All I Want For Christmas is You (And These Gifts)

The grinch whizzed down Mt. Crumpit with a sleigh full of gifts for the Whos, but I prefer this little car.

If I were in charge of buying my own gifts, without a spending limit, anything here would be perfect. Although as alluring as all these are, I’d be happy with a bag of Chicken Bones cinnamon candies (see below.)

The evil geniuses at Chanel have turned their Les Exclusifs Sycomore, the greatest vetiver fragrance ever (as I wrote about here) into a lush Body Oil, ($140, Chanel.com.) A little different from the perfume (I swear the forward-facing vanilla and cedar give the oil a ‘skin scent’ quality) it’s still a smoky, vegetal and earthy declaration of vetiver brilliance.

With jojoba and meadowfoam seed oil, it’s a dry oil that sinks right in, leaving you smelling like perfume royalty. This kind of extravagance doesn’t come cheap, but it’ll turn your morning and evening skincare into a heady paradise every time.

Our new apartment comes with a rather complicated electric fireplace insert that I am shamefully afraid to switch on.

While I work up the courage to dive into the byzantine instruction manual, I will, in the interim, ask Santa for this extra large, multi-wicked Diptyque Feu de Bois Candle ($297, Holt Renfrew) with its incredibly evocative, room-filling wood fire scent and its beautiful greige ceramic vessel.

It’s quite sad how badly I dress. I don’t care nearly enough, and more often than not, I will look down and see that I’m wearing terrible jeans and an ancient, lint-flecked sweater. So I try to carry a nice bag and wear my late mother’s jewelry to distract from the untidiness of my hair, the weird fit of my Nordstrom Rack jeans.

A Sidney Garber Scribble scribble ring ($10,900 US sidneygarber.com) with its six conjoined sparkly bands is the perfect attention-getting diversion. It would stand out beautifully against a plain black sweater with black trousers and some glossy lug-soled chunky loafers, and no other jewelry. I could manage that, I think.

A casually draped sheepskin is a clever solution if the cat has clawed an arm rest, or shredded an ottoman. And you can get a perfectly credible, if rather smallish, one, at IKEA any day of the week.

But for a real splash, I would love a curly, smoke-grey Gotland sheepskin, ($553, blacksheepwhitelight.com) from Canadian online retailer Black Sheep White Light. And here’s a rationalization for you: it’s cheaper than paying for reupholstery.

Ganong Chicken Bones are a Canadian east coast Christmas candy dating back to 1885, even though they seem faintly Mexican in origin, given their singular mix of cinnamon candy with a chocolate filling.

Hard to come by, but worth hunting down here in Ontario, I had to order mine online this year, but luckily Sobey’s carries them, $7, Voila.ca. (As does Amazon.)

The Nice List: Gifts For All the (Newly) Silver Ladies

Whether by active choice or bowing to circumstance, there are a lot more silver-haired women roaming our streets. As a long-standing silver, it is thrilling to see women really leaning into their newfound follicular DGAF.

Appearing in photographs with visible regrowth is now the new power move. (Viz this portrait of foreign affairs specialist Fiona Hill that accompanied her New Yorker magazine profile this past summer.)

Fiona Hill

But culture-shifting semiotics aside, there is a learning curve that accompanies this dramatic change.

Choosing silver is not the maintenance-free lark some would assume. Despite not having to police your hairline for regrowth, you now have to keep your hair from absorbing any airborne pollutants, or it goes a dingy yellow like you’ve been spending your days in a dark, smoky bar.

If you have a friend who has made the switch (Hi, Sue!) support and encourage them with any of these gifts:

The gold standard, the pure, uncut, good stuff, Kerastase Masque Ultra Violet, $69, will bring hair back from the brink, conditioning dried out hair (silver gets very, very dry) and transforming any yellow strands to a piercing silver. Some brave souls even leave it on for hours to tint their hair a soft purple, but that is a very off-label use and you didn’t hear it from me.

Mixed Feelings Purple Leave-In Blonde Toning Drops, $38, Sephora are an easy way to tend to silver hair. Add a couple of drops of this intensely pigmented, purple serum to a favourite styling product to neutralize brassy colour for pure silver hair. This is one of those genius ‘how has no one thought of this before?’ products.

