New York-Centric Holiday Gifts (2024 Edition)

Wearables, edibles, books, jewelry, paintings, music, and a singular little bauble—all exuding an unmistakable New York aplomb

By Linda Dyett

Pillow Cat Books, an East Village side-street shop, offers new, vintage, and antique books—mostly animal-themed—in a variety of languages, for both children and adults. Current titles include Nutshell Library ($19.95), a box set of collected children’s stories by Brooklyn-born Maurice Sendak; Maira Kalman’s Next Stop Grand Central ($8.99), a delightfully illustrated romp about goings-on in the lost-and-found office of “the busiest, fastest, biggest place there is”; and a first edition, first printing of The Horse Fair ($45)—13 stories by Harlem-born James Baldwin about African Americans during the 1950s and 1960s. Pillow Cat Books, 328 East 9th Street, (917) 261-7926.

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Thirty-three years in business at various downtown locations, currently in a jam-packed East Village side street shop, Ibiza is a women’s clothing, accessories, home furnishings, and oddments depot with a catch-as-catch-can assortment of vintage and new-but-vintage-looking dresses, a helter-skelter range of bold and delicate jewelry, oddball evening purses, and the occasional 1920s chandelier and 1940s floral curtains thrown in for good measure. Maybe most accessible of all are the oblong wispy, gossamer-thin silk scarves from India ($38), in vivid, haphazardly coalescing colors, to wrap around the neck, drape the shoulders, trail down the torso, or maybe even wear, tucked in, as a crossover halter. The shop will be open through December 24th at 6 p.m. Call regarding shipping and delivery arrangements. Ibiza, 321 East 9th Street, (212) 533-4614.

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The New York architect Amy Routman not only designs interiors but paints watercolors in her spare time. Among her local plein air paintings ($50–$75) are lyrical renditions of changing nature in Central Park. Pick-ups can be arranged, by appointment, at Routman’s Upper West Side studio. Or her paintings can be shipped (for an extra fee) via FedEx or USPS. Appointments: amyroutman.com. Instagram page: amyroutman, email: studio@amyroutman.com

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Talia Moine, a New Yorker who’s currently in her senior year at Roger Williams University, majoring in marine biology, finds the time to adorn the concave openings of oyster and clam shells (which she finds along beaches in Rhode Island and on Nantucket) with floral, crab, lemon, and various other designs. The resulting Atlantic Harvest decorative seashells make for unique and delectable trinket holders. Clams measure approximately 3″x 4″ ($20). Oysters measure approximately 2″x 3″ ($12.). Last day to purchase? December 23. Pick-ups can be arranged, by appointment, at Moine’s midtown studio. Or her seashells can be ordered online and messengered or shipped (for an extra fee) via FedEx or USPS. Instagram page: atlantic.harvest; email: taliamoine@gmail.com

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One of “My Favorite Things” is John Coltrane’s Giant Steps album, recorded in 1959 at the now-long-gone Atlantic Studios in midtown Manhattan. With its complex chord changes and ascending and descending arpeggios, it’s got a tempo that’s been described as “breaking Mach 1.” The Upper West Side, New York Barnes & Noble (2289 Broadway) currently has the Coltrane LP ($26.99), while the midtown Barnes & Noble (555 Fifth Avenue) has the CD ($24.99), check online Barnes & Noble. The LP—again, currently—is available, online only, at Target ($18.60). If you can find it, there’s a limited blue vinyl edition.

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Sid Mashburn (with a past as J. Crew’s first menswear designer) and his wife, Ann (who started out at J. Crew, and went on to Glamour and Vogue), now have eponymous Mashburn clothing shops—where the goods are definitive classics—in seven cities, including New York. For men, we’re partial to the made-in-Portugal slim-cut Work Shirt in heather/forest flannel ($195). Details include a modified spread collar, mitered front pockets, a high-cut armhole, flat-felled seams, and thick Trocas shell buttons—and the length is short enough to be worn untucked (or tucked).  For women, we’re besotted with the Classic Shirtwaist Dress ($395) in navy poplin or lighter-colored cotton-linen chambray. shopmashburn.com, 926 Madison Avenue, (212) 819-9066.
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Veselka, the always-jam-packed East Village Ukrainian eatery, ships its dishes nationwide. The standout? Ukrainian borscht ($25 for a 32-ounce container). Loaded with beets, beans, and pork, it’s—guaranteed—the most colorful of all our holiday-gift suggestions. If you so indicate on the online order form, a side of challah will be added. (My advice? Don’t hesitate.) Be sure to add a dollop of sour cream when serving. Veselka, 144 Second Avenue at 9th Street, (212) 228-9682.

