Whatnot Glossary - 03
Gift Guide Adjacent
Nothing against gift guides! I just don’t have anything to offer that could hold a (real or figurative) candle those who’ve already done the lord’s work.
Jennifer Cook alerted me to the funny term GGIC (Gift Guide Industrial Complex) and man is it comically accurate. has an impressive look at the economics of gift guides. Yowza.Consider these offerings to be gift-guide adjacent, but not actual gift guides. Maybe next year…
13 YEAR OLDS LIKE NICE THINGS
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but 13 year old girls are very fancy. I asked mine to put together some of her favorites at a (reasonable, I am not made of money!!!) price point. She came up with this on her own, including that they are all “$23 or under.”
has a more robust version here.For clothes and accessories she loves these wide-leg sweats, this cross-body bag, classic white high tops (I’m accepting tips on how to keep them clean) and a Hill House dress in this style (v. pretty).
PICK UP / PUT DOWN “FEEL GOOD” BOOKS
Books are one of my favorite things to receive for Christmas. I especially like my own make-believe category of what I’ll call ‘pick up/ put down / feel-good book’ meaning ones that you can flip through during the Christmas - New Year corridor (more on this madcap week, below). These do not require the commitment of a novel, but they are not wordless photo books either. You can enter at any point. They make you feel happy.
) I cannot think of a more lovely ode to food and cooking. Fancy chefs and ‘container opening’ home cooks alike would absolutely get a lot out of this book. It’s the gold standard for the food-as-literature genre.You are Your Choices (Alexandra Stoddard) I really love every cute little uplifting and sparklingly philosophical book by this author.
Lessons from Madame Chic (Jennifer L. Scott) I have no plans to ever get tired of the American-in-Paris experience. Nobody does.
You Were Born for This (Chani Nicholas) Astrologically curious? This books explains SO MUCH. It goes way beyond ‘Virgos are organized, Aries are competitive.’ It explains the nuance around rising and moon placements, the importance of different planets in different signs, houses, signatures and the like. It’s really informative, and not overly complicated.
Anything by Julia Reed She was one of a kind and so thoroughly herself, which is to say stylish, witty and Southern. Her books would delight any Southerner (birth or choice).
American Royals series (Katherine McGee) These are not flip through books, but they’re fun for a teen girl. Because I have a lot in common with teen girls, I also read and love them.
Anything by David Sedaris If I start thinking too much about David Sedaris, I’ll start laughing, and then I’ll have to get up and go walk around and then I’ll never finish this list. Everything by David Sedaris. All of it.
Flamingo Estate Guide to Becoming Alive - I asked for this, so I cannot attest to how good it is. It’s a pretty green, and it looks a little woo-woo, a little motivational, and a little aspirational, and these are basically all my favorite things
A Christmas Memory (Truman Capote) This short story kills me every year. This is the Truman Capote I hold dear, not the Ryan Murphy Truman Capote.
These last two do not quite meet my pick-up / put down criteria either but they’re such universally funny and triumphant stories, respectively, I think almost any reader would enjoy. Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson) and Boys in the Boat (Daniel James Brown)
SEQUIN SHORTS & OTHER MADNESS
I unwittingly found myself at a mall on Black Friday because I met friends for lunch. I challenged myself to find something cute but sort of insane, and I succeeded in leaving with these sequin boxer shorts. I wore them with a green sweater to an outdoor holiday event (Florida). They look CUTE with a blazer, and I’m going to wear them the entirety of the Christmas-to-New Years corridor with button downs, a grey sweatshirt, a black t-shirt and the like. One year I got a neon yellow manicure during that same week (12/26 - 12/31) and it just really feels like an really nice time to aesthetically lose your mind.
Some other silliness for your consideration: pearl bow show charm, sparkly socks, floral embroidery on black mesh caftan, confetti headband, ivory and fuchsia espadrilles.
POPOVERS
If you can get the timing right to deliver your neighbors a half dozen or dozen popovers, you will be forever in their good graces no matter what dumb things your kids or dogs do throughout the rest of the year. Mix soft butter with strawberry jam (or garlic + herbs) package like this and gift along with the popovers in bakery boxes. Tell them they can freeze and reheat at 350 for 5-7 mins if needed.
How to leave a party politely
How to dress like an Olsen twin
Something about a very fancy set of hot rollers feels delightfully modern and retro
Sabrina Carpenter x Bill Murray Christmas specials is a cool-but-certifiably insane pairing
Jack Schlossberg weighs in on the CBK auction
The best celebrity memoirs of 2024. Someone on my list is getting You Never Know by Tom Selleck
If you’re up for doing a collaborative post similar to the one below, I’d love to connect with you. Drop me a line! Xx
The Town Lit Up, the World Got Still
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I was meant to be a 13 yo in 2024 because I have an appreciation for the finer things (as I’m seeing they do too). When I was 13 I’m pretty sure I was still getting Limited Too clothing and a pair of Old Navy flip flops in every color.
I loooove this boxer shorts!! Please share your outfits when you wear them!