Haul out the holly because the holidays are upon us! If you’re stumped shopping for a pop culture-obsessed friend or relative — or just looking for ideas on how to reward yourself for getting through 2020 — Vulture is here to help. Our staff rounded up the things we’re gifting (or dropping hints to our loved ones that we’d like to be gifted) this holiday season.
Since I’ve pretty much given up hope that Cameron Diaz will be returning to her one true calling — being a great, funny actor — my liver and I may as well support her Goop-y pivot to the wellness sector in the meantime. I’m pleased to say that her natural wine collection is delicious and not too expensive, and all three varieties got some quality sipping time in my apartment over the past few months. I suggest pairing the white with Charlie’s Angels; the rosé with My Best Friend’s Wedding; and the red, obviously, with The Holiday. —Devon Ivie
My merch misadventures have been well-detailed on this website: I have been burned — nay, scalded — many times by the likes of Ariana Grande, the A Star Is Born official website, and now, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, all of whom have strung me along on hallucinatory journeys of back-and-forth emails with nonexistent customer-service representatives and unavailable shipping information. Back in August, around the time of my birthday, I bought myself a WAP raincoat after deliberating for many days over whether it was worth it to spend $125 on a see-through raincoat that says “WAP†on it. I decided that it was, especially seeing as we were in the middle of the apocalypse, and it was going to probably rain a considerable amount as we got further into the apocalypse. The raincoat said it would ship in 6–8 weeks, but here I am, nearly 12 weeks later, $125 poorer and soaked to the bone (in a bad way). Even so, I would still recommend this raincoat as a gift for your most ridiculous friend, the sort of person who, for example, would buy themselves a WAP raincoat and then realize they were never actually getting the WAP raincoat but still recommend the WAP raincoat to others. —Rachel Handler
The Crown’s costume designers did such an eerily good job of replicating Princess Diana’s iconic early ’90s lewks that we’ve all been tricked into thinking we can pull off big fluffy collars and preppy petal pushers as well as Di herself (or The Crown’s Diana, Emma Corrin). But your safer option is probably one of Rowing Blazers’ replica sweaters. The design house worked with Warm and Wonderful, the original designers of Diana’s black sheep sweater to create this modern version, which can be seen in episode three of The Crown. —Emily Palmer Heller
Mad Men is no longer on Netflix, and sure, you could subscribe to AMC+ to watch it, but are you really going to sign up for a new streaming platform in this economy? Also stop being a baby and just buy a DVD player already. —Tara Abell
Marblehead’s leading arbiter of good taste Ronna Glickman is no stranger to a gift guide, excuse me. On Ask Ronna, the podcasting doyenne (embodied by Jessica Chaffin) and permanent carriage house guest Bryan Safi use their combined expertise to dole out life advice and product recommendations. So allow us to recommend the pair’s “Very Carriage House Holiday†gift box, which includes their exclusive Ronukkah blend of coffee featuring notes of gelt, their Shades of Vanilla blend, and some other classy Hanukkah goodies. Or if your budget is more Ronna-sized, go for the $100 Carriage House Holiday Collection. Sealed with a kiss-kiss. —Rebecca Alter
In the event that my plea for Lady Gaga’s Limited Edition Chromatica Jockstrap is snipped from Vulture’s 2020 Holiday Gift Guide, I ready you with the next-best thing: Lady Gaga’s Limited Edition Chromatica Hat. And, while I’m honestly not a hat person on the reg — ask my mom — I will sport this legendary cap in support of MY Record of the Year. Plus the jockstrap. Anyway … stream “Rain on Me.†—Wolfgang Ruth
I purchased this Robert Pattinson T-shirt for one of the many Sagittariuses in my life and then congratulated myself on my restraint for the rest of November, just like the fire sign I long to be. The irreverent tees are simply how I feel. They are my thoughts and emotions screen printed on a Gildan T-shirt. “I think the Twilight movies are AWESOME!!!!! If you don’t think that makes me SEXY and COOL, DON’T FREAKING TALK TO ME!!!!! I am not even kidding†is perfect for the friend who unironically read Midnight Sun this year.
