For the second season in a row, we're counting down the crucial pre-Christmas shopping days with a series called Gifted Givers, in which friends old and new share their thoughts on stylishly spirited giving and receiving. New this year: the Pop-In@Nordstrom x Opening Ceremony Holiday Shop edition.

The most vital music writer in America might just be Chicago native Meaghan Garvey, whom you have probably read if you've ever glanced at We love her because her her anti-patriarchal criticism of hip-hop is matched in strength only by her knowledge and vim for the music. During this year's beef between Drake and Meek Mill, she was the only voice of reason.

Right now she's a free agent, having recently vacated her post at Pitchfork but thankfully still contributing ( check her Jeremih review).

Right now she's doing great freelance work for Billboard and illustrating a zine of fan-fiction about the rapper Future -a feat of creativity set in a combination modern day Atlanta/Edo period Japan-but we have a feeling her next move will be her best one.

Below, read Garvey on holiday gifting, Dennis Rodman and the superiority of Chicago-style Italian beef.

Shop: Pop-In@Nordstrom x Opening Ceremony Holiday Shop

The Thread: What stands out as the best gift you've ever given?

I planned a little trip upstate New York for a couple days. We stayed at an ancient bed and breakfast in Ithaca, which is filled with these magical little waterfalls and apple orchards and all sorts of quaint stuff that feels unfathomable in the city. Perhaps something of a selfish gift, because I enjoyed the hell out of it myself, too.

What's the best gift you've ever received?

Once, my dad gave me a paper doll kit that was Dennis Rodman-themed. You could dress the little almost-nude Dennis in wedding dresses or biker gear or a Bulls jersey or what have you. A small gift, but one that sticks out in my mind as one that really understood me on a fundamental level. My love for Dennis Rodman runs deep.

Do you have a holiday shopping strategy? Do you make plans and spread sheets, or fly by the seat of your pants at the last possible minute?

Last minute always. No strategy ever. Gotta have that looming pressure.

What's the weirdest or most extreme thing you've ever done to create or secure the perfect gift?

I tried to get a large quantity of Italian beef sent from Chicago to New York by mail. Do people know about Italian beef? Forget deep dish-it is Chicago's most exquisite local cuisine, a sandwich you can't find anywhere in New York, which is insane. It turned out that a massive snowstorm hit that same week, which messed everything up. I still need to get that beef.

What is "the perfect gift," anyway? What makes for the ultimate in giving or receiving?

It sounds a little hokey, but often the best gifts are shared experiences rather than physical objects-stuff that can be revisisted as memories. Especially as a fairly private person, the gift of someone's time and space is seriously precious.

What would you get for a young-at-heart type person?

I would foot the bill on squad tattoos. They don't have to be super matchy or serious, it's just the act itself that matters.

Feel free to allow us to alert your friends and family in this very public format: what would you love to unwrap this year?

I've had my eye on this big book of paintings by the author Henry Miller, Paint as You Like & Die Happy. Also always open to bottles of Malort, Chicago's signature and somewhat infamous liquor that's not available most other places in the country. You may be sensing a recurring theme here.

Shop: Pop-In@Nordstrom x Opening Ceremony Holiday Shop