Holidays

From Picasso to Dolly Parton: The 10 Best Giftable Art Books of 2012

By Leigh Patterson on Dec 14, 2012 1:32pm

Art books: the absolute best “no one needs this, everyone likes this” gift option out there. We sifted through this year’s wealth of art book offerings — from highbrow to lowbrow, $10 to $750 (?!!) — to provide ten page-turning suggestions we guarantee won’t just sit collecting dust on your coffee table. Enjoy! … Read More

Gift Guide

100 Gifts for 100 Cultural Icons

By Caroline Stanley on Dec 13, 2012 10:30am

If you’ve been reading Flavorwire for the past few years, then you already know that one of our favorite holiday traditions is doling out gifts to 100 boldfaced names in culture — it doesn’t matter whether they’re dead or alive; naughty or nice; highbrow, lowbrow, or somewhere in between. Click through to see who made the cut this year, and while you’re at it, find the perfect gift for the Amy Poehler, Philip Roth, Zooey Deschanel in your own… Read More

Books

10 Books Your Relatives Are Going to Be Talking About This Holiday Season That You’ve Never Heard Of

By Emily Temple on Dec 11, 2012 11:50am

Going home for the holidays can be stressful — especially if yours is the kind of going home that includes putting everyone even remotely related to you in the same room with a bunch of alcohol. Sometimes it can be hard to find a point of contact with that far-flung relative, whether it be your hyper-conservative great-uncle Murray or your scowling preteen cousin-twice-removed. So why not ask them what they’ve been reading? Afraid you still won’t have anything to say? Well, we’ve got you covered with a list of the books your relatives will probably be talking about this holiday season, so you can at least be prepared to ask a few penetrating questions. Click though to bone up on your talking points and maybe make a new friend. Who is already related to you. … Read More

New York

50 Gifts from 50 New York Neighborhoods

By Flavorwire Staff on Dec 5, 2012 1:00pm

We’ve compiled 50 great gifts from stores in 50 New York neighborhoods, from Astoria to Windsor Terrace, at prices that vary widely to suit your budget. Most of them are available online… Read More

Film

The Lousiest Christmas Movies Ever Made

By Jason Bailey on Dec 4, 2012 1:31pm

If you’ve ever wondered why there are so many (for the love of all that is holy, so damn many) Christmas movies, the answer is the same as for most of what happens in Hollywood: Money. Holiday movies are money lying on the ground, to be picked up every single December; a good Christmas movie that becomes a tradition can generate more continuing revenue than even the most beloved of catalogue releases. But there’s the rub — it also has to be a movie people actually want to revisit year after year. Making a good Christmas movie is harder than it looks; the delicate balance of humor, warmth, and schmaltz has to be just right, and for every Christmas Story or Christmas Vacation, we usually end up with three or four Santa Claus: The Movies. After the jump, a few would-be holiday “classics” to keep the hell off your Netflix queues and cable boxes; add your own cautionary tales in the comments. … Read More

Design

15 of the Most Horrifying Holiday Decorations

By Alison Nastasi on Dec 3, 2012 6:30pm

Untangle your holiday lights, slip into a cozy sweater, and dust off your menorah: it’s the time of year when people channel their inner Clark Griswold and go wild decorating their homes. We love to partake in some homey holiday cheer, but sometimes decorations go wrong. Very, very wrong. After spotting a hilariously weird DIY decor project on Laughing Squid, which we feature in our gallery past the break, we went exploring for other horrifying holiday decorations. The Internet did not disappoint. Click through to see our findings, and ponder along with us on why so many of them feature firearms and poop. Happy Holidays! … Read More

Design

12 Alternative Holiday Sweaters For the Season of Joy

By Emily Temple on Dec 2, 2012 1:00pm

We admit it: the holiday sweater is one of our favorite seasonal traditions. Only in the month of December are these gaudy, patterned, bright colored monstrosities allowed — nay, expected — at all casual parties and hometown get-togethers. And that is kind of great. But this holiday season, why not break out from those snowflakes and prancing reindeer, and cuddle up in something a little more alternative? You could go the ’80s video game route, cement your reputation as a pop culture nerd, or just wear your message on your sleeve. Click through to check out our roundup of alternative holiday sweaters to shock (or thrill) your family this year, and be sure to link us to any that we missed in the comments! … Read More

Pop Culture

Famous Actors Reading Holiday Stories

By Emily Temple on Dec 1, 2012 12:00pm

It’s officially December, and it’s getting chilly out there. So you know what that means: ’tis the season to cuddle up in front of a fireplace or, erm, beneath an overheated laptop and listen to some of your favorite holiday stories while you dunk your cookies in your milk. And hey, if those holiday stories are being read to you by John Krasinski or Molly Ringwald, well, so much the better. After the jump, we’ve collected a few seasonal tales as performed or read by famous actors, from the serious to the silly. Click through for some well-deserved story time, and be sure to point us towards any tales with notable readers that we missed in the comments. … Read More

Partner Buzz

The Best Holiday Episodes of Our Favorite ’90s TV Shows

By Jennifer Lewis on Nov 30, 2012 4:00pm

Just as the ’90s loved velvet, chunky sweaters, and all-around winter wear, the ’90s also loved holiday-themed TV episodes. Seriously, though — there a lot of ‘em. Have we seen every single one? Of course not. How could we watch all that TV when we had hungry Tamagotchis to raise? (Just kidding-ish). So, we’re not here to subject you to a bold “best ’90s holiday episodes in existence” list. Instead, we’re going to take a trip down memory/Santa Claus lane to name ten ’90s-tastic holiday episodes that still resonate with us after all these years. Oh, and you know what else the ’90s loved? Old Navy, of course! Don’t forget — our pals at Old Navy are giving away a whopping $10,000 to the creator of the best holiday display, and $2500 to two runners up. So, between now and December 9th, submit a photo of your over-the-top decorations here and let Internet voters work their magic. Feel free to take some holiday display tips from the following ’90s TV specials. Christmas garbage trees à la Pete and Pete, anyone? … Read More