From our editorial team to you, welcome to The Atlantic’s 2025 gift guide. We’ve curated a list of 50 unique gifts to bring joy to your loved ones this holiday season.
Someone Seeking Inspiration
Shower Sing-Along (Or Not)
Some people do their best thinking in the shower. For others, it’s a key part of the morning ritual. And a few even sing (mercifully, I don’t). To help with all that: this waterproof Bluetooth speaker. I wake up very, very early to co-host a morning cable-news show. Some days, it hurts. What helps is knowing that I can listen to something while getting ready. That can be a news podcast for an article I’m writing or the show I’m prepping for, or sports if I need a distraction. You can even play music if you do want to sing (again, not me).
— Jonathan Lemire, Staff Writer
The World’s Most Dangerous Film Festival
Rochester, New York, the cradle of civilization—where they invented women voting and consumer photography. Consider taking a loved one on a trip to the birthplace of Kodak for an exciting weekend of art and adrenaline. Every year around the end of May, the George Eastman Museum, near downtown, hosts what is lovingly known as the “world’s most dangerous film festival.” The museum digs into its expansive collection of rare (and highly flammable) nitrate films and hosts a series of screenings all tinged with the thrill of risk. The theater could presumably burn down at any moment, but I imagine everyone is very careful. Last year, the museum showed Bugs Bunny in Technicolor. Passes for next year’s Nitrate Picture Show go on sale on December 8.
— Kaitlyn Tiffany, Staff Writer
$190 for students, $240 for adults on Eastman Museum
Tea-Club Subscription
Knowing too much about tea is a little like knowing too much about wine: It’s annoying. Luckily, you don’t have to know anything about tea to enjoy this monthly subscription from white2tea, a supremely low-key seller with decades of experience sourcing and shipping loose-leaf tea from China. Each shipment is dealer’s choice: pu’er teas, black teas, white teas, smoked teas, and green teas in the spring. With your leaves, you’ll get a little note describing where they came from and how best to enjoy them—the perfect way to let an expert do the thinking for you.
— Will Gottsegen, Staff Writer
Mood Ring
I know what you’re thinking: You haven’t worn a mood ring since middle school. But hear me out. This ring is whimsical, it goes with everything, and—unlike the one I wore in middle school—it’s actually cool. That makes it the perfect gift for a friend or family member who wants a fun piece they can wear all the time.
— Rose Horowitch, Staff Writer
The Joy of Writing
A blank Google Doc can paralyze even the most seasoned writers. In those moments (which arise frequently), I go old school. And I mean really old school: putting fountain pen to paper. The Lamy safari has just enough heft to slow my hand, and thus my thoughts. The scrape of the nib on the page—tactile, rhythmic—induces a meditative state in which, one hopes, the words will flow.
— Yasmin Tayag, Staff Writer
Noise-Canceling Headphones That Actually Cancel Noise
In my experience, most noise-canceling headphones filter out white noise and leave the really distracting sounds—repetitive clicks, high-pitched whines, the loud conversation at the next café table—audible. That is, I believe, exactly not the point of noise-canceling headphones. This is the only pair I’ve tried that truly allows me to tune out distractions and focus on whatever I’m reading, writing, or editing.
— Rachel Gutman-Wei, Supervisory Senior Associate Editor
Art Lovers
VIP Museum Treatment
Gifting a one-year membership is an easy way to help someone feel like a VIP at their favorite local museum. Terms and conditions vary by institution, but membership often includes free tickets, guest passes, sneak previews and extended hours, and healthy discounts at the (often very well-curated) museum store. A membership card can also, just by virtue of sitting in one’s wallet, serve as good motivation to stop meaning to spend more time with art and actually go do it.
