Capsule #122 ft. Ben Pechey

Hello!

I really think we could get our Christmas shopping sorted early this year. I know we’re capable. And so today’s issue is the Capsule gift guide - probably not the first one you’ve seen this year, and certainly not the last, but I can tell you that every item has been hand selected by myself and Circe, with a lot of thought around whether it’s really worth it.

The guide is split into three sections:

1. Gifts to reduce screen time

2. Gifts for people who like hosting

3. Gifts for people who deserve a little treat

This felt like a good way to a) connect with the Capsule values and b) present a good assortment of stuff to help you with the range of people you might be buying for. I will say that making this made me want a bunch of things for myself, so here’s your forewarning!

Have a really lovely weekend,

Holly x

P.s. if this issue gets clipped in your inbox, click ‘read online’ in the top corner :)

★ The Capsule Gift Guide 2026 ★

✎𓂃Gifts to reduce screen time ˚˖𓍢ִ໋`🌿:✧˚

1. A book you loved this year with a handwritten note on why you think they will love it. One of the hardest things about reading is just choosing something to have a go at, and nothing beats a really personal (and tested!) recommendation.

2. A 2000s digital camera. There is nothing more fun at an event than a vintage digital camera. So much more playful than taking photos with your phone and most of them make you look glowy and happy. Also a great way to start conversations at a social event! There are loads on eBay.

3. A cross stitch kit. This is the perfect Christmas day activity. Not so big and unwieldily that you’re too daunted to start, just small enough to motivate someone to have a go while they are off work. This Etsy shop sells cute city ones (Copenhagen is so sweet), this design is fun for a kitchen, wildflowers are safe, and The Fabled Thread is well worth a look.

4. A table reservation for January. Pick a date (you can always move it) and a place to make sure it happens. Print off the menu if you’d like to give something physical on the day.

5. A jigsaw puzzle board. If you’ve been reading Capsule for a little while you’ll know we are serious about jigsaws and recommend this board for the puzzlers in your life!

6. A physical magazine subscription. Good options: The Fence, Granta, Wonderland.

7. A refillable journal that can be reused forever. This one is gorgeous, and so is this.

8. A gift membership to the Museum Association. You only need to go to a few exhibitions to make this worth it.

9. A lino printing set. One of the most forgiving ways of making art, and so far away from typing on your phone. This one is the perfect starting point.

10. A hiking kit. This is a DIY gift we came up with, and includes: good hiking socks, a good SPF, and a walking guide book. There are so many books to choose based on where you live or would travel to, but these pictorial guides of the Lake District are so sweet, and if you’re more of a city person, check out Modernist Estates walking guides.

𓐐𓎩 ‧₊˚ ⋅Gifts for people who like to host ⋆ ⊹₊ 🥂

1. A lovely coffee maker. Great if they use it everyday. Great if they use it just when someone comes over for a catch up. Great even if it sits on a shelf looking pretty. This Bialetti one is good.

2. A Muji candle. There are so many candles out there and so many are very expensive. The Muji ones are great value and smell wonderful - Circe loves this Burning Embers one.

3. A special matchbox sleeve. These ones from Matilda Goad are so good, or you can get one engraved at Not Another Bill.

4. Stainless steel coupes. SOOS Atelier have ones with stems and short ones. Perfect for cocktails, desserts, and nibbles.

5. A Roberts radio. The perfect accompaniment to cooking and hosting.

6. A decorative plate. Maybe they’ll serve little canapés on it, maybe they’ll put it on the wall. A win either way! This one is cute, this one is more grown up, this one is a piece of art.

7. A portable lamp. It’s quite hard to buy someone a permanent home furnishing but everyone I know with a portable lamp uses them all the time: to add ambient lighting on chilled evenings, at dinner tables, and outside on summer evenings. Here’s a classic one, here’s a more modern one.

