The Healthyish Gift Guide for People With Impeccable Taste
Whether we’re ready or not, the holiday season has arrived. And with it come the office White Elephant exchanges, the friend-group Secret Santas, and the impossible-to-please relatives. But don’t let the stress of finding the perfect gift ruin the season: This hyper-curated guide has your back, whether you’re shopping for the fitness fanatic who never skips leg day or the dinner party host who doesn’t need another bottle of wine. Check back often: We’ll be adding new recommendations twice a week through the end of the season, so you can focus on the things that really matter like cookies.
Find the rest of our 2019 gift guides right here.
All products featured on Healthyish are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Laura Murray1/16For Someone With Only One Vinegar in Their Pantry
In the universe of vinegars, Keepwell exists in its own galaxy. Each bottle contains exuberant flavors with 4% acid content, and one sip is like meeting an alien life form that doesn’t conform to the rules of our world—a place where vinegars with poor-quality ingredients, little flavor distinction, filtration, and 5% or more acetic acid content are the norm.
That 1% reduction might not sound like a lot, but it helps accentuate the bright and sweet fruit flavors on display in Keepwell’s vinegars. The Granny Smith Apple vinegar retains the green, sweet tartness of its namesake, while the Sorghum Molasses vinegar has vivid cooked-sugar sweetness. The Bitter Lemon is wildly floral and frankly out of this world. Their holiday gift box contains 5 oz bottles of all three, plus Merlot. Each one has the rustic finesse of small-batch vinegar experiments conducted by a good friend, which is exactly what they are.
Buy it: Keepwell Vinegar Gift Box, $28
Photo by Emma Fishman2/16For the Person Who Loves Cocktails, Not Hangovers
Blame wellness, weed, or millennial spending habits. Whatever the cause, we’re drinking less. And, when we do drink, we’re reaching for booze that’s cleaner, responsibly sourced, and lower in alcohol. Haus’s low-ABV spirits check all those boxes, plus they taste really good. We’re all about the Citrus Flower, which, like all of Haus’s spirits, is made from wine grapes grown on and near the founders’ vineyard in Sonoma, CA. It’s infused with elderflower, lemon, hibiscus, grapefruit, and cinnamon, and tastes like a day sitting poolside at The Ace in Palm Springs. And at 15-percent alcohol, it’s about half as strong as Campari with a lot less sugar too. Mix it with soda water for a gentle afternoon spritz or use it in a cocktail in place of St-Germain. Bonus points for the limited-edition bottles designed by illustrators we love.
Photo by Emma Fishman3/16For Your Friend Who Thinks They Can't Make Coffee
The prospect of “getting into coffee” can be intimidating. One day you’re buying fancy beans; the next you’re researching gooseneck kettles and contemplating dropping a couple hundred on a burr grinder. For entry-level coffee snobs, a French press is an inexpensive and fairly idiot-proof place to start. The (coarsely ground) coffee goes in the bottom, the hot water goes over it, and the whole thing sits for a few minutes, then—look at that!—you made coffee. We love this Caffettiera French press because it’s the perfect size for one or two people, and it’s cute enough to leave out on the counter if you’re short on cabinet space.
Photo by Emma Fishman4/16For Someone Who Breaks Plates Like LeBron Breaks NBA Records
Some people love ceramics, some people break ceramics, and some people do both. For that last category of person, it’s time for an intervention (no more $50 plates for you!) accompanied by a gift: these reusable, cute-AF, bamboo plates. We first came across Xenia Taler’s plates at Woonwinkel in Portland, OR, and have been dreaming about them since. It’s hard to choose a favorite among all the geometric-patterned and splatter-art designs, but we’re especially fond of the striped number up top. They’re all dishwasher-safe (no microwaves though!) and free of BPA, PVC, and any of the gunk you find in plastic plates. Oh yeah, and you can literally chuck them like Frisbees, which is more than we can say about most dinnerware.
Buy it: Xenia Taler Bamboo Plates, $12.
