There’s a certain kind of woman out there, perhaps you know the type: She’s always online thanks to a desk job boasting quality time with an internet-connected monitor. She’s got good taste, naturally. And she absolutely loves to do a l’il shopping. We’re talking, packages arrive on this woman’s doorstep with alarming regularity.
Sound familiar?
Spoiler; She’s me. She’s also a bunch of my friends, and there’s a good chance she’s your wife, or girlfriend, your sister or your mom.
Do we have a “problem?” Maybe! But this is a gift guide, not a treatise on the dangers of leaning into late stage capitalism.
I’m here to help you, not to heal myself, okay?
You see, I recently had a birthday, and while I was excited to celebrate, I couldn’t help but pity my poor boyfriend. This lovely man—who knows me very well!—had absolutely no idea what to get me.
Which wasn’t his fault at all. Why? Because I’d say things like, “I’m obsessed with this J.Crew coat, let me show it to you!” and then a day later, “Oh guess what, I ordered that J.Crew coat!”
Monster behavior on my part, I know!
Anyway, to help my boyfriend (and you guys) really nail it this holiday season, I’ve made him (and you) a very handy and only slightly manic gift guide full of thoughtful ideas guaranteed to delight me the women in your life.
I’ll be honest, these suggestions came to me in a sort of online shopping fugue state. I was close to pressing “add to cart” on about seven different things I absolutely do not need but really, really want.
Instead, I took a breath, and thought, You know what? My bank account, my boyfriend, and my beloved SG readers would all be better served if I compiled these wish list items into a handy gift guide.
Don’t say I never did anything for you.
Now let’s get into it!
Below, 10 gift ideas for the girl who buys herself everything:
The Quaintest, Coziest Experiential Gift
The Pig-In at The Cotswolds, $275/night and up
That’s right, my first gift idea for this guide is literally a trip to the UK and I will not apologize!! We’re starting on an unhinged note, and who knows? Things might get wackier from here!
You see, the aforementioned boyfriend lives in England, and so I have become rather obsessed with the idea of becoming a rich and fabulous person who is always on holiday in the bonny English countryside.
Instagram knows this, and introduced me to a charming hotel group called The Pig, whose properties are sprinkled in idyllic locations throughout England, with the newest one being The Pig-In in a little village called Barnsley in the Cotswalds (think the Hamptons for the Brits with more cottages, less McMansions).
Go on, be extremely romantic and thoughtful, I dare you!!
A Truly Fluffy, Luxurious Down Comforter
Feathered Friends down comforter, $489
You may call me a dreamer, but I’m not the only one! Do you think John Lennon was singing about how well he would sleep if he could only have a really luxe down comforter?
I do. Because one of my biggest aspirations in life is to sleep in a bed that resembles nothing more than a marshmallow.
All white, impossibly fluffy, delicious!
I want my duvet to be so puffy and airy that it appears to be levitating above my mattress! Which is why a great gift for me would be a pillowy goose down comforter with a high fill power, like this excellently-reviewed number from Feathered Friends.
Plus, this is actually a gift for my boyfriend, too, since he’ll be sleeping under it! I’m counting sheep already…
A Powerful Alternative For A Man’s Hands
Theragun Mini, $199
When my boyfriend comes to town, I become like a kitten and also a toddler. I will nuzzle myself against him sweetly and then begin to pout about how my shoulders ache. He now refers to this as a bad case of Copywriter’s Shoulder, and we laugh and laugh.
But really, it’s bad!
Lucky for me, this man spends a lot of time in the gym and must have had a previous girlfriend who also liked massages because he is very very good at working the knots out. Too much information? I don’t care!
However, he’s only in town one weekend a month, and my late-30s body is constantly rebelling against me. So for those in-between visit times, I could really use a little helper! No, not that kind, but yes, it vibrates! Tee-hee, it’s a Theragun! And it’s small and cute! I love it.
A Really Small Bag
BOMI Pouch bag, $250
You don’t have to tell me, a woman who is literally always shopping online, that nice handbags are even more expensive than nice handbags used to be.
But there are gems to be found if you know where to look, and BOMI, a chic little second-floor boutique in Soho here in New York, is one of those places.
This little pouch, which is genuine leather, and genuinely cute, rings up at an extremely reasonable and perfectly giftable $250.
Plus, I love that the little straps offer two ways to carry it! This is a day-to-night bag I’d carry all the time, in any of the colors you can find it in — from espresso brown to snowy white and deep burgundy.
Ugh, this might be something I actually do buy for myself…
A Really Big Bag
Saks Potts croc bag, $525
Sometimes, I am really good at surfacing unique finds myself. Other times? I’m really good at passing off the finds that other, cooler people have told me about as if I am some kind of online shopping clairvoyant who simply knows in her bones where all the good finds are.
Which one is this, a very large calf leather bag from Saks Potts? That’s one secret I’ll never tell.