The Manta hair brush is perfect for delicate silver hair

The small but mighty brush from Manta hair comes with an origin story that might make you weepy. Gentle enough for even the most fragile silver-to-white hair, the silicone and bendable Manta was created by a stylist whose wife developed a fear of conventional stiff bristled brushes as she lost her hair to cancer treatment. Manta’s flexible bristles bring gentle order to hair, but still feel like a soothing head scratch. It’s perfect if going silver has turned your formerly sturdy hair into delicate cotton candy fluff.

Silver hair an be infuriatingly delicate and susceptible to colour change from pollution and water deposits and you don’t realize that it’s gone faintly (ugh) yellow until you wash it, so scrupulous maintenance is the key. L'Oreal Professionel’s SerieExpert Silver holiday gift box of shampoo and conditioner is two behemoth bottles (500 ml) of brass neutralizing magic. OK, not magic, science. But the sparkle they give hair seems magical.

Colour Boost

You don’t realize how much life your hair colour adds until you go silver and the colour seemingly drains from your face as your features all but disappear (just giving it to you straight.) Draw your features back on with a few key items, so people know where to look when talking to you.

19/99 Beauty’s Colour Kit One is everything you need in one covetable pouch

19/99 Beauty, the clever new line from two former Bite Beauty execs, just released their all-in-one Colour Kit One, $79: two eye pencils, one dark and one light and shimmery for definition and highlight, a smudging brush and their singular, universally-wearable red pencil Voros, plus a sharpener to keep them all ‘on point’ (sorry) all in a vivid, graphic pouch that is easy to spot in your bag.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow dual palette is life-giving colour made portable.

Charlotte Tilbury’s popular FilmStar Bronze and Glow dual palette, mini $40 is a portable quick fix for pallor. You can safely ignore the ‘sculpt’ edict, which is for 20something Instagram makeup aficionados, and use the bronze shade on the outer perimeter of your face to softly add depth, and the highlight to bounce light off the high points of your face.

Maybelline Falsies Lash Lift is the lashes of your youth returned to you

I will never understand the allure of pricy mascara. Mascara needs to be tossed every three months for hygiene’s sake, plus the best are always the drugstore brands anyway. You will have to pry the Maybelline from my cold dead hands. Their $12.99 Falsies Lash Lift mascara gives you of the lashes you once had by adding the perfect amount of thickening fibres without clumping.

The Nice List: A Gift Idea for Your Overworked Girlfriends

Fill stockings for a childlike Christmas experience.

Who runs the world? Overtaxed, exhausted women, that’s who.

All my female friends are wrung out right now: planning Christmas, worrying about elderly relatives, and still having to work and sit through endless Zoom meetings under less-than-optimal lighting.

Not as chic as a my all-white main image, but Dollarama still delivers.

This year I’m giving them the beauty version of childhood Christmas stockings: bulging and filled with lots of little things: wee jars of cream, small tubes of hand lotion, face cream, and mini candles. I have amassed a collection of those beauty gift boxes that are so thick on the ground this time of year, all to be divided up and their component parts packed into (admittedly scratchy) red ‘velvet’ Christmas stockings from Dollarama (my love for Dollarama is boundless and well-documented.) I’m even planning to individually wrap every last, silly little item and seal it well with scotch tape just to prolong the whole unwrapping process.

Oh and weed gummies. I’m going to buy weed gummies, because I think my friends could really use them.

Quo beauty’s gleaming Cosmetic Christmas crackers, Shoppers Drug Mart, come six to a pack for only $15, each containing a wee lip gloss.

It is an indisputable fact that Nest makes the best Christmas candles. Their Holiday Set, $90, Sephora, is two of their most popular scents - Holiday and Birchwood Pine - in festive gilt trimmed vessels.

Caudalie’s hand cream trio, $24, is a happy collision of Shea butter, antioxidants and polyphenols with the singular sophisticated fragrancing of Caudalie perfumes Thé des Vignes and Rose des Vignes.

You know that friend who adds Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel spice to literally everything? I love resinous (and much more refined than patchouli) vetiver and want to add vetiver to every scented item I have, so I am bossily giving Monsillage’s beautiful Vétiver soap, $12, in the hopes of converting all my friends. Available from Montreal’s Etiket boutique, Canada’s most idiosyncratic and well-stocked beauty store.

