💝😯 We fear we ATE with this gift guide

🍵 Free Blank Street alert! The trendy coffee chain is bringing its Tasting Booth pop-up to the Pru today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Think: Exclusive samples of its winter drinks, a photo booth, and more!

🥳 And happy birthday to B-Sider Rebecca Oh! What better way to kick off your special day than a flight of fancy lattes? Have an amazing day!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

💅 On the fifth day of B-Side, the newsletter gave to me … 10 free Tiny Chaos Studios classes! Tiny Chaos Studios offers hands-on press-on nail workshops for makers of all skill levels. Each class is designed to help you slow down, create a beautiful set of DIY nails, and tap into your imagination. It’s the perfect winter reset for anyone looking to get inspired.

👀 Want in? Be one of the first 10 members to fill out the form in your email TODAY between 12–1 p.m. 

Now, onto our regularly scheduled programming …

We’re not saying most gift guides are bad. We’re just saying most of them are either too expensive, too generic, or just … not cute. So, we made our own!

Introducing, B-Side’s 2025 Gift Guide, featuring exclusively local items and experiences ~$50 and under:

🧂 One word: SALT. Fancy salt ($9) + a tiny spoon ($6) + a delightful little bowl ($8) = an iconic gift à la Molly Baz.

🧶 Show them you care … without working too hard. Translation: A custom- embroidered T-shirt ($42, embroidery included) or bandana ($28).

🧦 Give the gift of warmth. If your recipient still hasn’t turned on the heat: Trendy slippers ($48). If they have: A pair of chic fingerless gloves ($45) for commuting. 

🤪 For your chronically online bestie … A delightful “Merry Allston Christmas” shirt ($32). Fun fact: Emily gave Gia this version last year.

🚃 If all else fails, hit MBTAgifts. Trust, it’s impossible NOT to find something here. Our picks: T-themed salt and pepper shakers ($20) or a vintage poster (~$15). 

💆 Use AI’s powers for good. This incredible $39 robot massage gets you access to Equinox’s amenities (read: sauna!). Bonus: They’re running a BOGO deal which obv = treat yourself. <3

🍫 Make Boston’s best cocoa … at home. Skip the lines ‘round the block and enjoy this fat sack of L.A. Burdick drinking chocolate from the comfort of your couch ($32 — includes a whisk!).

🫖 Pinkies out for afternoon tea at Silver Dove! Three reasons to love it: It’s ~$56/pp. It’s entirely gluten-free. Boston magazine named it the best afternoon tea in the city. Book a res here.

🧗 The perfect indoor activity does’t exi— Just kidding, this $33 bouldering day pass at Central Rock Gym does. Even better: It includes a bouldering 101 class for climbing newbs. 

⚾ Check off your bestie’s Boston bucket list. This $25 tour of Fenway Park shows you the park’s nooks and crannies typically off-limits to normies. Bonus: It’s also one of the cheapest ways to sit on the Green Monster. See: Emily having the time of her life.

🍪 Send a sweet treat to their door. Specifically, a dozen cookies from Top Shelf Cookies ($40) in delightful holiday wrapping!

🌷 Anger management, but make it cute. Nothing says “holiday spirit” like repeatedly stabbing something! We’d suggest this tulip punch-needle kit from Islay’s Terrace ($15).

🎨 Go for a Boston classic. Laurel Greenfield’s prints are basically in the Boston canon at this point. We love “Dunkin’ Iced Coffee” ($15) and “Girl Dinner” ($15).

🍝 Say “that’s amore!” With a rigatoni-shaped candle ($23) from Aperitivo The Shop. No, it doesn’t smell like red sauce.

😉 P.S. You can shop the rest of the collective here.

⚽ Big news for anyone who’s ever yelled at a TV during a soccer match: the world’s premier women’s league is returning to New England for the first time since 2017, and Boston Legacy FC is launching their 2026 Inaugural Season at Gillette Stadium on March 14. For the festive season, their Holiday Pack includes a Home Opener ticket, a regular-season ticket of your choice, and a cozy exclusive beanie – a.k.a the ultimate holiday gift for the sports fan in your life. It’s only available through Dec. 31, so sprint (don’t jog) and grab yours now.

🏆 And the Bostonians of the Year are … courageous. No, seriously! This year, the Globe gave its annual award to several people and groups who “exemplified courage” in all sorts of ways. See: 18-year-old Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who was mistakenly arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice; 826 Boston, which chose to forgo a $250,000 federal grant to protect its DEI principles; or Harvard and MIT presidents Alan Garber and Sally Kornbluth, who pushed back against President Trump to preserve academic freedoms. Here’s the whole list.

🤖 Mayor Wu took her tax fight to … Reddit. Remember Wu’s plan to block double-digit tax hikes on homeowners (read: 13%) by shifting the burden to commercial properties? The one that keeps dying on Beacon Hill? Well, it’s SO back, and this time, Wu took the fight online, hosting an “ask me anything” on Reddit about the policy. And let’s just say, she didn’t come to play, calling out the state senator who blocked her proposal, encouraging voters to contact their state legislators, and warning renters that the spike could hurt them, too. Stay tuned!

✈️ One more gift recommendation: A flight! OK, it might not be under $50, but during Southwest’s three-day sale, you can get pretty darn close. Here’s the deal: Through Dec. 11, travelers can nab one-way flights in the continental U.S. for as low as $59! The sale applies to Tuesday and Wednesday travel between Jan. 6 and March 4, 2026, and options out of Logan include a $69 flight to Chicago, a $79 flight to Nashville, or an $89 flight to Tampa. Peruse all the deals here. 

😋 Here are three reasons to get a little treat this week. 1. Viral Chinese boba spot Molly Tea is soft-opening its Chinatown location on Dec. 11, and offering 12% off ALL drinks! 2. Bakery Oma AND Komugi Bakery & Cafe both recently opened in Somerville’s Union Square, serving up small-batch baked goods (queen puffs and cakes at Oma, and pillowy Japanese breads at Komugi). And 3. If you consider an ice-cold martini a little treat (we do!), Cuban cocktail lounge My Girl has opened its doors Downtown. Ready, set, GO!

Knock, knock! It’s DoorDash again, this time offering $8 off orders when you spend $30 from Lucky’s Lounge using code LUCKYBG via DoorDash. Lean into seasonal indulgence with steak tips and truffle fries, or satisfy the munchies with classics like their smash burger, bacon cheese fries, and chicken wings. With a deal like this you can’t go wrong.  

The Globe has officially declared the worst holiday song EVER. The loser in question: Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”! Or, at least, according to reporter Christopher Muther, who called it a “steaming yule log.” 

Muther’s case for its flop status: 1. It begins with “what sounds like extraterrestrial flatulence.” 2. The instrumentals are based on “primitive, outdated bleep-and-blop reverb.” And 3. The lyrics “sound as if they were composed by someone visited by the ghost of Christmas dull.” Ouch!

Honestly, while we’re with him on No. 3 (“ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong” isn’t exactly inspiring …) we personally don’t mind the bleep-and-bloop! Or at least, it’s no worse than whatever’s going on in “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” Now THAT’S a flop.

You can read the full manifesto here.

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario, and Claire Nicholas

🎶 Thanks for reading! Also a flop … Taylor Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm.” There, we said it!

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Boston Legacy FC, for supporting local journalism and bringing elite women’s soccer back where it belongs.

🤖 The results are in: 67% of readers say they’re OUT on using AI for gift ideas. One reader said: “If it's the thought that counts in gift-giving, then it seems thoughtless to use an AI to do the work for you (imo).” Honestly, fair enough!

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