Gift Guide: My Grown Up Christmas List

The problem with writing advice posts for Wardrobe Oxygen is I come across some of the most lovely things. I’ve been saving them, some I have purchased for myself, some I told loved ones I would enjoy finding under the tree with my name on them. I decided to share a few, call it my Grown Up Christmas List, a gift guide for the woman who can’t justify a $90 candle and wouldn’t want rose gold oversized headphones or a Hello Kitty iPhone cover.

1. I have these pajamas. They may not look like anything special but they’re pretty fantastic. The PJ Salvage ‘Ski Jammies’ are thermal knit, but not thin like the packaged henleys you get at the retail mart. Thick, opaque, yet soft and cozy. The legs are that perfect width – not too fitted, but not all blousy and sloppy. I have them in black, I’ve washed them a dozen times and they are still dark and rich in color. While traditional pajamas are cute, I like that I can open the door for a neighbor or the FedEx guy and not clearly look as though it’s noon and I have yet to dress!
2. I love my oversized Ray-Ban aviators and have purchased a couple different colors but this year I lost my black metal pair and broke my silver mirror pair. On top of that, my gold metal/green lens pair is looking pretty rough from such hard use and Karl has stolen my gold/gold pair. I’d love to get a replacement black pair and will baby them while my gold/green will continue to be my everyday go in the ocean/pool/jean jacket pocket pair.
3. This is one of those little luxuries that is also practical. When my best friend got engaged, I gave her a pack of notecards from this Etsy shop with her future married name. She recently sent me a thank you note with one of them and I realized how nice it is to have personalized cards for quick notes. It’s a lovely gift for a college student, a bride-to-be, new professional, teacher, or a great way to treat yourself!
4. I like being prepared. I’ve had many situations in my life where I was glad to have a couple tools and useful items in my bag. So when I saw this hair clip that is actually a multitool I was psyched. The reviews are mixed, but for just $5 and having something this tiny, I’m not expecting Swiss Army or Leatherman capabilities. But heck, it’s a nice to have that can slip into your makeup bag or change purse without adding much weight or trouble!
5. Call me old fashioned, but I still use a paper planner. I like having one with weekly and monthly views; as I wrote in this post I use one for daily life and one for my blog calendar.  I was scrolling through Lani Inlander's Instagram account and saw she featured this one from Kate Spade.  So cute, I couldn’t help but add it to my Christmas list! Not only is the wording cute (young is relative, and I feel young at heart!), but the color is fabulous!
6. I felt bubble umbrellas were too young and twee for me until I saw a woman of a certain age using one a couple weeks ago. It made such SENSE! It’s more protective, not as dark as a nylon umbrella, and you’re less likely to poke a stranger in the eye. Also, she looked pretty fantastic with her silver hair, green coat, black boots, and clear umbrella. This one from Totes gets good reviews.
7. I recently upgraded to an iPhone 6s and find that I can't use any of the docking station-style speakers we own unless I take off my phone case. This seems to be a common issue with the iPhone 6 and attachments don’t seem to work, and I am not going to take off my case as that's how I cracked my last phone. Might as well go wireless so I can have speakers work with this and all future versions of phones and tablets! While I really really LOVE the idea of this Marshall speaker, the price is way out of my league. This speaker from Bearded Blue is slim, stylish, and a far more reasonable price. This will look great on my nightstand!
8. I find the fake taxidermy trend a bit odd; why would I want a mini deer skull out of cardboard residing over my fireplace? That being said, when I saw these silver faux antlers I fell in love. Not for random decoration, but as a home for all my necklaces. I think it would look great on the wall above my jewelry armoire to show off my most used chains and pendants. If silver’s not your jam, the Etsy store has a kazillion other colors to choose from.
9. A couple years ago, I received bright purple leather cashmere lined gloves for Christmas and they are a favorite. Sure black is classic, but a statement color is so much fun and a cheery note on a gray winter day.  I'd love a pair in emerald green. This Amazon seller gets good reviews and has 27 different colors available.
10. While it’s fun to get pretty and luxurious gifts, practicality is always welcome. I’d love a pair of these shearling insoles to slip into my biker boots or Bogs for some extra warmth on bitter cold days.
11. With my upgrade to an iPhone 6s, I bought a slim clear case that shows off the rose gold of the phone.  However, I miss the charging case I had for my iPhone 5. Fantastic for travel, blogging events, live tweeting conferences and any long day away from a power source, a charging case gives you extra battery life without carrying around extra stuff. I’ve had Spigen cases before and they’re great quality; this one is not too bulky and a reasonable price.