Tucking a Softlips slims lip Hydrating Lip Balm ($4.99 for a package of three at Walmart) into a stocking is a very Mom thing to do. The peppermint ones look festive in their candy cane striped suits (there’s even a bonus cherry in the pack) and each has spf 20 because worrying about your friends’ sun exposure is even more peak-mom.

Biossance Your Clean Routine Overachievers set ($77, Sephora) skincare contains the brand’s bestsellers for glowing skin, all built on a base of their hero ingredient, sugar-cane derived, cruelty-free squalane.

The annual L’Occitane advent calendar, $84, is always a delight - bath gels, creams, their famous Shea butter hand protectors, bar soap in the shape of a leaf. You can buy the calendar to give to someone whole or just get one and tear it apart. Maybe it will be on sale by now given that we are well into advent?

What genius created watermelon THC gummies? (ChowieWowie’s watermelon gummies come four to a pack but your seasonally stressed friends should only take one at a time.)

According to Canadian Canabis firm FIGR, Canadians prefer to receive edibles by a wide margin (49%) over the kind you smoke. And my friends are all well above the age of consent and in need of some chilling out, so THC it is.

When all this is over we will want to return to our favourite cafés to sit and nurse a macchiato (or a dry white, which is all foam and no actual liquid milk and is apparently the latest thing.) Supporting your friend’s favourite locals will help keep the cash flow flowing.

Montreal’s Dispatch Coffee describes their offerings in highly detailed foodie/perfumer language so you can easily pick the right bean. They sell single bags, gift subscriptions and all the necessary tools a coffee addict could possible need.

Beloved Korean brand Belif’s Glowy Holidays kit, Sephora, contains different iterations of their famous Aqua Bomb super hydrators all in their signature, adorable top hat jars, as well as a hydrating essence, all for only $30.

The Nice List: Your Emergency Gift Stash (most under $20)

My mother and her friends were pros at buying random items on sale, so they’d have fully stocked ‘gift closets’ to choose from when they needed a present. (The old line-up-for-hours William Ashley warehouse sale was the source of many ‘off-registry’ crystal vase wedding gifts back in the 90s.)

Saturday Night Live nailed the phenomenon in this music video about the endless regifting of a terrible, peach scented candle. (Christmas bonus: the 80s-into-90s overdone makeup, lacquered hair and furs ‘n’ turtlenecks sported by Emma Stone, Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant in the video are a holiday present all their own.)

As an antidote, here are some wonderful beauty gifts to keep on hand, all at Secret Santa prices, because no one wants to be passing off the current equivalent of that dreaded candle.

And while some brands have beautiful holiday packaging, others sadly have not. Combat this by tossing the offending boxes and wrapping the contents in tissue and then into a tiny festive bag from the dollar store. Not sure how I lived before Dollarama became an integral part of my life.

Bodtini hand wash in Yuzu, $24, from editor favourite Tips Nail Bar, is citrussy and uplifting and the black and white graphic bottle suits any bathroom. Or the lucky recipient can keep it by the kitchen sink to stop from washing their hands with dish liquid when they come in the door. Available for delivery or next day pickup in Toronto.

Nice soap is the best kind of gift - an elevated version of something everyone needs, and nothing is chic-er than black soap.

This beauty (only $14) comes from black-owned local Toronto brand Sade Baron. Wrap two or three in white tissue and you have a wonderful design-y gift. Done.

The Body Shop Warm Vanilla Duo actually contains three items in their pleasingly creamy Warm Vanilla scent: body scrub, body butter plus a bath scrubbie - all for only $10.

This Eos Limited Edition Super Soft Shea Lip Balm pack, $9.97 Walmart.ca, is a petroleum-and paraben free trio of their signature natural balm spheres in seasonal flavours of Champagne Pop, Caramel Brûlée Sleigh and Cotton Candy Snow. If shops were open, I’d suggest taking them out of their blister pack and arranging them in a small white bowl, but maybe I’m getting unnecessarily fancy.

Hand cream, like lip balm only works if you’re consistent. This Burt’s Bees Holiday Hand Cream Trio, $14.99, has clean bright sunny scents, is loaded with protective Shea butter and beeswax, and because there are three, your recipient can put one by the bed, one by the sink and one by the couch. (Ok, in a plastic bin under the couch along with at least one lip balm.)