— Amy Weiss-Meyer, Senior Editor
Blu Murphy Art
My iPhone holds thousands of photographs of my 3-year-old son doing mundane things like eating an apple or holding a book while wearing Bluey ears. So, when I saw the artist Blu Murphy’s “Red Line” series at the Eaton House in Washington, D.C., featuring Black children doing simple things—such as flying a toy airplane—I was mesmerized by the beauty, creativity, and innocence captured in the exhibit. School Leadership Award and Bobo’s and Resistance are two of my favorite pieces, reminding me of my childhood, when the “bow bows” in my hair made sounds as they clinked together.
— Jenisha Watts, Senior Editor
Pottery
Pottery is the antidote. The more particular the better. A perfect mug lets you marvel at the creator’s vision. But you can also feel the indent from their actual finger on the actual object, the spot where they left a swirl or pressed in the handle. You can feel it every morning when you drink your coffee, and remind yourself that human beings still make beautiful things with imperfections that a machine could never replicate. And that people working outside the establishments of commerce or fine art sometimes prevail. Two of my favorites: Washington, D.C.–based Lauren Griffin, whose work is inspired by 17th- and 18th-century folk arts such as gravestones, sailor tattoos, and scrimshaw; and Minneapolis-based Ginny Sims, whose work “nudges the medium into places where form and function combine and blur,” according to her website. I have no idea what that means, but her work is beautiful.
— Hanna Rosin, Senior Editor
Varies on L.H. Griffin Ceramics
Artsy Hoodie
There is an undeniable historical longevity to the art of dyeing textiles. It’s a practice older than the ancient Egyptians. And yet humans manage to figure out how to remake the form century after century to suit their time. This bamboo fleece hoodie is definitely meeting the moment. It’s part luxury, part comfort. Think of it as elevated tie-dye using 100 percent natural indigo. The fabric is naturally cooling and it’s got a bit of weight, making it equally perfect for comfy loungewear as it is for stylish streetwear.
— Claudine Ebeid, Executive Producer
A Badly Drawn Celebrity
Conjure in your mind’s eye how medieval illuminators drew lions—namely, in a way that made clear they had likely never seen one. Now imagine that instead of a lion, it is Pitbull. This is the basic vibe of Badly Drawn Celebrities. I figure the illustrator Sean Ryan has probably seen a famous person before. So what’s his excuse? Perhaps every time I look at the print of (ostensibly) Nigella Lawson in my kitchen, I should see a woman so alienated by celebrity, she is as unrecognizable as that lion. I don’t. But I do laugh!
— Drew Goins, Senior Editor
The Perfect Coffee-Table Book
I love to keep a stack of art books on my coffee table, and this is my new favorite. Favela’s piñata-esque murals, sculptures, and installations spark pure joy for me, and this book traces a formative decade of his practice. It’s unlike any other art book, printed on newsprint and packed with photos of his work, essays, stories, interviews, and drawings. It arrived in a package with bits of tissue confetti, and my 4-year-old daughter loves paging through it with me.
— Jenna Johnson, Senior Editor
$75 on Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis
A Creative New Hobby
Printmaking is a beautiful and meditative medium, and inverting your vision to create an image with negative space is a rewarding challenge. While printmaking equipment and specialized techniques can be intimidating, linoleum blocks are relatively easy to carve. This set is a fun and straightforward way for someone to begin experimenting with their own prints.
— Matteo Wong, Staff Writer
Any Age
DIY Guitar Pedal
You could spend $10,000 on an original Klon Centaur guitar pedal—or you could build one for $119 with JHS Pedals’ NOTAKLÖN kit. (It’s “not a Klon” until you build it.) No engineering degree required: Assembly takes about 20 minutes and involves little more than a screwdriver. My toddler learned about how to follow instructions and keep small parts separate, and had a blast pouring goop on the circuit. When we were done, he got to hear an overdriven guitar for the first time. Pro tip: The sweet spot is at about 1 o’clock on the gain knob.
