by Furnishly | Dec 10, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
We
independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
My friends and I are obsessed with Christmas — like, decorating-our-dorms-in-November obsessed. But as college students on a budget, we needed a way to make holiday gift-giving affordable and meaningful.
The concept we decided, which we call “the Big Four,” on is simple but ingenious: We “assign” out names Secret Santa-style, and each person puts together a gift box for their giftee with one thing the person needs, one thing they want, one thing that reminds you of them, and one thing in their favorite color. I have been doing this with my friends for two years now, and this year was even better than the last.
The Secret Santa format means everyone gets a gift without spending a ton (we each keep it under $50). It’s thoughtful, budget-friendly, and honestly way more exciting than just swapping wish list items.
How to Start “the Big Four” Gift Tradition with Your Friends
If you love the idea of trying this gift exchange method with your friends, here’s exactly how you can make it happen this holiday season.
This method turns out so well with my friends because we’re all super clear about how it will work. If you also want to give it go, establish a spending limit early on that works for everyone. Again, my friends and I stick to $50, but it should be whatever you and your friends feel comfortable with.
Then, make sure everyone understands the four categories: something the person needs, something they want, something that reminds you of them, and something in their favorite color.
Going the Secret Santa Route? Pick Names Secretly
If you want to assign a random person to each friend like my friends and I do, you can draw names out of a hat in person or use an online generator like Elfster if your group is spread out geographically.
Of course, you can also simply use this “Big Four” blueprint for individual gifting — it’s perfect for a bestie, sibling, or significant other when a full group exchange isn’t an option.
Don’t forget to think about the four categories while shopping for your giftee: If you keep them as a checklist in your Notes app, for example, it makes the whole process easier and more intentional.
Remember to stick to your budget (it keeps things fair for everyone else, too!), and know that thoughtfulness matters more than price. Go for personal touches: Whether it’s a DIY element or something that shows you really “get” your friend, those details make all the difference.
Then, for an extra-adorable touch, use a cute box or basket to hold everything — and don’t forget festive tissue paper.
Plan a day to meet up, swap your boxes, and watch everyone’s reactions as they open their presents. It’s so heartwarming to see how thoughtful everyone gets with their picks!
If you and your friends live all over, you could also ship them to each other and then do a Zoom gift exchange.
My Favorite Finds for “the Big Four” Gift Tradition This Year
This year I did all my shopping at T.J. Maxx, which was a goldmine for cute and affordable gifts. I also loved picking out a decorative box and tissue paper to tie everything together. Here’s what I put in my friend’s box to fit each category.
I chose a framed photo of our friend group. My friend recently moved into her own apartment, and I felt like this was something she needed to make her space feel more like home.
For this category, I went with a beginner-friendly crochet reindeer kit. She’s been talking about wanting to try crocheting ever since she saw it trending on TikTok.
Something That Reminds Me of Her
An initial necklace. My friend loves layering necklaces, and the one I saw felt so like her when I saw it. Plus, initial jewelry is super trendy right now!
Something in Her Favorite Color
by Furnishly | Dec 4, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
Perry is a food writer, photographer, and recipe developer based in New York City. She cooks every day, and somehow eats even more often. Her recipes have been published in Eating Well, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, The Kitchn, Thrillist, and Tone It Up. Perry grew up in Denver,…read more
by Furnishly | Dec 3, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
So easy and flavorful!
READ MORE…
by Furnishly | Nov 26, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
Apartment Therapy received compensation for this post, which was written and edited
independently by our editorial team.
Why does it seem like appliances always break in groups? One minute everything is fine, and the next your dishwasher starts acting up, your fridge is making a noise it definitely didn’t make before, and suddenly you’re Googling “is my oven supposed to smell like that?” When it rains, it pours — and replacing major appliances can get expensive fast. The good news is that this weekend is a genuinely great time to jump on deals for big upgrades and big savings. We found a ton of amazing discounts on ovens, fridges, dishwashers, and more, all happening at AJ Madison for Black Friday. Scroll down to shop our recommendations.
by Furnishly | Nov 17, 2025 | Design Inspiration, Style
We
independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
I love slow cooker pot roast — tender slices of chuck roast, meltingly soft carrots, little golden potatoes that burst from their peels when you bite into them, and the gravy. Oh, the gravy! Few things are more satisfying than the beefy sauce that’s slowly been mingling with those ingredients all day. It’s the best part of fall, and I make my mom’s old recipe the moment the first crimson leaf drops — except I give it a major glow-up.
My mom, like most home cooks from the 1980s, relied on a packet of French onion soup mix to make slow cooker pot roast. While I still remember it fondly, it’s far too salty and artificial-tasting to my palate these days. That’s why I switched to using Savory Choice demi glace instead.
What’s So Great About Savory Choice Beef Demi Glace?
Demi glace is a rich, brown French sauce that’s made by combining espagnole sauce (a tomato-beef sauce) with beef stock and wine. The mixture is then simmered and reduced until it’s a thick glaze. It’s traditionally used as a finishing sauce for meat dishes like steak with mushroom sauce or impossibly tender chateaubriand — the strong beefy flavor and lip-smacking texture makes everything taste richer and meatier.
It takes a long time and a lot of skill to make homemade demi glace. I made it once in culinary school and, while it was delicious, it was tedious. I vowed that life was too short to ever fuss with it again. Fortunately, Savory Choice makes shelf-stable packets of demi glace concentrate for those of us with busy lives.
It’s made from wine, vegetables, beef stock, maltodextrin (a sweetener), butter, and beef fat. When mixed with a few tablespoons of water, it makes a rich, velvety pan sauce, but that’s not all it can do.
What’s the Best Way to Use Savory Choice Beef Demi Glace?
I season a three-pound tied chuck roast, plunk it in my slow cooker, mix one 1.33-ounce packet of the demi glace concentrate with 3/4 cup of water, and pour it over the meat. Then I add large peeled carrots and a handful of small unpeeled yellow potatoes, turn it on low, and let the magic happen. The demi glace mingles with the beef juices, and in 8 to 9 hours I’ve got a delicious gravy that tastes like a French chef had something to do with it.
Because chuck roast is a fairly fatty cut, I degrease the cooking liquid in a gravy separator and whisk the defatted juices into a simple roux to make a luxuriously thick gravy in seconds. I pour the gravy over the sliced roast and veggies and voilà! My favorite slow cooker meal, Frenchified!
How Long Does Savory Choice Beef Demi Glace Last?
It’s hard to imagine these little packets hanging around in the pantry for more than a few weeks. If somehow they do, Savory Choice recommends using them within two years from their manufacture date.
But when stored properly — in an airtight container, kept in a cool, dry place — they are usually still safe to eat past the suggested date. Before you toss them (or any pantry staple) use your senses of smell and taste. You may end up saving hundreds of dollars a year.
