The Gift Guides Are Coming!

Just think of me as your virtual shopping buddy.

Hi friends, happy November!

I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween. If you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw my 2023 costume reveal last night. For those who don’t and didn’t, my very handsome husband and I dressed up as Lorelai and Luke from Gilmore Girls. It was pretty epic. I had the outfits down to a T. I’m proud of myself for this one. It’s going to be hard to top next year (we’re already brainstorming - are you surprised?).

I had a moment in the grocery store the other day and I wanted to talk about it. Write about it. Work through it. Process it. Because I’m a traditionalist, friends. Even though I work in editorial where every season is rushed and discussed months in advance, I like to give every holiday its time. It’s spotlight if you will. But I was shopping for this week’s menu on Monday, October 30th, and got a twinge - nay, more than a twinge - of excitement for Christmas.

CHRISTMAS?!

Friends. It wasn’t even November. My heart skipped two (metaphorical) beats rightfully belonging to Halloween and Thanksgiving and pounded in my chest for Christmas.

This all transpired because I walked into the cookie aisle. My eyes locked on a not-so-subtle display of Keebler Striped Cookies adorned with cardboard shaped like Will Ferrell in his Elf costume, and I felt a sensation I can only liken to the physiological shock the Grinch must have felt when his heart grew three sizes. It’s hard to say if I blacked out, but I did come home with holiday-edition cookie butter-flavored coffee creamer, found myself listening to Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” as I sorted through emails, and was browsing Etsy for her “Happy Elfin’ Holiday” sweatshirt — which I may or may not be purchasing this year.

Now, listen. I love Christmas. I really do. After Halloween and fall, it is the most wonderful time of the year. But I’m never excited about it in October. Never. I felt like I’d sinned. I confessed to my best friend (she was thrilled, haha). It’s just not like me.

And yet, here we are.

Maybe it’s the state of the world. Maybe it’s because of things going on in my personal life. Whatever the reason, the universe (and my anatomy) is clearly telling me I need a little extra holly jolly in my life right now and I’m going to embrace it.

Starting, of course, with the return of Guerra’s Holiday Gift Guides.

Last year, I announced my gift guide series and slipped in the first of the guides on November 14th. Well, Christmas (Gift Guides) are coming early this year, folks.

Have you started drafting your lists yet? Started shopping? If not, you’ve come to the right place, because gift guides are my favorite part of my job. Unfortunately, the number of gift guide assignments that are up for grabs for freelancers is a fraction of those I was assigned as a staff writer. So, I created my own.

The series will work just as it did last year. From now through Christmas, I will curate one (or more, depending on my bandwidth and your needs) gift guide per week and deliver it straight to your inbox.

I’m still coming up with my final list, so if you have anyone or a type of person (book lover, coffee lover, golfer, film buff, etc.) on your list that you’d like ideas for, let me know! Leave requests down in the comments below. And if you know someone who would benefit from or enjoy browsing gift guides this season, send Beyond My Byline their way! I test products all year round and take these end-of-the-year roundups very seriously. I genuinely hope I can help alleviate some of your holiday shopping stress, and bring some joy to anyone on your list!