I’m not a big fan of gift guides because so often they’re nothing more than a marketing gimmick, but I love seeing the stuff people actually buy. Maybe you do too? If so, this post is for you. I’m going to share a bunch of things that are on my Xmas wishlist … some of which may or may not already be waiting for me under the Xmas tree.

Guerlain Insolence

I’ve had this on my perfume wishlist for a long time. I love violet-forward scents, and Insolence is a classic. I finally found an unopened bottle on Poshmark and, long story short, it’s on its way to me as we speak. It will be my dad’s gift, because we have a new tradition where he buys me perfume for Xmas and/or my birthday every year. Now that The Bay is defunct, it’s hard to find less mainstream perfumes locally. My local Shoppers stocks some Guerlain fragrances, but not Insolence. I’ve bought perfumes on Posh before without any issues, so I hope this one arrives safely.

Tripod and Ring Light

As I look ahead to 2026, I see a lot more IG Reels in my future. Sigh. Making videos of myself is NOT my fave activity (by a long shot) but it’s a necessary evil for a self-published author trying to figure out the whole marketing side of the business. My current set-up is basically, umm, me and my phone. I don’t mind having videos that feel more “homemade” than super polished, so I’m not looking to massively upgrade my tech … but it will be nice to have a hands-free set-up and slightly better lighting at least. My SIL picked a tripod/ring light for me off Amazon, so I don’t actually know the model or anything. Hopefully, I’ll be able to figure out how to use it, lol!

Day Planner

To be clear, I’m not a journaling girlie. I’m just someone who lives and dies by her To-Do list, and I like writing mine down – hence the need for a day planner. I’m very proud of myself because, instead of buying a new one in August when the new batch of 18-month planners came out, I continued to use my current one, which runs to December. Well, guess what? It’s now December. And a new planner is a great gift for one of my kids to buy for me.

Vintage Coach Bag

I don’t need another Coach bag … but I kinda want one? Specifically, another vintage XL duffle bag in a different colour. I bought a cognac one earlier this year and I’m obsessed with it, and I think a red one would be fab to have. I love red bags and this duffle style is *chef’s kiss*. I’d be open to other colours as well, apart from black. The problem is finding the right bag at the right price. The resale market for vintage Coach is insane right now, and this particular style doesn’t come up very often. I’d rather wait past Christmas, if necessary, than buy something else just for the sake of the occasion.

Uniqlo Cashmere Blend Turtlenecks

I live in turtlenecks for 6 months of the year, and I really love having lightweight wool-blend ones that I can wear right next to the skin (aka not scratchy ones). I have 2 old Club Monaco ones that I bought back in 2016 or so, which are fine merino wool and super lightweight, and they’ve been absolute workhorses in my wardrobe. I still wear them regularly, even though they’re starting to show their age a bit. A friend brought these Uniqlo turtlenecks to my attention and I feel like they might be the perfect replacement. I want at least a couple of colours, starting with brown.  

What’s on your Xmas wishlist?

Well, it happened at last: snow. Ugh. I know it’s December in Edmonton, so I shouldn’t complain, but it somehow feels worse this year because we had such a nice, long fall for once. If I wasn’t already in hermit/hibernation mode before, I definitely am now. I feel like I’ve forgotten how to dress for winter and snow. I’m, like, what’s a coat? Can I not just add an extra thick sweater under my tweed jacket and call it a day? Life is so unfair sometimes.

I kid, I kid. Life’s been pretty good, albeit it very busy, this week. The algorithm is now convinced that my sole obsession (outside of Frankenstein) is astrology, so I have been inundated with deep dives about the planetary movements of the week and their supposed impact on my existence as a speck of dust on a giant rock hurtling through space. Honestly, I don’t know how people keep track of these things — there’s like a bazillion things happening constantly. And because my brain is wired to look for patterns in everything, it has seized on astrology as a fun little side quest. So far, I’m sad to report that I have seen very little correlation between what the astrology gurus tell me is happening in my life and what is actually happening in my life. But I am definitely convinced they’re correct and 2026 is gonna be my big year 😉

Mostly because I really, really, really want it to be. I’ve got 4 books planned for publication next year, starting with A Party to Murder, so I have a lot riding on 2026 being a propitious year. The odds are ever against me (and all creatives) but I am choosing to be stupidly optimistic anyway. Here is a requisite shameless plug: if you haven’t done so already, please consider pre-ordering my book (on Amazon or from another retailer of your choice). It will be releasing on January 8, which is just about a month away — eeek!!

I heard back from my first ARC reader this week and they told me they loved the book! Ahhh, that’s the best feeling EVER!! Even better was the fact they said A Party to Murder doesn’t read like the first novel of an unknown author, which I took to mean that it doesn’t feel like amateur hour so … yay! When I decided to pursue publishing with this book, it was because I truly believed that it’s as good as the majority of books you can find in a bookstore. And, believe me, I’ve not felt that way about other things I’ve written in the past. It’s reassuring to know that I’m not the only person who thinks A Party to Murder is a pretty darn good (and fun) book.

Alright, alright, enough self-promotion. [For now. Sorry! Don’t hate me.] Now that I managed to drag myself over the finish line with my latest WIP, I have decided to take the rest of the month off from writing, bar for some editing on book #2, which goes to my editor in January. I am also taking 2 weeks off from work, and have been busy planning my days of leisure. The current plan is to binge watch a lot of comfort TV and movies, something I haven’t done in months.

