The Coziest, Prettiest, and Downright Best Home Gifts for the Holidays
ASSORTED FESTIVITIES
We can do better than tinsel. This set of Frank Stella star ornaments ($950, shop.whitney.org) is the perfect excuse not to accompany your relatives to an actual museum; Michael Aram’s botanical-leaf menorah ($199, saksfifthavenue.com) is so pretty you’ll want to leave it out longer than eight days; this John Derian holly mini-tray ($66, johnderian.com) is a lovely place to lay out cookies “for Santa”; and a farmers’-market herb wreath ($99, williams-sonoma.com) is a fresher alternative to holly. Jayson Home’s Selenite Fireplace Logs ($330, jaysonhome.com) are an elegant accent for the fireplace your realtor lied to you about, and this set of three whale ornaments ($45, onekingslane.com) is just the cutest thing we’ve ever seen (those hats!).
ALL CASHMERE EVERYTHING
Cashmere is the chocolate of gifts: a little piece is great, but all of it is even better. Buy someone special any or all of these and they’ll never want to leave the house again: JM Generals’ cashmere double-striped throw ($1,395, jmgenerals.com); the Line’s hot-water bottle with cashmere cover ($150, theline.com); a White + Warren cashmere robe ($295, whiteandwarren.com); an “evil eye” felted pillow ($80, abchome.com); or Loro Piana’s Odette cashmere-and-mink slippers ($800, loropiana.com).
ENTERTAIN ME
For the friend who’s always playing hostess, you can do better than re-gifting that bottle of wine someone brought to your last dinner party. Asprey’s Seahorse Caviar Spoon and Spreader ($330 each, asprey.com) are particularly extravagant options; the Michael Aram Ocean Coral Vodka Service ($260, michaelaram.com) also doubles as an ice bucket; an Astier de Villate Snoopy tureen ($600, abchome.com) is fit for the Charlie Brown Christmas–obsessed; and an Oscar de la Renta Home tile-print serving tray ($590, oscardelarenta.com) is a gorgeous way to serve drinks. The Monogram Shop’s “Dear Santa” napkins ($18 for 50, themonogramshops.com) are a witty respite from those ones your aunt always buys that say “JOY,” or whatever.
NAUGHTY LIST
The worst people can be the most fun to shop for: an Hermès ashtray ($660, hermes.com) for the pre-Bloombergian; an Ari D. Normal large-dice tube ($135, barneys.com) for your favorite gambler; Aerin’s Oak Leaf bottle opener ($85, aerin.com) for the high-brow I.P.A. enthusiast; a Baccarat narghile mémoire water pipe ($15,000, modaoperandi.com) for only the most extravagant smoker; and for the #freethenipple activist with a taste for carbs, there’s the Jonathan Adler Georgia cookie jar ($225, jonathanadler.com).
NICE LIST
For the matcha-swilling yoga enthusiast you know and love (or maybe you secretly hate—no judgment). A Priority Classic bicycle ($429, prioritybicycles.com) gets them to meditation class in style; the Aquaovo Therm-o Terra thermos ($27, abchome.com) lets everyone see what herbal tea they’re drinking; Aesop’s Cassiopeia gift kit ($175, aesop.com) is filled with goodies to keep an already glowing face fresh; Belle Fleur’s “A Year of Flowers” (from $1,200, bellefleurny.com) ensures monthly delivery of fresh blooms until next Christmas; and the glassybaby Precious Cargo set ($225, glassybaby.com) is a charitable gift and a stylish votive set all in one.
COFFEE-TABLE TOMES
Even if no one ever opens them, coffee-table books are in their own category of home décor. Some of the chicest releases of late, on a variety of subjects: Dries van Noten ($90, barneys.com), Diana Vreeland: The Modern Woman ($60, rizzoliusa.com), Raymond Pettibon: Surfers ($39.95, davidzwirnerbooks.com), Taschen: Around the World in 125 Years ($499, barneys.com), Lee Miller: A Woman’s War ($55, thamesandhudsonusa.com), and Ryan McGinley: Way Far ($45, rizzoliusa.com).
EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS
Holiday food gifts can be tricky: sometimes they’re so fancy or specific they sit on the counter gathering dust for years to come. Make sure that doesn’t happen with any of these: Scrappy’s Bitters gift box ($20, whisknyc.com) offers a variety of flavors for the aspiring mixologist; the Momofuku Grand Slam gift pack ($125, store.momofuku.com) works even for the friend who only orders takeout; Eataly’s Pastapedia gift box ($134.80, eataly.com) provides months of Italian feasts; Dude, Sweet Bourbon Spiked Chocolate Sauce ($15, mouth.com) can really elevate the occasional pint of ice cream; a La Maison du Chocolat Christmas Hatbox ($175, lamaisonduchocolat.com) is perfect for hard-to-please mothers-in-law; and finally, for the Hamilton fanatic who won’t stop singing “Helpless,” there’s Aaron Burr Cidery elderberry apple cider ($28, mouth.com).
EXTRAVAGANT TCHOTCHKES
Sometimes, the best gifts are the least practical. A few ways to make a lasting impression on someone who takes their accoutrements very seriously: Maison Martin Margiela candle holder ($165, stevenalan.com); Kelly Wearstler mini-bauble frame ($3,295, kellywearstler.com); Helen Levi Gilded Eye planter ($110, shop.helenlevi.com); Rachel Feinstein Pocket Rose ($7,500, gagosian.com/shop); and the Mark Gagnon Karl vessel ($2,400, emilythompsonflowers.com).
SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY
These will last long after the smell of fresh pine and unwanted houseguests leaves the living room: Diptyque Ginger Hourglass Diffuser ($150, diptyqueparis.com); Tom Dixon fire-scented candle ($115, abchome.com); Astier de Villate Opera incense box ($50, astierdevillate.com); Cire Trudon Joséphine room spray ($190, barneys.com); and Apparatus Studio Censer ($820, apparatusstudio.com).
