I really love the holidays. But more than the holidays I love surprises and gifts absolutely check the surprise box for me. Last year I did a gift guide that would last all year long and this one is no different. These items stand the test of time, luxury, and usefulness and are solid gift ideas for the whole year round.
The oversized alpaca cardigan by Cuyana looks like the perfect item for evening and weekend lounging. Basically this is what I'd wear when I'm pretending I'm Olivia Pope in my apartment. While this gift comes in at $225 I can vouch for Cuyana's quality and luxuriousness. It's a piece that will last forever and inspire a pennies-on-the-dollar cost per wear.
If you really love someone, especially someone who travels, help them upgrade their travel arsenal. I traveled, on average, once a month this year and am already in love with the Lo & Sons OG bag, a mandatory for anyone who travels a lot, but this little wristlet would make breezing through security even easier with all the essentials in one place. It comes in six colors and runs $95 (though there's some really great sales going on right now!).
Okay, I have both these books already, but! Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed ($9.09 on Amazon) was one of the best gifts I've ever been given. It's a compilation of letters from her advice column as Dear Sugar. Strayed's style is bold and forthright, without sacrificing warmth and humanity. Brave Enough ($10.12 on Amazon) is a collection of her own quotes from a wide array of her essays, letters and books. These two go together like butter and warm tortillas. Gift them accordingly.
I've fallen more in love with my home this year than is reasonable. An enduring element of my homebody-ness is my love for a cozy blanket. Shupaca makes alpaca blankets that are all at the same time buttery soft, big enough for two (or to wrap yourself up as a solo burrito), beautiful and warm without being suffocating. A 70x90 blanket goes for $195.
I love magazines. The paper quality, the smell...even getting it in the mail feels special. This year I fell for Nautilus, a science magazine. "Each issue combines the sciences, culture and philosophy into a single story told by the world’s leading thinkers and writers. We follow the story wherever it leads us." Grab a $39 year-long subscription for the science lover in your life.
Everything in its place and a place for everything. While I'm not into knickknacks around the house, a functional knickknack is a whole other deal. These copper spheres double as little orbs of storage for any number of smallish things. Together, the pair runs $234 while the large is $150 and the small is $110. I can almost always think of better ways to spend that kind of money but I would not be sad at all to receive these beauties.
If you're going to watch an embarrassing amount of Netflix, you might as well do it with high quality sound. AMIRIGHT?! The Sonos Playbar combines superior sound quality with streaming capabilities for your music. At $649 this is certainly a gift for someone special.
Cold butter is for pie crusts and the damn birds, I say. There's nothing worse than trying to butter your bread with a cold, stiff pat of butter that smooshes and tears it apart. Enter: the french butter keeper from Sawyer Ceramics. For just $35 you can store your butter at room temperature with an airtight seal.
More alpaca...clearly I'm obsessed. Hey, it's warmer than wool and way softer! This is another entry from the Cuyana universe. (In case you were wondering, their motto is Fewer, Better.) Their infinity scarf comes in at $75 and I have no doubt it would become a staple in anyone's cold weather wardrobe.
For the beauty loving lady in your life, consider the Glossier Phase 2 make up set for $50. You can choose from six gloss shades, five concealer shades and three brow shades to customize a pretty gift box. I haven't tried any of their products yet but they get rave reviews online.
That's all I got this year, folks. I hope you found a gift or two that inspires you!