Gift Ideas - Corporette.com

The Best Women’s Pajamas to Give as Holiday Gifts

Kate Antoniades — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Pajamas make the perfect holiday gift for so many reasons. First off, it's wintertime, so people are drawn to soft, cozy things. Pajamas are typically a “safe” gift for those who are hard to buy for, and a lot of people don't frequently buy pajamas for themselves, so high-quality PJs can be a little treat. Plus, pajamas are available in a wide price range as well as both basic solid colors and fun or classic prints!

So, have we sold you on pajamas as gifts yet?! (A lot of those factors apply to throw blankets as well, btw.)

We haven't rounded up women's pajamas in a couple of years, so we're due for an update! These are some of the best brands and styles for friends, relatives, and the other important women in your life.

What are your favorite PJs to wear and to give as gifts, holiday or otherwise?

Our Latest Favorite Women's Pajamas to Give as Gifts

As of 2024, some of readers' favorite pajama brands include Nordstrom's Moonlight line, Soma Cool Nights, Lake Pajamas, PrintFresh, Under Armour, Lunya, Anthropologie, and (on the budget side), Stars Above. (Pajamas also make great gifts!)

The Best Women's Pajamas to Give as Holiday Gifts

Soma

We've mentioned Soma's Cool Nights line several times over the years, and it's still going strong. These pajamas are great for women dealing with hot flashes, or anyone who sleeps hot.

You can choose from among shirt & pant sets (like the one pictured), pajama separates, sleepshirts, nightgowns, and more. The soft, easy-care fabric is designed to be cool to the touch and to not stick to your skin. *shudder*

In addition to Cool Nights, the company sells all sorts of pajama styles in waffle knits, satin, and so on. Here are their holiday styles.

The pictured set, a bestseller, is on sale for $29–$39 in six solid/print combos in sizes XS–XXL (some colorways are lucky sizes only). The pants have an elastic waist and POCKETS, and the set is machine washable, tumble dry.

Ordering deadline for Christmas: A customer service rep told us on 12/13, “Currently, there are no such dates on Soma” — so double-check the arrival date when you order. (Find stores here.)

Lake Pajamas

Lake Pajamas calls itself “a sleepwear phenomenon” and in addition to women's pajamas (including maternity!), they carry men's, kids', baby, and “mom & mini” styles, and even have a bridal shop for the bride, groom, and bridesmaids.

Lake's size range for women's pajamas is XXS–XXL, and the fabrics available are pima cotton, “DreamKnit” (a silky 95% modal, 5% spandex), flannel, and poplin.

The pictured PJs are one of the brand's bestsellers, the DreamKnit kimino pajama set, $138. The top has a belt and interior tie, and the pants are wide-leg with an elastic waist. This set is available in five colorways — five striped and one solid — and is machine wash, dry flat.

Besides this pajama set style, Lake offers other PJ pant sets as well as short sets, separates, and nightgowns. Check out their holiday shop and gift guide.

Ordering deadline for Christmas: Order by 12/18, 12/19, or 12/20, to have gifts arrive on 12/22 — with standard, 2-day, and overnight shipping, respectively. The brand's pretty gift boxes are $10 each.

Printfresh

If you're looking to gift sustainable styles this holiday season, Printfresh could be for you. The brand's striking prints, which are “inspired by plants, animals, and home décor,” start out as paintings and are then hand-screen-printed or embroidered on 100% organic cotton in India (sustainable details here).

Printfresh's pajama, loungewear, and other clothing styles are available in organic cotton and viscose in an inclusive size range that includes plus (up to 6X) and petites, as well as kids' and matching family sets. The brand makes other clothing too, such as T-shirts and dresses, as well as accessories and home items.

Check out Printfresh's holiday shop, gift picks, and gift bundles! (By the way, an exclusive collection of pajamas and wallpaper is available at Anthropologie.)

The pictured bestselling pintuck nightgown (in the “Bagheera” print) is made from organic cotton poplin and has POCKETS. It's available in XXS–6X for $138 and is machine wash, tumble dry.

Ordering deadline to arrive for Christmas: Order by 12/15 for delivery by 12/24 with standard shipping.

