The Scroll Gift Guide

Happy Hanukkah, Christmas, or whatever you celebrate

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Hi, I’m A.M. Tisch. As an avid reader of the Scroll and part of the greater Tablet family, I am honored to be taking over for a special edition holiday guide with some of my favorite items to give and receive.

Substack demographics are notably unhelpful here: There is no way for me to know whether anyone else on the planet is interested in the specific Venn diagram of radical health, independent crafts, beauty, literature, politics, art, style, food, and generally nice things that so occupies me. But if those people actually exist anywhere en masse, they might as well be here, reading The Scroll, like me. So here goes! And Happy Hanukkah Christmas mid-December—or whatever you're celebrating this season.

For the health and wellness freaks (IYKYK):

Higher Dose Go Mat. This is like an in-home car heat seat but so much more relaxing and grounding—thanks to the PEMF and infrared. I even admit to putting it in my bed to make my cold room extra toasty under the covers.

Rorra water filter. The Ferrari of water filters. It's a stainless steel countertop machine using advanced nanotechnology filters to remove chlorine, microplastics, PFAS ("forever chemicals") and more. Requires zero plumbing work to set up, and is soft on the eyes.

Toe spacers. According to my Ayurvedic practitioner, these are absolutely necessary to wear for at least 10 minutes a day to prevent the narrowing of toes and bunions. Increasing foot surface area has a whole host of benefits like improving balance and improving foot mobility, and, probably since the feet are connected to so many important systems, these somehow seem to clear my mind and help me feel all around more balanced.

Ra Optics blue light glasses. I have these in both the daytime version to look at screens during the work day and nighttime version, which I keep next to my bed and wear after dinner. I even ordered them for my prescription. Quite chic for bluelight frames that actually work.

Tri-Butyrin Supreme. The best postbiotic available! Americans, it turns out, are pretty much all deficient in butyrate, a “good” bacteria in your gut that helps your body break down dietary fiber in your large intestine. Since taking this postbiotic, my digestion has been much improved, and I think my metabolism works better. A nontraditional gift, sure, but a great stocking stuffer for a fellow health and wellness freak.

Carnivore Aurelius’ collagen. Great for digestion, skin health, bone and joint strength. Most important—given how contaminated most supplements are—this specific formulation has no hormones, glyphosate, antibiotics, pesticides, bleaches, or glutens.

EMF laptop Defender Shield. For the laptop-on-the couch users in your life, buy this Defender Shield, which protects against computer radiation. Especially important for men. Protect your fertility!

Anti-radiation hat, hoodie, boxer briefs. I fly enough to have invested in anti-radiation gear, which helps me feel protected through the airport and on the plane. Including a briefs option for men. Tin foil hat people, rejoice.

Negative ion body brush. Negative ions from the copper in this brush rebalance your natural energy state, balancing out the harmful positive ions released from electronics, pollution, toxic chemicals, and even fluorescent lighting—all our modern woes. If you, like me, live in a toxic soup and also care about lymphatic drainage, reduced cellulite, and smoother/brighter skin, you will like this brush.

Red light! Celluma or LightStim for a splurge. Red light is probably the most therapeutic and nourishing of any wellness activity I’ve yet come across, and everyday/home use is said to be transformative, cosmetically, physiologically, and from a mood/relaxation perspective. Highly recommend for those who feel ready to commit.

Best coconut oil. I use this one as a moisturizer, supplement, hair treatment—basically everything. It’s rich and feels pure and is generally fantastic.

Nano restructured alive water. For those who wish to one-up the Mountain Valley drinkers, this luxury water—nano-restructured to restore its molecular state of “aliveness,” delivered in big glass bottles, having undergone 14 layers of filtration—is as perfect a gift as can be. Full of “prana” (life force, in Ayurveda), restructured water (especially spring water) supports your microbiome, improves digestion, and boosts overall vitality. It’s also hyperoxygenated and energetically polished (don’t ask) with rose quartz.

Mechanical orange juicer. As my fellow health radicals know, orange juice is a magical nectar and superfood. There’s nothing more delectable than a fresh squeezed glass of OJ with a few ice cubes, and there’s no better way to prepare it than on the spot with this time-tested, cast-iron mechanical juice press, which was gifted to me last year by a media celebrity who shall remain nameless. Designed in Jaffa (known for its orange groves) by Isaac Zaksenberg, a sculptor and artist who immigrated to Israel from Warsaw in 1926, this timeless piece should grace every kitchen counter. It juices oranges, grapefruits, and pomegranates. Enjoy.

A full wheel of cheese. Saxelby cheese is famously delicious. Spring for a full wheel. It’s a nutrient-dense showstopper.

