Gift Guide: For your new S.O.'s parents, your manager, the distant relative who's hosting you...
AKA the "I want to look put-together and personable without knowing a single intimate detail about the recipient" guide
We all have that one person (or people) on our lists who just… keep getting pushed to the bottom.
You know you should get a gift for them, but when you go to purchase something, nothing feels quite right. There’s too much pressure on it. It feels too big. How are you supposed to impress your manager (scary), your new SO’s parents (scarier), or your cousin’s cool girlfriend who’s graciously hosting you (less scary, but weirdly harder) when you… actually do not know a single useful detail about their preferences?
Because we know this is the gift you will procrastinate getting the very most, we decided to make it our first of a handful of Actually-Giftable™️ gift guides this holiday season. Let’s get into it →
Gifts
A nice mug + nice coffee. ($12-$150)
Nothing says “great taste” quite like an East Fork Mug ($44) and some high-quality coffee like Frankly Good Coffee ($18 for one bag). Everything East Fork does is beautiful, and this stoneware mug (which comes in many lovely shades) is no exception. We especially love the satisfying, wide handle, its perfect heft, and mostly, the fact that it’s actually practical (AKA, it’s dishwasher- and microwave-safe).
If you’re unsure of your recipient’s caffeine source of choice, East Fork also offers a Brew Basket ($12) that perfectly fits the mug, and is another great add-on—it’s a stainless steel steeper that works with coffee or tea.
If you have some extra bucks to spend on this lucky recipient, there really is no better gift than an Ember Mug ($150). It’s not quite as salt-of-the-earth as East Fork—instead, it’s a high-tech mug to keep your bev at the perfect temperature at all times. The gift of never-lukewarm coffee is truly what this season’s all about.
To match the too-rushed-for-hot-coffee vibe, we’d pair an Ember with a luxe instant coffee, like Forchewn ($16).
A Thrive Market Membership. ($60)
Hear us out: People want nice groceries. They also want convenient, affordable groceries. We know this to be true, because we write a newsletter about it. Thrive Market stocks only the highest quality, organic groceries—and members can buy them at the most affordable prices, and get them shipped straight to their house. This is especially great for folks who lives in more rural areas, and may not have a nice natural grocer close by.
Thrive’s annual membership ($60) is delivered via e-gift card (easy peasy) and allows your recipient to order whatever they want, at members-only prices. And, for every paid membership, Thrive gifts one to someone in need—a do-good, feel-good gift for all involved.
The Salt Sphere by Material ($52—on sale right now!) + salt.
We have a feeling that this will be on many gift guides this year, but for good reason. This gorgeous kitchen accessory looks like something out of an art museum—yet it’s functional enough to become a countertop staple. The sphere itself houses salt, and the stand is also concave, so it can hold another kind of salt or seasoning. Whenever your recipient uses it (likely, daily), they’ll simply be forced to think of you and your impeccable taste.
We’d pair this with a nice sea salt for good measure. Pure Flake Sea Salt from Jacobsen Salt is a great choice, or good ol’ Diamond Crystal Salt’s new flavored varieties.
Candle Discovery Set from Ranger Station ($43.50—on sale!).
We know, we know, a gift guide with another candle. But 1) we love that this is a sampler set, so you don’t have to commit your gift recipient to some scent they don’t like… and 2) this brand is special and different! Each scent really fills a room, yet isn’t overpowering. And these adorable little samplers are actually shot glasses, so when the candle runs out, you get a silly shot glass (or just glass decor) with cowboy hats on the. The sampler set includes: Leather + Pine, Santalum (sandalwood), and Old Fashioned (oak + citrus).
Some (very) fancy popcorn and a new method for popping it. - Cheerie Lane
Cheerie Lane is the most unique popcorn format we’ve ever seen—just look at this adorable corn-shaped “pod”! The flavors are bold and delicious (that’s the heirloom corn and cacao butter for ya), and the experience of popping it is just so satisfying.
The brand’s Micro Set (just $34!) comes with this adorable glass microwave popcorn popper.
The gift of an upscale sweet treat.
We are obsessed with the brand Maeve—a sustainable, women-owned, ethically-sourced chocolate company with the most fun, beautiful branding and incredibly unique, delightful flavors. Giving the gift of chocolate never fails, especially when it’s Maeve’s assorted chocolate bonbons ($42.50) featuring flavors like Creme Brûlée, Blackberry Bramble, and Milk Salty Toffee.
But a bag of candy can feel a smidge… lame… which is why we’re pairing it with this gorgeous Candy Stripe Glass Jar ($38) from the MoMA Design Store. How luxe! How fun and silly!
OR if you’d rather leave the bundling to someone else, lil sweet treat’s gift boxes ($37-$50) are adorable and all the rage right now.
Luxury baked goods.
No one has ever been sad about receiving fancy baked goods—but we guarantee that any gift recipient will be simply blown away by Lexington Bakes’ Discovery Box ($30). A gorgeous, marble box is filled with four square brownies and cookies that are so rich, indulgent, and perfect down to the tiniest detail.
Truly premium tea from Razzi.
If you’re dealing with a tea lover (or, at least, assuming you are), Raazi Tea makes a lovely starter bundle ($42). The plant-based sachets and canisters feel genuinely luxury, and the tea itself is made by tea sommeliers in small batches. Just look at these!!!
Bonus host gift (not big enough for a gift-gift, but just a lil something): Some wine that they probably haven’t tried.
Gifting a bottle of wine can be intimidating, and frankly, we wouldn’t recommend it for everyone. In fact, we really don’t know our way around a wine store. But we do know that natural wine is having a moment, and Tinto makes a damn beautiful bottle. If you want to really impress that random cousin’s cool girlfriend, bring a gorgeous orange wine like Tinto’s Monje ($35)
OR if your recipient is sober/Cali sober/sober-curious etc etc., impress them with a stunning Society De La Rassi Sparkling Non-Alcoholic Rosé ($59). This is just about as upscale as a non-alc gets: “A true Provence rosé profile: pale color, finesse, and dryness preserved through gentle low-temperature vacuum distillation that removes the alcohol while maintaining the wine’s natural nuance, without additives.”