Moonlight

Moonlight, a Nordstrom house brand of pajamas, currently offers a few dozen women's pajama styles in regular and plus sizes up to 4X. Their pant sets, short sets, nightshirts, and nightgowns are made from a machine-washable Tencel modal / spandex blend — and some are now on sale!

The pictured pajama set includes a button-front top with some classic contrast piping and drawstring-waist pants, and like all of the Moonlight line, it's machine wash, tumble dry. This style is available in regular and plus sizes in the pictured Barbados stripe as well as leopard print, a geometric print (which honestly kind of hurts to look at), and three very different florals.

This set is $75 full price, but the leopard and the green floral are on sale for $37.50.

Note: Some of the Moonlight line's pieces are labeled “Moonlight Eco.” Unfortunately, I couldn't find a description online of how they're different. Both are made mostly from Tencel modal, which is sustainably produced, and while some Moonlight Eco pieces are classified as “Sustainable Style,” some aren't. What seems to (maybe) be the case is that Moonlight styles contain at least 30% sustainably sourced materials, while Moonlight Eco ones have at least 50%. (We contacted Nordstrom customer service, but they were unable to provide more info.)

Ordering deadline to arrive for Christmas: Order by 8 a.m. ET on 12/18 with free standard shipping, or by noon on 12/19 with 2-day shipping, for gifts to arrive by 12/25.

Readers, do tell! What are your favorite PJs, both styles and brands? Have you tried any of the brands above?

Image via Pexels

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What Are the Best Food-Related Gifts?

Kat — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 18:18:56 +0000

Fruitcake from The Nuns of New Skete (via Goldbelly)

What do you think are the best food-related gifts, whether a subscription, a delivery from Goldbelly, or a meal delivery service like Blue Apron? What gifts have you received and loved, and which food-related gifts have you given? Let's discuss…

I think there are three main things to talk about here: 1) food-related subscriptions that you gift (or receive), 2) holiday-related food gifts like Harry & David, and then 3) food gifts in general, whether through a delivery service like Goldbelly, a gift card for a service like Blue Apron, or even just a homemade treat for someone…

Readers, what are your thoughts?

The Best Food-Related Gifts

The Best Food Subscriptions

As I mentioned when we talked about the best of-the-month-club subscriptions a few years ago, we've both given and received a lot of food-related subscriptions over the years… Without a doubt, the big hit among my in-laws was the Rancho Gordo Bean Club subscription. (Huge hat tip to the readers here!) That, of course, is because it really suits their personalities and their lifestyle…

We've had a lot of hit-or-miss success with fruit of the month, beer of the month, nut of the month type things… The wide variety that's sent each month isn't always the recipient's favorite, which means they're then kind of stuck with it. We also got salsa of the month for a while, which was tasty, but we just don't eat salsa that often, so the jars would pile up.

Two that we've bought for ourselves that I would recommend for possible gifts include Universal Yums and Shaker & Spoon.

Universal Yums is a monthly collection of junk food from a particular country, so you learn a bit about the country and get to taste some of the more unusual treats. We did it during the pandemic and enjoyed it, but the boxes piled up because we were trying to all be present to try the treats and share opinions.

Shaker & Spoon is another one we did during the pandemic — it's a really pricey subscription, so best for a very good friend! They send you the non-alcoholic ingredients to make 3-4 unique little cocktails each month. You have to buy the liquor yourself (although they always have fun suggestions!), but most cocktails were delicious and unusual. Some, though, weren't to our taste — for example, they kept sending drinks involving coffee, which I'll only drink during the day, and we just don't do a lot of day drinking.

(I had my eye on the Murray's Cheese Club subscription for my MIL, but then she went mostly vegan… so, no cheese subscription for her.

The Best Holiday-Related Food Gifts

We've given and received a lot of these with some far-flung family members… I have yet to find one I really like. I feel like Harry & David can be annoying if you don't like the kind of fruit sent (I'm not a big fan of pears or oranges), and the little chocolate collections or sausage things just seem a bit like extra calories during an already calorie-filled season.

We've received some unusual versions of this, like the year someone sent us 14 candy-coated apples, all decorated in festive frosting. Taste-wise, they weren't as big of a hit, but they were absolutely gorgeous to look at. They were individually wrapped, so we wound up giving a lot of them away to the kids' teachers.

