Champagne taste on a potato chip budget

a gift guide

Hi, thanks for being here. The entirety of the gift guide is a paid-subscribers only post, which could be you! Until 12/31, I am offering 25 percent off monthly and yearly subscriptions ($3.75 a month or $37.50 a year). You can treat yourself or give a gift to a loved one. :)

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If you’re like me and procrastinate on doing your holiday shopping, this post is for YOU. While there is No Shortage of Good Gift Guides Out Right Now, I hope you find something in here you haven’t thought of yet. Maybe you’ll even find something for yourself! Yes, it’s the time of year to be generous, but being generous towards yourself also counts. Is it even the holiday season if you don’t buy something for someone then realize you want it, too?

The gift guide

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Tangible

oddities, luxuries, practicalities

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Homemade aged eggnog

This one is for the ambitious and perhaps borderline insane. A friend of mine recently suggested this recipe. Yes, you must age it for two whole weeks minimum. So you need to get on that now if you want to have it in time for Christmas. You can also give the recipient the gift of PATIENCE if you procrastinate until the last minute. This shit can last for up to a year, which is a little sus but also kinda cool to think about how resilient milk actually is. Or this might disgust you. There are two types of people in this world, I guess. Just be careful to not give the very un-festive gift of botulism.

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Voluspa Crisp Champagne candle

I know, I know. A candle is considered by many to be “a bad gift.” But not THIS candle. I get this same one for my mom every year. She still acts surprised when she opens it, which is very cute. The true gift is the scent itself. It’s so good. Oaky, vanilla-y (but not sickeningly sweet), a little bitter. My dad claims it’s the one candle that doesn’t give him a headache. High praise coming from the man who once compared my then-fourteen-year-old sister’s DKNY Apple perfume to the smell of the New York subway.

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Shrimp (cocktail)-inspired earrings

For all the crustacean fetishists in your life, you have several choices depending on your budget. For a beaded look, there’s the real deal from New York jewelry genius Susan Alexandra ($155), as worn by Alison Roman, or a comparable cocktail-less pair on Etsy ($24). As a mid-range option, you could splurge on these vintage Shrimp-style earrings ($82). I have a similar pair passed down from my grandmother and they are a staple. Plus you get to tell people you’re wearing shrimp on your ears and watch them slowly back away.

Susan Alexandra earrings as seen on fellow princess of shrimp Alison Roman