Staff Picks: Our Top 15 Gifts for This Holiday Season

Mel Stringer artwork is super cute with loads of attitude. The comic artist and illustrator also self-publishes a monthly zine, and you can find her work on enamel pins, stickers, books, stationery, and even a 2024 calendar. Her work is really really cute, and also really sassy (like, the vinyl sticker called “Mother of Pearl” that depicts presumably the “mother” laying spreadeagle, presumably to show off her “pearl”). This is one of our Bri Ng Schwartz’s favorite mixed-Asian artists!   

Stasia Burrington Illustration is another one of Bri’s favorites. You’ll find original, super cute, and thoughtful artwork for anyone, but especially for the tarot lovers and cat lovers in your life. Check out the shop, and keep in mind that items ship from SeaTac, Washington.

You’ve read her pieces here and here, but did you know our very own Kirie Ventura is a super-talented artist? While she has an online shop, you can also contact her directly for commissions! We recommend snagging one of her hariko dog “what are you” prints — upon request, v.2 can have “what are you” crossed out. “Errrr for clarification it’s part of the art piece to have it crossed out,” Kirie explained. “Understandable tho if that’s a bit too edgy!” Not too edgy for our Mixed Asian Media readers, Kirie. We get that question all the time… so we get the joke!

Scandinazn is a sustainable jewelry company suggested to us by our own Hayley Palmer. The Canadian brand focuses on creating colorful, handmade statement pieces with reclaimed leather, salvaged from second-hand clothing and scraps. If you haven’t guessed yet, the name is a nod to the Scandinavian/Japanese design influence. Is it brilliant? Yes. Is it f*kn beautiful? Also, yes.

LANG is more of a “distinctive retail experience” or a thoughtful curation of emerging women-owned brands. Paying “homage to the eclectic fashion, art and design of Asian creators,” the founder/curator hopes that LANG will serve to celebrate beauty in all of its unique forms. In fact, the L.A.-based company just had their launch party this month! Talk about fresh/new gift-giving.

Hello!Lucky stationery is really a year-round shop. Name one occasion when someone wouldn’t be happy to receive a super-cute card? Go on. We’ll wait. OK, while you think on it, just keep in mind that Hello!Lucky has a whole holiday section, too.   

Mixed by Nasrin garments make a delightful gift. Designer Nasrin Jafari operates in Brooklyn, and ships her fantastic styles internationally. Our Angela Wong Carbone recently received a Mixed by Nasrin jumpsuit as a gift, and she adores it. 

Focus and enhance your personal intentions with handcrafted, custom mala jewelry by MalaMiaNYC. A personal favorite of our founder, Alex Chester-Iwata, these items can “serve as a daily reminder to check in with what is most important to you… a physical reminder to be true to yourself.” Whew. After the year we all had? Yes, please.

FAR–NEAR is a cross-cultural book series about AAPI identity that’s run by Lulu Yao Gioiello. While you cannot gift a whole book series (or can you?), Angela Wong Carbone suggests checking out the FAR–NEAR shop. Everything there would make a great convo starter.

A Book Advent Calendar. According to the internet, the concept of an Advent calendar is religious. But according to this TikTok, a book advent calendar appears to be the best way to give non-ideological hope, peace, love, and joy to the bibliophile in your life. If you’re thinking, “Twenty-four whole books by mixed-Asian authors? Where ever will I fin—” Hush. We got you. Here are some books from our team’s shelves:

1. Dasig — a graphic novel by Lauren Lola (order here)

2. Hula — a novel by Jasmin ‘Iolani Hakes 

3. Dogeaters — a novel by Jessica Hagedorn

4. Country Of Origin — a detective novel by Don Lee

5. Love Language — a memoir by Linda Marigliano

6. More Than Cake — a cookbook by Natasha Pickowicsz 

7. Mostly Me — a children’s book by Collin Hall and Crystal Dawn Chaffee

8. You Are Fantastic — a children’s book by Eunice and Sabrina Moyle

9. It’s Not Just You — a self-help guide about the climate crisis by Tori Tsui

10. Blasian Invasion — an academic text by Myra S. Washington

11. Hybrida — a poetry book by Tina Chang

12. Another 20 books by mixed-Asian authors, courtesy of Hayley Palmer!

The New Savant candle company created a candle specifically with mixed Asians in mind! The Mixed Feelings Candle is inspired by the candlemaker’s heritage, and features the smell of steamed rice, florals, fruits, wood, and incense. The unique fragrance is described as an “exploration of opposing identities, the tension and complexities that come along with that and the beauty that can be found in nuance.” Smells like how we feel. 

Paper Plant Co is another great shop for stationery lovers. The shop curates the work of other makers — some big, many small — but the owner’s influence is felt throughout the website. She says, “As a Japanese Brazilian, my heart carries the essence of two unique cultures.” Paper Plant Co hopes to create an idyllic analog world, and we think they’re spot on so far.

Gam Baem has a stunning collection of art and small goods made by Tosha Jihn. This micro store may not have a lot of items, but they’re all high-quality and highly giftable — like artwork, candles, blankets, and even flower tea sticks. Our writer Meeja Kinsey is a bit obsessed with this shop!

For the youngs in your life, the Jilly Bing Doll is a great idea. With the lack of diversity in dolls growing up, the creators designed toys they could see themselves in. And one of the toymakers is mixed Asian!

Do you know someone who loves tea, but doesn’t like the mess of loose leaves or the waste of synthetic tea bags? You’ll blow their mind with Tea Drops. It’s technically loose leaf, but it dissolves completely. You can even create a custom box, or gift a subscription. They missed the opportunity to call it “Tea Magic.”

Lauren is a Jamaican-raised American who doesn’t consider herself “exotic” because she’s not a fruit or a plant. She’s “really from” South Florida (yep, like, born there). Her “English is pretty good” for a person with an MA in journalism and a few years of copyediting experience at major news outlets. Aside from referencing silly things people have said about her otherness, Lauren enjoys talking about her unborn cryo-kids and playing with other people’s dogs.