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Updated: Nov 11, 2021 159 Comments · by

Happy Holidays!

The Personal Shopper (TPS) |

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So for our last gift idea for the year, let's circle back to something I've recommended before: cocktail glasses inspired by history (AND available for delivery before Christmas, if you need or want that!).

We have some coupe glasses from this company and we use them often — they're beautiful but sturdy, they're a bit smaller than a lot of the oversized glasses out there today (Mikasa Cheers, anyone?), and we like the vintage vibe to the them.

At $38, they're also pretty affordable, and I like that many of them are sold in sets of two rather than four — less of a commitment for overcrowded cabinets!

I think these would be a great gift for a ton of different people:

  • the history buff who likes learning about, say, 1940s Hollywood
  • the movie buff who enjoys watching classic movies like Casablanca
  • the drinker
  • the person who can't wait to raise a glass for events happening in the near future, whether it be the inauguration, vaccine shots, or more
  • the person who wants to raise a glass to things in the recent past (like all of the gone-but-not-forgotten restaurants and bars that have closed their doors this year — this list of NYC closures killed me)
  • the person who just loves beautiful things — I love the delicate etching on these!

The pictured glasses are $38, available via The History Company on Amazon. (There are so many cool glasses! Not all are available for Christmas delivery, though, so note that during checkout.)

(Admin Note: Today was the last day of regular content for 2020, but we'll hopefully have a new post up every day, either with sale content or our regular yearly reviews — please feel free to use all of them, including this post, for threadjacks! Happy holidays to all — may everyone have a wonderful end to a super strange year!)

Sales of note for 9.30.24

Sales of note for 9.30.24

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

About Kat

Kat Griffin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Corporette. You can read more about her here.

Comments

  1. Anonymous

    Another post related to Home for Christmas on Netflix, but fashion-related – what are your favorite sources for Fair Isle sweaters and bright outerwear?? I love Johanne’s Scandi-preppy, sporty vibes and I need some new clothes anyway. I’d prefer items that I can wear both casually and when I’m doing active things like skiing or camping – so good sweaters, functional pants with pockets, etc. are all top of the list. I’d REALLY prefer to get items that are nice quality that I can expect to last for a while – ideally no “fast fashion.” Would love some recs in time to take advantage of any post-Christmas sales!

    • Anon

      My teenage son wanted a fair isle sweater for Christmas so they are definitely in. Key for anything he wears is easy care, so me handknitting him one out of fine Nordic wool is out, unless I want to end up with a very labor-intensive felted potholder.

      I found good options at J Crew and Nordstrom rack. There were also some I didn’t buy on Land’s End and Amazon basics. I found them by googling fair isle men’s pullover so I am sure you can do the same for your own.

        • Anonymous

          Dale of Norway looks perfect. Does anyone have one who can comment on quality/durability?

          • Aunt Jamesina

            My stepmom has one that must be at least 20 years old and it looks great.

          • Rachel

            I love my Dale of Norway sweater. I knit, so I have a good supply of fancy sweater soaps and drying racks and things, and therefore my sweater gets babied. It’s very nice quality wool, with good structure and sturdy seams and finishing. Recommended!

          • Anonymous

            Dale of Norway still has it’s production in Norway, i.e. absolutely not fast fashion. There’s no way to produce textiles legally in Norway at fast fashion prices or methods. Operating the knitting machines in Dale is highly skilled and sought-after knowledge. Dale *is* machine knitted, which is why they are sturdy, machine washable etc. No Icelandic pensioners involved. :)

            The factory is run on local waterfall-generated electricity. I don’t think the wool is Norwegian since its Merino, (and the Dale mill has closed), but it’s oeco-tex, pro animal welfare etc.

          • Anonymous

            Thank you everyone. Dale of Norway looks perfect – merino wool (less itchy), skilled construction, meant to last. I’d rather spend $250 for a great sweater that will last 20 years with good care than $250 on five shoddy sweaters from the Gap.

      • pugsnbourbon

        “Please bear in mind that our sweaters are mostly made by retired women who do this as a hobby. We think happy knitters make happy sweaters, so we don’t rush them.”
        That is the most charming thing I’ve read all year. I wish I could tolerate wool.

