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We asked 20 notable people about their gifting philosophies, gifting nightmares, the best gifts under $25, and so much more. We’ll be publishing each of their questionnaires now through December 23 in this new series, “How I Gift.” Today, interior designer Bunny Williams on linen napkins, Emily Dickinson poems, and why regifting is perfectly acceptable.
What is your gift-giving philosophy?
I don’t try to make a design statement with gifts. I like to give gifts that are useful. Don’t try to interpret someone else’s style or taste unless you know them intimately — chances are you might not get it right. Think beautiful soap, linen napkins, candles, or small bud vases.
What gift have you received that you’re most surprised you still use regularly?
Aglass leech bowlthat my dear friend the late Suzanne Rheinstein and her daughter, Kate Rheinstein Brodsky, gave me from her shop, KRB. I’m constantly doing flower arrangements at home, and it’s the perfect scale and shape for a large arrangement. I have a cutting garden, where I’m always growing my favorites for flower arrangements: peonies, dahlias, and zinnias (Queeny Lime Orange and Red are two favorites). I also love taller flowers like foxgloves, delphiniums, lilies, and sunflowers.
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KRB Handblown Leech Bowl
You have to give the same present to everyone for the rest of your life. What is it?
Goodlinen napkins. Everyone needs them, and they never go out of style.
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What was the most heartfelt, smart, so-you present you’ve ever received? Tell us the story.
A pair of paintings ofour dogs by the artistHenry Koehlerthat my husband, John, and I were given by Jonathan Gargiulo, John’s nephew, and his husband, Stiles Colwill. They’re painted in the interiors of our apartment. They are two of my favorite things.
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West & Willow Pet Portrait
Is a gift card ever a good gift?
I prefer to give a donation to a charity in someone’s name. If they’re an animal lover, choose an animal shelter — or an organization that supports a cause they care about.
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ASPCA Donation
Advent calendars: Great or dumb?
Hate them. Frankly, I forget about them. I’m more excited by unboxing Christmas ornaments for the tree. I have collected ornaments for years, and it takes several days and several people to get them all onto our tree, which can be 13 feet tall.
Would you ever just give cash?
It’s fine for weddings. If you don’t know the person’s taste well or they’re just starting out, it can go a long way.
Here’s $10 to get a gift for someone at Walgreens. What do you buy?
The best tin of peanuts you can find. They’ll be gone before the cocktails are finished. I like salted Virginia peanuts.
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What’s the best gift under $25?
A classic taper-candle pair. Light them and suddenly dinner feels grand. I like the Classic Dinner Candles from Colonial Candle of Cape Cod.
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What’s the last thing you impulse bought for someone else?
I recently raided the Natural History Museum gift shop for my 3-year-old grandnephew, who lives across the street and is obsessed with dinosaurs. A stuffed stegosaurus, sticker books, and a kids’ puzzle all came home with me.
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What was your absolute worst gifting experience?
With a name like Bunny, you can imagine the gifts I receive. If I get one more hideous, tacky rabbit, I could open a store just for those.
How can all bad gift givers get better? In five words or less.
Don’t guess. Give something practical.
You can pick any five people (dead or alive) to join your game of White Elephant. Who do you choose?
Vita Sackville-West, Fulco di Verdura, Henri Matisse, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and John Pierpont Morgan in the hopes I’ll end up with a fabulous plant, book, or piece of jewelry, art, or clothing.
You just got someone you have never met for Secret Santa. What do you buy them?
A book of Emily Dickinson poems. Any edition works, but there’s a Belknap Press three-volume edition that is extra special.
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What’s the largest gift you’ve ever given?
An enormous beautiful cherry tree my husband gifted me for the front yard. It’s the first thing you see when you come into the driveway. It looks like it has been there forever.
And the smallest?
Seeds from friends who are also avid gardeners. One friend gave me seeds for an unusual type of cosmos.
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What was the most disappointing gift you’ve ever received?
A pair of earrings my father gifted me. They just weren’t my taste — they were very prim and proper, and this was the ’60s, when I was wearing statement earrings. It’s often hard for a generation to understand the next generation’s taste. But I kept them.
Is it ever okay to regift?
When I was in my 20s, I went to visit my father, and we stopped into the local women’s exchange. In it was a pink lusterware tea set for a dollhouse. I had been giving my goddaughter pieces of lusterware so she would have a little collection. I couldn’t afford the tea set, but that Christmas my father gifted it to me because he knew I would give it away. That’s what giving is about.
What’s the best gift wrap?
It’s all about the ribbon, really. Brown kraft paper, pretty ribbon, and a sprig of greenery.
More Christmas Gift Ideas
- Hark, the Advent Calendars Arrived (Very) Early This Year
- The Best Gifts for 2-Year-Olds
- The Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds
- The Best Father’s Day Gifts for Outdoorsy Dads, According to Outdoorsy Dads
The Strategistis designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read abouthere. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
