Christmas in July: Part Two

Adam here for part two of this month’s series Christmas in July. If you missed the introduction where I laid out what you can expect and some other ground rules, I recommend you start there.

While I don’t tend to gift practical gifts, I do believe practical gifts given in mass are greater than the sum of their parts. This is the joy of a stocking. Sort of a personal care package if you will. I still recommend all of the items from last year’s stocking stuffer post. Don’t be surprised if there are repeats here. Don’t trust anyone who recommends exclusively new things each year. This is consumerism, not expertise.

Start with the staples:

My stocking is sponsored by Big Chapstick — specifically Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint. It’s not a stocking without chapstick, but fancy chapsticks stress me out. These last forever and don’t feel precious.

We are a bath family. Ancient Minerals bath salts are the most potent, effective epsom salts we have used. If you must shower, this eucalyptus shower spray is the best. Our bathrooms are small and turn into steam rooms quickly, ideal for this past year’s viral season. Turn on the shower and generously spray. Helpful for a sore throat and general congestion.

For masks, I recommend three. Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Mask is our go-to general mask. It’s best when you just feel tired and dirty. The second is Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask. I actually use it as my aftershave in lieu of the traditional, overly scented stuff. Post shave, I lather with this (a little goes a long way) and never get razor burn or breakouts. The third is Sofie Pavitt’s Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment. This stuff is no joke and not for sensitive skin. Read the directions and don’t leave on for more than five minutes. However, it’s crazy effective for spot treatment.

We started using Trillium Soaps out of Rockland, Maine this past year. I actually prefer the bars unwrapped but for two extra bucks, you can buy a wrapped bar. Scent is personal but, if you only get one, get the spearmint. I usually prefer peppermint, but this is the exception.

After having two kids, Active Skin Repair is mandatory. We use it on bug bites, scrapes, bruises, and eczema patches. Amazingly effective. Do your own research, but we use it on our kids too. Not a glamorous endorsement, but our entire family had a terrible bout of double pink eye earlier this year. Our only real relief was spraying Active Skin Repair directly in our eyes. Do your own research, but it’s a thing. My eye doctor — the best — says that hypochlorous acid as an eye treatment is one of the most exciting recent developments in eye care.

Dr. Scholl’s Heel Repair amazes me. I don’t have a lot of issues with blisters, but Amber does any time she gets new shoes or travels. Pandora Sykes recommended this blister stick, and I plan to drop a stick of it in Amber’s stocking.

She also recommended these self-sealing toothpaste caps. Intrigued, particularly for lazy children or parents that are somehow always holding a toddler when they are trying to brush.

Miss Mouth’s is a miracle stain treatment spray for toddler and adult stains alike. Before washing, spray treat stains and leave outside in the sun for a few hours and the stains will almost always completely disappear. It feels illegal. I am personally interested in getting back into the market for tide pens after experiencing envy when I watched a stranger pull one out at the farmers market. I never have enough Magic erasers and think they should be stocking prerequisites.

Doing any doomsday prepping? You want my mom on your team. She always puts one can of this De-Icer in our stockings and, while it might not do the trick if we lived somewhere with a harsher winter, it fits the bill for the occasional morning of heavy frost in Tennessee.

I plan to give these cable ties, recommended by the Creative Director of Alex Mill, to all tote users. Check out how he uses them — genius.

As I said last year:

Every year, my parents gave each of us an ornament that was, in some form or another, representational of our year. Maybe it was an ornament that was a favorite food, a favorite children’s book, or a sport or instrument we played. When we got our own homes (and trees), they gave us the box of ornaments as a personal starting kit of lifelong memories to jumpstart our own Christmas decorating. We have already started this tradition with our son and will begin with our daughter this year. We bought our son an egg (his favorite food) the first year and a school bus (bus obsessed) the second. Buy two if you want the memories to stay on your tree once you gift your kids theirs.

Start with John Derian and More & More Antiques.

A great comb goes a long way. My everyday comb is The Benjamin. This past year, I gifted The Indomitable to all the men in our family and had them engraved — almost as a shared heirloom. The kids felt so special they had the same comb as their dads. It was pretty sweet.

I probably won’t want a fan come December, but someone (maybe also Pandora Sykes) recommended this Easy Acc Fan. I forget that suffering through the heat with no relief is not the only option. They will thank you next summer.

Sometimes, you just need to set a timer and commit to twenty minutes. This Low-Tech Timer is on my wishlist.

Amber breaks all my umbrellas. No lie. She replaced the one she most recently broke with The Davek Solo. It’s perfectly light, sleek, and compact. An aside, I think this would make a great graduation gift.

Liberty puzzles are perhaps out of stocking stuffer territory but deserve a mention. They are beautiful, unique, and expertly crafted. Our family did this snack cake puzzle over the 4th, and it was a hit. We did several 500-piece puzzles. Nice to finish in an afternoon and just enough to scratch an itch.

Stationery is another form of personal care. I always peruse Choosing Keeping and do one larger order a year. I can’t tell if I love or hate their new fruit peel masking tape. Leaning towards love, particularly the watermelon and melon. Would be fun for kids or on the envelopes of summer invites.

Step up your game with this mechanical pencil. I routinely give the small Kaweco Pen to friends and family. I also particularly like the look of this Zebra blue ballpoint pen.

You might remember our pen post, but Bjorn of Eva Joan’s answer stuck with me most and feels like a challenge.

Only pen I use is the Pilot G2 (.38) in black.

It’s a grocery list pen. I think most of the pilot pens are trash but the .38 picks up on the smallest of shifts. It’s the only pen I’ve found that reveals how someone wrote - it won’t go further than your gesture.

In my head it’s the great revealer.

Added to cart.

Throw in a Faber-Castell Kneaded Eraser. The original grade-school fidget. Is this as universal of an experience as I think or did I just have a quality art education?

I somehow always run out of binder clips and really dislike buying more. You can do it for me though.

For paper goods, go for this stenographer’s notepad or The Printery’s Note to Self pad. I am still mad they discontinued the Stable pads. Their plane notecards would be great for a conscientious kid and might encourage quicker thank you notes. My favorites will always be the Sunbursts.

Last year, our son’s school sent home a card with a stamp of the Head of School’s face and “approved by (enter name here).” It was funny and would make a great stocking stuffer. It’s not the sort of thing you buy yourself. Similar here.

Author Catherine Newman has put out a gift guide for years — since 2012! She mentioned this mango in her 2023 guide and we gave several last Christmas. As she promised, they were a hit. It’s scented and most satisfying. Our three-year-old played with it for a decent amount of our recent car ride across the state.

My neighbor routinely calls me a chocoholic despite having never expressed any particular affinity for chocolate. Wires were crossed somewhere along the way. The older I get, I actually prefer candy. Mera & Longhi hard candies are new-ish to us but feel decadent. The flavor profiles are interesting. We like the herb mix but they make a fruit mix too if you want something safer and sweeter. For better or worse, my brother turned us on to BonBon a few years ago. The Raspberry Puckers are go-to’s for stockings and for self-congratulatory rewards throughout the year. Their mixes are also terrific if you want to try a lot of candy.

I am not a key fob person but, if I were, this canvas fob looks smart.

For books, this year I am giving two that you can finish in an hour or two after a post-Christmas lunch nap:

Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly

The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt

Another book, you will either hate or love If… (Questions For The Game of Life). We love it. A go-to for gatherings of introverts. There is a book two and three too.

Gift Guide: Part One next Wednesday.