Rage bait is the word of the year and adults are buying way too many toys

Rage bait is two words. Now I’m enraged. Also, I retired from blackout Wednesday and have a genius new hack to try for holiday shopping.

Adults are more into toys than kids

If for some reason you thought everyone was okay, you should know that adults are buying and playing with more toys (yes, like kid toys) than ever before. In the not-so-distant past, kids ages 3-5 were the most important demographic for toy manufacturers. In 2025, however, it was people over 18, who accounted for almost a third of toy sales. And no, these adults weren’t purchasing toys for their kids/nieces/nephews. They were purchasing LEGO sets and Hot Wheels for themselves. A little surprising, but also…if it helps you cut down phone time, who am I to judge (I logged…five…hours…per…day last week).

Rage bait is the word of the year

The Oxford University Press picked “rage bait” as its word of the year, which they define as “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,” usually online. Rage bait is technically two words, so I feel like the fact that it won is kind of rage bait in and of itself. Anyone else?

In-person Black Friday shopping is alive and well…for the youths only

I’m shocked by this: Black Friday shopping, which has been trending more and more online (for good reason: you cannot pay me to get off my couch and away from a laptop laden with sales on the day after Thanksgiving), is trending back to IRL. But only for Gen Z. Twenty-somethings lined up at stores like Edikted, Bath & Body Works, and more - although their willingness to get up early does not mean they’re spending tons. Surveyed Gen Zers reported planning to spend 23% less than last year.

I spent Thanksgiving in Dallas, wearing a silk skirt and pumps (fancy), stuffing myself with an alarming but medically reasonable amount of turkey (not fancy), and feeling deeply grateful that my fiancé’s family turned out not to be a Turkey Trot household. I also announced my official retirement from Blackout Wednesday! Instead of consuming copious amounts of cheap beer around people I vaguely know from home, I made Rice Krispies treats and reminisced about my early 20s. Growth!

Looking back on a year of growth and change…first I discovered ballet flats, and now I’ve discovered the simple art of layering a v-neck sweater over a button-down and instantly feeling 10x smarter. Who knows what 2026 will bring! Maybe I’ll go full-circle and find myself once again in yoga pants or a blazer with no in between! Do I have any stylist subscribers? I want your recs!

If the crowds, shipping deadlines, and the “what do I even get people” spiral is already starting (it has absolutely started for me, which is why I bought everyone on my list the same exact blanket), here’s the lazy girl move:

Shop for categories first, people second.

Instead of shopping for mom/boss/sister-in-law/etc., think in themes and objects:

• The host gift (good olive oil, fancy matches)

• The hard-to-shop-for person (coffee-table book, tech organizer, travel steamer)

• The has-everything-queen (something niche that genuinely makes your life better: randomly I absolutely love a spoonula, which is crazy useful in the kitchen, or a box opener made for corrugated cardboard - it doesn’t cut through skin!).

Once you amass a set of objects that you love, it’s much easier to pick from the objects you’ve already purchased for the person.

Thanks for reading!