Photo by Emma Fishman5/16For Your In-Law Who's Always Like “Omg TEA!”
Here we are, writing about tea again! But the thing about humanity’s progress is, tea is getting more ethically farmed and sustainably sourced in this age of transparency. How’s that for buzzword bingo.
Anyway, we’re currently drinking Alaya’s loose-leaf teas, which are organically farmed by workers in India who are treated kindly. But what does that really mean? Smita Satiani, Alaya’s co-owner, explains that they work with tea farms that are Fair Trade International Certified. That means the workers receive housing, pension funds, healthcare, cooking fuel, footwear, and support for their dependents, including free milk through infant nutrition programs, free primary education, and scholarships for further educational training.
Their packaging is also compostable, for Healthyish bonus points.
Our favorite pouch is the Darjeeling First Flush Black Tea. It’s lightly floral, with a sturdy black tea backbone. Brewed hot, it’s especially dainty (appealing for those who find tea too tannic or bitter). For stronger flavor, cold brew it for an hour or so, with slightly more leaves in the pot. Sleepytime fan? Try the Tulsi tea, or straight-up chamomile flowers. Chai fan? Get into the Assam and Ginger blend.
And if you’re like, loose-leaf, nooooo! Too much trouble! Either invest in some compostable, undyed bags or pick up a teapot with a strainer built into the lid.
Buy it: Alaya Loose Leaf Teas, from $16
Rishi Tea Bag Filters, 100 for $5
Kinto Cast Teapot, $35
Photo by Emma Fishman6/16For the Friend Who Needs to Trade In Their Dorm Room Posters:
No disrespect to Pink Floyd and Pulp Fiction, but even our most prized dorm room posters somehow don’t feel as cool in our definitely not-in-college-anymore apartments. It’s time for a refresh, and luckily some of our favorite artists are creating covetable, colorful prints that don’t even need a frame to feel special. Right now, this dreamy illustration from Marylou Faure is at the top of our list. You may recognize the London-based artist’s playful illustrations from Healthyish Guide to Your 30s, and we’d happily steal every one of her character’s outfits. We’re especially drawn to the lush, laid-back feel of this signed, limited edition print, which transports us to a beach in Portugal even when there’s snow falling outside the bedroom window.
Buy it: Dreamy II Print, $96.
Photo by Emma Fishman7/16For Your Friend Who Likes to Toke in Style:
We’re calling it: 2019 was the year of the ceramic pipe. Our favorite boutiques and Instagram feeds are flooded with pastel pipes that are are less Sherlock Holmes, more smokable Tetris piece. Still, in a sea of vibey smoking accessories, Pigeon Toe’s wonderfully understated stone pipe stands out. That’s because the Portland-based ceramics studio cast a rock found in Washington's Washougal river to create the perfect pocket-sized shape. It comes in a slew of appealingly understated glazes like blush and mint, which provide a slick surface for easier cleaning. And while we totally admit to falling for the minimalist aesthetic, ceramic’s excellent heat conducting properties and durability means this pipe is supremely functional too.
Buy it: Pigeon Toe Stone Pipe, $48
Photo by Emma Fishman8/16For Your Cousin Who Needs a Kitchen Makeover But Can’t Afford a Reno:
We’ve crushed on Dusen Dusen’s eclectic, color-forward sheets and pillowcases for years. Now Brooklyn-based designer Ellen van Dusen is serving up a new object of obsession: technicolor dish towels. Available in four vibrant designs—lavender moons, Aperol-stained pinwheels, indigo waves, and lime checks—they’re capable of zhuzhing up even the dimmest apartment kitchen. And while these dish towels are totally cute enough to double as dinner party napkins, they’re also sturdy enough to get tossed in the wash after mopping up a serious marinara spill. We may never get those terrazzo countertops (or even that dishwasher), but at least our linens are on point.
Buy it: Dusen Dusen Dish Towels, $68 for 4.
