A (Mostly) Non-Material Christmas Wishlist

... And a surprise signed book giveaway (for those who like a material moment)

This year, I passed on writing my own TSS-themed gift guide.

In line with how I felt about Black Friday (overwhelmed and guilty for complicity in over-consumption) as well as my tentative thoughts about starting 2025 with a No Buy Challenge (Have you ever done one? How did it go?), energetically I just didn’t feel quite up to rounding up dozens of items to recommend for purchase.

Black Friday Update: In case you missed it, I pledged to donate a portion of commissions made during this sale period through my affiliate links (I earn a small % of purchases made at no added cost to readers) to Planned Parenthood.

I’m pleased to say I was able to donate $500 to a cause that I believe matters.
Thank you so much for being here and for your ongoing support that made this possible.

While not my own, Taylor Swift Style was part of some very special guides to gifts this year. Including those from USA Today, WWD, Book Riot, and Who What Wear (thank you Bryan West, Claire Sullivan, Kelly Jensen, and Erin Fitzpatrick respectively). I myself also contributed to The Strategist for their gift guide (with thanks to Bella Druckman for consulting me on the piece).

But it was the love from Barnes & Noble, who have included Taylor Swift Style in their own retailer’s gift guide, that has come as the biggest shock to the inner child in me.

The little girl of a few decades ago who would trundle a wagon full of library books Matilda-style home on a weekly basis and who once dreamed of becoming an author but who never thought such an audacious dream might ever become reality. Thank you to B&N for believing in this book and putting it in your store’s windows.

Spotting Taylor Swift Style in the window of the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. New York City, NY.

The front page of barnesandnoble.com

This year, I think of that little girl and how for years she wished on birthday cakes, shooting stars, and dandelion puffs that she might one day become an author. And when that little girl got a little bit older and the prism of experience taught her that her childish dreams would never come true, she still had no idea what was waiting for her. Not when she was loading her disc man with a pale blue CD marked by a pair of feet daubed with a Sharpied heart. Not when she was tearing L.E.I. ads and full-length posters out of J-14 and M and Tiger Beat to push pin into her walls.

An unedited photo of my childhood bedroom. These snaps were taken September 2008 with the best camera technology that a Nikon Coolpix could offer. These are ads that Taylor once did for L.E.I. Jeans (available at Walmart). L.E.I. was an acronym for ‘life’, ‘energy’, ‘intelligence’ which really live laugh loved before its time.

Not when she was furiously hitting ‘purchase’ on a pair of tickets to be the minority of concert attendees queueing up to see a gangly curly blonde open for Brad Paisley. Not when album after album came out, each one synchronized to the unrequited crushes and first big heartbreaks of her life. Not when she got to meet the person and artist who had irrevocably changed her for good. For most of her life, that version of me had no idea that all her dreams would really become something … and not just an idea of something.

Me, circa 2007-08. Once again courtesy of a Nikon Coolpix. Imagine growing up not only before the invention of front-facing cameras on cellphones but also taking selfies on a bulky point-and-shoot digital camera. The kids these days will never know. I was also deeply into my Supernatural phase at this point, as evidenced by the pentagram necklace hidden amongst my foam roller curls which appear to have excluded my bangs.

For all these reasons, this Christmas I didn’t have much to put on my list.

It’s also because I’ve discovered as I’ve gotten older that the material things I want for myself I’ll usually buy in my own time throughout the year. Yes, off my own gift list (sorry to anyone who has ever tried to shop for me ever). As a result, the things on my list get whittled down to only the most expensive and splurge-y or experiential. Things I just wouldn’t ordinarily consider buying for myself (again sorry to those who scramble to get gifts for me). By years’ end, I usually want for nothing in terms of material goods.

So as a short reprieve from (mostly) material things, below is …

• The time, space, cozy lighting, and scented candle to read a book alone (she says, scrambling furiously to finish her yearly reading goal)

• A morning forehead wake up kiss

• My mother-in-law’s gooey pecan bars

• Walking around our frosty neighbourhood on Christmas morning, everything truly merry and bright, mittened hands held tight

• An intense evening of board games amongst competitive cousins (*looks around innocently*)

• Someone else to change the batteries in my car key fob

• This tiramisu (my annual contribution to Christmas dinner)

• The glowing warmth of a Christmas tree studded with ornaments that reflect the lives and interests of the people who bask in its light

• Seeing Wicked for a third time (yes, really) after tacos and a mezcal negroni at our favourite date night spot

• Reproductive rights for everyone

• That all of you are surrounded by the people you love and who love you in return. That you never forget the inherent goodness and generosity of people. That every day we each take advantage of the opportunity to leave behind a lasting legacy - regardless of our reach - that is kind and gracious and good

• … Alright twist my arm this sweater *would* be nice (I’m not immune to a juicy red cashmere knit. Is anyone, really?)

(Photo by Jade Huynh)

It’s been a transformative year for me. For a lot of reasons but of course mainly because of the publication of Taylor Swift Style.

I owe you all a post-publication post-mortem from my life these last two months since becoming a New York Times bestseller and embarking on a sold out book tour. It’s in the works, I promise. (Spoiler: Along with a Favourite Outfits of the Year series.)

But first, I wanted to give away 13 signed copies of Taylor Swift Style (value $35USD/each) to 13 readers around the world. It’s because of you and your support that my Christmas wish list is (mostly) a blank space. I could not be more grateful for that.

This book is the physical manifestation of a dream that a little girl in Canada once had but talked herself out of because she thought it would never happen. Despite how big, how unrealistic, and how audacious that dream once seemed - this year, it became a reality. That is all thanks to you. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for that, but I hope that 13 of you enjoy your own signed copy of Taylor Swift Style as a small token of my appreciation.

Update 12/31: This giveaway has closed and all 13 winners have been sent an email.

How To Enter (2 Steps):

1. Subscribe to Taylor Swift Style on Substack

2. Comment below what’s on your Christmas wish list

Giveaway closes Monday, December 30 2024 at 23:59 PT. No purchase necessary. Open worldwide to residents ages 21+. Winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Subject to Official Rules. Void where prohibited.

The warmest of my thoughts and well wishes to you and yours. Sincerely, an author with a book on her head. (Photo by Jade Huynh)