Winter Holidaze Gift Guide Part 1
Honestly, Your Dames could never, and we say that’s ok! Not everyone has the inclination to develop expert gift-wrap skills like Seth Cohen, and in the year of our extreme ups & downs 2020, we are releasing any residual guilt we may have felt about it. Gift bags for everyone!
You could make an argument that just about every issue of Two Bossy Dames is a gift guide, and you know what? We wouldn’t argue! But this is the first time we’ve actually put together a gift guide for the most wonderful time of the year. By the time such a thing would be useful, we’ve run out of time, or steam, or both. This year, we started planning weeks ago, so the calendar wouldn’t get the better of us. Take that, entirely made-up concept of time!
We’re breaking our inaugural gift guide into two issues: this week, Dame Sophie will share her ideas, and next week Dame Margaret will take the helm. We hope you find something just-right for your favorite recipients (and maybe for yourself?) and invite you to share your favorite suggestions with us!
May all your gifts prompt this level of enthusiasm, but at a distance!
Getting Bossy With Book of the Month!
Your Dames, lifelong bookworms both, are delighted to say we’re being sponsored by Book of the Month. You may already be familiar with the name -- Book of the Month has been around for decades, after all -- but you may not know about how well they’ve adapted to our contemporary, super-enthusiastic online book culture.
As reading recommendation mavens, we’re particularly fond of how Book of the Month focuses on promoting new and emerging authors as they help readers discover their next favorite book. They curate a list of five must-read books each month so you can spend less time researching and more time reading. Bliss!
Intrigued? You can get your first hardcover book for just $9.99 with code BOSSY! Book of the Month Club’s November picks include a twisty thriller, a fresh YA take on Romeo & Juliet, a sprightly romance, and two engrossing family dramas. Great books at an unbeatable price, and a no-fuss policy about skipping a month whenever you need to: what could be better?
Dame Sophie’s Gift Guide
All of the suggestions below are grouped into loose categories, and I’ve linked to smaller & independently-owned stores as much as possible. I also want to highlight this list of online stores -- food emporia, bookstores, art vendors, and more -- that are either training/employing people with disabilities or are run by people with disabilities, compiled by DamesPal Susannah Goldstein.
Smelling Nice and/or Looking Pretty
For the person who’s into looking gorgeous and smelling seductive, I recommend the site-wide 40% off sale on lipstick, perfume, and candles at Hi Wildflower. They’re selling off all current stock in order to relaunch in 2021 as Tanais (hence the big sale). I have two of their candles (Mojave & Night Blossom) and two perfume rollerballs (Ancients -- my favorite! & Night Blossom) and can vouch for their quality.
Olfactif is a perfumery in Chicago which specializes in unique and independently produced fragrances. They offer a monthly subscription service, very decently-priced sample packs, and great options for single samples in a variety of sizes, too (if you’ve read Rachel Syme’s Perfume Genie threads but never taken the plunge, maybe treat yourself, too).
Gothamista -- aka Renée -- is the host of one of my favorite skincare YouTube channels, and every year she partners with Wishtrend to offer a special gift box of some of her favorite products, in full sizes. Here’s an intro/explainer video about this year’s box. As a fan of the two best-represented lines in the box -- Klairs and I’m from -- I’ve ordered one for myself.
Cute & Fun Culture-wear
Is there someone in your life who loves movies, books, and/or quirky brooches? You’re in the right place!
Dame Margaret and I talk about Super Yaki so much that we should probably enter into some kind of contractual relationship with them at this point. They update their stock of movie-celebrating tees, stickers, and more every month or so. The best way to stay up to date about what’s in stock and what’s coming soon is to follow them on Instagram.
For the bookworm in your life, there’s Out of Print (currently offering 35% off with code FRIENDS35), where you can get them -- among other things — the most 2020 shirt in existence. I’m particularly fond of their cute & cozy sweatshirts and eagerly await the day when I receive an email letting me know they’ve got my size back in stock in this sweatshirt for all my wild rumpus needs.
Erstwilder is an Australian company focused on accessories perfect for anyone into the Toddler Grandma aesthetic. Their collections run the gamut from scarves to brooches, earrings, and statement necklaces and I’m so glad to be able to search them by themes such as Licensed Characters, Australiana, Nautical Critters, and more.
Cozy Upgrades
These are the kind of things people don’t typically ask for but love to receive. They’re thoughtful, practical, feel great to wear, and will remind the recipient of you for years to come. My favorites in this category include slippers, cashmere on sale, super-warm socks (with tips on keeping them in good shape), and the absolute MVP, a hot water bottle that stays hot for 12 hours (available in a wide range of colors). My family is so into this one that we own three, one for each member of the household.
Cuter Home Office Supplies & Nice Kitchen Things
As we head into another wave of lockdowns, couldn’t our home workspaces & kitchens use a little spruce-up? I love a retro pop-up Post-It dispenser, markers that smell like the middle-school art room, and groovy tape dispensers.
Even if a miracle occurs and we all wake up immune to COVID tomorrow, I’m still going to be baking up a storm this winter. If your giftee is culinarily inclined, you can never go wrong with classics like a digital scale (a godsend for bakers, especially), a microplane grater, Fat Daddio’s cake pans (their anodized aluminum finish is the best for even baking and easy cake releasing), and accurate measuring cups & measuring spoons. Samin Nosrat tweeted a list of lovely kitchen upgrades & treats today, too. Her thread may have been too successful -- I noticed earlier in the day that some of her recommendations are out of stock already -- but I hold out hope for restocking, and I find that sometimes reading a thread like this sparks ideas for related possibilities.
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