If you’re like me (frankly, a little spoiled), you get a lot of presents during the holiday season. Legit thoughtful gifts from family, courtesy gift cards at work, trinkets from cousins, and the generic sort of gift-y things aunts seem to accumulate all year long that maybe they saw on Shark Tank. Point being, it’s nice (It’s Really Nice!), but the holiday gift giving season is not when you expect to unwrap style grails.
It’s frankly unreasonable to expect my friends or family to put as much research and consideration as I do into my clothing purchases. It’s arguably unreasonable that I put that much research and consideration into them. Plus, what are my clothing purchases all year long except Christmas gifts for myself?
So, except for sentimental or personalized presents — framed photos, a set of calling cards — and few specific items predetermined via the lazy man’s gifting method — “what do you want? OK, send me a link” — many of the gifts we receive are basically tokens of acknowledgment that we say thanks for, then throw on the pile from last year. My proposition: Exchange that dross and spin lame gift flax into menswear gold.
| What you actually got | Approximate value | What you should exchange it for |
| A humorous tshirt | $14.95 | American Trench Kennedy socks
|
| Apple Airpods | $150 | A handmade patchwork utility shirt from Pentimento |
| Amazon Echo Dot | $49.99 | A knit cap from Chamula |
| Another goddamn multitool | $59 | Fatigues from Stan Ray
|
| An air fryer | $175 | 3sixteen heavyweight indigo sweatshirt
|
| Drop Stop: The original car seat gap filler | $20 | A cap from FairEnds |
| A fleece throw blanket | $50 | Drakes Merino gloves |
| A cordless drill | $45 | Silk knit tie from the Knottery |
| A Nespresso coffee maker | $200 | A “tweed” shirt jacket from 18east
|
If you need further help figuring out what you can get for what you have, feel free to @ me.