Jackie Danicki

Okay, I’ll join the fray, but only because I already got a ton of Christmas presents last week (I celebrated early with my family in Ohio, since I will be in London for the holidays; plus I bought myself a few nice things). Trust me on these:

1) Lancome mascaras. Lancome makes the best mascaras, but if they’re so good, you’d think they could create just one that does everything a girl needs. Instead, there are like 38 varieties. I now own five of them, including two acquired this week from duty free. No regrets.

2) Flannel lounging ‘pants’ - that is, trousers. I didn’t actually get any of these, but Antoine did (a pair of Ohio State ones from my parents), and I’m definitely going to steal them. There will be no wearing them outside the home, though, and I’d like to examine the head of whoever started the horrible pyjamas-as-public-fashion trend.

3) The 20th anniversary Oprah Winfrey Show boxed set: 17 hours and multiple DVDs of the very best footage. Yes, this is the most humiliating gift ever, but I don’t care. I haven’t seen an episode of Oprah for something like eight years, and this is perfect for those who, like me, love surprises and having their heart ripped out by tales of people who have suffered beyond comprehension. Every viewing is a three Kleenex occasion. It’s great!

4) Cotton Blossom scented products from Bath & Body Works, for those times when you just want to smell like fabric softener. (The Brown Sugar and Fig line is just as nice.) Only recently, I’ve regarded Bath & Body Works with extreme disdain, but I must admit, they do have some worthy items right now. Adding other lines to their repertoire has certainly helped: The Buttercream Body Frosting from Jacqua which B&BW offers right now is that rare item: a not-too-sickly addition to the many food-based beauty products that are so popular right now, presumably designed for those who deny themselves oral consumption of such things but still want to bask in their scents and textures.

5) Tommy Hilfiger sweaters, going for cheap at Macy’s. “Duh, why do you think they’re cheap? No one wears Tommy anymore,” my younger brother told me scornfully. Like I give a care. They’re comfy and well cut.

6) Books out the wazoo, from Half Price Books in Columbus, Ohio. My father took me there, thinking I’d be in and out in ten minutes. Much, much later, I was finally dragged out with two huge bags of books. Set aside a whole day for this place.

All this after I told my parents that I didn’t want any Christmas presents. Wrong! If you’re still looking for something to get me, I really want subscriptions to Every Day with Rachael Ray and Cooking with Paula Deen. (There must be some kind of unwritten rule that celebrity chefs have to possess a mixture of charisma and repulsiveness which renders me unable to turn away from their image. Rachael is the female, American answer to Jamie Oliver: Superficially cute, but really quite annoying, and yet oddly engaging. Paula seems to be putting on her y’all-I’m-fixin’-to-hoe-my-row Southern schtick, but her dogged use of entire sticks of butter, heavy cream, mayonnaise, and white sugar has me morbidly fascinated. How is she still alive?)

Filed under: Books, Family, Magazines, Television