Helllurrrrrrrrrrr! My wish for you this Thanksgiving is that your pie crusts puff up perfectly, you don’t hit any holiday traffic, and no one in your family starts a political war at the table. It’s the little things!

Last week when I begged (embarrassing) for you to submit some Q’s via my handy dandy form, the overwhelming ask was: Gifts.

Well you know what? Mommy’s here for you, my little angels. I will stipulate that I can only suggest things I or you might buy as a result my own fastidious research or the word on the street. If you’re looking for recs of things I already own and love, I will point you in the direction of my author page on Wirecutter. Now that I’m working full time (and not for myself, thank god) those sorts of recommendations will fall under Wirecutter’s jurisdiction.

I will also be sometimes directing you to Wirecutter for their top picks in certain categories, because now that I’ve seen how the sausage gets made, I’m all in on their recs. I don’t think I can ever make another purchase without first Googling “X Item Wirecutter” again, because I love when someone else has spent months testing something for me. I hope this works for you all, because I love my health benefits and biweekly paycheck and union membership a whole lot, but I also love online shopping for you. Two things can be true at once!

And with that, here are some gifts I’m kicking around in my cart this year:

For the Girlie Girls

Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser

Remember how I said I’ll trust my coworkers with any recommendation? We’re starting off strong with the favorite facial cleanser of my extremely cool coworker, Hannah. She wears Tabis and lives in Bushwick and I’ve never seen anyone with better skin, so yeah, I’d trust her with my life. She told me to do my hair down for my wedding and I said: Done. Anyway, she uses this cleanser and I’m trying to get my skin to look less perpetually windburned and hormonal and more like hers. This feels like a good start (and a luxurious gift that someone might not splurge on themselves).

This Unreal Adorable Makeup/Toiletries Pouch

Yeah, I’m still talking about Vera Bradley, Luann! I’m obsessed with this hunter green, teddy bear motif makeup bag, and if I hadn’t made my own quilted toiletry bags a few months ago, I certainly would have already purchased this in several sizes. The little bears are giving Ralph Lauren, and I love that for them. There’s about five million other little bags in various shapes, sizes, and patterns on Vera Bradley’s site I also want, and I’m well on my way to outfitting myself head-to-toe in quilted cotton items. Srry!

A Gemstone Bracelet that Goes With Everything

I love love love jewelry made with a whole rainbow of semi-precious gemstones like jade, agate, and turquoise. They’re at once earthy (uh hello, they came from the earth) and girly, and this bracelet would be a little cherry on top of a colorful outfit.

A Space Heater for Always-Chilly Feet

I have multiple friends who always run cold (women, amiright?), and while I’ve run hot my entire life, I try to be empathetic. I looove this retro space heater and this mini one that would be perfect for warming stiff fingers at a desk.

A Joyful Little Spoon

This wiggly wooden spoon just tickles me. It’s pretty inexpensive, considering it’s handmade in Pennsylvania, but it feels like such a special upgrade to the regular ol’ wooden spoon you’d pick up at IKEA or order on Amazon. Throw in a cookbook and a bottle of Graza and you’ve got a well-rounded gift.

A Set of Photo Albums to Preserve the Mems

We all know someone who uses every holiday, bday, and occasion to post more photos from their wedding (and honestly, I don’t blame them), but maybe they’ll stop clogging your Instagram feed if you get them these albums for printed pics like we’re back in ‘95. I added this set to my registry, too, because I think it’s so darn cute.

Another One for the Cold Girls: A Hot Water Bottle & Cover

Cold girls, crampy girls, cranky girls… all would benefit from a hot water bottle. I’ve been meaning to get one of these myself, actually, and every time I get my period I remember I threw out my old heating pad and have to heat up rice in the microwave and put it in a bag for my lower back. This is a much more chic way to alleviate cramps and pains, and there are a million different versions of these hot water bottle covers to be found on Etsy—go forth and prosper!

For the Male Persuasion

Socks that Apparently Last for Like, Ever

I have my own prissy little sock preferences (and so many pricey pairs in my cart), but Jeffery loves his Stance socks so much that he replaced all his old socks with plain black, white, and gray ones from Stance. He has a combo of quarter and crew socks, too, depending on what kind of shoes and pants he’s wearing. A friend also recently gifted them to her BF and he was apparently thrilled, as a sock guy himself. I particularly love the patterned ones, like these, these, and these. They could be a really nice stocking stuffer for Jeffery but also a full gift for someone bemoaning their shitty sock stock?

A Nice Overcoat for All Occasions

Jeffery and I have a very androgynous closet, especially when it comes to outerwear. Lately, he’s taken to wearing my herringbone wool-blend coat, especially on days he has to wear a suit and go to court. But here’s the thing—I want to wear that coat, too. He had a camel colored peacoat for the last few years from Rag & Bone, but it got unreasonably pilly and he accidentally cut some holes in it while removing them. I wanted to find him a coat like mine so I can have it back, and I came across this one from Madewell. It’s not 100% wool (which is lame) but it’s 40% off for Black Friday and all the other men’s coats I liked were $600+. This will certainly do!

A Little Something Luxury

Sunglasses, scarves, ties, fragrance, and card holders are usually the easiest/least expensive way in on getting something designer. But there’s no denying how special it feels to give or receive something that comes carefully wrapped up from the store with an authentication card and a pretty little ribbon. Some relatively reasonable luxury goods I’d give Jeffery or my brother: A silk knit Hermés tie, a pebbled leather Gucci card holder, or a vintage Burberry scarf.

