The Cup of Jo 2019 Gift Guide

yes! this is always my favorite :)

If you have gift suggestions for roommates that would be awesome too!

I think one reason these are so helpful is b/c in my experience gift organizing/giving/idea generating falls to women. I begin to dread the holidays because I know how much more emotional labor exists for me from November thru January. I have to cook more, manage a trickier social calendar, be even MORE thoughtful, manage relatives, etc. etc. These lists are really helpful to me b/c they do a lot of the work for me. Thank you!

CofJ puts out the best gift guide (truly!). Thanks for putting one together again!

The holiday season gets pretty stressful for me around gifts—because limited funds (!) but also because grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc are always asking me to provide a list of gifts that they can get my children. (Mid-December text: “Send me ideas for the children!”) I’m not complaining about their generosity; it’s so lovely that they want to buy my kids presents! But gosh it’s a chore for me to come up with suggestions, choices, different price points (and always equal between the kids!)—and still leave things for me and my husband to buy our kids that we can enjoy them opening on Christmas morning. And there is such pressure too if I suggest something to a grandparent (read: mother-in-law) and maybe it’s not a huge hit when the open it. Just wondering how other people deal with this.

Related: I read this NYT Social Q’s letter last year and actually felt bad for the villified sister! Those lists take time and work! And to have them ignored is frustrating—though, I’d never, ever send a gift list for my kids unasked (I hate making them, after all) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/27/style/christmas-gifts-books.html?searchResultPosition=2

Anyway, I’m happy to see these gift guides (always so good!) but I’m also dreading having to put together my own “gift guides” for my relatives. I love their generosity, but don’t like it in my to-do list. Bah Humbug and all that, but, really, I do love picking out Christmas gifts!

I always wish the gift guide can be released a little earlier so I can get my shopping done during black friday :(

Can’t wait! I love buying off these guides, but they are even more helpful in educating me about what’s trending. The extra-special gifts for my girlfriends or sisters (or for me) are usually from this list. Thank you!

P.S. Could you include more tops and dresses that flatter a variety of bust sizes? The sweaters are usually universal, but I notice that the blouses tend to flatter more rectangular shapes with small to medium busts. I would love to see some wrap shirts, blouses that avoid deep v’s, and blouses that avoid peasant style sleeves. Things that draw the eye up and emphasize the waste would be great!

Dear Joanna, the links are not working. Looking forward to exploring the wonderful gift ideas!