    • Anonymous

      Off topic a bit but the BBC show Shetland has a main character from Fair Isle and it’d a great show.

      • Seventh. Sister

        I spent about half an episode explaining to my husband that there was a connection between the island and the sweater – he was convinced it was just marketing!

    • LaurenB

      Everything old is new again! I wore Fair Isle sweaters to go off to college … with popped-up collar underneath … LOL.

    • Ribena

      Toast has some glorious sweaters in which I am planning yarn purchases to copy in the new year, probably using Ysolda Teague’s Strokkur pattern. Other than that, I can only suggest the same sources as everyone else.

    • Anonymous

      I had a little look at pictures from the show, hadn’t seen it.

      I saw that one of the sweaters is a Marius sweater. That’s a Norwegian design classic from 1953, and if that’s the one you want, the Marius pattern comes on everything, including all sorts of sweaters, like this one from Aclima: https://shop.aclima.com/1151.html
      The woman who designed this pattern used to be a model, and was at one point a body double for Queen Elizabeth II – she tried on clothes to see if they’d fit the Q.

      Aclima no longer produce in Norway, as far as I could tell they produce in the Baltics, but still not fast fashion. It seems this company also does clothes for the military, so most probably durable.

    • Anonymous

      The Missoni knock-off sweater that Johanne is wearing (the wavy striped one) is unfortunately fast fashion, so don’t get that one.

      It’s a cheap Danish brand called Neo Noir. Their motto seems to be “To be frank, what we do at Neo Noir is not really needed.” Direct quote from their homepage’s “about”-page…

    • Anon

      Damn – now I really want to knit an Icelandic sweater. I’m more of a cardigan girl so I’d have to steek it, which I’m nervous to do…. this is probably bit knitty, never mind!

      • Anonymous

        Steeking in Icelandic yarn isn’t as scary as other yarn. It’s very «sticky» (and to be fair, a little itchy) and fulls easily, so there’s less likelyhood of unravelling.

    • Alanna of Trebond

      You can buy vintage sweaters at “beyond retro.” Great quality, already 20-years old and very good prices.

    • Agurk

      I’m going to indulge my pedantic side here. Fair Isle sweaters are from the Shetland Isles in Scotland, and are totally different than the Norwegian style sweaters. Fair Isle sweaters, among other things, use finer wool, allover patterns of narrow ribs, and usually only have two colors per row. Norwegian sweaters use slightly thicker yarn, usually have one larger band of pattern across the chest, and often have the characteristic “lice” or dotted pattern on the body. Icelandic sweaters are totally different, as they use thick unspun Lopi wool and yoke style shoulder (in contrast to the classic drop shoulder of Norwegian and Fair Isle sweaters).

      So that was probably more than you ever wanted to know about northern European knitwear!

  2. Design help

    I am just starting to think about redecorating my home. The style I am going for leans somewhat minimalistic with natural finishes and elements, textural contrast, and lots of white with a few black and dark accents. Sort of like Scandi, but with clean-lined classic furniture in place of MCM. Is there a name for this style? Any suggestions for places to look for inspiration?

    • Lilau

      Not sure this is helpful, because I would call this Scandinavian style, but I’d check out gustavian or Louis XVI inspired furniture for clean-lined classics. (It’s my understanding that Louis XVI’s clean lines were perhaps an inspiration for mcm pieces and gustavian is its often painted Swedish cousin.)

      Also, check out josh young’s Instagram. He mixes classic furniture with modern art in a white and black color palette. I think it’s beautiful and some of his furniture is from major retailers.

    • Anon

      Check out Door Sixteen’s blog and instagram. She’s all about the Scandi and black & white.

    • Anonymous

      Search #Japandi (japanese scandi) on Instagram and Houzz. It seems very trendy right now.

  4. Anon

    My ex had a reclining sofa that was hideous, but gosh that thing was comfortable. Do chic reclining sofas exist? Something with clean lines? Or do they all look like the clunky La-Z-Boy variety? I’m usually a Pottery Barn/Crate & Barrel shopper, but I didn’t see much there. (I’d prefer not to order from internet companies like Wayfair.)

    • Go for it

      You’re asking a lot ha ha! Try lazyboy-maybe they have improved their line.

