2021 Habitually Chic Favorite Things Gift Guide No.1
by habituallychic
11 . 01 . 21I know some people will think this holiday gift guide is too early and others will be excited because they can start shopping now. I’m posting earlier than usual because retailers are worried about shipping delays and since most people shop online each year.
I like to mix up my gift guides for items for everyone instead of arbitrarily assigning items to certain age or gender groups. This is the first of four or five gift guides so I’ll have a lot more gift suggestions coming each week.
One last thing. I think it’s important to think thoughtfully about what the recipient would like to receive especially after the past year and a half. Check out their Instagram account posts and stories. What are they posting? Is there something they’ve mentioned needing or wanting or wish they could afford? If you really look, I bet you will figure out the perfect present. I also think it’s nice to give something long lasting with an ephemeral gift like food or a gift card so they will remember you long after the other one is gone.
This Estee Lauder: A Beautiful Life book was just recently published so there is no way your gift recipient has it yet. It’s perfect for anyone who loves the history of beauty industry or inspiring women owned businesses.
My lovely friend Ana Mari Ortega has beautiful jewelry at very reasonable prices which is why it is so generous of her to offer HC readers 15% off all her products with the code CHIC until December 22, 2021. I think this Baroque Pearl Necklace would make a great gift for women of any age and probably some men too.
Make sure the little people in your life don’t feel left out on the jewelry front with this Super Smalls House Party Faux-Pearl Set. It’s rated for children and three and up.
If you’re not sure if you want any holiday Diptyque Candles, like this Candle Set, buy them now. They always sell out early and the scents this year of Biscuit (holiday pastry fragrance), Sapin (mountain pines mingling with the dense, slightly smoky smell of an open fire), Flocon (light and velvety notes of white musk mixed with honeyed accents of mimosa, a winter bloom), sound particularly appealing.
These chic Cable-Knit Cashmere Stockings come in loden, cream, navy, and bordeaux. They’d make a great gift for someone with a new house or stuffed with presents for someone special.
I bought this Westman Atelier Travel Size Les Petites Clean Glow Trio I for myself for my recent trip to Boston. It would be perfect for a woman who travels a lot or someone who’s wanted to try Westman Atelier but might be put off by the price. This set has all the exact colors I use but there is also Travel Size Les Petites Clean Glow Trio II with three other colors.
There was a run on caviar and all the accoutrements last winter in preparation for New Year’s Eve. Send this Caviar Cocktail Party Starter Set to all your favorite people as a chic treat.
Solid Ivory: A Memoir by James Ivory is the perfect gift for all your film loving friends and aesthetes.
I love travel sized brushes because they fit in my makeup bag. This Artist Approved Brush Set is a limited-edition artist-curated lineup of five best-in-class, travel-size brushes for start-to-finish makeup application perfect for any woman.
Your garden loving friend or relative deserves this Set of Four Lilac Flower Salad Plates. Even though they are labeled salad plates, they could also work as dessert plates so you could send them these with The Ultimate Coconut Cake from the Peninsula Grill.
You better not forget your four legged friends this holiday season. This Pendleton Crescent Lake Kuddler Bolster Dog Bed with Removable Cover would keep them very comfortable and cozy this winter.
If the man in your life could use a sweater upgrade, this Recycled Cashmere Crewneck Sweater is a luxurious option. It’s available in six colors and has matching Recycled Cashmere Joggers if he still doesn’t want to wear real pants.
Not many men own chic sunglasses so these Persol Round Sunglasses would be a welcome gift, especially if you tell them they were the favorite style of Steve McQueen.
Everyone could use a room of one’s own or maybe a house of their own like this Pink Dream House. When their siblings drive them crazy, they can hide in it.
Noble Ambitions: The Fall and Rise of the English Country House After World War II is the perfect gift for the Anglophile or historic house lover in your life.
Buy everyone on your list this Hermès Beauty Les Mains Hermès Nail File Set as a fun gift that’s sure to become a collector’s item.
UPDATE: These have already sold out from Nordstrom twice but you can find them here now.
Do you have a friend or family member who has always wanted to take up watercolors? Start them off with lessons and this Schmincke Horadam Aquarell 5ml Paint Tube Set in Wooden Box Set of 24 Colors.
Start ’em out early with this cute Good Wood Mini Golf Game.
Remember last year when all the bicycles were sold out? Order this Little Tokyobike today to make sure your special child isn’t disappointed. Tokyobike has different color bikes for different ages, as well as, helmets and baskets.
Everyone could use this La Mer The Soothing Regimen Set after the last year and a half.
The makeup lover in your life would go crazy over this Tom Ford Iconic Eyeshadow & Lip Set.
I saw an interview with Richard Thompson Ford, the author of Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History, and I thought it would make a great gift. Richard Thompson Ford is Black so the stories in the book are a very inclusive look at how fashion shaped history.
Do you have a friend who’s always recommending supplements and vitamins? Then this Pill Box is perfect for them. It comes in five different colors and unlike regular pill boxes, the case means their pills won’t accidentally spill out all over.
I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love this Dr. Barbara Sturm Advent Calendar. I know I would.
Gift your retro friend these fun Icon Donna Quad Holographic Roller Skates. They come in four other colors too.
Get your kids excited about cooking early with this Little Chef Mayfair Classic Kids Kitchen Playset.
Do you know someone who’s always losing their AirPods? This Tapper 18K Gold Plated Rope Chain for AirPods & AirPods Pro is perfect for them. I own this and it’s saved me from losing my AirPods between train seats and from falling on the floor. It’s also available in other colors and styles like nylon and leather.
Cody Foster makes the most fun ornaments for the entire family. They always sell out quickly so get them before they are gone. I especially love Vincent Van Gogh, the Mixtape, Betty White, the Arcade Game, and Avocado, but there are so many more from which to choose.
This new book Slim Aarons: Style book was just published in October and it’s perfect for the vintage lover in your life.
Anyone who needs a new mug would appreciate this Hermès Promenade au Faubourg Mug.
These Sherpa Indoor Slippers sold out early last year so order these in tan or white before they’re gone.
This Polo Bear & Big Pony Sweater is a cute gift for kids aged 2-7.
A gift for the whole family is this Ping Pong Set that can go on any table.
This book Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture will be released on November 9, 2021 and “examines the legacy of Christian Dior, the secrets of postwar France, and the unbreakable bond between two remarkable siblings.” Perfect for your Francophile fashion loving friend or family member.
If you missed out on a chess set last year, this Chess Set is a chic option.
This Vincent Van Gogh Set of Three Printed Wooden Skateboards would make a good gift for a skateboarding art lover.
This set of three artisan planter pots would make a great gift for your friend in Brooklyn or Silverlake. Include some succulents or other plants so it’s all ready to go for them.
Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli: The Epic Story of the Making of The Godfather is the perfect gift for anyone who loves the Godfather or movie making.
Dyson has finally realized that women don’t need products that are pink. Gift your hair obsessed sister or friend the Dyson Prussian Blue Supersonic™ Hair Dryer Gift Edition or Corrale™ Straightener Gift Set.
Anyone who’s obsessed with Lauren Santo Domingo would go crazy over these EXVOTOS head vases like the one she owns. The only issue is that they are part of a trunk show and won’t ship until February so you might have to get them something to tide them over in the meantime.
Happy Holidays!
XOXO,
HC