The Best Gifts Strategist Staffers Received Last Year

My best gift from last year came to me immediately. My best friend really knows the twin loves of my life: caviar andThe Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. I cackled when I opened this gift that somehow sat at the perfect nexus point between super-luxe and hilarious. I would absolutely steal this idea for any otherRHOSCLsuperfans.

My aunt agave me this two years ago, and when I opened it, I thought,Aw, nice, I bet I won’t use it.Journaling had become too time-consuming for me. But I filled it out January 1, and I kept going, one line a day, all year. There’s so little room to write that you really have to be selective about that day’s events and emotions. It makes it very undaunting. I’m nearing the end of year two going through it, so every time I fill out a day, I see last year’s entry above it, and it’s been so fun reading what I was doing or thinking or feeling a year ago that day. It has been a source of daily joy and gratitude for me. I’m excited to use it for three more years. IfIwere giving it to someone, I’d go for thisespecially pretty versionI saw in Kennebunkport, Maine, on a fall trip this year.

I must admit, the best gift I received last year is one I picked out for myself but was graciously given to by my husband (whose gift is partially that he alwaysletsme pick out my own gifts and only complains about this mildly). I had been coveting a pair of UGGs for many years of my adult life but never bought them. They’re not cheap, and I always prioritized reinvigorating my closet with other chicer shoes (or clothes or whatever) around this time of year — whereas the UGGs felt like they would just be for quick errands in the cold. But around the holidays last year, there was a lot of chitchat among the Strategist staff about how great they are (I feel like a lot of people ended up with pairs), which inspired me to ask for them. I wore them all last winter and was thrilled to pull them out again last month. I’m genuinely grateful every time I slip them on to run to the bodega, or the wine store, or the grocery store, or the pharmacy, or to go on a walk — and these types of errands and outings generally happen multiple times a day. That’s a lot of grateful!

I’ve already written about this here and there on the Strategist — perhaps evidence of just how much I like it! But, essentially, the Tarpestry is a plasticized outdoor blanket. What I like about it is that it’s perfect for pretty much any outdoor situation. If I bring it to the beach, sand doesn’t stick to it. If I bring it to an outdoor concert or park, it doesn’t soak up moisture from the grass. I even took it camping to use as an “entryway” into my tent that I could step out onto when crawling out in the morning. They come in tons of fun patterns and have a couple of handy features like grommets for stakes and a hidden pocket to store a phone or keys. They’re lightweight too, and while not portable enough to fold down into a backpack, they are easy enough to bring most places. I got mine as a gift from my mother-in-law last Christmas and have used it constantly this year.

While I’ve more recently begun to appreciate the value of a useful gift, I’ll always be a glam-and-glitz-gift lover at heart. I can count on one hand the number of times these earrings have left my lobes since last year. They’re the ideal low-commitment, high-impact ear-candy base, whether I wear them solo or stacked with thehuggieversions or other hoops and studs of varying textures and thicknesses. They’ve ensured I’m put-together enough for trips to CVS, a Met Gala party, the gym, the sauna, Amalfi, and daily iced-coffee runs.

When I asked my boyfriend what we did before we got our very first set of steak knives last year, he simply replied, “We didn’t.” (But, really, we just prayed our butter knives would be sharp enough for whatever we were having for dinner.) In the year since I received these under the tree from my aunt and uncle, they’ve been a welcome — nay, necessary — addition to our table setting, whether we’re having miso pork chops or pan-seared steak. They look very nice, too.

Up until last year, this was my routine: Each morning I would drip across the landing, squeezing out the shower water from my hair with whatever hand towel was driest. My husband shoved a hair towel in my stocking, and now I use it practically each day. Boring but great!

The gift from last year that I find myself actively using most often is this pen, which I keep in a dedicated pouch of flight essentials for when I travel. I’ve used it to fill out arrival cards in New Delhi and complete crosswords inTheNew Yorkeron planes.It’s literally just one of those slightly expensive pens that you get in bookstores and nicer gift shops andstationery stores; hardly the most personal gift, but the truth is that they don’t always have to be. I got it during a fairly impromptu holiday celebration at a friend’s house, when we all purchased one another gifts at the last minute.