Come ON! This midnight blue Christmas cracker that’s actually a Quo Beauty Lip Gloss Set gives you eight shades from sheer nudes to deeper berries and three fun party shades and is only $20. It may be sold out online, but they’re still available at Shoppers in-store. Run. Run now.

My Fresh Essentials Holiday Ornament, $14, from L’Occitane contains an adorable leaf-shaped soap, body lotion and hand cream in summery verveine. (In English it’s ‘lemon verbena’ which to me sounds fusty and faintly old ladyish, while ‘verveine’ sounds French and glamorous.)

What Would Sylvie Like? Gifts for Your Pickiest Friends

Choose the right gift or suffer the quiet disapproval.

I aspire to not being terrified of terrifying French women. But I am still obsessed with Sylvie, the chilly Parisian boss on Emily in Paris who I already wrote about here. And I’ve been wondering: what could I give her (and by extension, my pickiest friends) for Christmas?

Red lipstick is a ‘French beauty’ staple (remember going out?) But it’s also a saviour when you want to look #thirtyflirtyandthriving on a Zoom call. The Yves Saint Laurent Mini Rouge Pur Couture mini set, ($65, Sephora) offers four tiny perfect, jewel-like mini lipsticks so you can select the perfect shade of ‘blood of my discarded lovers’ red. Or pick one of the two deep rosy shades if you are feeling more subdued.

There’s a special brand of fear when selecting gifts for notoriously choosy friends or relatives. Bastide, the beauty and home line created by former hair stylist and all-around French heartthrob Frederic Fekkai, has taste bona fides in spades. Inspired by Fekkai’s own languid Aix-en-Provence life, Bastide’s La Triple Flame candle trio, $145 at Holt Renfrew, is two cozy, wintery scents, Ambre Soir and Au Coin Du Feu, as well as the sunny Figue d’Été, for dreaming of a South of France summer. And the honeyed glass vessels throw the warmest light.

Very fancy Hungarian mud masks and cleansers from a beauty company owned by a polished aristo and his soignée wife would resonate on a bone-deep level with French women (who are genealogy snobs).

Omorovicza’s Mini Mud Set , $78, Nodrstrom.com, provides a tour through the mineral rich mud from Hungary’s Lake Heviz (which claims to be the largest, biologically active, naturally medicinal water in the world) with a black mud cleaning balm, a mud mask and an exfoliator.

My (very French) Tante Yvette insists that “leaving the house without lipstick and jewellery is like going out without your bra and panties”. (Obviously she never looks anything less than immaculate.)

This Jenny Bird Constance lariat ($110) would be Tante Yvette and Sylvie approved for the sinuous lines of its drops and subtle emphasis of one’s décolleté.

It’s not chic to whack people over the head with your perfume. Subtlety and surprise are essential building blocks of French chic, so Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Oud Satin Mood Scented Hair Mist ($110, Holt Renfrew) reveals its charms quietly. This alcohol-free hair mist softly whispers its notes of violet and rose anchored with oud and amber only when you turn your head and only for the benefit of yourself or someone close to you.

Who famously said you can never have too many cheese knives? Oh wait. That was me. But it’s still true and a Sabre Bistrot Cheese Knife from Toronto’s Hopson Grace in chic faux tortoise is just what every cheese platter needs this holiday season to feel worldly. If you want to really make a statement, package it up with a bottle of red wine and a generously cut, perfectly ripe slice of La Sauvagine or any other wonderful French cheese.

If the French did Christmas stockings, you’d definitely want to include this, as French women adore practical yet luxe pharmacie beauty products. 

Bioderma Atoderm Huile de Douche Ultra-Nourishing Anti-Irritation Shower Oil is not only a beauty editor favourite for its subtle scent and moisturizing capabilities, but this massive, 1 litre bottle costs only $20. Remember, no one loves a bargain like a discerning Frenchwoman.  

The Nice List: Gifts for the Budding Feminist

Guest columnist Lesa Hannah is a beauty writer/editor who guest edited an issue of Sassy, the seminal feminist teen magazine when she was 19 and due to the pandemic, still hasn't seen Bikini Kill live. Follow her on Instagram at @lesahannah.