    • Anon

      I’m maybe not the best to ask because we are waiting on 2 la z boy recliners for our living room with no shame…but the west elm Enzo I think looks nice for a recliner.

    • No Face

      I don’t know about sofas, but I am positively lusting after the “rowland leather motion recliner” from Arhaus. Large, armless, beautiful recliner that i WANT IN MY HOUSE. (The caps were an accident, but I am leaving them because they accurately express how I feel about these recliner chairs).

    • KS IT Chick

      We have one from Nebraska Furniture Mart, in dark brown leather. I love it. It is one of the house brands. We got it in around 2015 and still looks pretty good, given that we have a fully armed cat who loves it, too.

      • Walnut

        Ah…Nebraska Furniture Mart is a magical place. When I moved away, I didn’t realize how LONG it takes normal furniture companies to ship furniture. Like…I can’t drive away with it today from the warehouse? Why on earth not?

    • Anon

      My mom at one point had an unfortunate boyfriend who moved and brought one of those with him. It was an enormous sectional and took up the entire living room. Decor-wise, it was sort of 1970s customized van style, with a faux southwestern print in dusty country colors.

      It was hideous. But boy was it comfortable.

      In addition to having several reclining seats, it had build in tables, both corner and mid-couch sections, and drink holders like you would find in the aforementioned tricked-out van, and even a handy remote holder. Basically, short of a built in toilet, you could live on that thing. Which he pretty much did.

      I really just wanted to talk about the hideous couch, but also to remind you that you’re going to find more of this kind of thing than the refined look you’re hoping for.

      • Anon

        My husband had a recliner that was faux leather. It had a stab wound and stuffing coming out of it. It was OMG the best chair ever and something bad happened to it that broke the mechanism. I miss it. It was so ugly but if you’re sitting in it, you can’t see it.

    • Anonymous

      Take a look at the lazy boy website. My parents bought furniture from there 10 years ago that still looks like new and doesn’t scream recliner when not reclined.

    • BB

      Yep, take a look at Ekornes Stressless recliners. Some of them are clunky looking, but they have many more updated modern designs now that are still super comfy but cleaner lines looking.

    • Anonymous

      You might look at Stickley. They have some leather and wood numbers that look more like real furniture.

  6. Anon

    “the person who can’t wait to raise a glass for events happening in the near future, whether it be the inauguration, vaccine shots, or more”

    Many of us are Republicans, Kat. While this website is free, our shopping supports your business. Stop with the subtle dissing of the people who pay your bills.

    • Anonymous

      Wow, she wasn’t dissing anyone. You can stop reading if you found it offensive, though.

    • Marie

      I think you are reading way too much into this and that there was nothing negative or offensive implied by her listing many categories of people who would enjoy pretty cocktail glasses and making a comment that among them are people who are finding all sorts of reasons to celebrate in the new year (not limited to political reasons), despite what has been a challenging year for everyone, in one way or another. Kat, I don’t think you have anything to apologize for here.

    • LaurenB

      Or perhaps you could find another free-to-you website if this one doesn’t meet your needs. It’s not really a grand surprise that a board frequented by successful, high-achieving, well-educated women is going to skew reality-based, I mean Democratic.

    • No Face

      Why is pointing out that some people are looking forward to the inauguration a diss at Republicans? That’s not a diss.

      • Anonymous

        Right? It’s a simple fact. A diss would be “anyone who’s smart is looking forward to the inauguration,” but that was neither said nor implied.

        • Marie

          Agree. I also assume there was nothing “offensive” about Republicans looking forward to the inauguration in 2016?

        • anon

          I find people who accuse others of being snowflakes are generally the most fragile/offended by everything

          • Lilau

            Right? The “f*** your feelings” crowd is constantly whining about their feelings.

    • Anon

      I’m a dyed in the wool Republican, but I can raise a glass to the country functioning as envisioned, peaceful transition of power especially Not a Trump fan; definitely not a Biden fan. Just a WSJ reader who wants to leave the house again.

      • Anonymous

        Right? Everyone, Republican or Democrat, should raise a glass to the peaceful transition of power and the chance to have leadership during this pandemic.

      • Happy Peanut

        This is me, too. Another WSJ reader, ecstatic about the vaccine, glad to have a peaceful transition of power, toasting that 2021 will be better than 2020.

