you're allowed to keep one
Holiday shopping is an unpaid project-management role.
There are lists, delivery dates and the annual question of whether your sister-in-law actually likes otters or has simply been too polite to stop receiving them. Honestly though, who doesn’t like otters? Adorable. Anyhoo, I digress.
You remember everyone’s interests. You find the right thing. You briefly consider buying two. The old "one for me, one for you".
I think that last instinct deserves some attention.
Tinuiti’s 2026 survey of 1,000 U.S. holiday gift buyers found that 31% plan to buy gifts for themselves. Among Gen Z and millennials, it’s 42%. “One for me” has a respectable constituency.
I can see the appeal.
A bookmark that explains your relationship with deadlines. You procrastinate. You still get it done. Difficult to argue with the results.
A set of “have the audacity” coasters for the desk where you’re trying to back yourself a little more.
A wood-and-brass frame for the photograph you love enough to scroll back to, but have somehow never printed.
The same attention that makes a gift feel right for someone else works perfectly well when applied to you.
And frankly, you have excellent access to the relevant information. Your taste. Your private jokes. Your oddly specific interests. The things you would happily look at every day.
You’re a remarkably well-qualified shopper for this particular recipient. Yes, you, girl. Get it for you.
So, while you’re choosing gifts this year, leave room for the occasional moment of recognition. The laugh. The “oh, that’s me.” The thing you pick up and find yourself reluctant to put down.
Give generously. Include yourself.
And if you wrap your own gift, you’re practically guaranteed to get the paper right.
You’ll have company.
