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Editor's Pick

What Our Editors Want for Christmas in 2022

Luxurious face masks, cozy sweaters, beautiful quilts and more wishlist items from Vancouver magazine editors.

Still wondering what to get for the magazine editor in your life? Probably not—but since us here at Vanmag are on the pulse of everything that’s cool, new and unique in the city, we think it’s fair that our holiday wish lists can spark some inspo for whatever Vancouverite you’re shopping for. And Santa, if you’re reading this, give our best to the elves.

Pink cleanser in black container
Okoko Cosmetiques

Okoko Cosmetique’s Balm-To-Milk Cleanser/Exfoliator/Mask, $90

This Black-owned, Vancouver-based beauty brand is well on its way to world domination—and Vanmag totally called it. We first covered founder Oyéta Kokoroko in 2019, then she won a Made in Vancouver Award in 2020 and opened the city’s first clean beauty retail hub in 2021. She’s also signed retail contracts with GOOP, Allure and Indigo. I’ve got my eye on this super-luxurious (and very pink) cleanser that can also be used as a facemask. It’s $90—hey, that’s what vegan, cruelty-free, clinically-formulated genius gets you—so a bit of a splurge for myself… but if anyone wants to buy it for me, I’m game.—Alyssa Hirose, associate editor

lululemon sweater

Lululemon Ombre Knit Textured Turtleneck, $158

I’m headed to Calgary on Christmas Eve to surprise my niece and nephew (and really counting on the fact that the under-13 set isn’t reading my Vanmag missives to keep it a surprise). So, yeah, I’m looking for all the warm things to bring with me, since it was a balmy -30C the last time I was there. Lululemon’s Ombre Knit Textured turtleneck is ridiculously soft—I basically hugged it the last time I was in store—and knit from a merino wool blend, so it’s got good fighting weight behind it to keep this Vancouverite warm in territories east, and keep the “soft Vancouver” comments at bay. —Anicka Quin, editorial director

Gabriel Glas Wine Glasses StandArt Edition $240 for 6

Full disclosure: I was literally going to choose some Lululemon Always in Motion underwear I unexpectedly received last Christmas that has greatly enriched my life—but Anicka beat me to the Lulu punch. But then I thought back to a meeting I had with Martin’s Lane winemaker Shane Munn a while back, and I knew what I really want, what I really really want. Shane brought out some of his insanely good Pinot in a wine glass so light and delicate it literally felt like it would float away if it didn’t have the wine holding it down. It seemed like the most indulgent wine glass ever, something with breakage rate so high that the only possible patrons were the Romanovs and Sean Carter. I asked Shane about it and he told me that they were made by an Austrian company called Gabriel Glas and while he didn’t give me a price point, I assumed it was one of those “if you have to ask” purchases. But the company recently came out with the StandArt edition—no idea what that name means—that are just a hair more sturdy and a whole swack less pricey, but still capture that etherealness of a vessel that just barely contains the wine.—Neal McLennan, Wine & Spirits Editor

pink lamp

Muuto Table Lamp, $777

The worst thing about being a fan of a great lamp is that, at a certain point, you run out of places to put them. An 850-square-foot apartment only has so much need for lighting, and after you’ve splashed out on a great sconce or pendant light in each room, you’ve kind of reached the end of the road. (I will be the first to be attacked with pitchforks in the upcoming class riots, I am well aware.) So lucky for me that just before the holidays, my baby mangled the lamp shade on the tried-and-true green glass Ikea lamp I’ve been dutifully touting from home to home for the past 15 years, which is a gift in-and-of itself: a perfect excuse to ask Santa to light up my life. And at the top of my wish list is the lamp designer Ben Leavitt brought along to style my home for Western Living photo shoot last spring. I’ve been thinking about it ever since: the whimsical Normann Copenhagen Cap lamp in blush. Sure, it’s a little pricier than my family’s usual gift limit would allow, but can you put a price on light? —Stacey McLachlan, editor at large

A bed with a checkered quilt draped on it

Ashbury Organic Quilt, $539.00

Sure, maybe what I really want for Christmas is more sleep. Who doesn’t? But apparently, Santa can make millions of toys and deliver them around the world through a chimney all in one night but bringing me 8 hours of guaranteed quality REM sleep a night is too tall of an order? Luckily, there’s a very stylish and oh-so-cozy quilt from Resthouse Sleep that might help (no thanks to you, Kristopher Kringle). It’s organic, it’s got grandmother-level charm and should make for the perfect blanket fort to retreat from the incoming cold season. I know that duvets are the rockstars of the bedding world, but I appreciate this vintage throwback blanket that you can throw overtop that duvet for some next-level comfort that feels timeless—without forcing grandma to do all the handiwork. And sure, it’s pretty pricey for a blanket— but this is a wish list after all and my wish is to live my best hygge life wrapped in handstitched quilty goodness. Hibernation mode has never looked and felt so whimsical. —Kerri Donaldson, assistant editor