    • Aunt Jamesina

      My father and his wife are lifelong Republicans who are thrilled Biden was elected. Being a Republican and wanting Trump out of office aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.

    • Anon

      Ugh, and of course you brought out the trusty ole “I’m paying your bills.” Do you tell that to your kids’ teachers too?

      Girl, #takeyourclicksandgo!

      • Horse Crazy

        These are the same people who scream at me (a government worker), “I PAY YOUR SALARY SO YOU HAD BETTER DO EXACTLY WHAT I WANT!”

    • Anon

      We are allowed to enjoy our inauguration just as I am sure you enjoyed yours. Geez.

  7. Raleigh help

    I need to send a bottle of bourbon to someone in Raleigh (I am not local). Would prefer to support a local shop if possible. Are there any good ones that will deliver? Doesn’t need to arrive in time for Christmas. Thanks!

    • Anon

      In NC bourbon is sold by ABC stores. Not sure what they do, but it’s a government agency and has a monopoly on liquor sales, so not terribly consumer-friendly (nowhere as strange as Pennsylvania’s liquor laws).

      *** You might want to send a pre-mixed cocktail from the giftee’s local favorite bar/restaurant. That just started at midnight last night. ***

        • Anon

          I think that the rule is only one drink per person. And it’s less than 24 hours old, so probably working out the kinks. I’m sure a gift card will help do the trick :)

    • Anon

      Used to live in NC but not anymore so not sure if delivery rules are different now, but I believe there are no “local” stores, just state stores.

    • Anon

      Liquor in NC is only sold by the ABC stores owned by the state. There are many local bourbons that ABC sells, but it’s illegal to deliver hard liquor in NC. Florists are sometimes a loophole for beer/wine delivery in different states (“this flower arrangement just happens to contain a bottle of wine!”), but I don’t know about hard liquor.

    • Raleigh OP

      Thanks all! I used to live in PA, so I am familiar with the obnoxiousness of state liquor stores. Will check out the local restaurant option. Maybe instead of a bottle I’ll send them daily c-tails for a week or something.

      • Gail the Goldfish

        Yea, regrettably our liquor laws are antiquated. However, a friend did manage to get a liquor advent calendar delivered this year somehow–he said the company just had a distributor’s license. I’m skeptical and suspect they were just skirting the law, but you might try online.

        Also, if you want to instead send them something related to alcohol, crude bitters is a local Raleigh store.

  8. Anon

    Paging Walnut:

    I saw your post about wishing your doctors had more experience treating people your age with your type of cancer. I also noticed you mentioned an ostomy. I want to invite you to check out some of the Crohns and Colitis forums. There are tons of young people with ostomies on those forums. I’m sure they would be happy to offer you any advice they have, even if your diagnosis is different than theirs. Healingwell dot com is one. The Crohns and Colitis Foundation have others. Also, Reddit.

    Wishing you the best!

    • Walnut

      Thanks anon! I found a mountain of support in the ileostomy/colostomy facebook groups. Seriously, they had the best tips and their delightful sense of humor around poop jokes made the whole experience much more pleasant. Fortunately, I’m I had a successful reversal and now just look like I have a bullet hole wound in my stomach to accompany all of the rest of my scars.

      Trust me y’all, 2020 probably closed the door on my swimsuit modeling career. (Just kidding! 13 years working corporate desk jobs and multiple c-sections and being awkward AF in photos closed those doors a long time ago.)

      • Anonymous

        Have you checked out @thecancerpatient on Instagram? It looks like such a funny and supportive account.

        • Walnut

          That is gold! Just laughed for a half hour straight. Thanks for dropping that gem in my life.

          • Anonymous

            Aw yay! I love spreading meme accounts. They can get you laughing when nothing else can.

        • Anonymous

          As a fellow cancer patient, I can tell you that hand’s down, that is my favorite Instagram account.

  9. Anon

    Just a quick PSA. There was an article in my local news about COVID spreading through the fire dept and police dept. They were putting the positive staff members up in a local hotel, name undisclosed, to keep their families safe. I have no idea if the hotel was otherwise open to the public and if guests would have any idea.

