'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Dear Josh,
In case you were having trouble deciding what to gift us with for the holidays, we made it easy for you. Happy Holidays!
Love, Your Staff.
Carmel Hagen
Kimberly Baker Jewelry: Kimberly Baker’s necklaces, bracelets, and earrings pack plenty of gold and silver girliness, but it’s their edgy sass that really keeps me me pacified (and out of Hot Topic. Heh.) This is the necklace I’m currently coveting, if only because what it will say is up to me.
A Painting by Shannon Bonatakis: Shannon’s wide-eyed oil paintings start off innocently, then transition into something darkly realistic. They’re beautiful, relatable, and painstakingly perfect – and if I were to get one for Christmas, I could probably skip that whole “get drunk so you’ll be nice to your family” thing.
Zac Efron: Zac can sing, dance, and lift me above his head with one arm. In other words, he’s should be a gay Chippendales dancer – but he somehow wound up as a hot babe instead. The four years between us (and stupid Minnie Mouse) means he probably won’t be making it under my tree by Christmas morning, but hey, this is a wishlist.
Evan Kessler
13-Inch Macbook: My PowerBook G4 (or Gary Sinise as I like to call him) just celebrated his 4th birthday. I'd like to give him a baby brother"¦and then sell Gary Sinise for scraps.
A Photo of Robin Williams Visiting My Blog: After Kevin Costner made the scene in early September the 2nd mission of "If I Blog It They Will Come" has been an uphill struggle. I'm hoping for a little holiday magic.
Financial Security:This painting from Wants For Sale costs $1 Million. Owning it would allow me to start a website called Wants For Re-Sale. Once I sold the million-dollar painting I could buy up all of the other things on Wants for Sale and sell them, making it one of the more effective pyramid schemes in recent memory.
Danny Nathan
iPhone: Do I really need to link to this one? I held out for as long as I could, trying not to be another sheep. But the fact of the matter is: I WANT AN iPHONE. I love the fact that I can get rid of something in my daily pocket supply (or replace it). I love the fact that I can figure out what I want to order for dinner on my way home from work, look up the number, call, order, and pick it up between leaving work and arriving home. And it might make me use Twitter a little more often. That said, the plan is to try and hold out for v2 with the faster network connection.
Patagonia Cashmere Hoody: I’m not much of a clothes hound. I’m not usually one to drool over cashmere. But I do love Patagonia’s stuff. I picked up two pair of Shop Pants recently and I love them! And there’s just something about this hoody that’s cozy, comfy, wintry, and awesome. That said, I just can’t justify $290 on it for myself. So if someone feels like sending me a completely superfluous gift, this is near the top of my list.
Ricoh GR Digital: This one may not count given that I just purchased it…but I purchased it because I wanted it! I’ve been itching for one of these babies for about six months now. Deemed the perfect camera for street photography, especially for the photographer who’s looking for something with a little more control, the GRD will (hopefully) be the perfect companion to my Digi-Rebel for all around pocket travel.
Phuong-Cac Nguyen
Fluevog Stripe Buckle: This unisex John Fluevog Stripe Buckle is classy in a retro, hot rod way. I’ve suddenly discovered the benefits of a belt, but this accessory of an accessory gives more meaning to a belt than just an item to hold up your pants.
Lomo Diana+ Camera: Besides being gorgeous, this 1960s camera model originally from Hong Kong and brought back to the 21st century by Lomo is supposed to take the kind of photos that make it seem like you know what you’re doing. Learning how to properly use a non-digital camera is my 2008 new year’s resolution and this would be a step in the right direction.
750 Swag Bag: I’m no big baller, but I could at least pretend to be one and get away with it if I were sporting this super-luxe, leather 750 Swag Bag from gym to mall.
Heather Ann Snodgrass
PUMA Toploader Bag in Black: I’ll admit, I have a little bit of a laptop bag problem. Okay, I have two problems; one being I own about six of them, and the second being I have a problem with every single one of them being dysfunctional in at least three ways. I was looking at this bag a few weeks ago, thinking about the issues I have with all my others (size, visual appeal, functional pockets, accessibility) and found nothing wrong with it. Makes sense, as these were inspired by bike messengers.
Christian Louboutin Penny Loafers: Shoes are my happy place. These shoes would make me grin so hard, next Christmas I’ll be asking for Botox.
CB2 Loft Sofa: My apartment has proven a nightmare to fit a couch into — by my calculations, this would actually fit into my front door and *not* look like a living room abomination. Plus, I took an impromptu almost nap on one this weekend in Soho, and that’s always a good sign.
Jamie Starr
Zai Spada Stone Core Skis: Swiss boutique ski manufacturer Zai decided to make these stone core skis, and while I’m not convinced that stone is the best material to be putting into high-performance skis, the idea intrigues me from a design standpoint. Skis with visible Grisons granite stone wrapped in carbon fiber, production limited to 111 pairs, $5000 sticker price…why the hell not?
Illy Francis Francis X1 Trio: Pure and simple, Illy has earned a special place in my heart with the way their machines and espresso pods come together to harmoniously birth near-perfect and consistent espresso. Santa, this particular unit would spruce my kitchen up quite nicely with its retro-futuristic design owed to Italian architect Luca Trazzi.
Shipley & Halmos Black Suit: When Sam and Jeff departed Trovata and started scheming their new label, I was excited to see how their clothes would depart from the Trovata mold. They’ve made a nice departure indeed. I figure that my first ensemble from them should include this “good fitting black suit,” most likely available at Barney’s in NYC (if they’re not sold out by now). I want to wear it on New Years Eve, so maybe you should expedite it to me.
David Vo
Sora Pot: I’ve waited over two years for designer Joey Roth to bring his 3D design off the computer monitor and into a tangible product. A product that brings together my admiration for good design and my obsession with tea is a surefire winner.
2008 Trek Madone 5.2 Pro: I would by lying if I said I was an avid cyclist but when I am out of excuses, I do love riding a 15 mile loop that takes me through north Santa Barbara and the feeling is incomparable. If I had the means, I would upgrade my current Trek to this high-end offering. It features a vibration dampening OCLV frame paired with an Ultegra group for ultra-smooth shifting and braking. Overkill? Sure. Go big right?
Asus Eee PC 8G: I have been saying for years that a company should make a quick booting machine that just sits in my living room and can be used for quickly checking IMDB or Wikipedia. Asus must have listened and the initial reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The latest 8G model comes with a 7″ display, 8GB solid state memory and 3.5 hrs battery life. I think in the future a few of these machines will be in every household.
