GAME ON PEOPLE! It is DECEMBER 1, so if you’re not thinking about shopping, well, I’m happy to help, along with the many, many generous souls who have emailed me lovely ideas and suggestions.
Ready for round four of our annual gift guide?
So far, we’ve talked about items that bring comfort and warmth, and prior to that we were all about advent calendars, plus all the lovely candles.
Well, not all. You’ve got more ideas!
Amanda G. wrote:
For any Canadian readers a fabulous candle company is Coal & Canary – haven’t found a scent I don’t like! They are soy & vegetable wax based candles with a wooden wick to give off that lovely fire crackle sound. For the holidays my favourite candles are “All I Want Fir Christmas” and “Maple Liquors & Snow Capped Firs.”
Maple. Liquors. Oh, yes.
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I’ll be doing a deeper dive into shirts, but I can’t pass this chance to link y’all to Mess in a Bottle, a Baltimore-based independent design studio that has some of the best t-shirt designs. I’m partial to “Feminist As Fuck,” “Be Great Today,” and the t-shirt dress that says, “I Luv This Tee So Much I Left My Pants Home.”
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JennyOH wrote in with a specific request, and Elyse was all about it:
I’d also love to see a guide to book/reading themed socks! We’re doing a sock exchange in my office this year instead of secret Santa so I need something good.
Ok, that’s a cool office exchange idea! And Elyse is here to help you out!
Jane Austen Socks in lavender, $10
And of course, every sock in the Out of Print clothing collection, especially the library circulation card pattern:
Now, this is a work exchange, so I’m guessing socks that are on the curse-y side might not work, but I KNOW some of you need some Fuck Off, I’m Reading socks:
Fuck Off, I’m Reading socks, $12
Runnin’ the World n’ Stuff socks, $10. Seriously, the entire Blue Q collection is delightful.
There are also Cats on Books socks:
If you’ve got sock suggestions, let me know. Some of my favorite socks are a pair I was given by Sassy Outwater that say, “Bitches Get Stuff Done.” Yes. Yes, we do. I smile every time I wear them.
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Here are four words I didn’t know needed to be together, and now that they are, and that they are REAL, I’m ecstatic: Wallets Made With Cassette Tapes ($15).
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And then…bookish purses and bags and accessories. Oh, dear. Like, pretty much everything in the Novel Creations store is temptation.
Then there’s this:
A History of Magic Purse, $72+
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RedHeadedGirl had a few suggestions, too:
Microwavable Slippers? ($8) Another set of words that go great together!
This is adorable: blue ceramic Mason jar measuring cup set, $19.
And speaking of useful kitchen things, we realized right before Thanksgiving that a number of our reusable containers had cracked (we use them a LOT). This set is inexpensive and so very, very strong (and the seal on the lid – it’s really impressive):
Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container 10-Piece Set, $15
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Elyse and Amanda have some suggestions for you that are nail polish related! These would make a lovely gift for yourself, or for your friends.
Elyse: “Have you ever used CMD’s Stickey? It’s a green base coat that helps your polish stay. I love it.” (Stickey is $8.50, and I agree – it works so well.)
Elyse: “I love this ILNP nail polish so much. It’s totally got a holographic effect and it lasts forever without chipping.”
Amanda: “I’ve heard great things about ILNP.”
Elyse: “I usually have to reapply polish all the time because it chips when I type but this stuff lasts a good 10-14 days.”
Amanda: “At our monthly girl’s dinner, two of my friends wouldn’t stop gushing about this indie nail polish designer, Floss Gloss. One of the was wearing this color, Night Palm, a gorgeous dark green.”
A gift of polish, base coat, and a snazzy manicure kit could make for a terrific gift for many people.
Two last things!
One: I LOVE hearing from you with suggestions for the gift guide. As I’ve said so often, if you’ve got ideas or suggestions, email me!
Second: Any and all holiday and every day shopping you do through our affiliate links is immeasurably helpful to keeping the site going. I’m including links below for your convenience. Thank you in advance!
Happy shopping!
I’d recommend the card game DOCTOR WHO FLUXX from Looney Labs. This nicely combines the ever-changing FLUXX rules with the characters from DOCTOR WHO.
I love the idea of an office sock gift exchange! Much more fun than the Target and Lowe’s gift card exchange that evolved during my former office’s holiday lunches.
Joann Fabrics has cute animal holiday socks in their stores this year for those who venture out in the real world for gift shopping. I came home with fox socks last week as a little treat yo’self gift. I think the “Runnin’ the World n’ Stuff” socks are in my future ….
I’m done with my gift shopping (yay) so anything I buy from here is probably for moi. 🙂
I don’t even like wearing socks bu the Blue Q socks are an exception. And I may need (yes, neeeed) to add those Austen socks.
