“My perfect cozy afternoon?” Addison Rae muses over the phone with ELLE.com. “Probably hot chocolate with a lot of marshmallows and a really good rom-com. Perhaps an older romcom…any Jennifer Aniston romance, really. That is my perfect afternoon with lots of blankets and maybe no makeup, just lounging.”
Rae is TikTok’s sweetheart. Not You can also sweet, though—she admitted that her top Spotify song of 2021 was Lykke Li’s “sex money feelings die.” “I’m a very repetitive listener,” she says. “When I like something, I listen to it a trillion times. I just love that song.” Beyond her eclectic music tastes, the ultra-relatable star has proven herself to be more than well-rehearsed choreography. With over 85 million followers, a Netflix romcom, a strong partnership with American Eagle that generates millions with every post, and her own beauty line, the marketable actress, influencer, and businesswoman knows a lot about what people want. So naturally, we wanted to ask about her 2021 gifting strategies.
You can read on to find out what Rae has planned for this holiday season.
American Eagle’s winter shop has a bunch of cozy items. Do you have any that you’re really attached to that you plan to gift to everyone this year?
They have supersoft sweatshirts that I love to wear oversized. Probably those. Right now, my favorite thing is [wearing]Comfortable socks, a waffle layering top, and an oversized sweatshirt. This tee looks great under a T-shirt, flannel, or other clothing. There are so many colors and cool patterns to choose from.
Are there any family traditions that revolve around gift-giving as the holidays approach?
My family is very sporadic with holiday traditions. We just adapt them every year. I have two little brothers, so it’s their way or…you know.
What is the best gift you’ve ever received?
My mom bought me tickets for Hannah Montana’s concert when I was 10 years old. She made a Hannah Montana doll and taped the tickets to it. It was my favorite Christmas gift. It was crazy. It was insane.
Are you willing to spill what you’re going to be giving your mom this year?
I’m going home to see her, so hopefully at that time I’ll reveal what it is, but I don’t know [yet]. My mom’s love language doesn’t start at gifts. She loves acts of service. So I’m thinking of something more focused around that. I believe acts of service can be a gift. But they should be done in the present or physical.
What about your brothers?
My brothers are very specific about what they like. My younger brother is a Lego fan and my middle brother loves shirts. To be honest, I could probably get them from American Eagle.
What’s the #1 thing that’s on your personal wish list?
Spending time with the people I love and care about, and celebrating together. I don’t really have much on my wish list. I’ve been lucky enough to be super blessed with a lot of things that I’ve wanted and dreamed of. So I don’t really ask for much…just quality time.
I presume that quality time is your love language.
Every single one of them is my love language. They are all my love. You can always give me your love.
What’s the best gift that’s not a physical object?
It would be a roadtrip. I think road trips are great for friends. They allow you to make time together and share in the experience. Handwritten notes are always appreciated. I love to scrapbook so even if you do something similar, I think that cutting out photos and printing them and putting them into frames or putting the pieces together on paper is sweeter than a physical gift.
If you only had a budget of, say, $20, what’s a good gift to give your best friend?
Maybe a beanie or jewelry.
Is there anything on TikTok you purchased that was so good, you want to tell everyone about it?
There are so many things. I’ve found a lot of self-care things from TikTok that are really good. You could also say that they are methods. So, “love yourself more” or “how to feel confident” and things like that. I think those are all things that I really learned from TikTok, but also styling-wise I’ve learned a lot too—people that layer or mix patterns or different things like that. It’s so much easier to see things from the perspective of another person. And so being able to watch that on TikTok is super accessible and gives you perspective from so many other people’s sense of style and minds, which is really nice.
Source: elle