A Splurgy Gift Guide

Comfort lovers unite.

Housekeeping Note: This is a long gift guide and it won’t all fit in your inbox. Click “View Entire Message” at the bottom to see the rest of the gift guide over on Substack. I just couldn’t shorten it by leaving out any of my favorites.

I’ve seen a lot of discontent over the state of gift guides on Substack. People are apparently annoyed with how many they are seeing. You know what I say to that? Keep your bahhumbug butt scrolling right past ‘em if you don’t like ‘em.

I LOVE me a good gift guide. Who doesn’t need shopping ideas? Gift buying is complicated, time consuming and an exercise in over-thinking.

“If you don’t like it, you can return it and get something you like better,” I say before each gift is opened. I drive my family crazy. I drive myself crazy.

There’s also been some discussion about how overpriced everyone’s gift guides are, so I am calling a spade a spade. This is a splurgy gift guide.

Please enjoy at your wallet’s own risk.

P.S. I set out to create a gift guide of all the things I love and I had no idea it would turn into a cry for fashion help. I’m gonna need to up my 2025 game. Anyone know a good stylist with a flair for working with sweats and slippers?

P.S.S. If you buy anything in this gift guide I get a teeny tiny little affiliate commission that I can use to put towards a gray pair of the sweat pants listed below. Or a stylist in 2025.

My 2024 Gift Guide

These Pajamas
PJ Salvage has the most comfortable pajamas I’ve ever owned. And I would know, I spent MONTHS in them over the last year. This Apres Ski set is adorbs.

I’ve also given them as a gift to some very special women in my life and you would have thought I bought them a yacht. I love this brunch set too! Ooooh and this one too.

These Sweats I Live & Dine In
Who pays over $100 for a pair of sweats. Someones who wears sweats to dinner parties. One of the many reasons I don’t often get invited.

BUT I would argue paired with a tank top, long flow-y cardigan and a nice pair of tennis shoes, it’s a pretty damn good uniform outfit.

These Winter “Flip Flops”
”Birkenstocks are so fugly,” said the old me who didn’t glamorize sweats and pajamas.

You might think furry Birks are a hippy dippy west coast kind of thing. But you would be wrong. Hear me out.

They are great for your feet and a fab slipper. Can you wear them in the snow? No. So just wear them inside when it snows.

I wear them around the house because they offer great support when I’m cooking or cleaning AND they keep my feet warm, but not sweaty. And yes, here in southern California I wear them out in the winter too. But never to a dinner party … in the winter. Only the fall.

These Actual Slippers
These slippers are the very best. The heel is designed to be worn up like a full slipper or pushed down to make them more breathable. So good. And so genius.

More Pajamas
This nightgown that I wish came in ten colors. I love the built in bra. And I love that the fabric is thick enough that I can wear it (not out to dinner, though I’m sure you wouldn’t be shocked by that) out of my bedroom and around the house when the kids are home without making it awkward(er).

These Socks (not those above, they look average)
Just when you think I couldn’t get any less unstylish. These are the most comfortable socks I’ve ever owned. They make you feel bouncy. And they should at this price. I’m not playing, these things are the bomb diggity.

This Cashmere-ish Sweater
Proof that I sometimes leave the house in something appropriate.

This sweater that feels as luxurious as an outrageously expensive cashmere sweater. It’s cashmere and cotton so you can enjoy the feeling of cashmere at a fraction of the price. I have two in my closet and want one in every color.

These Sweat Jeans
Proof that I would really rather be in sweats.

These jeans, aren’t actually jeans at all. They are sweats, lined in terry, that look like jeans. Any stylist that tells me they are wrong need not apply for the position it’s becoming increasingly clear I need to fill.

This Over the Should Bag
This is my most favorite around town and travel bag. It’s a small bag that holds a lot. I love all the zippered spaces. One for my phone, one for my keys, one for my glasses. I own the black one with red accents, but I’m sharing a link to the brown one. I bought my black bag two years ago. If I was buying today, I’d get the brown.

This Water Bottle
This water bottle is life changing. Dramatic much? Yes. But it’s really amazing. It’s a straw or an upside down tilter. When you are driving you can sip it like a straw and when you aren’t you can dump it back so you don’t get straw sucker mouth. That’s a thing, though that’s probably not what it’s called. Smoker’s mouth?

For Her Face
My current favorite clean skin care products are Oliveda. I love them because they’re clean and they follow the European guidelines. I have been asked a LOT over the years to share skincare products in my socials, but I’ve always declined. I didn’t know what most of the ingredients were and I just never felt comfortable doing it. I’ve been using this clean brand for over six months and my skin has never looked better.

I put together a couple of gift sets for good friends that have been there for me over the last year. Snag your own for those you love.

This Hair Dryer
This hair dryer is amazeballs. It doesn’t get overly hot and dry out your hair, it’s light as a feather and it doesn’t scream at you. You can seriously listen to a podcast or watch a show while you blow your hair dry.

These Eye Masks
These 24 KT gold eye masks make the perfect stocking stuffers. Seriously, you don’t need to put anything else in the stocking, just fill it overflowing with these babies. Shine bright ladies.

And that’s all I’ve got for you. Like what you saw? Please share the guide with friends, your partner, your parents, your grown kids …

What do you think? Should I buy the gray sweats with my affiliate cash or a 2025 stylist. Be honest. I can handle it.