Gift Guide 2013 – For Her (or Yourself)

Yesterday, the moms at the YMCA’s swim practice chattered about bad presents from their husbands. (And, Steve darling, I just listened and didn’t add anything, because everything that you’ve given me was PERFECT.)  A common mistake is clothing that would have looked fabulous when you got married and were still a size 4. Also, jewelry that is for a preppy person, when you’re really a bling-bling Jersey type of person. underwear is understood to be a gift for the husband, not the wife. Exercise equipment is NEVER a good gift. (Merry Christmas, dear. Please lose 10 pounds!) Big debates followed about whether or not they returned the items or kept them.

Because money has been tight during a big chunk of our marriage, we’ve kept surprise gifts to a minimum. I usually tell Steve what I need or we buy a piece of furniture. Gift cards to the local spa are always fine. This year, I need to replace or upgrade some essentials. I might buy stuff ahead of time and give it to Steve to wrap up. It’s not romantic, but we’ve been married a long time, so whatever.

1. Bag Lady. I need bags this year. Bags of all types. I just replaced my gym bag with the Adidas Club Bag – tres retro-preppy.  My old one was a 15-year old Old Navy bag. I picked up a bag on Etsy for library equipment. In the afternoon, I work in the public library and needed something for the computer, chargers, books and all that. I think it would also work as a diaper bag. I need an everyday purse, but haven’t found the perfect one yet. The ladies at the pool were big fans of the Coach Leather Duffle Purse, but I’m not sure that’s right for me.

2. Jewelry. In an interview with Michelle Pfeiffer, she said that life eventually goes back to normal after you have kids, but you never accessorize again. Very true for the past 14 years, but I’m slowly going back to jewelry. I tend to wear the same things for weeks at a time, so I can’t deal with stuff that is too cheap. But there is still quite a range between total crap and investment pieces. I need a new jewelry box and a jewelry roll for travel.  I bought this pair from Etsy. This pair made from a recycled flute is cute. I’m going to pick up a statement necklace from J. Crew, but I’ll get it on the 26th when everything is 80% off.

3. Party clothes. You need a couple of holiday outfits. Lately, my holiday outfits are the same as my date night outfits — party on the top and jeans on the bottom. I picked up a majorly discounted top at J. Crew yesterday. It’s not online, but check out this one.

4. Books. I love getting books as holiday gifts. Steve and I keep lists on Amazon, so relatives know what to get us. The best book that I read this year was Someone: A Novel. How beautiful is this set of Penguin Classics? Everybody should have a nicely bound edition of Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics). For more help, check out the New York Times’ book list.

5. Art. I tend to think that art is a TERRIBLE gift, because art is so personal. That said, there’s some really wonderful and inexpensive artwork for sale online. I bought this picture of garlic for my kitchen.

Okay. I will do a follow up post later with info about shoes and beauty products and other girlie items. Right now, I need to do some proper blogging….