An Idiosyncratic Child's Christmas Wish-List/Gift Guide

so I put together a wishlist for that strange person you know in your life (coughmecough). and don't tell me I'm late in getting this out because I know you're waay behind on your shopping list (like me)! originally, I was gonna make this a list of gifts for girls, but it dawned on me that not all girls would appreciate seeing a panini maker under the tree Christmas morn. in fact, I'm not sure anybody would.. still. though, some of the items can be for both guys and girls, it still leans more towards girl-oriented stuff.

if you wanna skip my wordy commentary, all the prices are in italics and most of the products have been linked. oh, and also keep in mind, some of you may consider a few of the cheap gifts as "stocking stuffers," but for people who are on the tighter end financially, I consider them to be quite pleasant gifts.

01 woolly mittens and/or finger-less gloves; I find mittens adorable in general and finger-less gloves are useful (but they don't really keep my hands as warm as mittens); I dig these. aren't the colors beautiful?

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 you can buy mittens and finger-less gloves from any department store or stores like Forever 21, H&M, etc. $6-$60 (depending on the material/quality.)

02 a slouchy beanie or beret. whatever floats yer boat. I absolutely adore this one. I'm also usually not a fan of pom-poms on hats but I'd make an exception for this one. I don't know about you but I've had a bit of trouble finding slouchy beanies in the stores around me, and I feel like they've only recently been stocking them at places like H&M. I ventured into one the other day but couldn't locate the nice ones. the accessories section was an uber mess and the line for check-out was too long to be bothered with, so I left empty-handed. I believe most of the H&M ones run around $7-$12, but again it depends on the material/quality.  

03 a bottle (or two) of nail polish, preferably with glitter. who doesn't like a bit of sparkle? personally, I love Essie nail polishes and maay have stocked up on a bottle or two when I went to NY last month. I may also have bought them for $5.99 a bottle as opposed to the usual $7.99-$8.99! yes, a very sweet deal. (the shop is called Beauty 35 and located on the corner of 8th Ave & W 35th St. if anybody is interested.) of course, six bucks for a bottle of nail polish can still seem awfully expensive. do not fear! Avon is currently having a sale for $3.49 (regularly priced at $6.00.) I've also heard some pretty rave reviews about Wet n' Wild, but I've never tried it myself so I can't really say much. I will say the price runs from $0.99-$2.00 something and that is a pretty awesome price. (in my opinion, all nail polish should be under $5. seriously.) make sure you know what color your friend likes before buying anything. if you want to keep it as a surprise, then get some neutrals to play it safe.

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04 clever mugs; I am a sucker for quirky mugs. you gotta admit, something like the camera lens mug would make an amazing gift. if the person you're shopping for is not quite a photography person, then maybe this cute mug will float their boat. there are also many options out there for personalizing a mug. or better yet, brush up on your artsy skills (or lack thereof) and make a mug for that speshul person with this tutorial.; under $10

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05 curling iron; for the girl who likes to experiment with her hair but doesn't even have a curling iron. (that'd be me basically hehe) I've heard cheap curling irons found at the drugstore and high-end ones don't make that big of a difference. I honestly don't know. Ulta carries a fairly large and affordable selection from brands such as Conair, Remington, Revlon, and much, much more on their site. check it out here. (wow, I sound like an advertising lady on a cheesy TV ad.); $15-$199

06 a cozy fireplace (okay, I don't actually want that for Christmas, but I do wish we had one. they make for pretty pictures and keep my frozen toesies toasty. a girl can dream, right?)

