Starting off with a splurge (in this economy!) which was a gift to myself for the milestone birthday I am barreling towards at the end of the month. I have admired Leo Costelloe’s work from afar for years, and a special collection of it is currently available stateside from the always incredible Old Jewelry in NYC.
This would maybe be a weird gift for someone else, but is a great gift to yourself. Those of us with chronic health conditions could stand a break from the horrible plastic orange pill bottles our prescriptions come in. After years of hating looking at them I made the very simple decision to just put the pills in different containers, ones I liked the looks of. I wish I had done it sooner. Now they sit out on my dresser and they don’t give me anxiety. I put a piece of tape on the bottom that identifies what is in the bottle.
Garden chic!
The pattern of this blanket from Welsh weavers Melin Tregwynt is based on one they originally created in the 1950s and adapted in several colors for Toast. Toast is so expensive that it almost didn’t make it to this guide, but if I am being honest with myself, it is the shop I probably find most irresistible. And this blanket became an instant prized possession.
I could not capture just how fluorescent the finish of this lamp looks in real life. It’s insane. I can’t stop looking at it. The surface glows. It also is nicely weighted, portable, and gives good light.
My dearest Camilla (Wynne), truly one of my favorite people on earth, wrote ANOTHER banger of a cookbook. This time with her good friend Michelle Marek. It is all about breadcrumbs! This book given with a stale loaf of bread, or better yet some breadcrumbs you have made yourself, is the ultimate holiday gift for the baker or cook who has everything. Truly! You will be a hero. (More on the book here!)
A Month in the Country by JL Carr
This was easily the book I enjoyed reading most this year. A book about the possibility of feeling good!
Okay, this is almost didn’t make the guide because I feel like they get enough attention. AND YET, I order this by the case because it is my favorite snack and has been for years. I felt like you deserve to know the hype is real. My move is to build a box that has 5 classic, 5 spicy, and 2 cloudy. But also you should know that you can replicate what is good about this at home by making your own popcorn topping. I grind nutritional yeast, kosher salt, and sometimes a bit of cayenne in a spice mill and use it to create my own BjornQorn.
Just here to point out that this carrot candle would be a very incredible addition to a crudi-cake (see here and here).
Edward Gorey would probably hate that his work is being used this way, but I simply cannot resist a room spray in a glass bottle with Edward Gorey illustrations on it. Also, the packaging Heretic sends with your order is so special and really makes it feel like a treat.
I wrote about an earlier iteration of these chips a couple of years ago. But they are back under a new label and with more flavors. You can find Italian Beef, Deep Dish Pizza (the only one that doesn’t work for me), and Hot Giardiniera. But the Hot Dog is the best of the bunch. A truly remarkable piece of food engineering! And the best Chicago souvenir.
This stick tells the weather. We gave it to friends a while back and are delighted by the photos they send of it doing its thing.
This is a smart idea from Rose Levy Beranbaum and ThermoWorks. A spatula that easily allows you to keep track of how much something has reduced.
Hot Dog Pencils (and more!)
This hot dog pencil set (each pencil has a classic Chicago dog topping on it), from Chicago’s a. favorite design studio, is great. But they make so many cool Chicago-themed (and not!) stationery products that their whole site is worth exploring.
Somewhere along the line I became a hat guy and they keep popping up on this guide. This is one of the greats of all time from Georgia Gendall, and captures one of my favorite parts of walking around rural England. Currently sold out but keep your eyes open for future restocks.
These have become my favorite socks. I like how plush the foot bed is and the Tomato (which can best be described as neon red?) and Falcon are my favorite colors.
Dobre Dobre by Laurel Kratochvila
Lots of good books this year, but these are two favorites. Dobre Dobre covers a topic that is near and dear to me, Polish baking. And I was lucky enough to be included in the book (Tim Mazurek’s Mazurek!). And By Heart is the book I cooked from the most this year. It feels like it was written for me and is exactly what I want to eat. I have tried more than a dozen of the recipes and would make every single one again. So rare! So exciting!
Food smells on my hands really bother me and this hand soap developed by cooks solves the problem. I’ve been impressed by how well it works, and I love the scent. (It is currently sold out on their website, which is a bummer given the holidays, but you might be able to find it through other retailers)
I am not the first food person to recommend these. A wobbly table can really ruin a night out, and sometimes it is easier to just fix the problem yourself then to involve restaurant staff. Throw a couple of these in your bag for when a wobble strikes.
A chic little desk accessory for opening the endless line of packages that keep arriving at our doors these days. I like that is a magnet so can easy be kept on a metal surface. Also folds nicely for safety and easy transport. Available at The Center for Order and Experimentation in Chicago.
Flowers and herbs combined with a honey caramel into a pretty lollipop that gets submerged in hot water to create a special cup of tea. A sweet stocking stuffer.
It’s the best Baggu ever.
If you think bows have gone out of style, maybe you never really loved bows to begin with. I’ve been into them since at least 1983 and I don’t see that changing. This set of cards is a nice all-purpose celebration card to have on hand.
Sometimes you want drugs. And the ones from Rose Los Angeles taste as good as they look. I am especially into this collaboration with June Taylor.
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HALL OF FAME
I wanted to remind you of some forever favorites in case you missed them on past guides. Let’s call it the L + D Hall of Fame!
Klay is a home goods company from New Zealand run by a mother and daughter, who in addition to having incredible taste, also have good politics. I have been shopping with them for years and a secret dream of mine is to someday collaborate with them on something. Everything they make and stock is so special and thoughtfully made.
I never really believed in signature scents, but I may believe in signature perfumers? Perfumer H in London is my all-time favorite and the only souvenir I am certain I will return home with from London. (Hi, Caroline!)
Carrier Company has been my favorite clothing brand for years. My closet is full of their coats and yet I always see another one I NEED (seriously excited about the waxed cotton jackets they have recently released). This year I finally got to meet two of the owners and it is always such a good feeling when you like the people who make your favorite things. (Hi, Enzo and Sienna!)
A few years ago we had our portraits painted by Christopher Gee, a UK artist who takes commissions for portraits (both human and pet). His work is really special. His Instagram is one of my favorite accounts, he captures beautiful and evocative photographs of natural and historic England that inform his work.
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And two shops I want to highlight that always come through for me!
Gardenheir is probably the online shop I buy the most gifts at, and it has often been a part of this gift guide. It’s just SO good. A perfect selection of things with great customer service.
Center for Order and Experimentation
Chicago’s greatest shop and community space. Truly a wonderful place to spend some time.
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Happy holidays, friends! It has been a tough year and gift guides can feel sort of silly in light of….everything. I hope you all get to spend some time with family and friends this month and find ways to engage with and support your communities. xoxo
Fine print: As always, these are all things I bought and enjoy. Photographed around my house. Past guides are available here: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Camilla says:
December 1st, 2025 at 9:21 am
I love you.
Bronwen says:
December 1st, 2025 at 10:29 am
This is actually the only gift guide I’ve ever purchased something from and this year will be no exception.