Once upon a time I made a gift registry for my birthday. It didn’t go over well. That was long before I had a website, in my younger, more delusional years. Most of the items were beyond ridiculous (a trend that I’ve carried through to this day, because if you ask for the Louis Vuitton train case for $4500 it lessens the sting of a bottle of Tom Ford for $210). The reason for this list is for those family members who always ask me what I want, and to give them an idea of what’s appealing to my fancy these days – a tricky bit of boxed-in business at best. My whims are fickle as the wind, but everything listed here is something I truly adore.
First up is a big-ticket item – that may, by the time you read this, have gone on sale at Macy’s (though it wasn’t as of Saturday in the Downtown Boston store) – it’s this Blackwatch Peacoat by Tommy Hilfiger. While I’ve made no secret that Mr. Hilfiger has never impressed me much, this coat, as well as last year’s line of coats, caught my eye. As long as that red, white and navy flag isn’t emblazoned over it, I’m more open to what he has to offer.
Second is a Frederic Malle fragrance, Dans Tes Bras, as depicted in the feature photo. It’s a fragrance I’ve flirted with for the past three years at Barneys New York and I’m finally ready to commit. In fact, this is the one I’ve long wanted, but could never quite narrow down. It’s by no means cheap, but here’s a little secret that the bitchy folks at Barneys would rather I not tell you: you can order travel size versions that are substantially cheaper – three bottles of 30 mL each comes to about half what  the starting bottle costs. And since I only use expensive fragrances for special occasions, I know how to make it last.
Since we’re speaking of fragrances, it would be an egregious error on my part not to at least mention the two new Tom Ford Private Blends that were just released, just in time for the holiday season. However, I’m not officially asking for either of them, though they are both decent. The truth is, both of the new Oud scents – Oud Fleur and Tobacco Oud – are wonderful, but not such distinct entities that it justifies their price points. (Yes, I said it: I’m foregoing a Tom Ford Private Blend or two when they’re redundant. In the case of Oud Fleur – my favorite of the two – I felt it was initially a charmed work, until it dried down to an eerily-similar version of Santal Blush (which I already have) tinged with Oud Wood (which I also already have). It did, however, give me the grand idea of combining the two. When it comes to fragrance, I always strongly advise against any sort of mixing and matching. For the Tom Ford Private Blends, combining similar scents usually results in something spectacular, so I’ll be giving the Santal Blush – my favored holiday scent – a supplemental boost of Oud Wood and seeing how they play out, without the hefty investment of having it done for me.
Finally, the real gift that I’d like more than any of the others (well, in addition to, let’s be honest) is a rather practical one:Â these wine glasses (8 each of the red and white sizes) from Crate & Barrel. I hesitate to say that they are the sole reason we are renovating the kitchen (the ability to fry chicken also contributes to that purpose), but they were definitely a consideration. Now that the work is about to commence, it’s the perfect time to update our selection.Â
As for the stocking stuffers (and those casual acquaintances who have been reaping the myriad benefits of this website without contributing so much as a hello) there’s also my  Amazon Wish List – to which I’ll add some new wishes. Remember the reason for the season: give ’til it hurts. Jesus would want it that way.