— Evan McMurry, Senior Editor
The Tube Man
I don’t need to tell you how great the inflatable tube man is; you’ve seen for yourself. He’s flapping around your local merchants, wiggling his tiny arms and smiling his goofy smile and falling down, then getting right back up again. He is a magical, almost supernatural figure, which means you’d be forgiven for assuming that he’s elusive. This is what I do need to tell you: Anyone—including you—can buy an inflatable tube man. They come in a number of colors and sizes, and can be customized with any logo, slogan, or design you want. Setup is painless. Children are especially delighted by them, but maybe your boss would like one. Everyone likes tube man.
— Ellen Cushing, Staff Writer
A Friend Magnet
For those well versed in video-game-console minutia, the Nintendo Switch 2’s superiority over its predecessor is obvious: The system, which Nintendo released to heavy fanfare in June, offers significant technical upgrades. But for those who just want to play games, the improvements under the hood may seem minor, if not irrelevant. Consider this unique opportunity that a Switch 2 affords you: a way to entice jealous friends of all kinds to come over. There’s a new, exclusive Mario Kart entry, you’ll tell them; soon, they will arrive at your doorstep, perhaps with wine and/or pizza in hand, begging to check it out themselves.
— Allegra Frank, Senior Editor
Movie Magic
Two friends gifted me this membership for my birthday some years ago, and for three months after, I felt like a Rockefeller: Suddenly, I could waltz into any AMC theater across this sizable continent, flash my fancy little QR code, and watch any movie I liked, for free—up to four times in any given week! I abused this privilege, nibbling on popcorn to my heart’s content, eternally grateful to my two friendly patrons for subsidizing my cinephilic education.
— Valerie Trapp, Assistant Editor
$79.99 for three months on AMC Theatres
Keepsake Rocker
I’ve gifted these plush rockers to countless friends with kids between the ages of 1 and 3. My friends tell me that their kids love the rocker so much, they treat it not only as a toy, but also as a pet. Pottery Barn offers a range of animals (who wouldn’t love a rocking Alpaca?). Unlike some wooden rocking horses, these have “fur” that offers a soft surface for kids still learning how to balance themselves. But they have a vintage look that sets them apart from other, clunkier toys. Pottery Barn will even personalize the rocker, making it a beautiful keepsake.
— Vivian Salama, Staff Writer
$189–$229 on Pottery Barn Kids
Delightfully Trippy Books
In this beautifully illustrated Japanese series, two sisters named Chirri and Chirra ride their bicycles together (“Dring-dring, dring-dring!”) and go on fantastical adventures that are mesmerizing for children and delightfully trippy for adults. This time of year, my preschooler especially loves The Snowy Day, in which the sisters discover a whimsical icy cavern filled with darling little forest animals (including a clique of knitting foxes) and go swimming in a hot spring, dipping ice marbles into the water and watching them melt to reveal flowers that bloom and scent the air. Like I said, trippy. But delightfully so.
— Jenna Johnson, Senior Editor
Ice Cream, Delivered
I’ve always been an ice-cream purist—there’s nothing better than a high-quality vanilla. But lately, I’ve been starting to enjoy the more adventurous side of ice cream: trying out varieties that combine flavors I never imagined would taste well together. Pint-of-the-month clubs, which several ice-cream stores offer, are a great way to try new flavors and gorge on the classics (some subscriptions let you choose flavors; others surprise you)—a perfect gift for the indecisive orderer or the resident sweet tooth in your life.
— Isabel Fattal, Senior Editor
The Person Who Has Everything
Babas
I got a pair of Babas this summer and have not taken them off. They’re handmade in Turkey, stylish for outside, comfy for inside—I just love them. Crucially, they’re an alternative to ballet flats and heels, which I think are a conspiracy against women.
— Sophie Gilbert, Staff Writer
Dustpan-and-Brush Set
What’s more satisfying than making something so utilitarian so beautiful?
