Whatnot Glossary - 04

Last minute bits & bobs & ways to say I THINK YOU'RE AMAZING

I hope you’re having a great week that includes the exact-right amount of holiday madness. My oldest daughter turned 16 yesterday. 16!!! - it’s an age full of so much possibility. If I could go back and tell my 16 year old self anything, it would be to try to find more confidence and to stop chasing “cool.” Nobody else knows what they’re doing either, and “cool” is an epic myth. In all the important ways, my 16(!) year old already knows this, so I’m glad that I was able to impart lessons that I was unable to learn early on. She’s a good egg and extraordinarily good company. I’m glad she has a smidge more time to learn “driving” though.

7 sleeps until Christmas. Eeeeeeeeeek. You ready?

I’m not.

But I will be!

Some items of note:

BONJOUR KETTLE

What in the Sam Cute Heck is this electric kettle? I don’t have the kitchen counter real estate for it, but it’s adorable. Fancy office types who love tea: just imagine. The matcha people! The pour-over crowd!! The morning hot-water-with-lemon junkies!!!!

TOM CRUISE COCONUT CAKE-ENERGY GIFTS

Maybe one day I’ll have the budget to send everyone in my contacts a extravagant coconut cake like Tom Cruise, but until then, I like the idea of gifting something small with that doesn’t have any sort of ‘exchange’ energy attached to it. Just something that says, “I think you are WONDERFUL”

• I had my kids make a bunch of clove studded oranges which I tied with thin red velvet ribbon and gave to friends, colleagues and neighbors with handwritten notes & small chocolate bars.

• I heard

  Erika Veurink
  and
  jessie randall
  on a live Substack chat about gifting holiday wrapping paper along with a donation in that person’s name to a charity. Clever, useful and lovely.

• I also heard

  Jess Graves
  on a live chat with
  John Jannuzzi
  talking about giving Panettone with small bottles of maple syrup and a recipe for Panettone French toast. PS. the times I’ve managed to catch a live Substack, I’ve clearly caught some good intel.

• If you can snag the Harry and David pears when they’re at Trader Joe’s - those are always a hit (even better with a nice cheese).

• A $2 pack of sparklers (for NYE) + some fun matches (also c/o

  John Jannuzzi
  ) is festive, especially for older kids & teens

• Amaryllis bulbs or paperwhites

• Homecourt counter spray (I’m partial to the Cece scent)

HOT RED STOCKING STUFFER (INCENDIAIRE)

Gah! this color looks good enough to be the next Vamp. Is it the color of holidays in Aspen? Or Spring Break in Polanco? Summer in the Riveria?

Yes.

Additional stocking stuffers: toothpaste, pencils, (really great) socks, bracelet, chocolate, scratch off notes, bubble gum, pouch, electrolyte coffee, glittery eyeshadow

ZARA THERMAL

Alright Zara and your cute ski-but-specifically thermal collection. I’m not going skiing but I still have an eye on those thermal leggings. I don’t even live where it’s cold, but trust that I will figure.something.out. PS: my obsession with 7 minute workouts includes this ski-prep version. Plus

mom friend

has a beautiful post that gave me more ski FOMO.

• Lindsay Sword
  has the definitive support for the best outfit ever

• Midimalist
  with a brilliant post on style details in an online era (kinda blew my mind)

• What dad doesn’t want a the new Johnny Carson biography?

• Carbone’s rainbow cookie recipe

• I wasn’t aware that Rao’s had a Limited Reserve line until I saw the white truffle marinara at Whole Foods. Mmmmmhmmmm think of the pizzas, always think of the pizzas

• Lee Radziwill / Carolyn Bessette Kennedy holiday gift exchange lore

• Investigators are reopening the case of Natalie Wood’s 1981 death

• Which NBA star inspired the the Gracie Abrams lyric smiling through it all?

• Behind the scenes with a master calligrapher

• 10 Christmas pies

• Pinecone to pine tree time lapse is gorgeous and moving