Yvonne, Senior Editor
Don’t judge me, ok. I know you’re tired of hearing me say I love Texas, I’m a proud Texan, yadda yadda. But I’ve seen so many girls with a version of this Texas necklace and I am envious every time. I want it so bad! It properly articulates how much I love my home without being over the top and also it’s cute and goes with everything.
Last year, I asked for high quality knives and my brother was a sweetheart and gifted them to me! They’ve officially won the most useful gift I’ve ever received. This year I want a blender that will actually chop my veggies and fruits, none of this half-assed bullshit that my current blender produces. I don’t think anyone would get me a Vitamix just yet, but I think this Ninja one is a great upgrade and will get the job done.
Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Volga
My girlfriend gave me this deep red lipstick last Christmas and I fell in love. Before then, I had only used Burt’s Bees lip shimmer, if that even counts as lip makeup. I’m feeling more confident in how I look with lipstick so I want to expand my horizons and go for a dark wine color. I’ve seen it all over my news feeds and I want to rock it too.
Can y’all believe I don’t have a You Do You sticker? Because I can’t. I want exactly 2 stickers — one for my journal and one for my computer.
Audrey, Contributing Editor
Clinique Long Last Matte Lipstick in Suede
Blame my mother for my Clinique snobbery — or blame their reasonable prices, no animal testing situation, and always excellent products. This season they’ve finally upped their matte lipstick game, and I want this perfect neutral on my face. But they seem to stock it one tube at a time at the mall in Managua – every time I go they “just ran out.” #help So I am probably going to order it online and have my mother ship it to Nicaragua. That is how far I will go to mimic Ellen Page’s Out cover photo.
Seinheisser Momentum Headphones
My beloved Klipsch S4s are in the process of fluttering off to the big wiry garden in the sky so I am coveting an upgrade to the Seinheisser Momentum overhear headphones. They would be so dreamy for all my holiday listening, like Perfume Genius, Azealia Banks, and Nick Jonas.
Floating, Brilliant, Gone by Franny Choi
My 2014 Write Bloody quotient is way down since I don’t have access to Austin’s Book People on a regular basis, and the new WB book I feel like I need most for my soul is Floating, Brilliant, Gone. Choi writes so beautifully from inside the broken places, and sometimes the heart just needs that.
Dr. Martens Women’s 1460 Re-Invented Victorian Print Lace Up Boot in Black
I’ve been aching more and more to live in all the spaces between femininity and masculinity. Nothing conveys that to me more than floral printed Docs. I have massive feet, so I’m not actually sure I have any business wearing Doc Martens, but #LifeIsAHighway and I want to walk it in these boots.
The most beautiful gift y’all can all give me for Christmas is to go to your favorite local dive bar, the one with 6+ Willie Nelson records on the jukebox, and order a Shiner Holiday Cheer — on tap if you can find it. Drink it slow and just transmit that vibe to me. #Texas
Ali, Geekery Editor
Most of the National Book Award Finalist Books
This is a biased list item because I just came back from the National Book Award Reading. But specifically I want to draw everyone’s attention to Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, which chronicles a traveling Shakespeare company after a flu epidemic wipes out life on earth as we know it. And also Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, which is YA and I’m an adult, but is a memoir told in poems. Speaking of YA and poetry, I actually think Tumblr and Twitter have uniquely prepared the upcoming generation of readers for poetry (because fragmented narrative, non-traditional form, economy of language and a million other reasons), but that’s an essay for a different day. For now, you just need to know that there’s not a single National Book Award finalist that I wouldn’t be thrilled to get for Christmas.
Noise-Isolating Headphones To Help Me In My Isolation
You know what I want? To never hear the hapless undergraduates accidentally set off the emergency door alarm in The New School library ever again. I also don’t particularly want to hear douchebags talk to each other on aeroplanes. I don’t know sound from my elbow, but I do know gadgets (and I do know that my favorite speaker is a Bowers and Wilkins speaker). I know I don’t want something that’ll drain device battery (so no wireless) and I know I don’t want something that will stick in my ear or push the backs of my earrings into my head. I also know I don’t want Beats because they fall apart faster than you can say “overpriced.”
Food. Literally Any Food That I Don’t Have To Pay For Or Think About
I am both a shitty cook and a poor graduate student. I’m also a vegetarian. That someone could send me a box of vegetables and directions for how to get them into my mouth in a delicious way is, like, legit the best way I can think of to express love right now. Because I have eaten Ramen for dinner for three days now and I’m about to eat a chocolate cookie. Send help.
Chelsey, Editorial Assistant
I just realized this book existed the other day and I am SUPER UPSET I didn’t order it immediately. Texts from literary characters are pretty much all I ever want to read for the rest of my life.
I have been hunting for the perfect red lip for ages, and this one has no bad stuff and apparently includes the amount of resveratrol found in five glasses of red wine? Sign me up.
This sweater is really just a work of art.
Paleo in Comparison Cookie Cutter
I’m pretty sure these speak for themselves? THEY ARE DINOSAUR SKELETON COOKIE CUTTERS. I don’t know if much more says Christmas to me than dinosaur skeleton cookies.
Laneia, Executive Editor
Elephant or Dirty South Pillows
I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m obsessed with pillows right now. I’d happily accept that Elephant Pillow for my bed — like can you even imagine how adorable a bed would be, all made up and neat/tidy topped with a freaking’ elephant pillow? — or the #BLESSEDASFUCK Dirty South situation for my sofa. I just need to express myself through pillows! It’s part of my journey.
What if someone gave me these Jogger Pants? How much better would my life be then? Probably substantially better, I bet. I might even go jogging.
I’ve got journals and planners covered, but I really need some notebooks for random lists and doodling! These Decomposition Notebooks are made using recycled paper and come with different cover options, and I’m really into the desert themed one because that’s what’s outside my house right now.
This bag is so perfect! The handle AND the shoulder strap are both removable, which means it’ll look sleek and cute no matter how I want to carry it. Also it’s huge. I could fit two or three entire bags of bagels in here.
Megan gave me a Sephora gift card last year and it took me around nine months to use it because I don’t buy a lot of makeup and couldn’t decide what I needed most. I ended up going with the Urban Decay Natural2 eyeshadow palette and it’s The Fucking Best and I realized that I actually really like makeup shopping! So another gift card from Sephora would just be the bee’s knees. Right now if you give a $25 eGift card, you get $5 from Google Wallet for yourself, so y’all should probably jump on that.
