A Striped Jumpsuit to Love

I  must admit that when I received this request, I didn’t know what Taskmaster was but I’ve read up and it seems like a great concept. I’m sure it will get scooped up for North American TV like Traitors. 

 

Specifically, I was asked about a jumpsuit worn by Joanne McNally – it is by Paolita and sold out. I saw one on a reseller here. They do have a few other print options on sale. Boiler suits had a moment but I think it died down because they are so staunchly utilitarian that it borders on stodgy. Typically the suits are heavy material, denim or khaki. The Paolita prints are great for people who love a one-piece with punch. 

 

Black Friday… sigh

As a Professional Browser, Black Friday gives me the ick. First off, this holiday is associated with people stampeding for a widescreen TV. Second, I think a lot of retailers are bamboozling customers by creating a false sense of scarcity – it feels like common sizes and popular items are shelved, and this is a way to offload the dregs. I don’t think we are getting the best of the best on Black Friday and the whole concept is an exercise in salivating consumerism. If something is less than 20% off, don’t even look at it. Most retailers offer 10-15% just for signing up for their email list!

 

What this holiday is good for is what the marketing people call “consumables” – batteries, dishwasher pods, and for some reason, electric toothbrushes. 

I’m using this week to carefully pick out some stocking stuffers and I also bought my Secret Santa gift, which brings me to my next request: how to even begin holiday shopping in such a tight year?

I’m drilling down to need versus want. My Secret Santa gift is particularly hard as it has to fit a range from the ages of 10 to 80, can’t be food or a gift card and must come in under $40. I opted for a mini label maker that an older person could use on its own, or a younger person can link to an app and create custom labels with emojis, stickers etc. I think I did OK?

 

The one gift category people struggle with most is parents/grandparents/aunts and uncles. What I try to stay away from is technology because the elderly folks in my life are not into it. And considering how fast they’ve had to adapt to technology and how understandably overwhelming it can be for them, I avoid it. Every gift guide will tell you to get them a digital picture frame but if we are really, truly honest with ourselves has anyone, ever, in the history of the world, actually wanted a digital picture frame? I can’t imagine the answer is yes. 

For these cases, I stock up on something they already love: daily coffee drinker? Get them a six-month supply. Do they live alone? A smoke/carbon monoxide detector and fire extinguisher. Do they walk to the grocery store?  A pull cart. Love to garden? Crocs. And this sounds very, very cliché but I’ve never known an older person who wants a gift more than they want a person’s time. If you can swing a lunch, or a visit to see Christmas lights, or a movie night, they want that more than a weighted blanket. 

 

But if you do have a bougie grandparent, imagine you are shopping for Martha Stewart. What would Martha Stewart not hate? If I had to buy her a gift I’d be nervous as hell but go for small luxury over big and splashy. A Hermes lip balm (under $100 and comes in the classic packaging), Augustinus Bader hand cream, or a tin of caviar with the accoutrements (like the tin of Spanish potato chips that are suddenly everywhere) for Christmas morning. 

 

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