Mate the Label activewear. Some months ago now, I got rid of my plasticky exercise clothes and restocked with this brand, which—though not 100% clean, as I do like to retain a little stretch—is pretty darn close at 92% certified organic cotton. Feels so much better on my skin. (Necessary caveat: I do keep a small stash of District Vision on hand because sometimes I just wanna prioritize looking hot. For men: try this.)

Beeswax candles. I keep these sprinkled all over my apartment and light them up every night, often using candlelight instead of lamps/overheads. Made from pure beeswax (no paraffin, chemicals, etc.) and cotton wicks, they are hand-poured in Dripping Springs, Texas. These puppies cast a beautiful golden light, I love the dark yellow color of the pillars, and best of all, they’ll make your home smell like honeycomb.

Koniver peptides. Disclosure: I’m uninformed about, and naturally skeptical of, the peptide craze. But my radical Huberboy ex-boyfriend recommended these as the very best, and I’m inclined to believe him based on his extensive research and big muscles.

Lancaster cast iron skillet. Pennsylvania-made, naturally nonstick, and lightweight for a cast-iron pan, Lancaster’s preseasoned iron cookware is all about appreciating beauty and practicality, elevating American craftsmanship, rediscovering simplicity, and slowing down.

For the literary types (with recs from our Tablet fam):

The Strong Horse by Lee Smith. There is a very small group of books about the Middle East that are not almost immediately overtaken by events that routinely appear to be beyond the comprehension and the predictive powers of hopeful Western believers in progress. Published on the cusp of the Arab Spring, Lee Smith’s The Strong Horse went strongly against the grain of early Obama-era regional optimism. Over the past 15 years, it has proved itself to be a uniquely reliable compass for readers who were smart or lucky enough to purchase it when it came out—and there is no reason to believe that it will be any less of a reliable guide over the next 15 years. It’s not too late to get ahead of the curve. —Tablet’s geopolitical analyst

Folio Society books. For something pretty and classic: My sister gave me the Folio edition of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and it was a fantastic gift to receive. Sophisticated, modern, and traditional all at once, and so many great books to choose from out of this collection. —A.M. Tisch

The Jewish Revolution by Israel Eldad. This book offers an introduction to the revolutionary creed of Israel’s rebirth that has been edited out of official Zionist history, especially the watered-down version that reaches American audiences. Eldad was a member of the Lehi movement, the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel, who forced the British out of the country, thereby creating the conditions for the birth of the state in 1948—and this book provides an overview of Lehi’s vision: anti-imperialist, bitterly against the Zionist establishment, neither left nor right by modern standards, neither religious in the contemporary sense nor secular like the other major Zionist factions. If you want to understand Israel’s ideological formation and see the path that has not (yet!) been taken, read this book. —Jacob Siegel

The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk. Messianism is the great hope and poison of Jewish existence, a topic too pained for all but the true mystics among us to honestly confront. In her sprawling novel about the 18th-century Frankist heresy, the Polish Nobelist—no Jew could possibly have written this book—plunges straight into the burning heart of “the Messianic Machine,” which becomes the engine of every dream and nightmare of modernity. The results belong at the absolute apex of 21st-century literature, right alongside Roberto Bolaño’s 2666. —Armin Rosen

The Iran Wars by Jay Solomon. Written at the close of Barack Obama’s presidency, Jay Solomon’s The Iran Wars is the definitive repertorial account of the Obama administration’s ill-fated Iran diplomacy and the decades of schizophrenic U.S. policy that preceded it. Then the chief foreign correspondent of The Wall Street Journal, Solomon was impeccably sourced among the U.S., Iranian, and European officials and diplomats who crafted the Iranian nuclear deal; almost uniquely among that set, however, Solomon was a skeptic of both the deal and the savvy messaging apparatus the administration crafted to sell it to the American public. Most “news” books age poorly, but this one remains a crucial reference point for understanding the upside-down U.S. foreign policy that has shaped the Middle East for the past decade. —Park MacDougald

Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History by Joseph Telushkin. Our Tablet colleague Jacob Siegel speaks often of his admiration for Chabad and how it’s one of the few Jewish organizations that really matter. I’ve learned it improves every community it’s a part of, as my family and I are blessed to live a short walk from the Chabad in Charleston, South Carolina, so I wanted to know more about the Rebbe. I didn’t know I was looking for a book about wisdom until I started to read the story of one of the wisest and most insightful men of modern times. —Lee Smith

A Joseph Campbell Companion. For the searchers: A mentor of mine gave me this last year and I now keep several copies at hand on my shelf in case someone I like walks through my door who hasn’t yet been sent home with it. —A.M. Tisch

For the gourmands:

Bridgewater chocolate makes a delightful-looking chocolate Santa (I’m a Christmas-loving Jew! sue me), and some very delicious chocolate dreidels.