You can also peruse BUGGIRL’s collection of Taylor Swift tees (like one reading, “TAYLOR SWIFT is my wife I will NEVER get a divorceâ€) for someone who already has all the Folklore merch, even if that someone is you. —Zoë Haylock
Nine months of sitting in my apartment staring at the walls, has led to my gradually covering every bit of space I can find with some sort of décor in what’s very clearly an attempt to ward off depression. But! If I still had a few square feet to spare, I’d definitely be rummaging through Mondo’s never-before-offered archive auction, which is going on now. Mondo is known for gorgeous limited-edition movie posters designed by artists like Olly Moss and Tyler Stout, and also for runs that sell out very quickly. But this auction model means that you can place a bid on that 2015 art print take on The Brood and then just cross your fingers and hope for the best when things end on December 13 — still suspenseful, but a lot less stressful. —Alison Wilmore
Hayley Williams is the only white woman I’d buy an overpriced candle from in the name of self care. Known for her work in the Grammy-winning band Paramore (a flex), Williams finally released her debut solo album Petals for Armor, a sonic balm for a heavy year, in May. Her versatile voice crooning tales of healing, deep regret, growth and having a house that “smells like citrus and cinnamon†(a dream), soothed us in more ways than one. So recently, to pair with her meditative record, the queen of comfort teamed up with Apotheke to give us a taste (a smell?) of her citrus and cinnamon smelling sanctuary. It’s perfect for those looking to contemplate, walk around the house in slippers and a weighted blanket, and never finish their damn tea. —Savannah Salazar
A thorough and thoughtfully written oral history about a piece of beloved pop culture is a thing to be treasured. I can already tell just from this excerpt and an online peek inside its pages that Alright, Alright, Alright by Melissa Maerz, a former and founding editor of Vulture, is exactly that: a treasure. A scan of the people she interviewed for this deep dive into one of the best coming-of-age movies ever made, Dazed and Confused, confirms it right away: she talked to all of the film’s soon-to-be stars and writer-director Richard Linklater, but also everyone from Tricia Linklater, Richard Linklater’s sister, to Sam Lawrence, identified as “Matthew McConaughey’s friend during the ’90s.†I very much can’t wait to read the whole thing, so please, take some of the money in your pocket that you’ve earned from working for the city and buy this for me as a holiday gift? —Jen Chaney
Elton John has his flashy suits. Kurt Cobain had his flannel shirts. And now, Phoebe Bridgers has her skeleton costume. The outfit was an unofficial uniform for the newly Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter as she promoted her stunning new album Punisher this year, from music videos to late-night shows. Bridgers’ skeleton-suit-inspired sweatpants might be the best music merch item of the year — perfect for when you want to believe but feel nothing, or just need to switch out your work-from-home outfits. —Justin Curto
Pay tribute to the reigning queen of holiday season rom-coms with this shirt made by Super Yaki. While you’re at it, go ahead and start a Nora Ephron cinematic universe marathon. —Gabrielle Sanchez
Even as this past year has reinforced the convenience of watching movies at home, it’s also made us all realize how much we are at the mercy of licensing periods — a movie that looked interesting on Netflix or Prime Video in September might not even be on the service come October, when you finally decide to watch it. Which is just another reason why physical media is more valuable than ever at this particular moment: It doesn’t expire, and it’s not at the mercy of your internet connection. Many companies have abandoned the boxed set model, but the Criterion Collection has gone all in on it, producing gorgeous, glorious, extras-packed sets this year dedicated to the films of martial arts icon Bruce Lee, late New Wave legend Agnes Varda, and pantheon essential Federico Fellini. (Those are three separate boxed sets, by the way — not one set featuring all three auteurs’ films, which would be weird.)