    So, if you have to travel for some reason (I know some people that still have to travel out of town and stay overnight in a hotel to access medical care in a bigger city) you might want to ask if that hotel is also knowingly housing COVID patients. I suspect the City isn’t the only one putting up it’s sick employees. Hospitals and other health care centers may be doing so too.

    • Anonymous

      Good point. Another thing to consider is whether hotels need the rooms for traveling nurses and physicians in surge areas. It wasn’t a good look over the summer in California when tourists put up a stink about giving up their hotel rooms to people stranded by the wildfires during a pandemic.

      • Anon

        Hotels are seriously hurting right now, I don’t think you need to worry about whether they have spare rooms available.

        • No Face

          This probably depends on where you are. The hotels in a tourist area in my state were at capacity over the summer. (The area had literally no pandemic restrictions whatsoever.)

          • Anonymous

            Yep. Unfortunately many of the hot touristy areas during the winter (ski towns) are also served by the smallest, least equipped hospitals.

      • Anonymous

        I don’t think a lot of medical personnel are still available to travel – there are too many surge areas.

    • Anonymous

      Also local authorities can ban short-term rentals at whatever they deem a critical point in COVID capacity, leaving travelers without housing (even prearranged housing).

    • Real-life example

      To put this in perspective, my locality did this. The hotel was shut down for non-COVID travelers (the owner really needed the business), and there was both a full-time staffer to ensure no one left their rooms and roaming security. Meals were delivered to the rooms so they didn’t have to leave, and they could call the desk to get anything they needed delivered. Not all set-ups will be the same.

    • Anonymous

      NYC has been doing this for months, for any resident who needs a place to isolate, and it isn’t a secret. But here I think they are using hotels that are not also hosting travelers. (I hope. I generally just hope people are not visiting NYC right now).

  10. The original Scarlett

    Does anyone have experience with Sixpenny couches? I’m being influenced and am interested in the comfort factor….

  11. Paging the UK - how are we perceived - poster

    Paging the UK poster who wanted to know about how the UK is reported abroad.

    In Norway, breaking UK news this week has been the possibility of punk band The Kunts becoming the Christmas number one song with their fairly non-creative critique of the prime minister. According to the largest newspaper in the country reporting on this, the UK bookies currently have this band at fourth place. For anybody who’s seen “Love Actually”, we know that the Christmas no. 1 is a big thing, and might be a bit cheeky. I laughed heartily at this news report, and finally thought that “Only in the UK. They will be ok”. That sort of black humor will alway do you good.

    For anybody who would like to hear the song, it is NOT safe for work, not for people who shun profanities – or musical modulation, and the censored version is called “Boris Johnson is a sausage roll”.

    • The original Scarlett

      The Christmas number 1 thing is real??? *mind blown* I thought that was made up for the movie!

      • Ribena

        Oh yeah, it’s a REALLY big deal. A couple of years ago(?) there was a parody version of “I Love Rock And Roll” called “I love sausage rolls”.

    • Anonymous

      A nice one,
      unfortunately the news from Uk today in Spain are the 4.000 lorry drivers stuck in Dover waiting in the border to pass. No showers, no toilets, no hot meals/drinks. Some of them have been there waiting 3 days now and people is starting to loss patient and confront the police.
      The border has openend now but they need a test to pass and there is nowhere to do it.
      If this was a trial of 1st Jan after Brexit is not working.

  12. Elegant Giraffe

    Hoping for others’ perspective on this. I’ve been working with a psychiatrist (who does the medication management and talk therapy herself) for about two years on anxiety and depression. It took some time to find a good medication balance, but I’ve been steady for the last six months. I’ve worked with more effective therapists in the past, but I do appreciate that she also does the Rx management. I recently expressed to her that I no longer find much benefit in the talk therapy and would instead prefer to just do medication checks every 2-3 months. She is insisting on appointments every six weeks instead – I almost feel she wants the money from the more frequent appointments, so she’s holding my Rx hostage. Is it typical to see a psychiatrist this frequently once you’ve found a good Rx regimen? A few months ago I tried to find another psychiatrist in my area (Dallas) and only found one with a very long waiting list. I feel a bit trapped. Any other suggestions?