— Sophie Gilbert, Staff Writer
The Cadillac of Umbrellas
Expensive umbrellas really are better than the cheapo drugstore ones, but no one ever wants to buy an expensive umbrella, because they’re afraid they’ll lose it and feel like a dummy. That’s why you should buy them one. The Davek Elite has a decadently roomy four-foot canopy, a light yet sturdy fiberglass shaft, and a flexible frame that’s nearly indestructible, even in high winds. It opens like a hawk taking flight and domes like a Venetian basilica. Its handle is wrapped in leather that, I promise you, is nicer than any jacket you own. Most notably, it has a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty. All of this quality does not come cheap, but your recipient will never know, and that’s the point—your gift is not an umbrella; it’s the absence of feeling stupid, which is priceless. An Airtag helps, too.
— Ellen Cushing, Staff Writer
The Perfect Black T-Shirt
In the world of black T-shirts, Muji’s is your high-school best friend. It’s known you a long time. Doesn’t matter when you bought it. This T-shirt remembers when you ditched it for some cool kids after the prom, who ditched you in turn. Doesn’t care. You can wear it slumped over on a bench eating a taco and you’ll look like Lord Byron. It doesn’t ride up and it doesn’t hang down. Roll it into a ball in the dresser and forget about it for months: It comes out softer. The Muji T-shirt sends you funny reels from the kitchen while it’s making you a tuna melt. You don’t even have to wear it at all. The simple possession of this T-shirt completes your existence.
— Walt Hunter, Contributing Editor
An Impressive Nail Clipper
Earlier this year, based on a friend’s recommendation, I picked up this nail clipper and was really impressed. It’s a little pricey for such a simple tool, but there’s something about the quality, design, and materials that make this stand out. A perfect example of paying slightly more for an everyday device that is pleasant to use and will last a long time.
— Alan Taylor, Senior Editor
Money
Maybe this is the wrong place to say it, but I’ve never really understood the whole gift thing. Whatever someone buys me, it’s never what I would have gotten for myself—which I hear is precisely the point? But why would I prefer something I wouldn’t choose to something I would? Even worse is when people aim for something personal, proudly presenting an item I mentioned offhand six months ago or one related to some broad category I like. I get it: We all want to show that we’ve been listening; we want to show how deeply we know one another. Unfortunately, human beings contain multitudes and are inherently unknowable. This holiday season, I hope my loved ones will have some epistemological humility and Venmo me at their soonest convenience.
— Faith Hill, Staff Writer
Hot Dog
One might argue that the best gift is the one that is least expected. Something someone would want but never would have thought of themselves. And wanting something is a matter of context as much as anything else. The person who has everything needs no gift—thus the dilemma. The answer: a hot dog. You’re going to think I’m joking, but I am not. I am suggesting that you give your friend or loved one a literal hot dog. A glizzy. A tube steak. A red hot. A Coney. Get one, or make one, ballpark style: wrapped in foil. You can even buy it at a convenience store (but do so right before the moment of delivery). Put it in an insulated bag or even a small cooler, which you could wrap. If you keep it hot, I promise they will eat it right away—a gift for you to behold.
— Ian Bogost, Contributing Writer
Colorful Storage
To paraphrase Jane Austen: Anyone in possession of too many things must be in want of a storage solution. In the endless struggle against household clutter, Hay’s storage bins are my go-to. They’re stackable, collapsible when not in use, and available in a range of sizes. But more important, they’re attractive enough to double as decor—you can stack them around the house and plausibly call them “design objects” rather than “the boxes where I hide charging cables.”
— Dan Fallon, Senior Editor
A Gift for Your Feet
If you’re reading this, I suspect that you, like me, are of an age when joint and back pain are a regular part of life. Your friends probably are, too. If you or a loved one suffers from washedness, I have the perfect gift for you: Hoka Ora Recovery Mules. As “recovery shoes,” they’re ostensibly meant to give your dogs a rest after workouts and runs. But they function much better as all-purpose pain-relief house shoes. And as mules, they offer a bit more out-of-the-house respectability than the other recovery slides out there.