Something from Matty Matheson’s Line of Goods

I have mentioned before that we’re big fans of Matty Matheson in this house, because he’s both a talented chef and a style icon. He has three cookbooks worth checking out, but he also makes really crisp workwear for his line Rosa Rugosa, like this extremely good chore coat, cookware and kitchen supplies, like this sharp looking pepper grinder/salt cellar combo, and pantry staples like peppery Caesar dressing and smoked mac & cheese through Matheson Food Co.

Skims Boxer Briefs

Now, I do not personally like most of Skims’ women’s underwear, but Jeffery is a ride or die for Kimberly Noel’s boxers. In fact, he did the same thing with his boxers as with his socks, tossing all the old ones in favor of a few sets of Skims 3” boxers. Cohesive king.

For the Mums

The Cutiest Umbrella

I’ve been wanting one of these Duckhead umbrellas for ages, and there’s lots of knockoffs, but only one OG. I love how sweet the wooden duck head itself is, and I especially like that it folds down for easy transport and storage. As someone who perpetually forgets umbrellas places, if I had one this cute, I might not leave it behind.

A Gift Certificate for a Professional Organizer

Moms (or dads, significant others, friends-you’d-spend-$$-on) are always meaning to clean out a closet, the pantry, or any other space in the house, and what’s a better gift for a mom than getting a job done? It’ll likely run you a couple hundred dollars depending on the person and the project, but imagine what a relief it would be for her to tick this to-do off the list.

Adorable Clothes for the Dog

Both my mom and MIL have little dogs who love to wear clothes, and I love to see little dogs in clothes, so it’s a win-win. Since so many of the cutest dog clothes are prohibitively expensive to buy yourself, I tend to think fancy dog clothes make a great gift. Take this argyle dog sweater that’s a collab between Little Beast and Lisa Says Gah, for example. Or this patchwork dog jacket from Damson Madder, and this impossibly chic chore coat from Carhartt.

Nordic Ware Baking Sheets

For the mom who needs to toss the burnt-up, warped, crusted-over baking sheets, there’s always Nordic Ware. These have actually been Wirecutter’s top pick for 13 years (!) and a staple in my house. The half and quarter sheets, particularly, are so handy for all manner of prepping and baking, and they never ever warp. Don’t be alarmed if they change color, though—this happens. And I personally like the patina they get with age.

A New Craft to Do on the Couch

Jeffery gifted me a Wooble crochet kit last year and I’ve been hooked (ha!) on crocheting ever since. They come with all the supplies you need to make a squishy little character, and the step-by-step videos are extremely helpful in learning how to crochet for the first time. I even unwound my unfinished Wooble and gave it to my friend, Maura, so she could practice and learn the basics. It’s also one of Wirecutter’s picks for best fiber crafts for adults, and it’s a much more rewarding thing to do with your hands at night than just scroll on the phone.

For the Impossible-to-Buy-For People (Mostly Dads)

An Air Purifier for the Garage

It seems like everyone who puts an air purifier in their home is immediately pleased/horrified with how much crap they filter out of the air. Since I cook a lot (and don’t let the small apartment and lack of real range hood stop me from searing and frying) we have a dog, and I have asthma and allergies, it’s kind of necessary. Maybe it’s not the sexiest gift of all time, but it would be a welcome gift for dads who sequester themselves in the garage with noxious fumes, sawdust, and what have you (ahem, my dad). The Coway AirMega AP-1512HH Mighty has been Wirecutter’s top pick for 10 years, and it’s shockingly good looking and petite for how well it performs.

Pre-Rolled Joints in a Very Elegant Package

I’m obsessed with the branding on Dogwalkers pre-rolls, and the tiny little tin they come in is so stinking cute. Whenever I don’t know what to get someone but I know they’re into ~cannabis~ I march on over to the dispensary to pick out the most adorable item on the menu. Since these are mini joints, they’re also great for a newbie or a lightweight (no judgie, that’s me) and live up to their name by being the perfect little thing to share on a late-night dog walk. They also donate to five different animal rescue orgs with every purchase—love.

A Bidet Attachment for a Clean Butt

We have a bidet attachment on our toilet and we are constantly telling people they need one. I don’t think I can ever feel clean again without one, and we’d be much better off as a society if we all adopted the Japanese way of putting Toto toilets in every public restroom. And who doesn’t want a nice, clean butt? Wirecutter’s fave bidet pick is the Toto Washlet C5 (which comes with a fancy little remote and a heated seat) and it’s of course, on sale rn for Black Friday.

A New Pair of Glasses from Warby Parker

My dad just recently had eye surgery, so he’s due for a new pair of glasses. Plus, he usually just wears my mom’s reading glasses she gets in a 3-pack at Marshall’s and I cannot let him continue this way. Warby Parker isn’t new to the scene, but it’s still quite cool that you can order five different frames to try on and home and never have to step foot in a store (perfect for my homebody father). I’ll either ask my mom to sneak me his prescription or set him up with a try-on kit with some pre-picked frames I like for him.

Need a gift suggestion for your mother-in-law’s birthday? Stuck on how to rearrange the furniture in your living room? Want to know what to do with a jar of marinated artichokes? Come to mama. Hit me up with your questions, and I'll answer them in an upcoming letter.