E DITOR ’ S NOTE
A NOTE ON GIVING Just a few thoughts as you start to plan for the holidays.
I
once read that the best gifts are 50% you, 50% the other person. For instance, my boyfriend couldn’t care less about fashion and knows absolutely nothing about handbags. If he gave me a handbag, it wouldn’t necessarily be meaningful to me. Don’t get me wrong—I love it when someone takes the time to buy me a gift, but when there’s little thought or significance behind it, there’s not much difference between a gift and a gift card (more on those in a sec). In fact, my boyfriend doesn’t much like shopping at all, but on a trip to Mexico earlier this year, he sucked it up and accompanied me into a small town to hunt for ceramics
◗ The backstory is personal, but my boyfriend perfectly executed the 50/50 rule when he got me this Gucci bucket hat for holiday 2019.
and textiles in 90-plus-degree heat. If he hunted down any of the shops where I showed some purchasing restraint and ordered me a handmade bowl or bedspread, it would mean the world. Get it? 50% me, 50% him. Of course, you don’t always have an intimate relationship with the person you’re shopping for. In those cases, I’ve found it’s often lovely to give an expensive version of something simple. A beautiful container of $65 hand soap is nothing short of decadent. A pair of $220 sweatpants from Aviator Nation? Don’t even get me started on the joys. Artisanal dog treats for $25 from Erewhon are a treat indeed—as is the $28 coconut yogurt they sell … and just about everything else there, actually. Which brings me to gift cards. A gift card to a chain or department store often comes off as impersonal. But apply the 50/50 rule, and it becomes a thoughtful gesture. Have you bonded with the recipient over favorite nail salons? A gift card for a pedicure might be thoughtful after all. Sure, we could all happily use a gift card to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, but something about $50 to spend at Erewhon or the Good Luck Wine Shop just feels more special. Everyone has a budget, and we can all get tapped out 6 PA S A D E N A
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at the end of the year. A great $5 gift for all ages? Try an envelope full of scratchers. Thoughtful touch: Include a quarter to reveal the prizes. Finally, you’ll inevitably need something at the last minute. If you can, head to your favorite local wine shop and stock up on a case (or two) of your favorite wine, along with wine totes and pre-attached gift cards, or go online and order your favorite scented candles in bulk. No one will be disappointed with Aesop’s new line of $110 candles, but local makers Mar Mar (I’m partial to the Other Desert Cities scent) and Flamingo Estate (Tuscan Rosemary, please) also sell lovely ones for a more palatable $45. If you’ve really waited until the last minute and have nothing physical to present, think about gifting someone an experience: Offer to send a cleaning service to your nephew’s apartment; have a mobile car-washing service make a house call to detail your parents’ cars; take your best friend to their favorite restaurant for dinner (just landing a reservation at someplace like Bestia is practically a gift in itself). Expanding on the above, we have 10 pages of giftguide glory, organized into two sections. In the first half, we outline what to buy from some of our city’s best (and easiest) shopping streets. Of course, not everyone loves being out and about these days, so we have an online guide dedicated to a variety of needs, from the frequent traveler to the beauty guru, and still highlight SoCal brands as much as we can. Yes, we’d all love world peace, an end to the pandemic, more time with our loved ones—but we hope the items on these pages spark some joy. Happy Holidays,
SAMANTHA BROOKS
Editor in Chief