By Lesa Hannah

The world will be infinitely better if we keep teaching the next generation to continue to smash the patriarchy.

BLOODLINE

To menstruate in modern times is to 1) be mindful of the environmental waste you create when using disposable pads and tampons, and 2) be in touch with your body and not be grossed out and shamed by a natural process. Menstrual cups were once only for the Earth Mother type, but they’ve been growing so much in popularity that there’s now endless options beyond the OG Diva Cup. Made in Canada, Nixit, $54, is modeled after a diaphragm and collects blood right under the cervix. It’s also made of soft, thin and flexible silicone so it’s easy to insert and once in, utterly undetectable because where it sits has less nerve endings. As a backup for when the cup runneth over or to be worn instead of a cup because of light flow (lucky you), there’s period underwear by The Period Company. Co-founded by gamine, politically aware, cool AF Hollywood stylist Karla Welch, the brand makes six styles in black cotton, from Bikini to The Sleeper. Each pair is $16 compared to the typical $40 plus from other brands. You’re damn right I ordered $100 worth for myself. 

NOTORIOUS RBG

As if 2020 wasn’t shitty enough, we lost feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The liberal SCOTUS (and second woman to serve on the bench) pushed for progressive votes on issues like abortion, voting and same-sex rights and was capable of holding a plank position well into her 80s. She also had a mean scrunchie collection but I digress. Honour the woman’s legacy with I Dissent, $25, a game that involves casting your own votes on hot button issues (Are cats jerks? Is a hot dog a sandwich?) or dissenting and standing your ground for more points.

P.S. The documentary about RBG’s life was just added to Netflix so if the younger women in your life haven’t seen it, assign them this as required viewing.

READING MATERIAL

I discovered Bust in 1993--the year it launched-- in NYC and immediately subscribed because I felt it was my duty to support the small feminist mag that miraculously continues to this day! A year’s subscription, $40, will keep any beginning member of the resistance up to date on topics like celebrity, music, fashion, art, and media reported on through a feminist lens. 

PIECE OUT

With a winter looming that won’t be filled with the usual socializing indoors (I’m going to miss having friends over for cozy, gossipy dinners this year), this may be the time to finally embrace puzzles. This 1000 piece Nevertheless she persisted jigsaw, $20, will pass the time as well as educate the young ‘uns on notable bad asses like Betty Friedan, Angela Davis and Harriet Tubman.

HANDS DOWN

With Toronto in another lockdown, manicures aren’t possible for the next few weeks, so Leeanne Colley, owner of Tips Nail Bar, our favourite nail bar in the city, came up with the genius idea of Tips Press Refresh . Measure your nails, pick from nail art designs, $75, (courtesy of Colley’s killer team) or a solid shade, $35, and order away. Within three days the press-ons will arrive, along with an orange wood stick, nail file, buffer and alcohol wipe and a link with instructions on how to apply. Your gift recipient will admire their tips while you can feel good about supporting a woman-owned, local business. 

SHUT YO MOUTH

When Kamala Harris pointedly told milquetoast Mike Pence she still had the floor during the Vice Presidential debate back in October, it was as if she was talking on behalf of all women who’d ever had her own words steamrolled by a man’s. It instantly became a memeable moment that deserves to be commemorated on everything from bumper stickers to T-shirts. This I’m Speaking Mug, $27, will do just fine. 

HOME MAKER

Sewing is a skill that some might see as antiquated and domestic, but whether it’s to make your own masks, tend to minor repairs or shorten pants, the ability and satisfaction of being able to do all of the above cannot be overstated. Seriously, being able to sew makes you feel powerful and in control. After you make that reverse stitch to secure your seam, you’ll find yourself saying “F--k yeah!”  The Singer M2100 Sewing Machine, $190, is reasonably priced and ideal for newbies. 

The Nice List: Gifts for the Tippler

Still Life with a Gilt Cup, Willem Claesz (1635)

Guest columnist Nathalie Atkinson is a culture journalist with an affinity for spirits. There are presently 198 bottles in her liquor cabinet (107 of them gin). Follow her on Instagram at @jadedjournalista.

