gifting

  • Wrapping Paper Roll Call: The Kids Are Gonna Be Alright

    If you live with a child, no doubt you’re well aware of what they want this holiday season (they’ve likely been begging you for it since well before Halloween). However, if you are child-adjacent—meaning, you have much-beloved youngsters in your life you regularly spend money on—you might be feeling a little torn on what to…

  • The Glow Up's Guide to Giving: The Gift of the Radiant Child

    As we all well know, for Christians, the height of the holiday season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ—the young man who, according to the Bible, was immaculately conceived, born to save us and ultimately died for our sins (with a promise to return). But strangely, it was another young man who…

  • The Glow Up's Guide to Giving: Thinking Inside the Box

    By now, we’ve made it through Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and even Giving Tuesday; now, it’s “WTF Are We Gifting This Year Wednesday,” otherwise known as time to get our asses in gear for the next round of holidays, because shipping only gets more expensive the longer you wait. And as always, The Glow Up…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 12: Stuff Those Stockings!

    If your family is one that goes all out to celebrate Christmas, no doubt you’re familiar with the tradition of filling Christmas stockings, in addition to presents under the tree. (It’s a European tradition, but a fun one, nevertheless). In fact, I’d guess that my parents are currently shopping for items to fill the personalized…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 11: For the Bibliophiles

    As the days are at their shortest and coldest, is there anything better than curling up with a good book? Better yet, in lieu tromping through store after store or guessing at sizes online, is there anything better than walking your fingers to the laptop and gifting a good book (or several) to the bibliophiles…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 10: For the Escape Artist

    You know what’s better than being home for the holidays? Globetrotting to an exotic locale—preferably one where it’s summer this time of year. Alas, we’re stuck behind our laptops, but we all have that someone in our lives who seems to be on a perpetual vacation (seriously, where do they get the time—or the money?)…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 9: For Folk Who Stay Woke

    If you’re reading this, you likely already know that, here at The Root, Black Lives Matter every day. That said, while we readily condemn all tyranny and marginalization that crosses our paths, due to the demands of our workloads, we’re admittedly predominantly laptop activists—and accordingly, online shoppers. (Hey, everybody has their lane.) But what about…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 8: For the Cool Kids

    Call them influencers, call them “blipsters,” call them unicorns or just call them millennials; all I know is they are younger and cooler than me, a slightly weary (but still cool) Gen-Xer. But as much as we may occasionally like to poke fun at our generational brethren, chances are you’ve got one on your list…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 7: The ‘Cool Auntie’ Guide

    Fun fact: I am a proud auntie and godmother, as well as a fashion writer. This means the bar is set pretty high for gift-giving each holiday season, much to my chagrin. And admittedly, sometimes, I strike out—like last year, when, at my sister’s request, I gifted my then two- and five-year-old niece and nephew…

  • 12 Days of Gifting, Day 6: What Do Men Want?

    We’ve been told that men are simple. We’d dare to disagree, and say it ain’t necessarily so. In fact, some men are about as simple as a Rubik’s Cube (basic and kinda cute on the outside, then unnecessarily complicated); especially when it comes to shopping for one who simply shrugs when you ask him what’s…