To that end, I’ve been buying up DVDs from the thrift store. I hate what streaming has become, and how impossible it is to find what you want to watch (especially older stuff) on one or two platforms. I refuse to pay for half a dozen subscriptions at this point, so I’m building up my media library. I’ve got a few things lined up for the Christmas break, including Murder She Wrote and Colombo (I am SO excited!!), along with a few other ‘classics’ like Friends (planning to introduce my daughter to the show) and True Blood, and some of my older fave movies that I haven’t seen in years (just picked up a copy of Stardust, for example).

Have a great weekend!

The end of 2025 is in sight (hallelujah!) so it’s time to roll out the retrospectives. I’ve decided to approach this year’s favourite purchases list in a slightly different way because, as I was going through my spreadsheet and jotting down items, I started to notice some patterns. You will see what I mean in a moment.

The other thing I noticed is that I bought about 30% fewer items this year compared to 2024, though my overall costs only went down by about 20%. I think that’s a function of a couple of factors, including the rising price at thrift stores and several ‘bigger ticket’ items I purchased this year (mostly on Poshmark). Initially, I also thought it had to do with having more retail purchases, but when I went back to check, it looks like there were only 2 additional ones compared to last year (and one of those was for underwear, which I buy once every 4 or 5 years, don’t judge me). I made 5 retail purchases this year, in case you’re curious.

OK, OK, but what were my fave purchases of the year? Read on.

Shoes

I bought quite a few pairs of shoes, but three in particular stand out. I adore my mary-jane Docs ($112) and my knee-high Docs ($144) and I expect I’ll be wearing them for years to come – hopefully, unless they fall apart sooner which would be a real shame. I’ve been hearing mixed reviews of Dr. Martens quality in recent years. So far, so good with my pairs. I also got a mid-calf pair of Docs boots, which is great, but I thought including a 3^rd pair in this round-up would be overkill.

If you’ve been seeing my weekly outfit posts, the Le Chateau black slide sandals ($6) will have become obnoxiously familiar to you. I wore them almost every day this summer, literally. Not necessarily the most exciting shoe option, but so comfortable and easy to wear, and beyond versatile. I got a similar pair in gold as well, and it’s proven a good addition to my closet, but the black is far and above my most-worn shoe of the year.

Bags

I love vintage Coach bags and this is a category on which I’m willing to splurge a bit. I fell in love with the shape of the XL duffle bag ($275) and hunted one down in a colour (British tan) that I knew would be versatile in my closet. I also looked for a navy bag, which I didn’t have already, and eventually settled on this vintage style ($185) whose name I have regrettably forgotten now. Both of these were Poshmark purchases, which took me many months to find. Resale prices for 90s Coach bags has gone through the roof, so finding sub-$200 bags is becoming increasingly rare. I was willing to pay up a bit for the duffle bag because of its size and condition. I would love to add a couple of rarer colours to my collection, but those come up for resale infrequently and the price always reflects it.

This year I also celebrated the achievement of a thrifting holy grail: finding my first vintage Coach bag. Amazingly, I had been looking for a cream/beige Coach bag for a while, so finding one at the thrifts was doubly exciting. More amazingly, and triply exciting: I only paid $8 for it.

Ralph Lauren

Even when I don’t need new clothes, I always make an exception for certain vintage Ralph Lauren pieces. At this point, I consider myself a collector, lol! But I am picky with what I buy even when it comes to RL. I want pieces that embody the RL style ethos, rather than stuff that’s more or less “anonymous” (i.e. it looks like it could come from any brand). Because resale prices for vintage RL have also skyrocketed, I have not been able to add to my curated collection in a meaningful way this year. Which is OK! Patience is the keyword here.

I was lucky enough to find the dog sweater ($8) at the thrifts, along with the brown silk dress ($25). The latter is not necessarily a “Ralph collection” piece for me, but it’s still a fave purchase because of the quality and because the style really suits my aesthetic. My only other intentional purchase was the tapestry blazer ($94), which was a Poshmark find. It was love at first sight, so I was willing to pay up for it … after doing a bit of research and seeing that similar ones were listed on eBay for several hundreds of dollars.

The H&M Cardigans

Do I need to talk about these again? I think not. I paid $7 and $30, respectively, for the black and the cream.

The Retail Dresses

These two dresses are both faves from an aesthetic perspective, and coincidentally represent the two ends of the retail purchase spectrum. The Anthropologie dress was $240, while the Sim & Sam dress (from Winners) was $25 – both at regular full price, I should add. I am not going to say that the quality is identical because it’s not; the construction of the Anthro dress is definitely better. But I think there is less difference than that price differential might suggest. It will be interested to see how they hold up over the years.

The Pants

One area of my closet that has been evolving this year is pants – specifically pants silhouettes. I struggled to find new styles that felt more “me of now”, both in jeans and regular pants. This vintage Wrangler pair ($11) has been the clear winner so far. I love the fit. Almost every time I reach for a pair of jeans, it’s this one. The Uniqlo barrel pants ($60) were another retail purchase, and I’m glad I made it. The silhouette feels like an interesting update to the wide leg style that I had been favouring in recent years. I’ve been getting lots of wear out of this pair, and it’s very comfortable too.

One last fave: I got this vintage, reversible Orvis skirt at my clothing swap, and was immediately obsessed. I love everything about it, from the silhouette to the pattern to the colours to the length. And I love that it embodies my commitment to a circular economy and the connections I have made with others who share my values.