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Silver Moon Bakery—a beloved bread-and-pastry institution on the Upper West Side—does the holidays ecumenically. For Hanukkah, sufganiyot (Israeli doughnuts filled with raspberry jam), sold by the half-dozen ($33–$40), will be available December 20–January 2. For Christmas, chocolate or chestnut-flavored bûche de Noel ($65–$95) will be on the agenda, as will rarely offered pecan chocolate tarts, serving six to ten ($58); chocolate cream pies ($38); and gingerbread boy cookies ($60 for a dozen). Not to mention the rum-soaked Dresdner Stollen, loaded with marzipan, dried fruits, and nuts ($40). These items are available December 19–24, with advance orders taken online as well as in-person and by phone—until December 21. Silver Moon Bakery, 2740 Broadway at 105th Street, (212) 866-4717, email: info@silvermoonbakery.com
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The New York–based Swedish jeweler Monika Knutsson (previously profiled on our website; see Turning Antique Lace into Silver and Gold) is in the habit of cutting and shaping pieces of antique and vintage lace, and then having them solidified into ultra-lightweight gold, silver, and brass necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair ornaments, and cufflinks at the same Greenpoint, Brooklyn, electroforming factory that over the years has gilded baby shoes, NASA instruments (their gold casing preventing them from melting in outer space), and even the Oscars. The beauty of Knutsson’s designs isn’t just their intricate, undulating, now-gleaming lacework, but the way the cotton, linen, or silk threads remain visible. The straight-edge Signe Lace Scroll Earrings in sterling silver ($250), made from 1930s French Puy-en-Velay lingerie-trim bobbin lace, contrast beautifully with the planes and curves of the faces they adorn. At your request, a handwritten Christmas or Hanukkah card will be included with your order. Monika Knutsson; email: contact@monikaknutsson.com; or call 917-544-2158.
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Annie Korzen may be best known for having played Doris Klompus on Seinfeld. But this actress-comedian is also a savvy and engaging raconteur and TikTok and Moth persona (several of whose articles appear on this website). And now comes The Book of Annie: Humor, Heart, and Chutzpah From an Accidental Influencer ($13.79 on Amazon)—her collection of nonstop irreverent essays, covering a wide range of subjects: growing up in the Bronx, marriage (in her case, to a Dane—it’s working out extremely well, but she judiciously refrains from bragging; complaining is more her speed), motherhood (including the childbirth part), living in L.A. as an unrepentant New Yorker, dining (restaurant is her favorite word), and “shopping as meditation,” to mention a handful. But most impressive of all, Korzen, now in her mid-80s, never slows down, never gives up. What’s really going on here? This pre-Boomer is redefining aging; she’s giving it a good name.

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Russ & Daughters, long established on the Lower East Side as New York’s premier appetizing shop—and now with branches in Hudson Yards and the Brooklyn Navy Yard—offers a variety of take-out holiday meals. Its Hanukkah Essentials, for six, available at all three locations, consists of 12 potato latkes, half a pound of Scottish smoked salmon (the shop’s specialty), an eight-ounce container of sour cream, a 16-ounce container of apple sauce, two bags of chocolate gelt, and a box of Hanukkah candles ($150; shipping is free). Russ & Daughters, 179 East Houston Street (between Allen and Orchard Streets); 502 West 34th Street (10th Avenue) in Hudson Yards; and 141 Flushing Avenue, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (212) 475-4880, ext. 1. Email: info@russanddaughters.com
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Linda Dyett’s articles on fashion, beauty, health, home design, and architecture have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Monocle, Afar, New York magazine, Allure, Travel & Leisure, and many other publications.

You may enjoy other NYCitywoman articles by Linda Dyett:

The Discreet Magic of Berets and Caps

New York Seniors and the Clutter Dilemma

Hair Style News: Isn’t it Time for an Update?

End-of-Winter Skin Soothers and Rechargers

The Latest in Makeup: Think Little or None

Tips from a Top NYC Hair Colorist

A Makeup Update for Mature Faces