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07 a messenger bag. this is something for that college (or not-so college) kid who doesn't always have to lug everything to class, and just wants to bring a laptop or a textbook. course, you don't have to be a college person to love it, 'cause I know I would love one. my bro came up to me the other day and surprised me by informing me that he wouldn't mind a messenger for Christmas. HURRAY, I thought, SOMETHING I CAN ACTUALLY BUY. then I looked online and discovered to my dismay that the prices were waaaay too high. my brother has a 17" laptop and the bigger the bag, the more expensive it is. I think this one would be ideal for a smaller laptop... still looking for a nice looking one under $40 though. tough job.; mid $20-$100

08 a panini press. sandwiches. I.. stinkin. love em. so easy to make and you can put whatever youuu like. get a loaf of crusty bread, couple chunks of mozzarella, thinly sliced tomatoes and shredded basil, then smack that sandwich down and grill that sucka. voila! you got a panini. sigh. what I'd do for one. screw calories, I wanna whip up some hot, toasty om-noms at my disposal (preferably when I'm craving food at one in the morning.); $50-$70. you can find one right hurr.

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09 a hoodie; if you know someone that lives in hoodies 24/7 during the cold winter months and perhaps even well into the spring, then you should consider investing into a nice one. you can never have enough hoodies.; mid $20-$55. American Apparel has a few nifty ones.

10 CDs; since most people get their music electronically now, they don't bother buying a hard copy. I don't know about you, but I love legit CDs from my favorite artists (ahem, Owl City). I don't care if I can listen to all the songs on Youtube, it still feels nice to hold a physical copy in my hands. it makes you feel like a reaaal fan. too bad, real fans are broke sometimes. how do you fix that problem?! buy me that friend his/her favorite album/artist! trust me, they'll appreciate & if they don't, ask for it back.; $8-$15

11 chocolate. being the chocaholic I am, this is one gift that I don't mind receiving over and over again. I'd gladly take chocolate any day. nothing can beat an ol' KitKat bar or Reese's Peanut butter cup in my book. of course, if you want to buy me Godiva, then well, our friendship will be more secure, but hey, I understand. Godiva's expensive. that's alright.; $5-$10000000000 who needs a price range for chocolate?!!?

12 GIFT CARDS. let's face it, you hate buying them, but you love receiving them. can't deny the excitement of receiving money to your favorite store. the best part about giving someone a gift card is that you can control how much you want to spend. don't be too stingy though, or else you probs won't have any friends after Christmas; price varies

13 okay to be fair, I didn't really include anything specifically for guys, so here's one. BOW TIES! yeup, I'm serious. they are classier than neckties, in my humble opinion & not every guy is bound to have one in his wardrobe. fairly cheap way to dress up his Christmas outfit. throw on some jeans, dress-shirt, sweater, and a bowtie. BAM. he'll be bound to get compliments about how snazzy he looks & you'll be thanked later; $5-$20

*updated* I forgot to add these two before I posted the list.

14 DVDs/TV show box sets. if your friends are the uber fans of shows like "The Walking Dead" or "Game of Thrones" or have a specific movie they love (but for some reason don't own haha,) this would be the perfect opportunity to get them that. a complete set of a TV show may run a little more on the pricey side, but if you have money to blow & you know your bff absolutely adores a certain show, then trust me, he or she will love you forever. buying a DVD may be a lot cheaper, but I think the chances of them already owning it are quite high if they love it that much. ah well, who knows.. use your sneaky skills and find out if they have the movie or not. if they don't, then BAM! that's a perfect gift right theree. DVDs-$5-$25; TV show series-$40-$100+ 

15 geeky gadgets. by gadgets, I really mean geeky T-shirts or little things that have references to your friend's favorite movie or show. this is a pretty good gift, because gizmos and gadgets may or may not be cheaper compared to buying the complete set of a TV show. it's also the alternative if your friend already owns all the DVDs out there. I mean, who wouldn't want a set of lightsaber chopsticks?! (you can buy them here.) ThinkGeek has basically every thing possible under the sun to satisfy the geeky person in your life.; $10-$30

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aaaand that about concludes my list. I won't bore you much longer with my excessively wordy sentences. I hope you all have started way ahead on your Christmas shopping (unlike me.) finish strong on whatever finals are left for the semester and enjoy the time with family. have a swell week, lovelies! xo