As someone who’s raising two very different yet equally delightful children, I’ve found that being a good gift giver comes down to knowing your customer. If I were to flash back to this time last year, one child was dreaming of an Esquif red canoe; the other, a beauty fridge. The former I knew something about. The latter (as I was to discover) was something that resembled the mini-fridge I had in my college dorm room, but instead of a six-pack of Genesee Cream Ale and Hot Pockets, it was designed to keep balms and lotions fresh, and these beautifully packaged unguents were PRIVATE/NONE OF MY BEESWAX.
As I approach my 14th and 18th Christmases with our children, it dawns on me that there are two types of gift recipients—those who have a passion, a superpower, a “lane” (if you will), and those who have yet to discover theirs. The first category is easy. Our son is one of these specialists who has always gone deep, and as a result he’s quite straightforward to shop for. When he was very small, he loved Thomas the Tank Engine, then cooking, and then eventually he started playing guitar. So Christmas morning has morphed from building elaborate wooden railroads to scraping fresh pasta dough off the kitchen counter, to some new guitar-effects pedal being put through an Allman Brothers–worthy workout just as my hangover from Christmas Eve is at its peak.
The second category is trickier to shop for. Getting a gift right for a child who is a generalist requires a bit of clairvoyance, because it’s a safe bet that what you think is cool (a Duncan yo-yo, a G.I. Joe) is probably at best no longer relevant and at worst something that will get you canceled faster than you can sing, “1-877-Kars-4-Kids.” One option is to view the gift as an opportunity to introduce a child to a classic style and a classic brand, a teachable sartorial moment. They don’t come out of the womb knowing that Adidas Sambas look good on everyone. The other is to let AIR SUPPLY do the heavy lifting for you. In order to take some of the guesswork out of shopping for kids this season, I’ve enlisted the services of a talented 14-year-old market editor (and one who has her very own beauty fridge) to help you find the perfect gift.
Gifts for Tots
Little ones love to move it/move it. This will get them used to riding a Vespa so that they don’t crash their scooter during freshman orientation at Franklin College. Magna-Tiles, meanwhile, are great for brain development and offer endless ways to play. As Alexandra remembers, “I could amuse myself in my room with these long enough for my parents to actually have a conversation.” On the subject of play, shouldn’t your child’s play kitchen match your aesthetic standards? Until they start making a Baby Aga stove, we’ll go with this. You could also opt for this bathtub ball—because everyone loves bath toys, and everyone loves sharks—or And Tango Makes Three, which Alexandra says “is a cozy read with a great message.”
Instead of being that BB (basic baby) in the navy or pink stroller set, go with this bold, graphic, and water-repellent fun suit. The 70s ski-bum aesthetic will look cool on a pint-size playhuh, while this flannel robe “checks the three c’s–it’s charming, cute, and chic,” per Alexandra. It’s always good to err on the classic side for big family events so that the pictures have a timeless quality when you look at them years later; in the words of Alexandra, “this coat has major Kate Middleton vibes.” And since they’re not going to let you dress them forever, enjoy the woodland cosplay while it lasts.
Gifts for Tykes
Fun fact: They don’t teach geography in school anymore, so here’s a fun way to learn that the capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou. Like all the best children’s books, these are as fun to read aloud as they are for young readers to devour on their own; I have an odd attachment to the Princess’s friend named Duff the Goat Boy. A wooden railroad set is a great indoor activity (and apartment dwellers will appreciate the storage container that can slide under a bed), as is this mini guitar, which offers everything you need to start your rock odyssey. As Alexandra says, “never underestimate the power of turning a sleepover into a dance party”—or a tabletop hockey set: “Dad, this is all you. Enjoy your mini-frat-boy, hockey-bro moment.”
Between rainy commutes to school, country walks, and milder winters, this jacket will quickly become a staple in their rotation—and one of us gets to dadsplain about Sloane Square Rangers. This brand has mastered the retro PJ; there is something charming about seeing kids dressed like a character from an old-school screwball comedy. Twinning is winning especially when parent and child are wearing shirts from the Parisian shirtmaker favored by Charles de Gaulle, Yves Saint Laurent, and Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited. Or take it from Alexandra: “I have to wear a uniform to school, so sneakers are one of the ways we can show off our style. You could be one of the coolest kids in lower school with these sick Dunks.”
Gifts for Tweens
If you’re going to make your basement a favorite hangout, go with a table that’s stylish. This sweatshirt is loaded with archival details, including the V-stitch at the neck (known in the trade as a “Dorito”), so the wearer will look like a pint-size Hubbell from The Way We Were. Speaking of the way we were, before there was the ’gram and the TikTok, there was the Polaroid.
Alexandra recommends Dew Drops “for a glowy, dewy start to a facially fabulous New Year,” headphones that are “great for tuning out background noise when you’re doing homework or catching up on a Gilmore Girls rerun later,” and “a gorgeous piece of jewelry that empowers women-owned businesses.” Plus, she adds, “my mom is the creative director.”
But giving an experience can sometimes trump giving a gift. So why not introduce them to a hobby that will take them to beautiful places, bring them into conversation with nature, and allow them to escape the pressures of adult life?
Gifts for Teens
Handing a fledgling baker or cook a professional apron is a bit like strapping chain mail on an aspiring knight or handing a padawan a light saber. It makes it official. In the clothing department, every teen loves a hoodie, but not every teen owns one in cashmere and one that’s polished enough to wear out to dinner. And all I know is that when I brought my son, who really isn’t that into clothes, to the Todd Snyder store, this is one of the styles that he was really excited about getting.
“Have you ever thought of a sleep accessory?,” Alexandra asks. “This silk eye cover encourages a blissful, comforting night.” She also suggests “a tried-and-true cream for every day, which is moisturizing and not overpowering,” “a two-in-one serum and applicator, which gives you the glowiest base for your makeup,” and zippered pouches to “make staying organized fun—and you can personalize them.” With this portable speaker, “you can truly have music wherever you go,” she continues. “In the summer, I like to hang it on my bike, which is safer than having earbuds in.” Also of note: “The TV show that everyone looks forward to every summer has an amazing book series, which will captivate you with all the twists and turns that author Jenny Han offers.” Last but not least? “O.K., Dad,” she says, “I won’t forget thank-you notes.”
John Brodie is a New York–based writer and the editor at Todd Snyder. Alexandra Brodie is an eighth-grader at the Nightingale-Bamford School