Photo by Emma Fishman9/16For the Person Who Can Never Have Too Many Ceramics:
The best cheese plates are more than just cheese plates. They're toast and jam plates, sweet potato and peanut butter plates, avocado drizzled with EVOO plates, pancake plates, and grains with crispy eggs plates. They're these speckled, wood-fired beauties from Fefo Studio, Fernando Aciar's ceramics studio based out of Bushwick, Brooklyn, and Healthyish editor Amanda Shapiro is clearly obsessed with hers. We recommend buying a set of at least four so you can break them out at dinner parties (did we mention they're perfect for salad?), but we have a feeling you'll use them much, much more often than that.
Photo by Emma Fishman10/16For the Night Owl Who Wants to Be a Morning Person:
We tried it all: Storing our phones away from the bed, signing up for early morning workout classes. Nothing got us to actually roll out of bed when the alarm went off, except the LBell Wake-Up Light and Alarm Clock. The stylish, opaque globe is like the Swiss Army knife of sleep: It’s a clock and wake-up light (and also a sleep aid and radio). Every morning, the clock slowly emits light that mimics sunrise to quietly wake us up in the 20 minutes before the alarm sounds. At the end of that cycle, a soundtrack of gently flowing water fills the room, telling us that it’s time to get up. And we actually do.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle11/16For the Dinner Party Host Who Doesn’t Need Another Bottle of Wine:
These linen napkins make our table look thoughtfully put-together, whether we’ve cooked dinner for six or ordered pizza to go. Made by Gjusta Goods (the shop attached to the vibey all-day cafe Gjusta in Venice, CA,), the hand-stitched, rosy pink napkins are super soft and big enough to handle a messy, saucy meal without being unwieldy. Best of all, they’re sturdy enough to throw in the hamper when the meal done—no fussy hand washing required.
Buy it: Gjusta Goods Linen Napkins, $62.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle12/16For the Healthyish Cook Who Loves Steamed Veg:
This ceramic donabe is the most beautiful and functional thing in our kitchen. Elegant, durable, and outfitted with a removable steamer grate, it’s the pot we can't wait to bust out when friends come over for dinner. As a steamer, it makes everyday sweet potatoes, broccolini, and asparagus all feel luxurious, like all our vegetables decided to take a day trip to the spa. Remove the steamer grate and the donabe becomes a gorgeous vessel for making hot pot, soups, or stews. Who needs to go outside for dinner when this is on the stove?
Photo by Chelsea Kyle13/16For the Person Who Never Skips Leg Day:
This year’s tidal wave of new CBD products can be mixed into stirred into coffee and shaken into cocktails, but for sore muscles, period cramps, and other aches, we use something that goes right on the skin: Wildflower's Cool Stick. The supercharged muscle rub suspends full-spectrum CBD oil in a moisturizing blend of shea butter, coconut oil, and hemp oil, plus a bit of peppermint and arnica for an instant cooling sensation with immediate physical relief. Within a few minutes, we’re more comfortable.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle14/16For the Bookworm Who Can’t Stop Buying Paperbacks:
Our love of books has always been a point of pride—our messy bookshelves, less so. But Tortuga’s cheerful, colorful bookends keep our piles of library books in check, turning any dresser or shelf into a chic bookcase with stackable steel arches are designed by Ciszak Dalmas. They can be flipped onto one side to display a single prized item—or provide an excellent excuse for buying allll the books.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle15/16For the Meal Prepper Who Needs to Up Their Container Game:
We shamelessly eat our desk lunches out of these surprisingly chic reusable containers. They’re microwavable, opaque, and so pretty (look at the colors!) that if we kind of blur our vision a little, we can pretend we’re eating in a real, maybe even ceramic, dish. They’re also much larger than bowls typically marketed for transporting lunches, ensuring we can pack satisfyingly-sized salads and grain bowls to get us through the day without raiding the office snack drawer.
Buy it: Microwavable Nested Storage Bowls, $60-70 for a set of four.
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Illustration by Fran Caballero16/16
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