Full disclosure: I actually wrote one of the essays in the book included with the Fellini set — but that also means I had to rewatch all his movies not long ago, and I can confirm that they hold up remarkably well. This is also true of the work of Varda and Lee: In the former’s case, seeing her broad, diverse body of work in one place — many of these films were previously very hard to find — was downright revelatory. And Bruce Lee’s movies have never looked this good before. To any kid who grew up watching dodgy copies of classics like Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, this set is a godsend. —Bilge Ebiri
The best drunk purchase I’ve ever made is this phone case featuring America’s sweetheart, Tony Shalhoub. Buy it for the Monk fan in your life (or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel fan, or The Band’s Visit fan, or Spy Kids fan, or Wings fan — the man is just a treasure!!!). —Emily Palmer Heller
Three years later and I’m still in the “denial†stage of grieving Tom Petty’s death. This mug won’t make it any easier, but at least it’s pretty and reminds me of how transcendent his Wildflowers album continues to be. And yes, that’s correct, you can’t spell pretty without Petty. —Devon Ivie
This thing is deranged. It looks absolutely nothing like her. It is the epitome of camp. The theater nerd in your life will love it. —Tara Abell
2020’s most harrowing work of serialized storytelling has undoubtedly been Alec Robbins’s Mr. Boop four-panel comic saga. What began as a simple premise — what if Betty Boop had a loving husband? — spiraled frame by frame into a genre-bending mindfuck about gaslighting, metafiction, copyright, and the mutability of reality itself. —Rebecca Alter
Sure, tell yourself that you’re buying this American Girl Doll centered in the year 1986 for your daughter or your niece. But be honest: you’re buying Courtney 1986 for yourself. It’s not really the doll that interests you, it’s all her accessories: the teeny-tiny Walkman and fake little mix tape, her cute hot pink bolero jacket, and best of them all, the working mini-Pac-Man arcade game, which isn’t deliverable until February because a bunch of nostalgic grown-ups probably bought all the inventory. Wow. [Cough.] What a bunch of assholes. Does it make sense that in 1986, Courtney is still so into Pac-Man when the game reached the apex of its popularity in 1982 and 1983? Not really, but who cares? She’s Courtney … 1986! —Jen Chaney
Vroom Vroom marked the beginning of Charli XCX’s adventures into the world of PC Music and introduced sounds that she’d perfect over the next five years. Basically, it changed everything — except the pop-star merch game. Amid an already busy 2020, Charli decided to rectify that, introducing a merch line for the song and EP for the first time. Of course, it’s iconic. Even when she’s late, those bitches can’t catch her. —Justin Curto
Y’all smell that? That’s the smell of taking your time in this fast-paced world, and remembering to stop and smell the flowers. Texas country sweetheart Kacey Musgraves teamed up with Boy Smells to give us the full “Slow Burn†experience. Named after the title track from her 2019 AOTY Golden Hour, Slow Burn infuses the smells of incense, black pepper, elemi, guaiac, raspberry, tonka, amber and smoked papyrus into a dreamy yet grounded scent, reminiscent of a burning fire and a late night stroll to the bar down the street. —Gabrielle Sanchez
This is one of those ideas where I think, “Damn, this would’ve been a terrific Vulture article.†I’m now dying (heh) to know the final song requests of all of my favorite musicians. Mine is “This Must Be the Place,†by the way. —Devon Ivie
If the black sheep sweater is a little out of your price range, then this very regal tin will please the anglophile in your family. Plus, it’s the perfect size for a stocking. —Tara Abell
Giddy up into the new year with the perfect stocking stuffer for the cowpoke in your life, an Orville Peck bandana. Available in five colors, they feature a design in line with Orville’s retro queer country aesthetic: Snakes, stars, roses, and a galloping pony. Yee-haw! —Rebecca Alter
Not only is Jeff Rosenstock one of the hardest working people in music, he’s also one of the funniest. While NO DREAM, the awesomely cathartic album he surprise-released two months into the pandemic, sticks to serious subjects like abuses of power and existential dread, its merch is a perfectly tongue-in-cheek chaser. Give the gift of sweet dreams with a NO DREAM sleep mask or rep a DIY king with some Rosensocks. —Justin Curto
Toni Collette has the RANGE that many actors dream of. Her ability to navigate the horror and comedy worlds and all that lies in between remains unparalleled, so here’s an ode to the woman that can do it all. In this A24 zine, comedian John Early traces the steps of Collette’s career through some of her most enduring characters. Gracing the cover is one of her most early and beloved roles as Muriel (sorry, Mariel), in Muriel’s Wedding. —Gabrielle Sanchez
Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish are so hot I would probably follow them over a cliff, but probably much safer to follow them through the history and culture of the Scottish highlands. —Tara Abell
Oh my god it’s a 6-inch-tall Forky that sits on your shoulder with the help of a magnet. Yes, the Baby Yoda version of this is probably more popular, and the Porg one is the cutest. But there’s something really funny about, like, showing up to a Zoom meeting with a little Forky sitting on your shoulder. In the theme parks, there’s a version of this that has Remy from Ratatouille in a little chef hat, but they don’t currently sell that one online. So settle for Forky, to tell your friend or loved one that they’re trash. —Rebecca Alter
Krysten Ritter is apparently a prolific crafter in her down time — who knew? She collaborated with knitting company We Are Knitters on a collection of knit and crochet kits that all look cute and cozy, but these ’80s-style leg warmers are my personal fave. Buy the kit for the cottagecore queen in your life or, if you’re the crafty type, make them yourself and give them as a DIY gift. —Emily Palmer Heller
This puzzle is so addicting my brother and I stayed up until 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving last year to finish it. It was such a hit with my family that I’ve already bought the Television and Broadway puzzles for this year. —Tara Abell
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.