Gift Guide Round 1: Moms, Dads, and Significant (or Formerly Significant) Others
It’s gift-guide season around these parts, and here we are with the first of three—three!—installments to help you along with the hardest-to-shop-for people in your life (hopefully). If you need more ideas, subscribing to Secret Menu might be just the answer.
the linkage:
Moms and Mothers-in-Law!
Single mom by choice to an amazing little girl. Since it's just the two of us and she's a toddler, I need to help her buy her a gift for me. I realize that buying a gift for one's self shouldn't be difficult but I'm saving to buy us a condo and this will be my one quality and/or impractical spend for the foreseeable future. So I want to make it count and I'd love your help. I am willing to spend up to $400.00. I appreciate smart function in design and I have lost zero baby weight, so anything that involves sizing has the potential to make me cry, which feels like it would defeat the purpose. I work about 75 hours a week and am currently doing so remotely. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
Fused bracelet like a Fewer Finer Eternal Bracelet or an Ochre Objects Permanence one
Birthstone earrings—maybe one of your birthstone and one of hers. White/Space Francesca studs are sold as solos.
Earrings/necklace you could build on each year: Scosha charms, Lizzie Fortunato mood necklace with an alphabet charm, and Fewer Finer vintage charms
A break! A one-night staycation or spa day
76 yo mom, super practical, can't throw stuff away, just lost her husband of 60+ years.
Organizing accessories: Hay, Open Spaces, and Yamazaki Home
Mending kit: Merchant & Mills Rapid Repair Kit and Purl Soho Cotton Mending Thread
Yuns Hardware gift certificate
Monthly flower delivery—you can make any bouquet a subscription with Farmgirl Flowers
Miriam Toews novel: Fight Night or Women Talking
Donation to her local library
My new step mom who has very good taste and loves thrifting
Vintage calendar from 2011, 2005, 1994, 1983, 1977, 1966, 1955, 1949, 1938, or 1927
Back issues of a favorite magazine—Gourmet?
The House that Pinterest Built by Diane Keaton
Vintage piece from French Larkspur or One Day in France
Do thrifting for her—splatterware, jadeite, or Fiestaware?
Frumpy MIL that you can't stand
Ember mug (now a travel one, too)
Mutual aid org
My southern mom who thinks NYC made me snobby
Cookbooks by Southern female chef: Black, White, and the Grey by Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano and Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa M. Martin
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett
Dads and Fathers-in-Law!
My dad! A very intelligent man. Passionate about baseball but has season tickets. Very covid cautious. Has read all books. Doesn't drink. Isn't handy (no tools). Plays scrabble and has all the boards, no other games. Very fashion apathetic and I always get him clothes. Likes to bike but has a very nice bike and all accessories. Has snow shovel service. Really only cares about his grandkids but spends tons of time with them. Still works (lawyer) and tends to buy anything he needs which is very little! Always a conumdrum.
Equal Justice Initiative donation
Argo attachment for front of bike to haul grandkids (group gift potential)
Non-alcoholic bevs: Ghia, Non, Acid League Wine Proxies, Hella Cocktail Bitters & Soda variety pack, Avec
Black Champions in Cycling by Marlon Moncrieffe
My dad! Buys himself everything he needs, likes rock and roll bios and mushrooming. and wine!
How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan
A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage and My Life by Ayelet Waldman (paired with this Yelp review??)
Acid for the Children by Flea and donation to Silverlake Conservatory of Music
FIL: widower, engineer, spotless home, not into design, kinda into fitness & cooking
Spices: Burlap & Barrel and Diaspora Co.
Everyone's Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health by Gregory Gourdet & JJ Goode
The Essential New York Times Cookbook: The Recipes of Record (Anniversary)
Andree Jardin duster and/or Saint Olio cleaning spray and room spray
Engineers without Borders donation
Romantic Partners (and Former Ones)!
A NFT-obsessed new dad who wants to be a lumberjack but actually buys Aimee Leon Dore
Blockchain for Babies (to read to the kid!)
Woodworking classes: Makeville Studio in Brooklyn or LA Woodshop in L.A.
I need help with my 49-year-old, male, partner. He's a commercial architect, but is super judgey about architect stuff. He constantly scrolls Zillow and vintage car sites. He drinks bourbon, but doesn't want whisky stones and we have an excellent set of glasses. He likes luxury, but won't wear a logo ever. He loves art - folk, sculpture, modern (sometimes the weirder the better) and he created about half the pieces in our house. We live in Atlanta, watch garbage TV and eat/cook good food. Help!
Cameo from garbage TV cast member announcing an experiential gift
The materials for a Self Assembly project
Do It Yourself by Thomas Barnthaler
Old soul male significant other who manages to find all the wilderness in nyc (birding in prospect park, surfing in the rockaways) in his 20s.
Matuse wetsuit—or gloves or booties
Merch (or sauna time or a haircut) from Almeda Club, a cute Rockaways surf shop
Overnight stay in the Rockaways at The Rockaway Hotel or the vintage 1963 Shasta camper on Hipcamp
Trip to Mohonk Mountain House (also does daypasses)
Field Guide to the Neighborhood Birds of New York City by Leslie Day
Donation to Laru Beya Collective
Girlfriend who is super Catholic but also super woo and into crystals, energy, etc.
Cool cross necklace from Pamela Love, Chan Luu, or Erica Weiner (coral, turquoise, etc.!)
Spur—if there’s a crystal that means something to her, get it made into jewelry!
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
Donation to DignityUSA
My ex husband who doesn't deserve a gift but we share a daughter together
Something for them to do together—tickets to a basketball game or a museum, a video game, etc.
A friend who I had a thing with (years ago) and has a jealous girlfriend
Nothing! This person does not need a gift from you!
If you want to win her over, something consumable for them: Westbourne snacks, Zingerman’s noodle kugel, Pizzeria Bianco pizzas, Loria Stern something, or Blackberry Farm biscuits three ways
For last year’s gift guides, head here and here.
Keep those VMs and DMs coming at 833-632-5463 and @athingortwohq!
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YAY.
