Nine Timeless Gifts for the 2023 Holiday Season
From Eleven Madison Park playing cards to Gohar World’s Egg Chandelier, nine gift ideas that will stand the test of time.
Emily Jiang and Spencer Bailey December 8, 2023
6 minute read
Clockwise from bottom left: Gohar World Egg Chandelier, Mini; Salvatori Ellipse Mortar and Pestle; Sohn Foot Pillow; Theory11 x Eleven Madison Park Limited-Edition Playing Cards; “Not Too Late”; “Philip Glass Piano Etudes”; Molteni & C Porta Volta Chair; Tom Dixon Tank Wine Set; Haws x Gardenheir watering cans.
Latest Stories
Nine Timeless Gifts for the 2023 Holiday Season
From Eleven Madison Park playing cards to Gohar World’s Egg Chandelier, nine gift ideas that will stand the test of time.6 minute readThe 7 Best Books of the Year
The Slowdown’s selection of the most notable books of the year, handpicked by our editors.6 minute read
Lara Gilmore on the Media That Brings Out Her Inner Child
The restaurateur and food activist’s content intake includes her local Italian newspapers, the podcast Design Emergency, and Peter and the Wolf.13 minute readA Liberating, Time-Traveling Journey Through Family, History, and Memory
Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Tracy K. Smith’s powerful new memoir uses her life and family to examine the deepest of American wounds.7 minute readKaty Bowman on Why “Movement Nutrition” Matters
The trained biomechanist and author argues for making better daily movement choices and reintegrating ancestral movements into our lives.14 minute readPhaidon’s Emilia Terragni on the Media That Satiates Her Roving Curiosity
The publisher and editorial director’s content intake includes Apartamento, the newsletter The Knowledge, and many an episode of This American Life.11 minute read
Subscribe to The Slowdown
Your indispensable guide to the zeitgeist
$100/year
$10/month
$100/year
$10/month
- In-depth stories that immerse you in art, design, food, technology, and beyond
- Interviews with creative leaders you know—or should
- Carefully curated recommendations for books, objects, and ephemera
- Weekly email updates that are actually interesting
- Exclusive invitations to live events
- Conversation fodder for your Saturday night dinner party
Podcasts
Time Sensitive
Candid, revealing portraits of curious and courageous people who have a distinct perspective on time. Host Spencer Bailey interviews leading minds about their life and work through the lens of time—how they think about time broadly and how specific moments in time have shaped who they are today.
Ep. 104 Annabelle Selldorf on Architecture as Portraiture
Ep. 103 Walter Hood on Connecting People and Place Through Landscape Architecture
Ep. 102 Min Jin Lee on the Healing Power of Fiction
- See more

At a Distance
A podcast about the bigger picture. Host Spencer Bailey calls on leading minds, from scientists and technologists to artists and climate activists, to zoom out and look at some of the planet’s most pressing issues from a whole-earth, long-view perspective.
Ep. 165 Charlayne Hunter-Gault on History as a Compass for Navigating the Present
Ep. 164 Sarah Lohman on Creating a More Affordable, Healthful, and Moral Food System
Ep. 163 David W. Orr on the Inextricable Links Between Climate and Democracy
- See more

Latest Stories
With “Open Questions,” Helen Molesworth Opens Up New Ways of Seeing Art
In this collection of 24 essays, the L.A.-based curator explores the works of artists including Simone Leigh, Ruth Asawa, and Marcel Duchamp.5 minute readStefan Sagmeister Finds Optimism in the Long View
The graphic designer’s latest project celebrates the fact that long-term data reveals that our world has profoundly improved across decades and centuries.24 minute read
How Stoicism Can Cultivate Joy
The philosopher William B. Irvine discusses what led him to embrace Stoicism and how its techniques can help us navigate the complexities of the 21st century.12 minute readSpike Lee’s Prolific Career Gets the Spotlight, Naturally, in Brooklyn
With 450 objects from the filmmaker’s personal archive, a just-opened Brooklyn Museum show takes visitors on a dynamic journey through his creative process.5 minute readRoxane Gay Balances Her Content Intake Between the Real and the Imagined
The writer and social commentator’s media diet spans The Paris Review, “Law & Order: SVU,” and the CBS show “The Equalizer” with Queen Latifah.9 minute readThe Gossamer Glow of Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Roman Stories”
In the Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s new collection of short stories, her obsession with the Italian language and the city of Rome shines bright.7 minute read