— Vann R. Newkirk II, Senior Editor
Adventurers
Binoculars
Looking at the world at eight times its normal magnification very quickly changed my life. I received a pair of these binoculars earlier this year and have evolved from record-setting couch potato to fledgling mid-Atlantic naturalist. I use them primarily for bird-watching: These binoculars have enabled me to pick out flycatchers sallying out in pursuit of bugs, egrets and herons wading in tidal marshes, and the massive diversity of my region’s migrating warblers. Owning them has transformed the edges of parking lots and public parks into opportunities to find brilliant, gemlike, fascinating wildlife. The lenses focus my attention far away from my phone, but I still get my app-based dopamine hits by logging sightings on the Merlin Bird ID app. There’s no law that says you need to use these for birding, of course. You could observe bees while standing far outside stinging range, identify overhead aircraft, or spy on your neighbors—they’re an all-purpose gift.
— Emma Sarappo, Senior Associate Editor
World Candies
The best souvenirs last only as long as you can keep yourself from eating them. If your loved one had a great trip this year, buy them a treat from that destination to replenish their stock. After a vacation in Denmark several years ago, my family became obsessed with a fancy licorice brand. The company sells an advent calendar, but if you want my recommendation, the classic caramel flavor is the best.
— Rachel Gutman-Wei, Supervisory Senior Associate Editor
Approximately $25 (converted from euros) on Lakrids by Bülow
Nanopresso
This espresso maker is a real marvel. The small, handheld canister contains everything one needs to pull beautiful shots. Just fill one end with hot water, measure out your grounds using the cup that tucks away tidily into the cap, pump the spring-loaded handle, and out comes a rich, dense coffee, crema and all. The Nanopresso is easy to use and eminently portable (it fits in my jacket pocket and goes with me on every trip I take). But the real satisfaction comes from the fact that you can understand how it works. There are no digital components, nothing mysterious under the hood (no AI!)—just the coffee, the water, and the pressure you provide with your own two hands.
— Peter Mendelsund, Creative Director
Multitool
I carry a Leatherman Bolster multitool with me everywhere I go. There are busier and more expensive options, but the Bolster is slim in profile and cheap in price (I buy in bulk; they tend to go missing). To be clear, I don’t spend my days fixing things; mostly I just use the knife to do the satisfying work of opening and breaking down cardboard boxes. However, new and unexpected uses present themselves regularly. I can personally attest that the pliers alone are handy for tweezing cactus quills out of a kid’s bare foot, fishing bits of broken glass out of the garbage disposal, discreetly relocating a menacing spider, and straightening bent eyeglasses.
— Jake Lundberg, Staff Writer
Pineapple Perfection
In the words of Cabaret’s Fräulein Schneider upon receiving the same gift: “Can I believe what I see? … So rare! So costly! So luxurious!” Well, Fräulein’s fruit actually came from California; these distillations of Maui are doubly unbelievable in the dead of winter. It does feel a bit silly to spend so much shipping a gift you can pick up at the grocery store in the Hawaiian Islands, until you realize that you do not live in the Hawaiian Islands. Your first slice of this pineapple might make you rethink that life choice.
— Drew Goins, Senior Editor
Folding Bike
As a last-mile solution, a folding bike is nearly unbeatable. It gets you to your train station, fits snugly on public transportation, slides under your desk at work, then scoots beneath a table at happy hour. Its smaller wheels launch you from red lights at speeds that will leave even road bikes in the dust. But a folding bike’s true value is as a spectacle: Everyone will stop to watch you finagle your contraption. You’ll arrive at your destination feeling like a pedaling magician.
— Evan McMurry, Senior Editor
Home Cooks
A Lovely Grater
In the era of the $18 cocktail, one is prudent to invest in improving happy hour at home, and I’ve found that the best way to fancify, zing up, and add a vaguely nutritional aura to a gimlet or a margarita is with a dash of grated ginger. Grating anything is usually a knuckle-threatening chore—but this stippled ceramic dish from Japan makes it into its own soothing ritual, turning a brown stem into liquidish gold with a few easy rubs. Maybe you could also use it for cooking?