Other Food-Related Gifts

There may be four subcategories here: Goldbelly deliveries, foods you make yourself like mason jars of hot chocolate or homemade granola, gift cards to restaurants, and gift cards to services like Blue Apron or HomeChef.

Goldbelly and Other Food Deliveries as Gifts

In terms of Goldbelly deliveries — I'd also include Zingerman's here, maybe — we've had a lot of tasty donuts and cakes from specialty bakeries across the country. It always feels like the price is crazy, but they're always enjoyed and special. (I would distinguish this from a Harry & David kind of gift because you can't choose a generic sampling of fruit and nuts…)

(My mom is a big fan of fruitcake, so the picture at the top is one of the Goldbelly offerings we've tried and really liked — Brandied Fruitcake, by The Nuns of New Skete for $55.95.)

Homemade Food-Related Gifts

I don't make any food-related gifts myself, but I feel like the readers have shared some great ideas recently… You can also find great ideas from Real Simple, Taste of Home, and a bunch of other spots. Maybe this is me, but I feel like the key to this gift is that the recipient gets to choose when to enjoy it — in other words. it's largely shelf-stable and can be used or made after the holidays.

Gift Cards to Restaurants

We have started giving these to some friends and family, trying to support independent, local businesses … but it can be tricky if you don't know the restaurant yourself, or if the restaurant closes before the recipient can use the gift. (If the restaurant itself doesn't sell gift cards, you may be able to find them through Open Table or Restaurant.com.)

Because I have family there, I know that in Cleveland you can buy a coupon book for independent restaurants — but I can't find any other cities that do this. (Readers, if you do, shout 'em out in the comments!)

Obviously it's really easy to find gift cards to big chains, and you can often find them for a slightly discounted price at stores like Costco…

Gift Cards for Meal Delivery Services

As far as gift cards to meal delivery services like Blue Apron or HomeChef, we've had mixed success. In general these can be tricky gifts to give because you're basically signing someone up to cook dinner, but if you know your audience this can be great. The best one everyone loved was Purple Carrot, which had some delicious, inventive vegan meals (including some recipes I'm still making).

Readers, what are your thoughts — what are your favorite food-related gifts to give?

Stock photo via Stencil.

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Coffee Break: Rechargeable Hand Warmer

Kat — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 19:04:00 +0000

This pretty little thing came up recently on one of my meanderings around Amazon, and I was intrigued: It is a rechargeable hand warmer! That little disc fits in the palm of your hand, and you can wear the silicone loop around your wrist if you want.

There are, of course, a zillion other ways to keep your hands warm, but this one is so pretty, and I think would make a great gift for someone who is always cold. It's often priced under $20, too, so it could be an easy stocking stuffer or other small gift if you have a monetary limit or just want to give a token physical gift alongside a gift card. (Such as for your assistant!)

The little device comes in five pretty patterns; this one is “polygon.”

Sales of note for 7.19.24

Nordstrom – The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is now open to everybody! Here are all of our picks, and here are reader favorites.
Ann Taylor – Semi-annual sale, extra 50% off markdowns + 20% off everything!
Banana Republic Factory – 40-60% off everything, take an extra 20% off your purchase
Eloquii – 50% off select styles
Everlane – Up to 70% off
J.Crew – End of Season Sale, extra 50% off sale styles
J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything
Lo & Sons – Summer sale, up to 50% off
Madewell – End of season sale, up to 70% off with code.
M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide. (Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is the biggest sitewide discount I've ever seen…)
Rothy's – Lots of great finds in the “final few” section
Talbots – Semi-annual red door sale, extra 40% off markdowns

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What Are the Best Gifts You’ve Received?