    • Anon

      It sounds like you want to keep seeing her, just not on this schedule? If not, if the meds aren’t scheduled substances, I would just ask my primary care doctor for refills going forward, and only go back to the psychiatrist if they stopped working.

    • Anon

      It is very normal to only see a psychiatrist for check ups for medicine purposes. In fact, most people I know just get a prescription from the psychiatrist and see a non-medical therapist (i.e. usually having a masters in counseling or social work) for talk therapy. If they are being difficult, ask your PCP for refills. Explain that you are steady on medicine and just need refills but your psychiatrist is requiring expensive and unnecessary frequent appointments, a decent PCP will put in the script for you and just check in every six months for a renewal.

      • Anon

        I think this a great plan for now, but I’d encourage you to keep looking for a psychiatrist that will do regular med checks. I have varied (over the past 17 years) from appointments every six weeks to once a year, depending on how I’m doing. It’s been important, though, for me to have someone to call if things need to change. Meds are such a trial-and-error thing that having someone available to help with that can be make or break with med therapy.

    • Anon

      Yup, the question here is are they controlled substances. In my state you have to get those RXs in person. Once I had an established long term relationship w/ a doc, she’d fudge it a little by pre-writing scripts for three months at a time but I think she really was supposed to see me in person.

    • pugsnbourbon

      Another option may be a licensed psychiatric nurse. My wife sees one for med management. I think their abilities to prescribe vary by state. I didn’t get a quick answer from Google but there’s probably more info out there.

  13. Edna Mazur

    Just a PSA that the Daily this morning is people reporting good things that happened in 2020. I found it really uplifting today!

  14. Abby

    DH is getting the vaccine today!! The best Christmas gift I ever could have asked for.

  15. Anon

    Has anyone had any luck lowering their blood pressure through lifestyle changes? Mine has always been low, even in August when I went to urgent care it was fine. But I have a family history of high blood pressure and about a week ago when I went for my mammogram, it was high (around 140/high 80s). I checked it yesterday and today and it was about the same (144/88 and 141/93). Ugh. I hate the idea of having to take a daily medication. I have my annual dr check up in February – I don’t know if it is possible to lower it before then if I start walking regularly and eat better. I am generally in good health – 5’1 and 97 pounds, don’t smoke or drink, late 40s. I don’t exercise at all though and don’t eat that healthy (fast food and sweets a lot). Would appreciate any input! I am going to monitor my blood pressure for a week and then check in with my doctor to see if they want to move my appt up.

    • Anonymous

      If it was high that one time at the mammogram, couldn’t it be because you were nervous about it? And the two times at home because you were checking nervous it wouldn’t be lower and you’d need medication?

    • Anon

      Unfortunately sometimes high blood pressure can sometimes just be genetic and all you can do is exercise regularly and avoid foods that increase high blood pressure (fatty foods, high cholesterol foods, salty foods, etc.

    • Anon

      I think lower sodium is a big thing for high blood pressure? Sugar/fat isn’t as important. But most people I know with high blood pressure need meds no matter what lifestyle changes they make.

    • Anon

      My husband is genetically predisposed to high blood pressure; his has dropped since we got married. We eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, and I drag him out for walks, swimming, and, pre-pandemic, the gym.

    • Anonymous Canadian

      Sometimes blood pressure is just idiosyncratically high no matter how healthy a lifestyle you have. One pill a day to keep it in the normal range is one of the BEST things you can do for overall longterm good health, so don’t beat yourself up if it turns out this is the case for you.

    • Anonymous

      It is absolutely possible to power your blood pressure through diet and exercise! Even adding 30 minutes of walking a day would be a huge and beneficial change.

      • Anon

        This is not true for everyone. Genetics can play a huge role. Some people have hypertension due to lifestyle choices and some have it due to genetic factors (likewise some people have normal BP despite lifestyles that typically lead to hypertension). Healthy lifestyle choices are important overall, but for many people that have little to no impact on BP and meds are needed.

        • Anon

          Yeah, but if OP goes to a doctor about this and says she never exercises and doesn’t eat all that great, I guarantee you a doctor is going to start with suggesting lifestyle changes.