And don’t even get me started on ILNP. I’ve been buying her polish since she first opened her Etsy shop. I may not have every polish she’s put out, but it’s close. They’re fabulous –the colors, the formulas, everything. And, good news, the Winter/Holiday collections were just released so check them out.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I am so going to recommend the sock exchange thing for Secret Santa with my friends.
I personally recommend HappySocks if you want socks. The designs are pretty, but I adore them because they are COMFY. I put them on and they feel great on my feet. Honestly, I smile whenever I put them on.
And Elyse, don’t I know about polish chipping (Nail-biter here). Will try that shiny thing.
The email link in the last two things column isn’t working and I have a suggestion! Just an FYI. I’ll check older gift guides to see if I can submit there.
OOOPS – fixed that. Sorry about that! You can always comment or email me at sarah AT smartbitchestrashybooks DOT com
I have a friend who is way into socks, and the best-received gifts I have given her were a 3 month sub to The Sock Club and a pair of socks that said “Here Comes Trouble” from BlueQ.
As a person with a nail polish problem (2k bottles and counting), I LOVE ILNP. Beautiful colors, very sparkly, great pigment. Also a-england just released a collection based on the wives of Henry VIII, so if you like your polish with a dash of history, I highly recommend them.
Very cute socks.
My feet stay cold, so I like Smartwool socks. They can be a little pricey — about $20 or so per pair — but they come in a lot of different colors, styles, and weights. I especially like the Popcorn Cable and Snowflake Flurry styles.
Cuddl Duds makes very soft socks. You can get them at places like Kohl’s.
I also really like the Cuddl Duds softwear and fleecewear lines. They have shirts and leggings that are great for layering.
I wear my F.O.I’m Reading socks proudly. They are perfect for days when I’m feeling outraged but prefer to appear mildly subversive.
Those microwave slippers sound great.
Socks – this year my Canadian husband has upped his socks game. He bought Justin Trudeau socks, moose and Mountie socks, Parliament Hill socks, the works – he can and does go a whole week with just Canadian-themed socks. It may be a little bit of a security blanket thing right now. Poor dear, living south of the border. I love his socks, but they also make me sad because for the last 18 years he hasn’t felt this compelled to wear them all the time. The Canadian version of a superhero cape, a pair of Justin socks …
Sock It To Me socks are knee high, and come in Sense and Sensibility and Shakespeare Taming of the Shoe patterns. Both are available on Amazon.
I heartily agree about ILNP; they are my favorite brand of polish right now, for their chromatics and holos.
Book socks –
https://www.modsock.com/search?type=product&q=books
I do so enjoy these gift guides!
There’s also the maple and chai scented Justin Trudeau candle, made by JD and Kate Industries/hottestheadsofstate.com. My local bookstore supposedly stocks it, but I confess I haven’t seen/smelled it yet. I’m pretty allergy-prone, but I’m mightily tempted anyway!
Most of my friends and family are old enough and well enough established that they don’t need more stuff. The kids in the family are all past the goodies under the Christmas tree stage as well. So lately I’ve made charitable donations in the names of the people I give gifts to.
Any animal rescue society would welcome donations of cash or food for the critters. My local SPCA has suggestions at various price points for things like Vet care for an incoming animal. They also send a card to the recipients stating who donated what in their names.
There are endless local and international charities which are happy to accept donations for people in need either at home or abroad.
I realized long ago that I can’t feed every hungry child in the world, or correct every injustice, but I can give enough to help in small ways, and I’ve seen that giving donations as gifts will often inspire the recipients to give a bit as well.
I LOVE those nail polishes! But as someone who just.cannot.grow long fingernails (horses, dogs, gardening), I wonder: Can they be used on artificial nails?
An interesting sock suggestion for the Lutheran in your life is the Luthersocke http://www.luthersocke.de/index.htm . The words read “Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders.” or you can also get the rather less interesting English translation “Here I stand. I can do no other.”
@Jennifer Estep – I too love Smartwool socks! You can often find them at a great discount at Left Lane Sports.
@Jennifer Estep & @Seventh Wave
Another Smartwool socks fan here! I find very good prices on them @ SierraTradingPost.com and REIGarage.com. Availability of sizes and patterns vary, but I’ve snagged some great pairs for $8. Also Scheels usually puts some on sale every January – watch for the ad.
I just got Blu Q socks for my SiL fir her birthday and they were a hit! They are my go-to gift for friends as well. Check out the “Fierce” ones.
I have never ordered from Etsy before but I fell in love with the cassette tape wallet. I had to get one. I am an ’80s child and still have my cassette tape collection. I can’t wait to get it.
@Jill-Marie – they can absolutely be used on acrylic nails. I’ve had fake nails for a million years and I’ve never found a Polish that doesn’t work with them.