Kat — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 18:12:34 +0000

It's been too long since we had a thread listing the best gifts we've received (or that we would recommend to or for other people as gifts) — so here are the prompts:

Best book:

Best makeup/skincare/nail polish product:

Best handbag:

Best jewelry or accessory:

Best travel-related purchase (business travel or other):

Best cardigan/sweater:

Best pajamas/lounge/athleisure item:

Best kitchen item:

Best pantry/shelf-stable food item (e.g., fancy olive oil):

Best wine, beer, or liquor:

Best shippable gift basket, flower delivery, etc., you’ve received:

Best home item (e.g., blanket, Roomba):

Best thing you received or bought where Social Media Made You Do It:

Best gift you hesitated getting/keeping but now love:

Best restaurant meal or giftable experience (please note city):

Best play/musical/event experience (please note city):

Best hobby-related gift (e.g., a wetsuit for your love of kayaking):

Best $20 or under you’ve spent (or estimate a gift to have cost):

Best other:

(Looking back) – What gift(s) have you received or bought for yourself for graduation(s) that you adored?:

(Looking back) – What gift(s) have you received or bought for yourself for milestone birthdays that were amazing?:

Some of My Favorite Gifts and Purchases

Best book: I read a lot of romance — some of my favorite newer ones I read this year, many on Kindle Unlimited (possibly another great gift idea): The Worst Guy and In a Jam (both Kate Canterbury), anything by Ali Hazelwood (particularly if the recipient likes really strong heroines in STEM).

Best makeup/skincare/nail polish product: I think I got Guerlain's Meteorites about a year ago now — it continues to be one of my favorite “must use before leaving the house” kind of purchases. It banishes any shininess, gently color-corrects, and gives a healthy lit-from-within kind of glow. I'm surprised how much I like it, to be honest. On a more expensive scale, I really love my new Shark blow dryer — my curly hair is diffused dry so quickly.

Best pajamas/lounge/athleisure item: I now own two sets of Nordstrom's Moonlight pajamas — they're super comfortable and wash nicely. Recommend.

Best kitchen item: On the smaller side: We're really into popping our own popcorn at the moment and this big air popper is my favorite if you have the space — it never burns the kernels! Infinitely smaller: a collapsible microwave popper* (but you do have to listen carefully). On the bigger side: We're enjoying our new Cuisinart toaster oven (although I'm not sure it's replaced my Ninja air fryer like I'd hoped it would). (*Note that the exact collapsible popper we bought is now unavailable, but there are a ton of similar ones; I've also heard great things about the one from Pampered Chef.)

Best wine, beer, or liquor: I got a bottle of Angel's Envy Rye and loved that — I'd also say our Shaker and Spoon subscription is one of the most enjoyable gifts we've gotten for ourselves.

(Here's my Shaker & Spoon referral code if you'd like to get 50% off your first box…)

Best shippable gift basket, flower delivery, etc., you’ve received: If you have any fruitcake lovers in your life, we just got my mom this fruitcake from Goldbelly — she recommends!

Best pantry/shelf-stable food item (e.g., fancy olive oil): A friend turned me on to Weak Knees Gochujang Sriracha, from Bushwick Kitchen — we've made three or four orders over the past year. Delicious. We also love our Rancho Gordo bean subscription, as do my in-laws!

Best home item (e.g., blanket, Roomba): A reader recommended this stylish happy light and I must say I really love it. Remote control and a really stylish look.

Best gift you hesitated getting/keeping but now love: (mostly for the parents) We resisted going to Disney for a long time, but we finally went and had an absolutely stellar time with the kids. We just planned another trip.

Best restaurant meal or giftable experience (please note city): Le Colonial, Chicago (vacation)

Best play/musical/event experience (please note city): Bottom of the Ocean, NYC (closing soon though)

(Looking back) – What gift(s) have you received or bought for yourself for graduation(s) that you adored?: Boring gift, but I'll always be thankful for fact that when I graduated college, my father set up a joint Schwab account for me and gave me enough money to start investing. Had it not been for that (and/or my friend Sue, who since my early 20s has been one of the most money-savvy people I know), I doubt I'd have gotten interested in investing as early as I did.

(Looking back) – What gift(s) have you received or bought for yourself for milestone birthdays that were amazing?: I have no regrets over my Cartier watch or Mikimoto pearls (both for my 30th). I don't remember anything in particular for my 40th, though (hmmmn).

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The Best Last Minute Gifts

Kat — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 17:10:00 +0000

We did a big roundup on the best of-the-month club subscriptions last December — and I thought we'd do another roundup of similar last-minute gifts…

(Also check out some of our classic gift ideas — many are available through Amazon for quick shipping.)