          • Anon

            Not if they are following the AHA HTN guidelines. With that high of BP overall CV risk is assessed and lifestyle modifications AND antihypertensives are recommended if there is an elevation in the 10% CVD risk (even a 10% increase in risk is an indication to start drugs). Once the BP is under control and the lifestyle modifications have been made, the situation is reassessed and at that point, the BP meds made be reduced or stopped.

          • Anon

            Yes, the guidelines include both. Your post suggested that all the MD would do is recommended lifestyle changes, and that should not be what happens. It should be both. Meds act fast(immediately start lowering the risk of the consequences of CV dz), lifestyle changes take a much longer time to implement, take hold, and have an impact on BP (if they are going to). So saying an MD will start with lifestyle changes is incorrect.

    • Anon

      High blood pressure runs in both sides of my family, back to my grandparents for sure. I managed to stave it off until age 55 but finally started taking blood pressure medication. I feel fine, I’m preventing major issues like stroke and heart disease, so to me it’s a no-brainer. The meds have been around for a long time and are well understood. Just take them.

      It’s kind of like a vaccine. No one wants a shot, but the disease is much worse.

      • Anon

        This. I get why being on medication for life is scary but the medications are safe and effective and literally life-saving.

    • Coach Laura

      Mine was always low until I hit 61 and diagnosed with cancer, but the parentals both have it as does a younger brother. I’ve come to terms with the daily meds after finding that my mother’s and grandmother’s dementia were vascular dementia, which is caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure. My mom knew and ignored it. My MD is my age and she says she has high blood pressure and has convinced me not to feel like it’s a failing on my part to have to take meds. She said I really don’t want vascular dementia so I’m all about controlling it. I’m still trying to improve on what was a pretty healthy lifestyle.

      I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in September and since then I’ve been following the Mediterranean DASH diet, which is specifically to lower blood pressure (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension). The Mediterranean part is focusing on nuts, seeds, berries, lots of olive oil, veggies and leafy greens, lots of beans, whole grains and fish. But little/no dairy, few eggs, little/no sugar, little/no beef or pork or chicken. It can’t hurt.

      I walk an hour a day, practice yoga, do a little spinning but a lot of summer cycling, kayaking, sailing and hiking. I hope that between all these plus diet I can be as healthy as possible.

      If you don’t do any exercise then starting with even 10 minutes walking a day and working up would be good, as exercise is one of the best ways to control HTN.

      • OP

        OP here – thank you for all of your comments! I did a 10 minute walk around the neighborhood yesterday (starting off slowly lol) and my husband bought a bunch of fruit from the store for me to snack on! I do appreciate the comments that medication may be inevitable and I appreciate the thoughts on that. I realized that it can’t hurt to try to make some lifestyle improvements regardless so I guess that is my New Years resolution!

    • OP

      OP here – thank you for all of your comments! I did a 10 minute walk around the neighborhood yesterday (starting off slowly lol) and my husband bought a bunch of fruit from the store for me to snack on! I do appreciate the comments that medication may be inevitable and I appreciate the thoughts on that. I realized that it can’t hurt to try to make some lifestyle improvements regardless so I guess that is my New Years resolution!

  16. anon bp

    Mine always tended to be borderline in my 30s, but if I exercised on a regular basis it would be in the acceptable range, however around age 42 no matter how much I exercise or how healthy eat, it is high and I take one pill a day.

    Alcohol can increase BP, usually the next day, so try to limit that.

  17. Anonymous

    A few months ago, some readers commented on using facial steamers and I purchased one for myself. So far, I’ve used to steam my pores open before applying a face mask. Are there other ways to use a steamer? how often and for how many minutes at a time?

    • Anon

      I would guess you can use it when you’re clogged up from a cold or sinus products, much like I would use a sinkful of steaming water.

      I think the idea that you can open or close your pores has been debunked. The way to really make your pores appear smaller is to get the gunk out of them, which is where BHA exfoliants come in.

  18. Blair Waldorf

    I want to treat myself to a nice leather purse but I want to use it daily – how can I treat/protect it. FWIW, I’m eyeing the Allsaints Kita crossbody

    • AZCPA

      Do you live somewhere with lots of rain/snow that you have to be out in? That might require some protectant. But I don’t do anything to my leather bags regularly, maybe some leather lotion ever 2-3 years or after being caught in the rain.

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