Editors’ Picks: What’s on Our Holiday Wish Lists

Calling all loved ones: these are our dream picks for Christmas 2018.

Cocofloss

How do you know you’ve officially left your fleeting, no-effs-given youth and entered the banal, responsibility-saddled existence of adulthood? You ask for dental floss for Christmas. But, in defense of what little juvenescence I have left, this isn’t just any floss—it’s Cocofloss: thin coconut oil–infused threads with scents like vanilla bean and strawberries packaged in adorable candy-hued boxes that look more like they should be holding fruity mints than a vital part of your dental-hygiene routine. For me, this kind of luxury product ticks all the boxes of a great gift: cool, useful and something I definitely would not buy for myself—I’m an adult, after all, and that (unfortunately) means convincing myself I don’t need an $8 (USD!) container of plaque-clearing twine when Oral-B is shilling the same thing for two bucks a pop.—Lucy Lau, style editor

A Matter of Confidence by Richard Zussman and Rob Shaw

The whole point of a wish list is to ask for stuff that you just can’t pull the trigger on for yourself, right? With that in mind, I’d love to find Matter of Confidence in my stocking this year. I love reading, but lately I just haven’t been able to find the time to thumb through the numerous voting packages we BCers have been inundated with, not to mention an actual hardcover.And as much as my younger self would never understand asking for a political book for Christmas, I’ve been wanting to dig into this well-regarded account of the fall of Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government and subsequent rise of John Horgan’s NDP for months. Zussman and Shaw are two of the province’s top political reporters and by all accounts, this is a must for anyone interested in B.C. government. Hopefully, I’ll be halfway through the book by the time the electoral referendum results come out and… Yes, I’m a huge nerd, why do you ask? —Nathan Caddell, associate editor 

Pretty Glowing Kit from Charlotte Tilbury

So I love the idea of highlighter—who doesn’t want glowing, youthful skin at my ripe old age?—but I’m no pro in the application process. (Note: add “YouTube highlighter application” to my Google to-do list.) But I love the idea of this Pretty Glowing kit from my lipstick-of-choice brand (Love Liberty for the win), Charlotte Tilbury. It’s a highlighter-and-blush duo, and it’s paired with a new contoured “cheek hug” brush that means it’s just one swipe for both powders. One more thing for me to strike from my to-do list.—Anicka Quin, editorial director

West Elm Gold Flatware

I know I don’t eat at home enough, but I’m going to blame my cutlery drawer: who can get inspired to cook when you’re going to be setting the table with a tarnished mish-mash of forks and knives that you inherited from your first roommate and just never bothered to replace? It’s time to level up, so I’m adding this matte gold flatware set to my wish list for the holidays. They’re minimalist enough for everyday use, glam enough for holiday entertaining, and joy-sparking enough to inspire a night in.—Stacey McLachlan, executive editor

Financial Times Weekend subscription

I’m truly awful to buy for. I return a lot of stuff, partly because I’m picky but mostly because I’m a very good shopper, so the idea that someone would go to West Elm and pay full cost on something makes my palms sweat. So when I put something on my list, I need it to be an item that really has no wriggle room for the gifted to make decisions. Cashmere gloves? No way—there are literally hundreds of variables that could go wrong with a request like that. So this year it’s simple—a one-year subscription to the Financial Times Weekend edition. You can only get it from one spot—the FT, and it costs what it costs. Neal, you might think, you don’t seem like a financial wizard. Well right you are friend, but the weekend edition is where the FT really lets its hair down. The property section is amazing, and if I ever want to buy an estate on Corsica, I’ll be set. Jancis Robinson, the King, Queen and occasionally jester of wine, writes her columns here. And once a month they include an absurd magazine called How To Spend It that’s everything that’s great and terrible about British Snobbery in one package.—Neal McLennan, food editor