They are grumpy (and occasionally mean), they are always on their phones, they are too cool for school, they are totally self absorbed, they think seltzer water is free (true story), and we love them anyway. I live with three Gen Z women (ages 20, 17, and 16) so I have some expertise here and, though I like to complain about them, I find it fun to buy for this age group. The suggestions below are items that my kids already own and love or that they are asking for this year.
Free People Caravan Canvas Tote: They are old enough to pack for themselves and carry their own beach bags but for crying out loud, they don’t want a monogrammed boat and tote (that’s for their moms and teachers and therefore not cool). But they love everything from Free People.
Sonny Angel: There are so many uses for these cuties! Gen Z collects them, or keeps them on their desks, or attaches them to a carrying case on their backpacks, and sometimes they dress them up in little outfits. It’s a whole thing. My girls are getting these in their stockings. I’m getting one for myself as well - for, you know, my backpack.
CZ tennis necklace: If I ever have a Dorsey necklace, I will hide it from my girls. They can have this Amazon version for themselves.
Stoney Clover pouches: Preppy, ironic, cutesy, or snarky - there is something for everyone here. These are spendy but the quality is excellent and the personalization options with letters and patches and other Cool Things make anything from Stoney Clover a hit. I bought personalized makeup pouches for my girls last year and a mini version for myself. Mine is black with a Snow White patch on one side and my initials on the other. Princess Side Note: Snow White has always been my favorite princess. I dig her cute bob, perfect blush, and yellow skirt. I choose to ignore that she does not have a job other than keeping a tidy house, singing to birds, and taking care of not one man, but a whole houseful of grumpy, sleepy, and sneezy (gross) men. I use my Snow White pouch us to keep track of all my chargers when I travel. Cute, cute, cute!
Kylie Lip Kit: A guaranteed winner. I prefer the velvet version to the matte and “sweater weather” is a favorite among my girls.
Skims for everyone: My girls are getting Skims pajamas for Christmas and they are also asking for Skims tank tops and bodysuits. FYI, in my experience, everything from Skims runs small.
Marc Jacobs Snapshot Bag: This is on Daughter Two’s list. She’s my sporty girl who rarely carries a purse. I think she likes the bag size (tiny) and the fun strap. I’m looking for a good one on consignment but have had luck with my usual sources (TRR, Vestiaire, etc.) If anyone has a lead, please send it my way!
Stella McCartney Falabella Crossbody Bag: This bag is on Daughter Three’s list. Clearly an aspirational choice, but I’m currently bidding on a resale version. If I can get this bag at a reasonable price, it will be a Christmas miracle. The most aspirational thing on my Christmas list back in the day was a pair of black Guess jeans. Just saying.
Weezie Makeup Towels: If you are tired of your pretty linens being ruined by your teenagers’ self tanner and makeup (clearly they are not double cleansing), here’s a great stocking stuffer (these are also a great gift for a student who is off to college). They won’t stain and you can monogram them which is important with three girls in the house. No need to share face cloths!
Swatch Watch: Okay so maybe this is more for me. Around the time I was rocking my black Guess jeans, I was obsessed with Swatches and they are back, baby! A scroll through the website is like a scroll through my high school years.
Barbies? For teenagers?
In my house, we are still celebrating the year of Barbie and I am currently stalking Ebay for an inexpensive vintage Barbie for each of my girls and my six year old niece who will be with us. Malibu Barbie, Astronaut Barbie, President Barbie….the choices are endless. I’m planning to stuff them in at the top of the stocking so the heads are sticking out - or maybe sit them on the mantle above each girl’s stocking.
Post-Scripts
We spent Thanksgiving in the Dominican Republic and I had time to read four books - all of which I would recommend! In ranked order, I very much enjoyed:
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King
Small Game by Blair Braverman (If anyone has read this and wants to discuss, please comment! I was riveted by this book and then disappointed by the ending but maybe it’s just me)
How is your holiday checklist coming along? Here is my status:
My cards are ordered - currently waiting on the proof. Wish I had done this sooner but was hoping to get a family photo on our vacation. It did not happen and I am not happy with the picture this year but I wasn’t prepared to die on the holiday photo hill.
My holiday wrapping supplies have been ordered and have arrived. Hurray! I may have overdone it. By a lot. But there is no chance that I will be scrambling for supplies at the last minute.
I have amassed too many holiday outfits. Nobody has this this many parties to attend. This means I’ll have to squeeze returns into the holiday madness errands this weekend. Truth be told, I don’t even like going to parties. I just like the getting dressed part. At the actual event, I hover by the cheese board all night and corner the first person who talks to me into an hour long conversation. Cringe.
This weekend we (and my “we”, I mean “I”) are pulling the supplies out of our (and my “our:, I mean “my”) Christmas closet and I am exhausted rather than excited about this. Nobody loves Christmas more than I do, but the the second the house is decorated, I feel slightly claustrophobic and want it all to go away. Yesterday I said to my husband, “let’s just do half of what we usually do this year.” And then this morning, I saw that one of my favorite (fabulous!) gift shops is having a fire sale on artificial trees and I thought, “should we get a second tree for our cocktail lounge that I can decorate all by myself without all the crap (i.e. ornaments handmade by the children in kindergarten and my husband’s food themed ornaments) that has to go on our big family tree in the living room? Maybe Holiday Barbie can even be the tree topper?
Thanks for reading and whatever your holiday checklist entails, I see you. Fa la la to you and yours and good luck to all the women shouldering the burden of making the holiday magical for the people in their lives who still believe in Santa (grown men, I’m looking at you).
XOXO,
Tara
"I don’t even like going to parties. I just like the getting dressed part. At the actual event, I hover by the cheese board all night and corner the first person who talks to me..." --- I FEEL SEEN. Thank you for this gift, the day before my work party which I really only bought tickets for so I had an excuse to buy a very specific dress from Eliza Faulkner.
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