Texas Style & Substance was one of the very first blogs I fell in love with and it’s no wonder: As the former Dallas editor of Lucky Magazine and the current style editor of Texas Monthly, Kristie Ramirez Hoitsma knows a thing or two about style. (And seriously, anyone who has a David LaChapelle in their living room is inherently rad in my book.) I’m already swooning over two new discoveries from her gift guide — the gorgeously beachy jewelry line Dezso by Sara Beltran and the apothecary-cool flower arrangements from Dallas’s Grange Hall Urban Flower. I also very much like the idea of a weekly subscription service with a great florist… how cool would that be? Sign me up now, please!
1. Accessory gift?
This year my closet girlfriends can expect to get Dezso zip-top pouches from my girl, Sara Beltran. They are each printed with a different photograph from her travels.
2. Kids gift?
Children never tire of getting a Venus Flytrap or a Chia Pet for Christmas. I promise, do it once and they’ll ask for them again year after year.
3. Christmas cards?
I never do Christmas cards, I also do Happy New Year cards; not on purpose, but by default. November and December get so crazy and that task inevitably falls off my list. I really like the clean, no frills designs from Pinhole Press. They’re simple and chic.
4. A mens gift?
Anything from Best Made Company always pleases. I’m particularly fond of their hand painted axes.
5 and 6. Splurge gift?
Another gold Cartier Love bracelet and a grey 35 Birkin would be kind of fantastic, no?
7. A clothing gift idea?
My dear friend Nicole Musselman is the designer behind KOCH. I never go wrong with giving her scarves.
8 and 9: On your wish list?
My father is giving me his 1968 Triumph motorcycle, so I now I need to learn how to ride it. So motorcycle riding lessons, beautiful Kiki de Montparnasse lingerie and weekly fresh flower delivery from Grange Hall in Dallas.
10. Are gift cards a do or a don’t?
I’m not down with gift cards. And I’m not down with gifts in bags. I get it, I do. We’re all busy. But there is something so generic and not interesting to me about getting or giving a gift card to someone. I want to give my friends and family something that will make them go “Oh, I love this!” when they open it. I feel like it’s my chance to let someone know that I see them, that i know them.
11. What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
In our family, we always get a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My kids are 8 and 5 and they want to get to Christmas right away, so we indulge them with a tree in November. My husband and our two kids will go and get the tree and then we spend the day decorating it while listening to music, and talking, and Tom and I will have a little wine. It’s always one of my favorite days of the year.
12. What do the holidays mean to you? What’s your favorite thing about this time of year?
I love this time of year because of the unadulterated time I get to spend with my kids while they’re out of school and because I love to give people gifts. It’s one of my favorite things to do, to really research and find meaningful gifts for my friends and family.