By: Nathalie Atkinson

A jigger, a shaker, and a Hawthorne strainer walk into a bar. It’s your bar, and they’re regulars because you’ve been doing this a while. You’ve got the basics but these holiday picks will make cocktail hour better in every way.

With a Twist

You can mix a stirred drink in any heavy wide-mouthed vessel or carafe (I use a vintage flower pitcher) but a twisty stainless steel mixing spoon is non-negotiable. It will save your shoulders, elbow, and wrist — and it looks slick in a boomerang. $16 at Cocktail Emporium (cocktailemporium.com)

Have you been enjoying the mixology magic of Stanley Tucci’s deadpan cocktail tutorials on InstagramTV? And his matte gold bar accessories, similar to these at Cocktail Emporium?

Stanley Tucci made that scotch sour just for you, you lucky thing.

The Big Squeeze

Because only suckers buy ready-made simple syrup: a plastic squeeze bottle will keep yours fresh in the fridge for up to a month. 

$5.49 at Kitchen Stuff Plus (KitchenStuffPlus.com)

Behind Door #3

Every serving from That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Advent Calendar gives you a daily surprise to look forward to. $199.95 at LCBO while supplies last (lcbo.com)

Blow Me

Nova Scotian Crystal

Brad Copping’s Xylen tumblers

A scotch sour served in Halifax’s own Nova Scotian Crystal just tastes better. I’m partial to the diamond-cut Titanic pattern, so-named because the design was inspired by its stateroom light sconces (and because artefacts from the doomed ocean liner are housed in the nearby Maritime Museum of the Atlantic). For a more colourful cocktail by all means covet Campbell-Rey’s striped tumblers, but remember that artist Brad Copping’s cheerful Xylen tumblers are blown right here in Canada.

From $85 at Nova Scotian Crystal (novascotiancrystal.com) and $48 through Craft Ontario (craftontarioshop.com)

Cherry Bombed

Some people swear by Luxardo; I do not. For an Aviation my go-to is Tillen Farms’ plump dark Bada Bing. In a Manhattan, it’s Paw Paw’s unctuous Amaretto variation made with organic B.C. cherries. If you’re into packaging and design then Fabbri and Toschi’s curvaceous ceramic jars are the epitome of bella figura—like it’s 1962 and you’re sipping a leisurely Negroni in Via Veneto, not a paparazzo in sight. But better no cherry at all than those round things tinted with red dye #40 that call themselves maraschinos but taste like a cartoon version that has survived Chernobyl. If you heed nothing else here, make them good cherries.

$12.99-$29 at Cocktail Emporium (cocktailemporium.com)

The Gin is In

Filmmaker Paul Feig launched Artingstall’s in the spring and his premium gin is now firmly in my top 3. It’s not just that Stanley Tucci loves it, or because Feig’s Spy and Freaks & Geeks are my comfort-food, or even to copy what Emma Thompson swigs at the London outdoor market in Last Christmas. Unlike some celebrity booze brands we could name, Feig is not a come-lately: the Freaks & Geeks creator has long been as famous for his love of a crisp Duke’s Martini as he is for his sartorial flair. He formulated the distinctively citrus-forward gin with the micro distillery division of Calgary’s Minhas at their Wisconsin facility, gave it his mother’s maiden name, and even designed the cut-glass bottle. When you’ve polished it off—which will be sooner than you think—soak the label off and it’s an elegant art deco decanter.

Artingstall’s Brilliant London Dry Gin, $54.95 at LCBO  and several other Canadian provinces, and in USA (artingstalssgin.com)

Shadow of the Thin Man

Contemporary martini glasses are too large and too tall: the centre of gravity is off and they teeter. Instead, opt for the simple tulip glass known as a Nick and Nora, after the urbane and prodigious drinkers of The Thin Man. The smaller capacity is how Nora managed to line up those five more martinis—and will help yours stay chilly to the last drop.

$14 at Cocktail Emporium (cocktailemporium.com)

Shaken and Stirred

I’ve taken many drinks classes and, with apologies to Stanley, my favourites are with Famous Last Words, the Junction’s literary-themed bar. Marlene and her team combine history and lore specific to the chosen cocktails with useful tips on ingredients, variations, and technique (because yes, you are holding that bar spoon wrong). Until indoor tippling can safely reopen, sign up for their online classes themed around imbibers Ian Fleming, Ernest Hemingway, and Charles Dickens.

