A Gift Guide for Lovers

<3 <3 <3

During the holiday season, I sent out sent out a newsletter outlining 10 gifts ideas for $25 or under, because gift giving doesn’t need to be expensive—this list reflects that, too. I’m not especially big into gifts for Valentine's Day, but I do *love* it. From waiting for your fifth-grade crush to pass you a special Valentine (I can’t speak to this personally, since it never happened to me, but I always imagined it would be amazing), to Galentine’s Day brunches and gossiping about your single co-worker’s flower delivery, it’s objectively fun. And even when it’s not… it’s dramatic, and that’s fun too.

Back in November I shared a bat-signal sourcing some hyper-specific gifting asks… I wanted to use those creative kinda niche asks to craft this newsletter. Use these tips as framework and thought-starters, not law—I hope this inspires some love-ly Valentine’s Day surprises!

Here’s what to get for:

…your fiancé while you’re paying for a wedding

I would set a gift limit for ALL gifts this year (like birthdays, anniversary, Christmas, all things!!). Let’s get creative under $15 or something like that. BUT if that sounds sad and unromantic to you (it’s not), I’d love to suggest what my fiancé and I do as a Christmas tradition—we plan a day for one another!

Obviously, the cost of this varies, but you can make it cheap, even free. Last year Aaron took me on a guided tour (by him) of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, a place I had wanted to visit for a while. He went ahead of time on his own to get a lay of the land and did his own research to prepare for the day. I found that so special. Afterward, we went to Kai Feng Fu in Sunset Park for lunch where dumplings are like $5 for 12 pieces… it was perfect. Plan an experience that makes your partner feel seen!

1. Date Night at the Met is free for New York/New Jersey residents (including alcohol and small bites, wahoo!). Do your research and act as their personal guide.

2. Get a cooking tool like a ravioli stamp ($14), a pasta maker ($68), a waffle maker ($10), or even a new cook book ($30) and invite them to a date night where you’re their private chef.

3. Massage candle ($32). No explanation needed!

…a minimalist interior design lover

Back to my DOMAIN!

1. A plant from Tula House ($ depends!), or a local plant store near you! Am I right that minimalists like plants? Lol.

2. The lemon squeezer ($30) from Gohar World. I love this because it’s fun and beautiful; I imagine if you’re buying for a minimalist they don’t want a bunch more stuff on display. This can sit inside a cabinet but spark joy when it’s time to juice a lemon. (I do every morning.)

3. Hester the Nail ($15) from Coming Soon—this is functional and simple, but a very fun addition. We have two!

4. Sam Stewart Spool Paper Towel Holder ($55). I love this because it doesn’t add more clutter, but rather, turns something necessary into something more fun.

5. A perfect chrome catchall ($59).

…a gym rat

I’ll admit, I haven’t been to the gym in about 6-9 months, so I initially thought I wasn’t the best person to answer this, but I actually think I’ve pulled together a good lineup here…

1. This travel kit from Bala ($81)—I used to work with a gym rat and whenever we traveled, she’d be losing her mind to find a gym (I envied her). This feels like something that could come in handy!

2. The person who requested this gift category be covered mentioned their friend rock climbs, so I’d like to pose: this beautiful chalk bag ($50) from Etsy. You can also definitely find a cheaper chalk bag, I just liked that one.

3. An REI gift card (unless their workers are back on strike, don’t cross the picket line!)

4. A mini therabody ($79). I feel like this fits in the Dad category below, too👇

5. By the end of the time I was in college, Fjallraven was the IT backpack (I had the sky blue one, I like to think I personally popularized it in College Park, Maryland). As a gift for a gym rat, might I suggest the Fjallraven duffel bag ($95). Black is chic me thinks.

…a Dad????

I got a few folks asking about what to get their Dads with varying descriptions (he likes golf, he’s in his 50s/60s/70s, etc). My dad doesn’t drink, so literally every single gift guide for Dads is useless to me. Why are they like that?? Anywho—here is my attempt at capturing the DAD essence (see below) and turning it into some suggestions.

the dad essence

1. Reusable Coffee Cup Stopper ($12). We bought my dad a pack of (literally) 1,000 plastic versions of these when Starbucks stopped giving them out. I have just learned they make REUSABLE ones… Yep.

2. A nice piece of clothing ($124) you pick out together (this is probably better advice for an actual holiday). My dad is not a frequent shopper, and this year for Christmas my brother and I went shopping with him. It was so fun & we ended up picking him up a pair of brown boots from Banana Republic ($25) don’t think he would have landed on otherwise.

3. A Kinto tumbler ($37). I have two of these and I am obsessed with them. Let them tell all their friends about how their drink has been hot for 12 hours.

4. A gift card to their favorite restaurant. I feel like my dad will ONLY use practical gifts, and this is the most practical.

5. Flowers!! Men deserve pretty things too. Maybe if we got boys flowers they’d stop trying to dismantle democracy run the government. You may find a similar effect by gifting hugs, chocolates, or a mother’s love.

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Anyway, who are you shopping for? :)