Hanukkah-cookie decorating kit. Recommended by my brother’s gluten-free-ish girlfriend, this kit looks like a lot of fun for the gluten-sensitive community (and maybe even the gluten-loving community), especially for those with kids.

River Cafe olive oil. My older sister is a chef at the River Cafe, London’s iconic and legendarily chic Italian restaurant. Especially given what’s going on with olive oil fraud (google it), I can’t recommend a bottle of their extra virgin cold pressed oil more. And while you’re at it, throw in a cookbook. Sooner or later, you won’t want to eat anything else.

Amante. My friend started the most delicious Aperol company and the bottles and liquid are gorgeous. Fragrant, herby, and bright.

For the deeply impractical/fantasy givers:

Cecile Bahnsen white dress. Unexpected, fresh, and feminine.

Yellow Gold Colombian Emerald and Tourmaline Statement Necklace by Judy Geib. Res ipsa loquitur.

Royal Soldier Costume and matching Christmas tree dress. As a child, this is how I imagined adults dressed for Christmas in the “olden days.”

Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant. U.S. history nerds, this one’s for you. The volumes are dated May 23, 1885, exactly two months before Grant passed away, and include 43 maps, wood engravings, and foldout facsimile letters written by Grant. Anyone?

A puppy! I’ve always been a zealous crusader in the movement to normalize gifting people animals. Sure, you’ve gotta know your customer, but if they’re puppy-loving and generally responsible, what could go wrong. Happiness to the max.

For everyone else:

Nili Lotan men’s sweater. The women in my family have been Nili Lotan stans for a very long time, but we were still surprised to see the reaction of the men in my family when she launched a men’s line in 2022. My father, a man of excellent though sometimes single-minded taste, put on a Nili sweater on the men’s launch day, and I don’t think I’ve seen a week go by without him wearing one since. My brother wears them too, and though he is not, per se, a style icon, his sweater collection is an outlier of noteworthy excellence in his otherwise average wardrobe. For women: She makes the most perfect cashmere tees.

Schostal pajamas. There’s a reason these are on every gift guide I’ve come across. They are the perfect PJs: 100% linen, made in Rome, the only thing I want to sleep in. See here for men.

Massimo Dutti leather jacket. If I had to give up everything else, I’d probably just take Massimov … Men, they’ve got one for you too.

Beautiful desk accoutrements. A bookstand, brass tape-dispenser, and pretty rulers.

Year of the Flood jewelry. I love the chai necklace, but honestly everything is so pretty and they have great vintage finds. If it weren’t so expensive I’d buy it all.

Lilis Instant Korean Skin Peel. Surprisingly, this works. I have no idea how.

NFL Edition by Abercrombie. Recommended by my retail-collaboration-aware little sister, these are fun and practical. And who doesn’t love a special edition collab?

Undo Hairware clips. The best hair clips I’ve ever come across: sturdy, glossy, lightweight, and well-made. I love the gold detailing and color options. They come in small, too.

Santa Maria Novella soaps and fragrances. The Tabacco Toscano soap is my favorite (I keep it in my sock and underwear drawers in addition to by the sink because I love the fragrance so much). They also make a terra-cotta scented pomegranate that makes an excellent gift.

Gregory Parkinson tablecloths. Made by hand, these textiles are beautifully patterned and joyful, bright, elegant. They have a perfectly bohemian Indo-California look, and will warm up any home.

Hannah Polskin menorah. Tablet’s impossibly glam Ani Wilcenski shared this menorah with me, which comes in several colorways. I want this in my window for Hanukkah (and maybe even after).

Tabio extra-fine merino socks. Tabio is my favorite sock brand. They have both plain and fancy, and even make a 5-toe sock (great for circulation). The Japanese know what they’re doing here.

Maira Kalman embroidered textile. My mom, who is known for her elegant eye, lent me this piece, which I have framed above my bed. On a perfectly angelic white, linen square, it reads: “don’t think too much.” For the overthinkers out there: I’ve decided it’s good juju to sleep beneath this.

Romain Laprade photograph of Tel Aviv. Sold at Yvon Lambert, a jewel box of a print shop and bookstore in Paris, this photograph is ethereal, majestic, and captures the magic of Israel without being too on-the-nose about it (the Tel Aviv boardwalk photos are lovely but overdone). For Bauhaus lovers, try this one.

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