Don't they know it's Christmas time at all.....

This past weekend, some of my family and I went Christmas shopping downtown. This a family tradition of at least the past 10 years, but likely more. When I was in high school, I used to relish this weekend because it meant that I got to go to Urban Outfitters. Seriously. To really understand what this was like, you have to imagine a time when there weren't Urban Outfitters all over the place, but only in a few big cities. If I wanted to really go for it, I could browse Pacific Sunwear (where, regrettably, I did work one sad, lonely Christmas season), or perhaps the suburban mall staples: JC Penny, and Macy's. PLUS! Let us not forget Wet Seal. Oh how I could spend my babysitting money in two seconds flat between those walls. But Urban Outfitters was different. True, my parents did think it was a bit wild that a pair of jeans and a sweater could total up at $70 (in 1996!), but I think they understood that I was I in heaven, and to just let me be. So much variety! Everything was so cool. Well, now that I have been living in San Francisco for several years, I admit I don't feel that distinct thrill when walking into Urban Outfitters anymore. I can go there whenever I want; where is the fun in that? This weekend though, we went somewhere completely foriegn to me: Hermès.
Walking into this store was like stumbling into a WASP's nest. (see what I did there? mmmkay moving on....) Overhearing comely gay gentlemen discussing the strange loveliness of a Yak hair blanket. Browsing $400 glazed ashtrays. Lisa just had to try on a bracelet she spotted in one of the cases that caught her eye. When I remarked that it looked like a horse's bit, I realized how obviously the entire brand is designed around that very image. "Yes," the sales lady said politely, "...that is exactly what it is." Uh, right. Exactly. I guess you could say I felt a little out of my element. Until I saw these enamel bangles, which come in 3 different widths and a candy store assortment of colors and patterns. They are my new little fashion obsession. At $200-$600 dollars a piece, I think it is best to keep Looking....

Dreaming of a Black Christmas

My mother has always had a very specific idea in her mind of how I should dress and what I should look like—right down to the length and color of my hair, which in her view should be long, layered and loaded with caramel-tinted highlights. (If you’ve ever met an Iranian American middle-aged mom, this will be of no surprise to you.) Unfortunately for her, my personal style as a teen was heavily influenced by grunge, punk rock, riot grrl and indie aesthetics, which typically led to hairstyles that were short, uneven and multicolored. As you might imagine, this led to years of mutual frustration, clashes over personal taste and loads of awful holiday gifts. It didn’t matter how many times I told her I wasn’t ever, ever, ever going to wear anything pink or covered in rhinestones. I still got bedazzled shirts, gold jewelry, knock-off Fendi purses and other items more suited to my cheerleading peers than to me—a young Kathleen Hannah wannabe.

So how did we solve this? Well, we didn’t…but the short answer is: BLACK.

I realized one day that half of the stuff she got me wouldn’t be so bad if it was much plainer or all black, so I told her and it kind of worked. I still get weird gifts here and there, but I think she’s gotten the hang of it. Pictured above are a couple of cute items she’s blessed me with recently. She still wishes I’d grow my hair out longer, but there’s no more crying over holiday gifts.

If you have a picky person in your life (I admit I’m picky!), I recommend keeping it simple and considering their favorite colors and brands. I would stay away from jewelry unless you are confident they’ll like it. I think the most important thing, however, is putting some honest-to-goodness thought into what will make them happy, and giving yourself enough time to seek it out. I’d rather give something as simple as a handwritten letter over some silly tchotchke any day of the year.

Good luck out there with giving and getting presents this year!