Neil Freiman

Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday,

Purchases at high-end department stores tumbled 10% from last year, while luxury clothing brands declined 5%.

Toby, I hope you don't mind, but I'm getting you a Phillips head screwdriver for Christmas.

You know, I love that.

I mean, that's always that's always what I thought of gift giving is giving somebody something or getting something that I actually need in my day to day life.

But I understand the counter argument, which is a gift is supposed to be something special and beyond what you need to show you that, you know, I care about your interests broadly more so than just whether you have shampoo or toothpaste in your bathroom.

Are you asking for golf balls right now?

Okay, for my next number, a humble, much ridiculed vegetable is set to grab the spotlight next year.

Of course, I'm talking about the cabbage.

In its 2026 preview, Pinterest identified cabbage as one of its big trends for the year, mentioning that searches for cabbage dumplings spiked by 110%, Polish cabbage soup by 95%, and cabbage alfredo by 45% between last summer and this one.

Restaurants have also been featuring the veggie a lot more.

While already popular on menus in London,

The number of American menu items mentioning cabbage grew 20% year over year between October 2023 and October 2025.

So why are people going loco for leaf?

One reason is its nutrient makeup.

Cabbage is high in fiber, which is perfect for a growing number of people who are fiber maxing.

It's also cheap to buy.

Perfect for people who are safe maxing at this time of sticky inflation.

Also, dare I say it?

Cabbage can taste really good if you douse it in enough flavoring, like the delicious jar of kimchi I have in my fridge currently.