2025 Gift Guide: Traci's Favorite Things

This year I'm fancying myself Oprah and telling you about 16 gifts I love to give and receive.

It is gift guide season. Again. Somehow. This year, I am keeping it simple and sharing my favorite things, à la Oprah. Because she is, in fact, one of my favorite things.

What you’ll find out about me and my gift-giving style is that I love a subscription, and I love a gift that disappears. Subscriptions are perfect because they last beyond the season, so you get to treat your recipient long after everyone has moved on from holiday cheer. And gifts that disappear (things you use up — treats, candles, lotion, etc.), because you’re not saddling your recipient with stuff that takes up space in their lives.

It has been a hard year financially for many of us, so I am keeping that in mind here. Not too many big-ticket items. Likewise, many of these gifts are appropriate for casual and intimate relationships. Gifts that work for anyone, from coworker to bestie¹.

I didn’t include any books this year, because this whole newsletter is just me recommending books like crazy, so it felt like we’ve been there and done that. Check the archive, or ask in the comments, if you’re looking for book recs.

I do want to plug last year’s gift guide, which was all about giving to organizations/charitable causes and pairing those donations with small gifts. That guide does have books in it, so you can donate to a cause and gift a matching book. I love last year’s guide and can’t top it, so I didn’t try.

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Before we get to this year’s list, I did want to share a few things, especially if you’re inclined to gift books this year.

• You can gift subscriptions to Unstacked and The Stacks Pack (on Patreon) to the bookish people in your life. I even have printable gift cards (links in the footnotes)² for gift subscriptions if you like to have something to physically give people. This is by no means the most urgent work of the moment, but paying for the things your favorite creators make does make it possible for us to keep bringing you new stuff, like this gift guide.

  

• If you have a favorite indie bookstore, plan ahead and order from them. Indie bookstores rely on holiday book sales to stay afloat — around 2/3 of their sales come in the last three months of the year. Show some love to the businesses in your community that pay taxes, employ your neighbors, and create safe spaces for authors and readers to gush over books! I am personally a huge fan of Reparations Club in LA and Loyalty Bookstores in DC (both Black, woman, and LGBTQIA+ owned stores).

• Libro.FM is an audiobook company that supports indie bookstores (you get to pick which store gets a percentage of your purchase) and offers audiobook bundles to gift. They offer a bunch of sales (a big one December 9-11) throughout the holiday season.

• If you want to buy your books from an online retailer, check out bookshop.org which donates a percentage of their sales to indie bookstores and your favorite book influencers (like, I dunno, me). They likely will have holiday sales launching soon.

• I especially want to remind folks that after Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or whatever the fuck) there is Giving Tuesday, and lots of donations made that day are matched or tripled. So you could get ahead on your holiday gifting and make a bigger impact. Set an alarm in your phone for Tuesday, December 2nd.

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Brick

This little contraption allows you to block apps on your smartphone, effectually making it dumb until you physically tap your phone on the Brick again. Which means you can listen to music you love while reading a book without feeling the urge to check Instagram 500 times. Having to physically tap your phone makes it a lot harder to override, which makes the Brick super effective. I am so much happier on days I Brick³. Two things worth noting, the app that goes along with the device is free and anyone with the app on their phone can Brick and unBrick on any Brick. So you only need one per household. And now, Brick is for both android and Apple phones. This is a game changer.
Code: THESTACKS gets you 10% off.

Bokksu Snack Box

It would not be me if I was not recommending snacks, because let’s be real, more than books or sports, snacks are my one true love. I have been the recipient of a Bokksu subscription twice in my life and both times, it was a damn delight. These snack boxes come from Japan and are filled with delicious treats that you can’t get here in the States — fun flavors of staple snacks and Japanese treats you’ve likely never heard of. Plus, they all have a guide to teach you about what’s in the box.

Leopard Sneakers

I love a leopard print moment and I love a sneaker moment, so what is not to love about these Sambas? I wear them as much as I can and get lots of compliments.

Travel Organizer

I was introduced to the concept of a travel cord organizer by Nora McInerny, and I have never looked back. This is the one I like and use. But there are a lot. In addition to giving Bricks to everyone in my life last year, they all also got a travel organizer. And I would suggest getting these to allow for extreme type A behavior.

Print Magazine Subscription

I am sorry, but there is nothing better than getting an actual magazine in the mail. The way I salivated over the Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appétit this year. It is sort of luxurious to get a magazine these days, and they really are super affordable, which makes them a perfect gift — maximum impact, minimal expense.⁴ The magazines I currently get are Bon Appétit, New York Magazine, and The Atlantic. Worth noting, these subscriptions all come with a slew of online content on top of the print goodness. And, some magazines are running sales and/or gifts with purchase deals right now.