Great Last Minute Gift: Meal Services Like Purple Carrot

We've tried a few of these for our family and in my experience they're all a little bit too much work for what they are — the one that I really enjoy is Purple Carrot, mainly because I don't regularly eat or make vegan recipes. I have one friend who gets it really regularly and is always posting amazing-looking dishes to Instagram — and I could see this being a great gift for someone who is trying to eat less meat, eat healthier, or enjoys trying new foods and recipes. Note that they generally are not low-calorie dishes — the few weeks we had all of the meals clocked in at around 700-900 calories — but maybe that was just the dishes we chose. (Everything was DELICIOUS and we've added a few recipes to our regular rotation.)

With Purple Carrot you pick your meals a week or two ahead of time based on a menu. If you get 4 dinners per week for 2 people, that will be about $95. (Oooh, and they now have “prepared meals” as an option, also, so you don't have to do quite so much meal prep.)

Smaller gifts that correlate with this (if you want to make a nice themed present or have something else to wrap up): new spatulas (am I alone in feeling like I always need new ones? I liked this set), specialty products like avocado savers, or fun spices like Slap Ya Mama or Trader Joe ones like Umami seasoning or Black garlic.

There are obviously a ton of other meal services here — readers, I'd love to hear which are your favorite, either to use yourself or give as gifts…

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Great Last Minute Gift: Cocktail Subscription Service like Shaker & Spoon

Something I've seen the readers talking about a lot is a monthly cocktail subscription service, where they send you all those tinier ingredients that can be difficult to find and expensive to purchase — after all, not everyone is going to love a $20 bottle of a very specific kind of bitters.

It's important to note that they do not send you alcohol, but rather “everything you need besides the alcohol.” But they do make recommendations for which alcohol to get.

A 1-month gift is $50.

Note that there are of-the-month clubs for alcohol, if your recipient's state allows it — if you know someone who is trying to cut their intake you might look into a gift card to No & Low, which sells a ton of interesting non-alcoholic substitutes.

Smaller physical gifts that can correlate to a cocktail subscription service like this: historical drinking glasses (I have 2 different sets of these and love them), a bartender kit, or even fancier cherries than they might otherwise buy. (Or, hey, dirty martini olive juice.)

Another Last-Minute Gift for the Book Lover: A Book Subscription such as Brilliant Books

Readers turned me on to Brilliant Books' of-the-month subscription last year, and I got it for my husband. He was a pretty passive recipient, reading the books at his own pace, and not giving them a ton of feedback, but he found some great books through the service. There are a lot of services like this, including romance-specific ones (I've heard great things about The Ripped Bodice's subscription) — again, readers, if you've tried any other book clubs, I'd love to hear about them! (Particularly if you have any great sci fi book clubs!)

Physical gifts to correlate to a book-of-the-month subscription: a clip-on reading light (we just got this amber one), a great throw blanket (get snuggly and read!), a funny bookmark or two.

A Few More Last-Minute Gift Ideas

Storyworth – The recipient receives weekly prompts to write their story; at the end of the subscription you can buy them (and others) a bound book. It's a lovely idea for a grandparent if they're into writing. Physical gift ideas to go along with it: a mug, nice teas, maybe even a candle to make their trip down memory lane more of a ritual. (This cedarwood/sandalwood candle is lovely, but the scent is very strong.)
Letters of the month – I've gifted the Dear Holmes mystery letter of the month before (my father enjoyed them), and there are a few different historical letter clubs (the Rumpus, Letterjoy, Historic Mail). Physical gift ideas to go along with it: mug, teas, maybe even a themed letter opener like these sword ones.

Readers, what are some of your best last-minute gift ideas?

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Great Gift Ideas for the Household (Reader Favorites!)

Kate Antoniades — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:18:15 +0000

Readers had a very busy comment thread a few weeks ago about their favorite household items they've bought this year, and because most would make great holiday gifts, we're rounding them up today! (By far, kitchen items were the most frequently mentioned, which isn't surprising since we've all been spending more time at home than usual…)

Note that readers generally didn't provide links to specific products, so for general item suggestions, we're featuring popular and well-reviewed options below.

This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

Pictured clockwise from top left: light green mini-waffle maker / Roomba / dark blue egg cooker / AirPods / Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer