Christmas gift guide 2024

Falcon jug in mustard or burgundy.
The Graza olive oil that everyone on the internet is always using. Or perhaps, for fellow Australians, Goldi might be a better choice.
Sternglas Naos edition, yellow.
Sydney-based fluffe makes crazy flavours of fairy floss in beautiful packaging. This one is ‘unicorn poop’, but there’s also buttered popcorn, sour grape, lychee, and Boy’s Tears. And on the topic of packaged sugar, you could also check out the drink bombs by the Art of Sucre.
Clay earrings in the style of Harry Potter trinkets by Ruthie's Art and Clay.
The Boulder Ball would be a fun gift for rockclimbers. It's a dexterity and finger-strength puzzle. Hard to explain! Watch this video. In Australia you can get it on Amazon.
Thoroughly recommend Richard Osman's new funny and uplifting mystery, We Solve Murders.
New running shoes, or let them customise their own Nike Dunks, or (if they're much more likely to walk than run) youngsters apparently covet these Puma Palermo Sneakers.
Very nice ribbon — a gift for a maker who likes to style things, or you could buy it yourself and wrap fancy presents. This one is bohemian blue silk.
Healthpunk UFO Burger Sauce. A stocking filler for a burger maker. Nice packaging, eh? Also, while we're talking sauces we can't not include Smoky Gochujang by Cham Cham sauce.
Obviously kids don’t need a pricey ‘kit’ to build a fort, but in favour of this one is that it doesn’t require moving *all* the furniture, and it looks like it would pack-away into a small bag that could live under their bed.
This penguin bowling set is splurgy, but gorgeous.
Ok, we agree: nobody actually needs an expensive Pinocchio funnel. But sometimes you've just got to do silly things.
The TP-7 is a voice recorder by Teenage Engineering. It's stupidly expensive and you don't need it. Still, look at it! And look at their portable speakers!
An online class to make a Factotum bag by Merchant and Mills. Much cheaper than an in-person class, and you can learn at your own pace. Check out the video! They also have other classes.
You can buy a terrarium ready made or DIY. They come in lots of different sizes and prices.
Aide Through Trade roll on bracelet via mondocherry.
With the Wind Play Lab, kids can “see how wind makes things spin, fly, and boogie.” The Sensory Sand Shaved Ice Maker also looks very cool.
Lilu bath foam with lavendar and orange by Uoga Uoga for a young one’s stocking.
Uncommon herb seeds. Someone you know grows their own basil, parsley and mint. Would they also like to grow native ginger, caraway, and galangal?
Flameless lighter by Blue Moon. Butane-free ignition.
I think we had a different dustpan on our list in 2022, so don't judge us, but this Table Brush Set by Iris Hantverk is very nice.
These compact telescopes are great for a nature lover, and there are a bunch of colour options.
Weet-Bix branded backyard cricket set. Yeah, I don't know. I just like it. Weet-Bix is the right aesthetic for backyard Tip & Run.
Runt, by Craig Silvey. This gorgeous middle-grade book has been made into a movie, has been shortlisted for a bunch of awards, and is our tween's favourite book of the year. "I'd give it an award if I could," she says.
Teeny tiny travel-friendly scissors.
Sequential puzzle box made by Keebox in Switzerland. Three different levels of difficulty.
Some sort of maker's kit. For example, we like this sardines embroidery kit.
CORA Quest is a role-play board game, (or ‘dungeon crawler’), for kiddos. Watch this super cute video of the designers (a dad and his daughter) describing the game.
Taylor and Smith in Hobart make delicious (and beautifully packaged) pre-mixed cocktails. We liked the Hanky Panky and the Army & Navy, and they come in single-serve sizes suitable for gourmet stocking-stuffing.
Rain boots by Merry People.
Does your family tool collector have one of these flexible magnets that lets them retrieve ferrous objects that have fallen into hard-to-reach places?
Canvas toiletry bag by Saarde, or a younger outdoorsy person might like this one by The North Face .
Cork Wall Clock from Paulin. They have even nicer ones, but this one is already $142, and the others are crazy expensive.
The third cookbook, Still Hungry by Benjamin Cooper of Chin Chin fame. Also, there's the new Ottolenghi and Goh book, Comfort. Mark's already made about ten things from that one and would recommend it.
Mouthwash by Selahatin with aromas of verbena, bergamot, cardamom & pine. It's called, “Of course I still luv you,” in case gifting mouthwash wasn’t already sufficiently risky.
Dyson noise cancelling and customisable headphones.
Grapefruit and vanilla body polish by Salt by Hendrix. Or, maybe the Sol de Janeiro Rio Body Trio including the infamous Brazilian Bum Bum Cream.
Ohuhu markers, 48 pack. We have these, and the colours are superb. I wish I'd bought an even bigger pack. If you're buying for a YouTube addict, here's the cinematic Gawx advertising them, and Janine Lana colouring with them.
Baskets by Mustard Made in sage. You should also check out their colourful lockers.
Do you listen to the Lateral Podcast with Tom Scott? If you like puzzles, you certainly should. Lots of good puzzles for every age group, and G-rated. Anyway, they have a new book, which is on Mark's personal list.
The Parker Baby Chair is a picnic chair for tiny ones! If we still had tiny ones, we would get this.
Non-alcoholic bittersweet aperitivo by etota, or non-alcoholic ginger switchel by Mother Root in London.
Chunks - Allie Clips in Caterpillars. Super weird? Yes. Super cool? Also yes. (Aren't you glad we didn't recommend the SUPER super weird cockroach one?)
Bodum electric water kettle. A definite splurge, but gorgeous, and perhaps worth it for an appliance that is always on the kitchen bench.
Hey Laidy hand-crafted guitar straps, camera straps, and straps for bags.
Handmade play sushi. Uncle A and Aunty T bought some for our kiddos together with a sushi train and it's honestly the best.
It ain't cheap, but this is a mighty nice juicer by Sono Studio.
Murdle is a series of excellent puzzle books that came out last year. For someone who enjoys those, there's now a new Murdle board game, which is essentially the same thing, but social and competitive.
Put cocktail picks in their stocking and then politely request a Manhattan on Christmas evening. Could add some Luxardo Maraschino Cherries too.
Spinning top by Brian Beck.
Brass Geo Hammered Bangle Set.
A packet of these Dardimans California Red Pepper Crisps and perhaps a can of Chipper Hazy Pale Ale.
A new helmet such as this skateboarding helmet by Thousand Helmet Heritage, or perhaps a 'Little Nutty Helmet' by Nutcase.
For those in the southern hemisphere, something for the beach. Maybe this towel by Business & Pleasure Co., or a pop-up beach tent or some frescobol paddles, or IZIPIZI sunnies, or grip ball, or sarong,or some tropical sunscreen.
Mark read the Atlantic article, "Sorry, You Need a Neck Fan" and now this Jisulife neck fan is a divisive addition to the list.
The internet tells us that teens covet this Aerie Puff Love Tote Bag and other similar things in camo, black and grey. Briohny wishes teens would really prefer something like this green gingham or cherry pie equivalent.
A craft workshop where they could learn how to make their own rings, knives, food, or perfume.
A comic note book, which is just a book of blank comic book grids for a kid who likes to draw, and might benefit from the constraints.
The Cee Clear makeup bag.
Burly Beard Oil or maybe this one with Kakadu plum, or this Somic foam beard wash.
These Loops eye masks are, as best we can understand, teenage-girl-internet approved. [1] [2].
Ceiling lighting is lame. Get them a lamp for their desk or workspace. You can get a perfectly useful one from Ikea for $19. Or, if you have loads of money, then pls send Mark this Curvilinear Mid-Century Table Lamp (pictured) or this Bauhaus Kaiser Idell replica. On the subject of lights, by the way, the youth are apparently into cosy feature lighting, so someone might like this Sunset Lamp for their bedroom.
The Makedo Explore Kit is a set of handy tools for kids that they can use to cut and connect cardboard. There are bigger kits too. Check out the photos!
Trinket dish for jewellery and wotnot. See also this one and this one.
Woodland Whittling book or The Knot Handbook for an outdoorsy tween.
A doorway pullup bar or power tubes, or three-pack of resistance bands ($12!) for a young fitness fanatic.
Set of mini Hugo Boss fragrances for boys (or men). Have you heard about the obsession with high-end fragrances among teenage boys? (NYT paywall)
Guess the doggy is Guess Who, except, you know, doggies.
For $69 from Big W, this Bosch workbench with a working clamp would be excellent fun.
Let the lame siblings float about on lilos and unicorns, this kid will be rolling around in a certified POOL TANK. (The only item from Temu on this list.)
Magazines roll-up pleasingly around the inside of a stocking, and this one, Pitch, would make nice lazy reading for a sports enthusiast. What about magazines for others? Well, you'd know best, but here are some ideas. For the gamer, Patch is an indie gaming magazine. For a fan of literature, perhaps Extra Teeth. For anyone who seems like they'd be into politics, business and design, maybe Monocole would do the trick.
Gardener's carry-all via Anthropologie. This wire basket is also nice.
Hand-held or wall-hung sunflower mirror from MoMA.
Flower pop Rubix style cube.
If you're going to gift a candle, and if they're very weird, you should consider these Devilled Egg candles from the nata concept store, or these asparagus candles from Maison Balzac.
Perfume for a twenty-something: Funny little things whispered at very important dinner parties.
Great Pretenders Storybook lion cape by Maisonette.
Cutting Mat Socks from Present & Correct.
Our 10 year old has this Instax mini instant camera and loves it.
Stocking filler for the cook: crisp bag clip.
The Getting Lost game sounds like so much fun. With prompts like "After the next insect hits your windscreen, stop in the next town for ice cream", it's sure to be a hit.
A pretty lanyard for the teacher or other lanyard-wearer in your life.
Your outdoorsy buddy would love one of these Cotopaxi travel packs. They’re made from deadstock fabric, so are all one-of-a-kind. (They're sent at random, though, so you’d have to be willing to be surprised by which colour you receive.)
This remote controlled excavator would be so much fun in the sandpit. What's the bet all the grown ups join the queue for a turn?