Clare V. Purse

I am not a person who invests in too many nice things to wear. That is especially true for purses. All my bags and totes are from cheap retailers but this year I got a nice bag from Clare V., and honestly I have never felt like a fancier bitch. This is for sure a big splurge, but just know the quality is off the charts. There are so many cute bags. The charms and swappable straps give the bags a little fresh which makes them more dynamic and versatile.

Local Restaurant Gift Card

I do not generally ascribe to gift cards as gifts for people you know⁵. However, I have been gifted gift cards to restaurants over the years and think it is a really stellar present. You can do anything from a fancy date-night spot to a fast-casual go-to. The more specific you can make it to the person (a place they keep saying they want to try, for example) the better.⁶

Duvet Cover

This might seem like a very personal gift, and it is. But, if you have a partner and you want to do something nice for them (and you) upgrade your duvet cover. I’ve had my Quince Linen Duvet since November of last year, and I still am thrilled to climb into bed every night⁷.

The Stacks Merch

I would be a crazy person to not remind you of all the cute merch we have going on over here at The Stacks. I also will just say, I have seeds of a plan to completely overhaul the merch situation here for 2026, so if you like anything in the shop right now, you should get it, because it will be gone come this time next year⁸.

Salt Bowls

Damn, this one sounds bougie AF, but whenever I see folks with cute salt bowls (that also are perfect for sauces, olives, nuts, toppings, etc.) I get so jealous. Then I visited Big Night in NYC (they ship, don’t worry) last fall and I bought a grip of salt bowls in different colors. And now I’m so cool and I love it. This year I will be giving the gift of bougie to all my beloveds. If you have people in your life who host the Big Night website is 1000% worth perusing because they have the best gifts — like this, and this, and this, and this.

Nuuly

This clothing rental company is a game changer. I love Nuuly, it’s no secret. If you’ve seen me at bookish event⁹, I am liking wearing something I rented from Nuuly. They’ve got casual to formal to seasonal and more. And you can get $30 off a first order with this link.

Salt & Stone

Salt & Stone is so reasonably priced and feels so luxurious. My sister gifted me their hand cream, because she knows how I’m always on the hunt for good — not too floral — rose-scented items. Their Black Rose & Oud is some of the best. I currently use their body wash, hand cream, and lotion. The packaging is chic, the price tag is very reasonable, and the quality is great. If you use this link you get $15 off your order.

Floral Delivery

I was the recipient of a monthly floral delivery, an extremely luxurious gift, for my birthday a few years back and Whit Hazen (my local and favorite florist) did not disappoint. This one will require a little more legwork to find the right florist in your recipients area, but truly it is worth it. Here is a Black Florist directory to get you started on your search.

Athleta Sweatsuit

I sorta hate to admit this, but my mom turned me on to this one. But, don’t worry my mom is more fashionable than I am, so you’re in good hands. Anyway this super soft, mix-and-match sweatsuit situation is perfect for travel and just hanging out. I have these pants and this top.

Loam Candle

I love a candle¹⁰, and I always have one burning in my office while I work. The Midnight Moon¹¹ candle from Loam is perfect because it has rosy notes and some earthiness to it, too. Loam is also Black-owned and based in LA.

Custom Tony’s Chocolate Bars

Did you know you could order custom Tony’s chocolate bars? I love their chocolate bars so much I order them by the boxful (for myself all year long). They are a perfect higher-end treat and with the added personalization, they would make for a super cute gift for teachers, hosts, newspaper delivery folks, and even as a part of the wrapping for a larger gift or gift card. The personalized bars do need a three-week lead time, so get on it now.

What are your go-to gifts for the holiday season?

If you want more of me and my nonsense be sure to listen to The Stacks podcast every Wednesday and follow me over on Instagram for a lot more book content.

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1. There are a few items here that are not appropriate for your coworker or random acquaintance and I’m going to assume you can differentiate those.

2. Substack printable gift card || Patreon printable gift card

3. I am Brick’d up right now as I type this.

4. Not to mention how print media is dying and a subscription like this helps keep the lights on. If you give a magazine you’re basically a saint.

5. This excludes teachers, because I just do what those people tell me.

6. I had a friend give me a large amount of money to my favorite bagel spot and every time I went for like a whole year I was so happy. Free bagels. Hello!

7. And no, this is not because I am exhausted from The Mini Stacks…though that is likely part of it.

8. Hopefully, if I get my shit together.

9. My outfit at this year’s Texas, LA, and Mississippi book festivals all came from Nuuly. And what I wore to the National Book Awards last year. And on and on.

10. You’re getting to see what a basic bitch I am through this gift guide, huh?

11. Midnight Moon is also the name of one of my favorite cheeses, but that is for another post — but it does make a nice gift.