Anyway, I feel like this would be the chicest carry-on bag ever, if I could stomach shoving it under an economy airplane seat.
It would also make a chic gym bag, grocery tote or large work bag. The chocolate brown color and croc embossment are very 2024-meets-1999 in the best way.
Fancy Picnic and Patio-Ready Glasses
Juliska acrylic goblets, set of 8, $112
My parents are the kind of people who like to make everyday occasions feel kind of fancy.
When we have a picnic by a river in the middle of the summer, for example, there’s stemware involved and not a paper plate to be seen. They own a few different styles of these Juliska acrylic glasses, which can be tossed in a straw tote, jostled around on a bumpy car ride and arrive on a wooden table or cooler without a scratch.
I’d love a set for myself, as they look so much more elevated than your standard stemless plastic outdoor glassware. Suddenly I’m craving a bottle of Sancerre and a charcuterie board al fresco!
A Way to Hydrate That Proves Drinking Water Can Be Fun
Owala 40 oz tumbler, $38
My life was changed when I enjoyed my first sip of ice cold water from this gigantic Owala tumbler.
No, you cannot get the same high from a Stanley cup, okay?
Stanley gives, “Will Momtok survive this!?” vibes in a bad way. Sorry but it’s true!
The Owala cup is just as big, but it says to the world, I’m thoughtful, and I was influenced not by reality TV, but by Megan Collins, the HBIC of SGHQ herself.
She really did tell me I needed it, and I can’t express how right she was. Yes, it is very “Big Dumb Cup,” but I don’t care!
I love this oversized tumbler so much, and I am a more glowing and hydrated person for it.
The “Delete TikTok, Get a Hobby!” Gift
New Yorker Tree Shopping Jigsaw Puzzle, $25
It’s become a holiday tradition in my family that my parents get me a chic puzzle to do while I’m home for a couple weeks.
They give it to me right when I arrive rather than wait ’til Christmas, so I have time to leisurely work on it while enjoying an Old Fashioned by the fireplace while I’m there.
I get a card table out of the garage (my mom makes me put a white tablecloth on it so it doesn’t look unsightly), set it up in view of both the TV and the fireplace, and get to work.
Puzzling gets me off my phone, engages what’s left of my brain cells, and probably lowers my resting heart rate.
Hint hint Mom and Dad, this New Yorker puzzle is SO chic and I’ll be home in just over a month!
Jewelry That Tracks Her Period (and Steps, and Sleep)
Oura Ring 4, $349
If I didn’t already have an Oura ring, I would be lusting after one as we speak. I actually worked for Oura briefly, and two years later, I still wear the one given to me on the company dime.
I cannot live without it now, I fear. I use it to track my cycle, my sleep and my steps. I also allow it to scare me into not drinking too much wine at dinner with girlfriends from time to time. (When you can literally see the way alcohol affects your sleep… I’ll just say it’s very bleak.)
Anyway, the Oura Ring is a splurge-y gift, but I can’t say enough good things about it! Plus, their newest and most advanced version yet just came out!
Get her into the Dolly-verse!
Various really good books by Dolly Alderton, $12 (or so)
Some girls have Emily Henry. Others have Sally Rooney. Personally, I have developed a parasocial relationship with British author Dolly Alderton.
She’s tall, she has perfect blonde bangs, and her prose has made me weep on more than one occasion. Her novels are just excellent, as is her memoir.
I could go on and on about how I’m very obsessed with her, but really, she’s for the girls. So, get your girl involved. And don’t skimp, splurge on the hardcover books! They’re easier to wrap anyway!
Collectable Glassware for My Dream Home Bar
Summerhill & Bishop Hand Blown glass tumbler, $87
I recently visited friends who have a seriously lovely home up in Darien, Connecticut. When the husband brought out a chilled bottle of rosé and three delicate glass tumblers with silly, colorful faces on them, I was instantly smitten.
As luck would have it, they’re from an extremely chic interiors store in London called Summerhill & Bishop. Perfect for my boyfriend to pick up! A quick browse through their online boutique reveals so many whimsical, beautiful, and wholly covetable glasses as well.
Start with their fun handblown glassware page, and let your imagination (and credit card!) run wild. I suggest going with the romantic angle, and starting with the “Mon petit chou” and “Mon tresor” glasses for your beloved shopaholic.
Bonus Round: Jewels!
Crawford Earrings, $290
One last idea for those of you who know your girl wants something sparkly under the tree this year. You really, truly cannot flop if you pick something from Dorsey, the lab-grown jewelry brand all the “it” girls rave about.
The pricing is deeply reasonable, and you can find classics like a white sapphire tennis necklace as well as statement-making pieces, like these Crawford earrings—which look like something you’d score at a rich widow’s estate sale.
When it comes to gift ideas for the girl who buys herself everything she wants, this could be your home run. Take a peek in her jewelry box to see the kinds of pieces she usually wears, and dazzle her with an upgrade!