— Spencer Kornhaber, Staff Writer
Fancy Olive Oil
About a year ago, I mostly stopped bringing wine to dinner parties, unless specifically asked to, and started bringing bottles of fancy olive oil. It’s not likely to be wasted yet lasts much longer than flowers or chocolates. Foodies will appreciate having something special for vinaigrettes and finishing drizzles, and everyone else will wonder why their scrambled eggs suddenly taste elevated. My go-to is Yiayia and Friends’ Limited Love Edition, which I discovered at a beloved neighborhood shop, Salt & Sundry, in Washington, D.C.
— Jenna Johnson, Senior Editor
Chunky Hot-Dog Plate
A pretty pink cloud that can hold three hot dogs. Why would you need that? When would you use it? Are you hauling a large and fragile object to the ballpark? Surely not. Are you bringing it to a barbecue, insisting that each guest wait their turn while you bring the wieners round three by three? I don’t think so. But just imagine. It’s the dark of winter. The nights are long. You are filled with fear. And you are so tired of soup. Ah! In the cabinet you see something so beautiful, so fun, so decadent—so stupid—and so perfect. Tonight? Tonight, though the time of year for hot dogs is a distant dream, you are pretending. You are having three hot dogs on your hot-dog dish, because you have a hot-dog dish!
— Kaitlyn Tiffany, Staff Writer
Approximately $100 (converted from euros) on Gustaf Westman
Kitchen History
Something I learned while shopping for my donabe (essentially a glorified clay pot) is that clay-pot cooking goes back thousands of years. I remain convinced that the quality of the rice produced by a donabe is significantly superior to the stuff you’d ordinarily scoop out of a saucepan or a cheap rice cooker—but even if you’re not, just think about the history you’re tapping into when you set this thing on your stove. Kamado-san, the $220 double-lid donabe, could be considered a kitchen extravagance. But could a millennium’s worth of earthenware devotees be wrong?
— Will Gottsegen, Staff Writer
Pasta for All
Fresh, homemade pasta is both unbelievably delicious and, if you have the right equipment, unbelievably straightforward. Making the dough with a rolling pin is a workout, but with a machine it’s quite easy. My nonna gifted me this pasta maker many years ago, and it’s never failed me when cooking for birthdays, for family gatherings, or simply when I’m in the mood for a treat. This is a great group activity, too, for family, friends, and children.
— Matteo Wong, Staff Writer
Leveled-Up Soy Sauces
One of the greatest American cultural developments of my lifetime is the wider embrace of Chinese food—not just the classic takeout stuff but the B-side gems. It means ingredients such as soy sauce are readily available at grocery stores and ubiquitous in mass-market recipes. It also means many Americans are probably now ready to level up: You can, in fact, have soy sauce that’s more flavorful and more nuanced than what’s commonly sold. Yun Hai, a company that imports specialty ingredients from Taiwan, offers a bundle of unique versions that makes an excellent gift set. The experienced cook will love experimenting with them, but those who are helpless in the kitchen can try them too; the sauces add some grace to frozen dumplings.
— Serena Dai, Senior Editor
A Beautiful Basket
What began as a questionable impulse buy has become a delightful, practical, and luxurious addition to my dining table. These baskets are stunning and they fold neatly into trivets! The rosewood is sturdy, and the intricate hand carvings remind me of the folk arts and woodworking of India. If only all beautiful things had such utility! I fill them with flowers, dried snacks, or sweets, use them to hold hot dishes out of the oven, and whisk them to various parts of the house—they’re both portable and durable. It’s a wonderful accessory for the discerning host.
— Bhumika Tharoor, Managing Editor
A Trusty Cutting Board
My wooden cutting boards are my most-used kitchen items. From providing a base for chopping vegetables or seasoning meat to displaying a perfectly curated charcuterie selection, a great cutting board can do it all. And they look beautiful even when they’re just drying next to your sink. Many brands sell a range of styles made from various materials and at different price points, but this one from Teakhaus is on my list.
