The Gifts I Bought Myself

This year, I am giving fewer gifts. Immediate family are receiving one gift, except for Sloane, who is receiving two gifts. Close friends are receiving smaller gifts than in past years. As a person who loves giving gifts, and excels at it, this is a big shift for me. But as I reprioritize my life, I’ve decided to focus on fewer, better gifts that are used and enjoyed.

So to begin this year’s gift guides, I’d like to share the things that I purchased for myself that I would buy again, use again, and love again. Let’s get started.

The Special Occasion Earrings // These pear-shaped white sapphire drop earrings caught my attention when I spotted them on the Dorsey website.  I wore them to a holiday party this weekend, and they made my several-times-worn dress feel a bit fresher and more festive.  They’re the perfect amount of sparkle.

Not feeling the pear?  They offer this drop style in several other options, and you can upgrade most of the choices to moissanite for an increased price.  Don’t miss these cushion cut drops.

The Cozy Pajamas // I own five pairs of these J.Crew pajamas.  If they make another color way that isn’t Christmas red, I’ll own those too.  I bought my first pair three years ago, I still have them.  The material is warm, soft and thicker than most other options you find in stores.  Every time I put them on, it just feels like taking a deep breath at the end of a long day.  Several colors are currently on sale for <$50.

The Luxurious Hand Cream // This Soft Services Theraplush hand cream is sitting on my bedside table right now.  I love the highly effective formula, the fact that it’s unscented, that it’s refillable, and the design-forward container.  Phenomenal product, incredible gift.  

I buy the formula without scent.  There is a feminine, almost floral scent.  Dedcool makes a signature scent for them as well that has notes of bergamot and amber.  

The All Occasion Bracelet // When I bought this bracelet for my birthday, I had been searching for a box-chain style bracelet for years.  Every option I found was too small, poorly made, or not worth the price.  Not this one.

This Monica Vinader bracelet is $530.  Not a small chunk of change, but it is worth every penny.  The bracelet is heavy, feels and looks expensive, and can be worn everywhere.  Also, it has a magnetic clasp that keeps it securely in place and is such a fabulous touch.  The bracelet is also available in sterling silver.  This is the piece I have worn nearly every day and would buy again tomorrow if I lost it.

The Weird Thing That Worked // It is so dark and dreary in the Pacific Northwest.  There are weeks in winter when we don’t see the sun.  The first year I lived here, we didn’t see the sun for over 50 days.  So getting up in the morning post-autumnal time change is misery.  

Ashley Spivey had been singing the praises of the Hatch Restore for a while.  I bought it.  Used it for three days, and then bought a second one to gift to another exhausted toddler mother.  Instead of waking up begrudgingly, fighting for just 30-seconds more of sleep, I seem to wake up more complete and gently.  I can’t explain it better than that.  

I’m so happy with it that I packed it on a trip last week.  Actually put it in my suitcase to take with me.  Younger me would be rolling her eyes so hard they’d fracture.

The Hat That Gets Worn Too Much // It’s a baseball cap.  It costs $130.  This should be the end of the conversation about Chord, but somehow it’s not.  The hat fits really well, and I didn’t know fit was something I should care about in a ball cap.  You can read my deeper review here, but suffice it to say, if you don’t know what to buy a sister, friend, mother, etc. and this is the price point you want to be in, buy the damn hat.

The Product That Makes Me Feel Alive // The Dior Glow Star Filter is performance enhancing drugs for your skin.  Tired, aging, uneven, damaged skin still somehow looks 5x better when I use this product.  The first time I wore it women in my professional orbit kept telling me how good my skin looked.  It wasn’t my skin.  10/10 would shellac on my face again.

The Shelf Decor Turned Oft Used Cooking Vessel // This summer, we went to an estate sale in our neighborhood, and I bought a Dansk brasier to put on a shelf in my kitchen.  It was mid-century, the right bold yellow color, and it felt less pick me than a Le Creuset.  (No hate on LC, but once influencers started shilling swappable rose gold handles, I was out.)  Then, one night, I needed to cook short ribs by starting them on the stovetop and then moving them to the oven and the enameled steel cooking vessel got the call up.  

I’ll probably buy another, smaller one for the other shelf.  I also intend to bake cinnamon rolls in it.  

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