Cool Shit to Give to People you Love!

a last minute gift guide ft things that may or may not arrive on time if you order them now

Samantha Jones after Chemical Peel by Laura Collins - via Think 1994 museum

Hi, everyone. I hope know this gift guide will find your inbox well chaotic.

I deliberated on whether or not to do a gift guide this week but after last week and the week before and the week before that I felt I needed to lighten the mood here a little bit so here are a few of my favorite things for gifting. (You will find several themes below and the first one is: things that were ads on Instagram that I purchased and do not regret.)

1. Bleame Hair Remover Thing

I bought one of these because of an IG ad thinking maybe a daughter would dig it (I have three daughters who are 15, 12 and 12) and then everyone wanted one and then I ended up with one, too, because somehow this weird crystal sandpaper thing (that doesn’t hurt) makes my legs smoother than an actual razor-shave and I am sort of addicted to it. I have recommended it to everyone (FOR LEGS ONLY!) I know and feel very lucky to be raising teenagers during the Bleame/Knix years. (We swear by the Knix swimsuits in this house as well. And yes, they work.) Bleame may be my greatest find of the year and I highly recommend it. Perfect stocking stuffer or New Years Gift if it doesn’t arrive in time.

2. Eye Things For Dark Circles (by drmtlgy)

I have struggled with seasonal allergies/under eye excema (fire emoji!) for the last few years (last winter they were so bad they cracked and bled!) I also suffer from Darkcircleitis AKA my under eyes are a mess. I tried these as an experiment and have noticed a significant difference and now they are my favorite thing. (LOOK UNDER YOUR CHAIR!)

ED: I am the mayor of low maintenance skincare so these eye things are pretty much it for me. I still wash my face with cetaphil and use ponds to remove makeup, a moisturizer for bed (right now it’s Pacifica) and other than that, I do nothing. (My daughters have better skincare than me.) So this is currently my only beauty splurge. I keep them in the fridge and wear them 3 times a week as a “treat” the mornings (I apply them in the kitchen when I’m making coffee and then drive the high school carpool wearing them for the drive like a bandit. They are my middle aged mom version of those pimple star things and I’m trying to start a trend.

3. Monsters by Claire Dederer

I am currently allergic to anyone and anything that lacks nuance and refuses to acknowledge the many complexities of everything, most notably themselves (beware the morally sanctimonious!) so this book is what everyone is getting this year. IT’S SO VERY GOOD!

4. Amanda Blake Calendars (& artwork!)

   I have been a huge fan of Amanda Blake for many years but this is the first year her calendars were on my radar and I just love them so very much! Wall calendars forever!

   

5. Visual Art & Pop Culture Inspired Accessories by: Think1994

   

   Ashtray by Laura Collins

   

   new york is over poster

   There is so much here to fall in love with please enjoy.

6. People’s Pottery Project

   

   Not only are these pieces handmade and GORGEOUS, you are supporting an incredible community of formerly incarcerated women and trans folk. I was introduced to their work this week and fell madly in love with them in every way.

7. Merch from your Kids’ Favorite Bands

   

   A great way to support musical artists is to buy their merch. People forget this and spend a lot of energy yelling at each other for using Spotify. I prefer to yell at people to buy merch so BUY MERCH! EVERY BAND HAS IT AND IT’S ALWAYS SUPER CUTE AND EVERYONE LOVES MERCH! ALSO A REAL BAND T/HOODIE IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN A FAKE BRANDY MELVILLE/FOREVER21/ETC ETC ONE! And you get to also support your favorite artists so that they can make more of your favorite art! Everyone is a winner!

8. Vibrators and other Masturbatory Devices

   Rumor has it that a lot of women don’t buy themselves sex toys but all women want them. Which means? YOU GET TO BUY THEM FOR YOUR FRIENDS!

   I’m a big fan of Bellesa (currently having a 50% off sale!) — a company that has supported me in the past —which I of course appreciate. (This one is my favorite. See also my Sex and the Single Mom column ft: reader’s favorites.) I also highly recommend supporting FeelMore which is my favorite (queer + Black owned!) sex shop. (That is where I have ordered all of my friends and family members’ Hitachi magic wands.)

9. Supporting Writers on Substack

   Please see my sidebar of “recommended substacks” on my main page and know that EVERY SINGLE WRITER listed is deserving of a paid subscription — an incredible gift to anyone who is a fan of reading brilliant work and wants to support autonomous creativity! (All subscriptions have a giftable option!) Support women. Support women writers. Support single mother women writers who are supporting families on one income. (Hi.) This time of year is ESPECIALLY tight and monthly subscriptions add up to a livable wage and a lot of substacks are offering December subscription sales for this reason! (ED: If you subscribe to the braid between now and the end of the month via this link you will get 20% off your subscription as well!)

10. Writing Grief - The Living Gaze Writer’s Workshop

    

    Claire Bidwell Smith and I are back with our The Living Gaze Grief Writers’ Workshop. This time we are offering a three week course with bonus fourth week. This would be a great gift to give yourself and/or a grieving person in your life who is interested in writing through it/publishing memoir. You can find out more information about our course and curriculum here and if you have any questions, please feel free to drop em in the comments!

ED: I’m opening comments to non-paid-subscribers so if you are a creator and want to drop the link to what you’re making + selling + do not regret purchasing from Instagram, please do!!! Let’s support each other this season and always! And thank you in advance for those who renewed your yearly paid subs this month! I see and appreciate you so incredibly much. And for those who haven’t and have been meaning to — thank you — once again, 20% coupon is below!