV ships insanely fast (like, under 48 hours fast). Don’t ask me how I know that. I already had the Prada version of this key holder, which I somehow snagged secondhand in perfect condition for $40, so I can confirm that it’s an adorable and extremely useful way to organize your keys.
  2. I’m putting this one in the higher $$$ category just because of how wide the price range is, but you can get a Cameo from about half of the cast of The Office. You can also get one from Sean Gunn (Kirk from Gilmore Girls) and I literally can’t think of a more iconic gift. There are some people on there who truly seem way too famous to bother with this, but I’m not questioning it! Should I do something as unhinged as buy one from the Soup Nazi? Actually no. Scratch that. GEORGE WENDT IS ON THERE.
i cannot help but to extol the virtues of this nifty lil’ bud! why aren’t keyholders like this more commonplace?

Christmas Kind of Love

So, full disclosure—while I don’t identify as Christian (my dad’s fam is totally secular and my mother’s is lapsed Catholic AF), I L O V E Christmas. The opportunity to decorate my home with even more white and gold? Sign me up! I have two pre-lit trees—one I inherited from my mom (it’s green with colored lights) and one skinny 6′ rose gold tree that I got at Target before the 2016 election (that year was dark, so I decorated very early). I didn’t decorate last year because our house was under construction, so this year I went ham. But this is just a dry-run for next year, which will be over the freakin’ top. I’m already depressed about January coming and having to take down all my glitz. As long as it’s down by Valentine’s Day, I’m fine, right?

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That said, here are some holiday faves!

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Best Ways to Give Back

Around the holidays I go beyond my usual small monthly donations! Here are some of my fave charities and ways to give!

Planned Parenthood, International Refugee Assistance ProjectACLU, KINDNAACP, SPLC, Support the Girls, RIP Medical Debt, The Trevor Project, It Gets Better, ITMFA, and so many more!

Best Christmas Songs

My husband, the sweet angel of earth that he is, made me a curated playlist for Christmas called FIG for CHELS—Christmas Edition, because he is perfect. There are quite a number of songs on here I’d never heard before. “You’re a Gift” by The Both is my new favorite! And we can’t forget Holiday Soul Party!

I started compiling a Christmas album playlist for myself, but I got very, very lazy. Also, I work in a store that plays nonstop Christmas music (which I’m actually very here for) so I got my fill this year!

What’s your favorite Christmas song? Mine is “Father Christmas” by The Kinks!

Best Presents

  1. Gift a subscription! FabFitFun & Oui Fresh are my go-tos, but there’s also Birchbox, Ipsy, Dollar Shave Club and Harry’s (great for guys!), quip, graze, LOLA (because practical), Book of the Month Club, or Bark Box (for those weirdo dog people in your life!) I’d suggest streaming services, but tbh just give a friend your password if they don’t already have Netflix.
  2. Gift Cards to Amazon or Target—these will never not get used.
  3. What I call “The Cornucopia”—hone in on one interest and make a gift basket out of tiny items! If your friend is a writer, buy them fancy versions of everything they need—a journal, pens, notepads, sticky notes, stickers, washi tape, paper clips, you name it! Most people (not me, obviously), but most people won’t indulge themselves in that gold stapler or adorable jar of wooden pushpins because function > fashion. Useful gifts are always the best gifts, and tons of little gifts, imo, are better than one. I did one of these for my husband for our first Christmas together and those items are still floating around the house.
  4. A memory. This might sound dumb, but this is the perfect gift for the person who has everything. Example: I’m gifting my favorite professor a framed photo I took of the Bodleian Library at Oxford, because I first heard of it in his class and his support was the reason I got the opportunity to go there. I hope that, for years to come, he can glance over and think warmly about one of his favorite places.
  5. And finally, a free idea, since not everyone in the world spends money like a millionaire (guilty!)—a hand-written card or letter. Literally who writes letters anymore?! I’ve done this a couple of times for various events (sometimes accompanying a gift, sometimes not), and it always gets a great response. Not everyone needs external validation all the time (guilty!) but people love knowing how special they are to you!

Best Holiday Decorations

Anthropologie, West Elm, Target, Pier One, CB2, and Cost Plus World Market have reliably fantastic stuff, although you know ya girl got every damn thing from Target.

Best Christmas Movies

I am about to seriously out myself right now, but I’ve never seen Die Hard or Home Alone. I know. I suck. Truth be told, I’ve never actually even watched A Christmas Story from start to finish. I am not a movie girl (I blame the ADHD). I’m a TV addict—hit me with a Doctor Who or Downton Christmas special any day.

My personal favorite holiday films: It’s A Wonderful Life (true life: I was in a stage production of this when I was 16), the Mickey Mouse & Muppet versions of A Christmas Carol, the Jim Carrey Grinch, and of course, ELF, the best Christmas movie of all time.

P.S. Love, Actually isn’t actually that good, which is insane, because THAT CAST. And liking The Nightmare Before Christmas isn’t the same thing as having a personality.

Best Shows to Binge-Watch on Christmas Break

You probably only have a week off, so these are some shows you can absolutely finish before the new year! Snuggle up with your cats and watch these masterpieces!

Amazon: Catastrophe, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Netflix: Great NewsSchitt’s Creek, The Good Place

Hulu: Difficult PeopleThe Handmaid’s Tale

Best Audiobooks for Your Drive Home

Becoming by Michelle Obama, Everything’s Trash But It’s Okay by Phoebe Robinson, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life by Eric Idle, This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps, Feminasty! by Erin Gibson, Shrill by Lindy West, So Close to Being the Shit, Y’all Don’t Even Know by Retta

Bonus Content: Chag Chanukah Sameach!

So, Hanukkah has been over for a minute, but it doesn’t mean I didn’t attempt to observe. I was too lazy to make actual latkes, but I did a run of potato soups as an homage to the culinary concept.

I didn’t buy a menorah because I kept thinking that cashiers would judge me for adding one to a cart full of sparkly Christmas garlands, but I have my eye on a few for next year—this one, this mod one, this gorgeous gold one, and this colorful one.

And good on SJ to give us a Hanukkah song that’s way better than Adam Sandler’s.

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I hope anything on this list is helpful to your holiday season!

P.S. Michael’s Christmas stuff is all 50%-60% off right now, so get thee gone.

P.P.S Send me #thoughtsandprayers that it doesn’t snow anytime soon.