My Idea of an Excellent Present

Specific and personal and useful and sweet.

This gift guide is based on a true story.

A few weeks ago, the barber who cuts my son’s hair reached out to tell me she was opening her own shop. She sent a link to the bookings app, expressing hope that we’d come see her soon.

Are you kidding?! Of course we’ll go see you, I thought, texting her a big, giant Yes! And Congrats! In an instant, I knew exactly what to get her as a business-warming gift: A candy jar full of Chupa Chups. Lollipops. Haircut magic for toddlers. If she were to continue doing kids cuts, she was going to need them.

From left: Candy jars from Mario Cioni & C, Alessi, MoMA Design Store, and Reflections Copenhagen. Hard candies from La Pajarita, the historic bombonería in Madrid (right). Vintage matchbooks from Etsy, sold in packs of 5-50 (left).

And so began my journey down a rabbit hole of candy jars. Each one more wonderful and whimsical than the next. For our barber, I decided on this one from the MoMa Design Store (how? Gut feeling), but it was impossible to st…