Press Pause: Last Minute Gifts, A Christmas Playlist, and More

Sign up to get a list of our favorite things to watch, read, eat and buy in your inbox every Monday. 

This week's picks coming in 3,2,1… 

1. Your absolute favorite kitchen products of 2020.

Because you spent so much time there you’re basically dating your oven. We've got an herb garden kit, a multi-blade veggie chopper, and an electric wine opener. Now you’re cooking.

2. And...your most-loved home products.

You’ve been inside for most of 2020, so finding things to upgrade your space was the name of the game. Among the most popular finds? A Bluetooth shower speaker, a lap desk for your couch, and a coffee-scented candle. Check ‘em out.

3. The 13 best books of the year.

Aka the ones Skimm HQ couldn't stop talking about. We’ve got one of the juiciest celebrity memoirs of all time, a romance that gave us Olivia Pope and Fitz vibes, and a thriller Nicole Kidman's developing for TV. You’re welcome. 

4. 31 festive holiday cookies recipes.

We’ve got a key cookie alert. Chai spice snickerdoodles just took the lead over chocolate peanut butter cookies. Don’t @ us...the people have spoken.

5. How to make a small but special Christmas menu.

Step 1: locate chestnuts. Step 2: roast them on an open fire. Kidding. Here’s how to have a holly jolly Xmas dinner, even if it’s just for two. 

6. Organizing solutions that can cause more harm than good.

Newsflash: color-coding...not always the best idea. Here’s what the professionals actually have to say about ROYGBIV and other tidying hacks.  

7. 40 excellent movies based on true stories to stream right now.

Murder mysteries starring Hugh Grant may come and go. But Googling ‘did ______ really happen?’ is forever. 

8. A tool to help you drink smarter this holiday season. 

Responsibility.org’s Virtual Bar app can tell you how you’ll ~feel~ based on what you eat and how fast you drink. Plus how long it would take for your BAC to return to zero. Hint: probably longer than you think. Thank you, science.*

9. How to reuse your gift wrapping supplies.

Spread joy, not single-use ribbons. And that’s a wrap. 

10. Home trends that are going to be big in 2021, according to Pinterest.

*Vibey lighting has entered the group chat.* 

11. A playlist with the biggest Christmas hits of all time.

Aka, songs that are just grateful to be in Mariah's company.

12. The most popular winter nail colors.

Glitter is the new black. You heard it here first. 

13. Holiday Zoom backgrounds for your virtual party needs.

“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal” takes on a whole new meaning when your co-workers can actually see all your laundry behind you. These festive backgrounds to the rescue.

14. The best TikToks of 2020.

No Gen Z’ers were harmed in the making of this list. 

15. And finally, three totally random things that made us happy:

This dog treat kit, this gingerbread soap, and this cactus cupcake set.

*This denotes a sponsored post.

PS: If you buy anything from this email, theSkimm may get something in return. Oh, and if something’s out of stock, oops, it was there when we sent this. Thanks.

Skimm'd by: Lindsay Schneider, Jessica Kelly, Alexandra Napoli, Liz Smith