$40 per screen at Famous Last Words (famouslastwordsbar.com)

Frozen, Too

Retro-classic stainless steel makes a satisfying thwack but Prohibition’s over, folks, and flexible silicone ice cube trays make much less mess. A covered silicone tray is also easier for stacking and prevents cubes from absorbing freezer odour while setting. (Bonus: the frame means it won’t slosh and sag when filled with water.) Once they’re solid, pop the cubes out and store in a sealed plastic bag. $16.99 at Cocktail Emporium (cocktailemporium.com) 

One last tip for the long winter ahead:

Trainer Vineyard’s display-worthy Haberdasher vermouths.

Familiarity breeds contempt, as they say. A great way to liven up a favourite winter cocktail like a Boulevardier or Manhattan is to use a higher-quality version of one of the ingredients. Chances are your local bar is selling bottles and I guarantee you they and local dealers have a better selection of sweet red vermouth than the provincial liquor authority (I like Cocchi, and Punt e Mes, and Haberdasher vermouth from Prince Edward County’s Traynor Vineyard). And in a Paper Plane I play with different amari to see how they alter the flavour profile.

Cheers!

The Nice List: Gifts for your Favourite Man

Give the gift of self-care to your nearest and dearest this holiday season, because everyone needs love, attention and coziness.

Real talk: men require very few things in life. They’re pretty simple beings, but one non-negotiable is that they absolutely need to be found super-hot by their partner. (I express this in a much more vulgar way to my girlfriends, but this is a public forum, so I’m trying to be circumspect.)

***

Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male Le Parfum ($98) is a clever reworking of the 1995 original, with amped up spicy and woody notes surrounded by lavender and iris and a quiet but compelling vanilla that highlight a man’s allure.

There are too many black puffer coats in the world and I say this as a black puffer owner. But here’s a secret: even if they’re not fashiony peacocks, many men love colour. This citrusy slice of joy is a sunny hug for your significant other. The Parajumpers Bold Parka, $1198, will give them a jolt of pure happy when they pull it on to head outside into the biting cold.

Why should women get all the gorgeous Taschen coffee table books? The History of EC Comics$260, The Beguiling Books & Art, is a tour through childhood (Mad Magazine), teenhood (Tales of the Crypt) and beyond. It’s available through Toronto’s own legendary The Beguiling bookstore, because if you ‘shop local’ you’ll get stellar customer service while ensuring your city stays vibrant and people are employed.

Tokyo Smoke Cannabis Infused Dark Milk Chocolate was invented for times like these. I can’t really come up with a caption other than it’s delicious chocolate that contains 2 mg of THC, because literally everyone needs help chilling out right now.

Because you can’t sit around eating THC chocolate all day long to relieve tension, there’s the Theragun Prime, ($299 on sale) which uses percussive motion for a deep muscle massage. Whether or not you work out, we all have super tight neck muscles and ‘traps’ right now from sitting hunched at our computers. And incipient carpal tunnel hand pain from too much phone and keyboard time. Buy one for your guy and then just use it yourself. I would kill for one.

Carrying little bottles of sanitizer around can be a nuisance (especially if, as a man, society has seen fit to deprive you of carrying a purse) so these flat, one ounce Nudestix antibacterial hand gel packs, $10 for five, Sephora, are perfect to stash in a pocket without feeling uncomfortably bulky or ruining the line of a garment

How to get men to use moisturizer in the winter: the Ultimate Hemp Power Big Gift Sack from The Body Shop, $65, has a faintly illicit vibe, uses hemp seed oil (rich in soothing fatty acids) to moisturize even the driest skin and the signature scent is fantastic.

And if an Overnight Nourishing Rescue Mask is one beauty product too far, then just steal it back for yourself. (Or do as a friend did when she told her husband that using moisturizer after drinking prevents hangovers the next day.)

After mastering sourdough last April, many of use because de facto barbers, giving desperate male family members haircuts with varying degrees of success.

The Conair Barbershop Pro Series cordless clippers, $70, are easy to use and come with many attachments to help create exactly the style that your haircut guinea pigs desire. These clippers are practically idiot-proof (and I say this as a certified idiot.)