— Katie Anthony, Associate Editor
The Person Who Needs to Touch Grass
A Puzzle’s Best Friend
I love puzzles (puzzling is one of the rare times I don’t feel the pull of my smartphone), but I have kids and limited space—a deadly combination for a delicate, surface-area-occupying hobby. A puzzle board not only looks elegant, but holds all of your pieces so that you can move it, say, from your kitchen table to somewhere less intrusive and back again. A spinner is an optional add-on because, as any puzzler knows, sometimes all it takes is a little change of perspective—or quick spin—to get you back into your groove. ZAKCO is a well-known brand, but I’ve found plenty of other good options on Etsy.
— Ashley Parker, Staff Writer
$299.99 (with the spinner) on Etsy
Romantic Candle Stand
Respectfully, young people will not do anything they cannot “romanticize.” With this in mind, consider a Shaker-style ratcheting candle stand. You can set up a cozy night at home—of reading or knitting, or whatever pre-electricity activity you might choose—and then do it by the light of the flame. The stand moves so that you can keep raising the candle up closer to eye level as it is melting down to a nub. The description on Etsy says this stand is for decor only and not to put a lit candle in it. Okay. I think you can use it as long as you are careful. What’s the worst that’s going to happen? The candle is going to fall? Don’t set it up near a pile of newspapers. And don’t get distracted by your phone.
— Kaitlyn Tiffany, Staff Writer
Globes to Behold
I’m a constant presence on social media, but sometimes we all need to look up and away from our phones or screens. I keep two Mova Globes in my office because a little bit of movement around me is a reminder to give my eyes a break. (A cat does that too, but I wouldn’t gift anyone a cat without checking first.) They have a soothing, slow rotation—powered by sunlight—that shuts out the electronic world for a while. They can even help you think big thoughts about living on a small, crowded planet. But mostly, they’re just lovely to behold.
— Tom Nichols, Staff Writer
Stitching Kit
During the pandemic, I realized that I had lost the ability to watch television without also looking at my phone. The answer was simple: find something else to occupy my hands. And so I turned to cross-stitch kits. One of the finished pieces (The Great Wave off Kanagawa) now adorns my living room, and I gave my parents Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for their kitchen. The kits include a canvas, threads, a needle, and a printed stitching guide. I’m now ready to be more adventurous and try harder types of embroidery, like goldwork.
— Helen Lewis, Staff Writer
An Ode to Natural Beauty
“If you ever go to New Mexico, it will itch you for the rest of your life,” Georgia O’Keeffe once said. Like many people, I fell in love with O’Keeffe’s work when I visited the state this past summer. But it wasn’t just her art that reset my mind: It was the love story between her and her surroundings. O’Keeffe restored a compound in Abiquiú, New Mexico, and lived and worked there from 1949 to 1984, drawing inspiration from the mountains and the colors outside her windows. I recommend buying any book of O’Keeffe’s art or words for a friend who can’t seem to get off their phone. This short book featuring photos and quotes from O’Keeffe about her home and studio in Abiquiú is a calming exploration of an artist’s day-to-day life—and an ode to the natural beauty that’s always around us if we look for it.
— Isabel Fattal, Senior Editor
$10 on Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
The Most Perfect Planner
In my desperate, Millennial desire for maximal productivity, no app compares to an old-fashioned paper planner. I’ve cycled through many variations and even more journaling techniques—oh, how I wish I were a bullet-journal girly or could artfully apply Washi tape—but for more than five years, I’ve returned again and again to the most perfect planner that exists: the Hobonichi Techo Cousin. It wooed me first with its layout, which includes a monthly calendar, a weekly view, and individually dated pages optimal for daily notetaking. But it was the crisp Tomoe River Japanese paper that captured my pen. The way it slightly wrinkles with use creates a satisfying crinkly sound that replaces the itch to scroll ASMR videos—and waste even more time.
— Andrea Valdez, Managing Editor
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