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Natalie's Fall 2025 Holiday Gift Guide

The gift of aspiration during times that are ... less so

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CLICK HERE to access our interactive gift guide with links to every item. Just about every year, I pull together a list of things I’ve either bought, have caught my eye, or stir something in me. These pieces are beautiful, intentional and made with care. This gift guide, however, more than ones years before, comes in a moment when, for many of us, the economy feels tight, the world heavy, and even small luxuries can seem far away. Still I believe splendor, craft and generosity matter. Maybe even more so now. 


So like most of the guides I’ve created over the years, this gift guide is part inspiration, part aspiration. Some items are within reach and others made the list simply to remind us of good design, thoughtful creation, and some of the ways radical imagination can look in physical form. Whether you’re buying, browsing, or just dreaming, I hope this year’s collection reminds you joy isn’t always about what we buy, but how we notice beauty, care for ourselves and share warmth with others. May this season bring you softness, a little surprise and room to imagine what’s next. 

 

Home & Design  

We can’t buy every new sofa we see and love (I can’t, at least, and there are plenty), so I’m always looking for small, simple ways to elevate my home. One such way is switching out light switch covers. These MCM switch covers show you pay attention to detail. And details are where the good juju lies.  

 

This hand-woven basket was made by women artisans in Rwanda, using traditional techniques passed down through generations. This piece is both functional — catchall, anybody? — and sculptural.  

 

Handcrafted treasures, curated with intention. Each box features artisan-made goods from African makers — woven, carved, dyed, or stitched by women sustaining both their craft and their communities. It’s a surprise you can feel good about opening. 

 

Think one of you reading this could buy this for my guest bathroom? I almost covet it and can’t justify the ultimate cost. I want it sooo bad.   

 

Created by artist Adrienne Brown-David, whose practice was deeply shaped by years living in Mississippi, this museum-quality print pairs soft geometry with emotional resonance. Framed in wood with UV plexiglass at 21" square, it brings both story and refinement to a room — perfect for someone who appreciates art with roots and reach.  

 

 

Style & Accessories 

 

Picasso Zaria – $375 

This fun kaleidoscope print bag is where sophistication and flamboyance meet. It's sleek and structured, with just enough hardware to remind you it’s designed by someone who knows luxury. And if you’re anything like me, it’s small enough to be the small bag you put in your big work one.  

Speaking of large bags, substantially sized kisslock bags are everywhere. But they’re not all handcrafted right down the proverbial street in Mexico by women artisans.  Santa, you know what to do.  

 

Do yourself or someone you love and get something — anything! — cashmere. Cashmere comes at all price points, so it’s much more accessible than many realize. Luxuriate in this super soft dress from Quince, a scarf and gloves from somewhere else. I promise you’ll be feeling yourself.  

 

Sometimes you want to wear your politics on your chest … and your back. Philadelphia Print Works’ MOVE collaboration includes this shirt, honoring the lives taken when Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on the MOVE home.  All proceeds support Mike Africa Jr., a descendant of MOVE members who were killed in the attack.   Luxury French Bulldog Chain Collar – $58-$91   

For the French-bulldog lover who treats their pup like a fashion accessory, this gold-tone Cuban-link chain from French Bullevard blends bold style with fun attitude. It’s important to note this is meant as a fashion piece — not a walking collar — so measure your dog’s neck carefully and add 1-3 inches of slack for comfort. 

 

 

Self-Care & Wellness 

 

Just like a bag, I’m going to always have a candle on a gift guide. This Black-owned candle company out of Durham, NC, offers all kinds of Black-centric collections. This Genres Discover set gives you six 5 oz. candles to try. You can also make a custom fragrance.  

 

Baobab Collection’s Aurum perfume diffuser drenched in gold metallic paint offers a subtle jasmine-forward indulgent fragrance. 


The Bouqs Co. will send your favorite people a weekly, biweekly, monthly, or bimonthly bouquet for however long you want. Yes, please.  

 

French Bulldog – adoption fee 

Some women’s best friend, besides diamonds, is a pup. And if you don’t have a pup to go with the Cuban link, Florida Bulldog Rescue, based in Clermont, Florida, rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes unwanted and abused bulldogs.  

Book of the Month Subscription – $59.99 for three months 

For readers who love discovery, this subscription delivers new titles — literary fiction, memoirs, essays — hand-picked for taste, not trend. 


 

Food & Kitchen 

A gourmet sampler of small-batch goods made by women entrepreneurs. Perfect for someone who sees food as art and love as a shared meal. 

 

I may or may not have already bought this as a gift for someone I recently heard lamenting about how she wanted to cook a whole piece of fish in the three-quart casserole, instead of the one-qt. one she already had. It’s coming, girl. It’s coming.   Africa-Shaped Cutting Board – $89-$155 

Hand-carved from premium walnut at a small artisan shop, this board turns grazing into a conversation. Use it as a charcuterie board when hosting or display it on a counter or wall as a sculptural nod to home, history, or simply good design.   Burlap & Barrel Spice Club – $49.99 per box 

For the culinarily curious, a quarterly spice-subscription box delivers four jars of spices harvested at their country of origin and recipe cards. The packaging is also quite aesthetically pleasing.  

 

Visually rich, deeply rooted and beautifully designed, this book edited by Bryant Terry brings together more than 100 Black cultural voices focused on food, art and story. This is the kind of coffee table book that elevates the kitchen and living room alike. This one’s for your friends who know food is culture. Look for it at your locally owned bookstore. 


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