Despite the rise of a new class of pop star – Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx – 2024 unarguably belonged to Taylor Swift. Her Eras tour smashed records; she deepened her catalogue with a surprise album, The Tortured Poets Department, and she even brought a new audience to American football after she started dating Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.
An already monumental fanbase grew even larger – meaning you’ll doubtless have at least one Swift fan in your life to buy for this Christmas. Swift’s quippy lyrics and love of cats have seen her face (and cats’ faces) plastered over all sorts of unofficial plasticky tat – but here’s a more thoughtful way to buy Swift-inspired gifts, for recipients young and old. There’s a blank space on the label: write their name!
The gift of film
Mubi subscription, from £49.99 for three months
mubi.com
Swift has said that she became obsessed with cinematic history during the pandemic, fuelling her own directorial aspirations. Follow suit with a subscription to the UK’s artsiest film archive.
For more subscriptions to save you time and money, check out our guide
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The latest Sally Rooney
Intermezzo, £19
bookshop.org
£16.39
hive.co.uk
“I think it’s like being inside somebody’s mind,” Swift said of Rooney’s first novel, Conversations With Friends. You can bet she’s already read her new one, about two brothers coming to terms with grief.
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Make-your-own friendship bracelet
Woodland bracelet-making kit, £17.95
notonthehighstreet.com
The Swiftie friendship bracelet craze is cute, but the amount of plastic involved doesn’t bear thinking about. Try a more eco-friendly option.
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Every Taylor song explained
Taylor Swift – The Stories Behind the Songs by Annie Zaleski, £23.75
bookshop.org
£20.55
hive.co.uk
From one of the US’s sharpest and most compassionate music critics, this new book tells the story of the creation, lyrics and production behind every Swift song, and is a cut above the usual Swift cash-in publications.
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Mug up on Travis Kelce’s sport
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H G Bissinger, £12.34
bookshop.org
£11.35
hive.co.uk
Newly converted to American football by Swift’s “gigantic” (Hugh Grant’s words) boyfriend? Read Buzz Bissinger’s classic account of a year in the life of a small-town Texas high school team (which inspired the 2000s TV show).
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Learn to play Swift’s latest album
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology – Guitar Chords With Lyrics Songbook, £17.52 (paperback)
blackwells.co.uk
£38.50 (hardback)
waterstones.com
Swift has inspired thousands of young people to pick up a guitar. This official book on how to play every song on Tortured Poets – the extended version – is a great incentive to practise.
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Learn to write songs like Taylor
How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy, £8.54
bookshop.org
£7.65
hive.co.uk
For anyone making their first forays into songwriting, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco wrote this lovely, practical guide to completing a song.
An album Taylor’s ex loves
The Blue Nile by Hats, £42.99
roughtrade.com
On The Tortured Poets Department’s Guilty as Sin?, Swift languishes in the memory of her tryst with the 1975’s Matty Healy, easily identifiable as the devout fan of Scottish indie band, The Blue Nile who, she sings, “sent me Downtown Lights”. The classic 1989 album that gave us the song would make a very chic gift.
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The eco-fashion brand Taylor loves
Free People gift cards, from £10
freepeople.com
Swift’s style is much debated: does she often wear high street brands to remain accessible to fans, or is it just her taste? Either way, she wears a fair bit of Free People.
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Taylor’s favourite red lippy?
Retro Matte Liquid Lip Colour, £20
maccosmetics.co.uk
£25
asos.com
Swift is a known Mac fan, and its retro matte range has the kind of staying power that three-hour live shows demand.
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Taylor’s favourite Nigella recipe
Feast: Food that Celebrates Life by Nigella Lawson, £28.50
bookshop.org
£23.85
hive.co.uk
When Swift wrote about 30 things she’d learned before turning 30, she recommended having three staple dinner party recipes in your repertoire: from Feast, Nigella’s Mughlai chicken is one of them.
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The support artist’s LP
Short n’ Sweet LP by Sabrina Carpenter, £34.99
roughtrade.co.uk
The year’s cheekiest breakout pop star supported on the US leg of the Eras tour. Her sixth album is a delight, spanning disco to country, adorned with lashings of innuendo.
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But Daddy, I Love Him inspo
The Little Mermaid limited edition steelbook, £34.99
hmv.com
A highlight of Tortured Poets, But Daddy, I Love Him! takes its name from the scene in The Little Mermaid in which Ariel’s father forbids her from pursuing her relationship with Prince Eric. Delve into the Halle Bailey remake with this extended version.