8. A cocktail spirit and matching glasses. Like a bottle of 1800 Tequila and some fun glasses, like these in Liberty or these in Anthropologie.

9. A Delli box. High quality condiments for high quality hosts!

10. A deck of cards. Either a beautiful set of playing cards like these, or if it makes sense for your host, a Tarot deck.

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃Gifts for people who deserve a little treat ⊹₊⟡⋆

1. Leather gloves. Never not recommending these. Cashmere lined are the way to go!

2. Make up brushes. Something we just never get around to replacing. And you can never have too many good ones - duplicates can live at work or in their handbag. This set from Saie is awesome, and these ones from & Other Stories just look so good.

3. A lovely robe. This Piglet one is a great price atm!

4. Cou Cou intimates. This brand is why people like Zoe Kravitz look so great when they are wearing basics. A pointelle vest or long sleeve is a great treat that you might not buy yourself.

5. A knitted hood. This one from Rise & Fall is very special, this one from Parfois is bright and fun, and red is never a bad idea.

6. A lovely hair clip. The ones from Tort are a classic, and these from Carlotta are very good for long or thick hair.

7. A jewellery box. Daisy London have a huge range of patterns, and a wooden one is very timeless.

8. A piece of jewellery from a small brand. Like earrings from En Route (silver stars or birthstone droplets), a ring from Mara Paris, or anything from Sandra Alexandra.

9. Davines shampoo. Such a huge fan of giving and receiving good quality shampoo. You can’t go wrong with Davines: Heart of Glass if they are blonde, this for curls, and this for a great all rounder.

10. Sheepskin slippers. I feel like slippers used to have a bad reputation for being a boring gift and then people stopped buying them, and suddenly we’re all in super old worn out slippers and we deserve more comfort! Ugg know how to do it of course, but so do John Lewis.

And finally…

News from the Capsule universe this week:

• The Met Gala theme was announced as Costume Art. Get a flavour of it here:

• Rihanna looking awesome, referencing this past look

• Very into Gigi Hadid’s grown out bob

• Feels early for festival lineups and yet, shall we plan trips to Iowa and Utah?

• The Beyoncé x Gaga Telephone part 2 collab might be closer than we thought

• The Charli xcx film based on the brat era is coming January 30th. Here’s a teaser

• And if you want more, another Substack from Charli on the realities of being a pop star. Some quotes…

• If you miss Blockbuster you might like this

• Big yes: Dev Hynes for Valentino

• And while the rest of us are looking for our gloves, I present to you: Dua Lipa in Rio

This week, Ben Pechey popped into Capsule to share what’s 🔥hot🔥 and what’s not 🙅‍♀️ …

Ben is an award winning non-binary and intersex author, presenter, DEI consultant, and LGBT+ educator. They are the author of The Book of Non-Binary Joy - picked as Top Self Help Book by Forbes - and Your Gender Book. They are also an ambassador for Diversity Role Models. Ben is a TEDx speaker, where their talk focused on ensuring trans and non-binary people can find joy every day. They were featured in Diva Magazine’s and The Guardian’s 2024 and 2025 Power List of Top 100 visionaries blazing a trail for LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people.

📺 Watching: Wicked: For Good in the cinema, the Goo Goo Dolls on Tiny Desk, this Blood Orange performance (with Zadie Smith!) and the new music video for ‘Hard’ by FKA twigs.

📖 Reading: This great piece from Sophie Lou Wilson on finding identity in where you live and moving cities, this very readable piece from Interview mag asking 56 celebs what’s for dinner, and this piece of advice from NPR’s Life Kit, on how to make difficult decisions.

🎧 Listening to: COSPLAY by Sorry, Getting Killed by Geese, ‘Past Lives’ by Jay Som and Hayley Williams, and the deluxe version of Welcome to My Blue Sky, the great Momma album.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to hear how you’re finding Capsule - let me know here. And if you have a friend who might like it, do refer them! 🥺

See you next week 💋

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