Cheryl Shops

Ok, procrastinators. You have two choices: you can give someone an Amazon gift card and die of shame, or you pick one of these gifts and pretend like you ordered it three weeks ago like the totally organized, thoughtful person you are. Which one is it going to be?


1. There are all sorts of crazy stories about these DNA kits, like people finding out they're actually adopted, but to me, the fun would be connecting with long-lost relatives all over the world—and having an excuse to go visit them. This is the lighter version of the kit, i.e. not the one that tells you all the diseases you're going to die from. It's on Amazon, so you can use your Prime and get next-day delivery if necessary.
23andMe ancestry kit $79

2. You can join a random Internet wine club and get crappy bottles that distributors can't sell, or you can go right to the source and support a local, family-owned winery that needs all the help it can get after the Sonoma fires this year. I am a member at Larson, and not only are their wines delicious, they're incredibly affordable too. And if you're ever in town, you can visit the vineyard and hang out with their three labradors.
Larson Family Wine Club starting at $19 per bottle

3. In the years since I've last been a member, Birchbox has come a long way in terms of personalization, and they even have boxes for guys. And who doesn't like getting a box of surprises every month in the mail?
Birchbox subscription $30-$110

4. Texture is an app that has literally changed my life—for $14.99 a month, you get to download a digital version of pretty much every magazine out there (there's a $9.99 version that excludes the weekly mags). I read everything from Architectural Digest to US Weekly, and thus support journalism, i.e. real news, in all genres.
Texture app subscription $30–$50
5. There's just something so indulgent about having fresh flowers in your house—this may be a somewhat frivolous gift, but isn't that the idea? The best kinds of gifts are ones that seem silly to buy for yourself. With Bouqs, you can choose the frequency and type of flowers, and thus totally spoil your recipient.
Bouqs subscription starting at $40

6. Full disclosure: I am kind of mad at the Zoe Report Box of Style at the moment, because they charged my credit card nearly a month ago for my winter box and it has yet to ship. (I am apparently not alone.) That said, this is still my favorite subscription box and worth it, even with the customer-service headaches.
Zoe Report Box of Style $99.99–$349.99

7. Blacksocks has more than black socks—a bunch of colors, for one, plus underwear and shirts—but I like their whole idea of saving time by not worrying about dumb things like socks. And based on the rave reviews, their products are clearly well loved.
Blacksocks subscription starting at $98

8. I was at a friend's house recently and was somewhat surprised to be listening to Pandora radio, complete with ads. People still do that?! I've been a Spotify Premium subscriber for years, and while sometimes I'm overwhelmed by choice, I think its playlists and music-recommendation algorithms are unparalleled. Bonus: unlimited skipping, and no ads!
Spotify Premium $9.99–$119.88
9. From the women's marches to #metoo, 2017 has weirdly shaped up to be the year of the woman. Let's keep the momentum going globally in 2018 by funding a woman entrepreneur through Kiva micro-financing.
Kiva card $25–$2,000