TOPO Designs make some nice backpacks. Recycled nylon base, water resistant, etc.

Liberty print shoe laces in wiltshire red, by Pollen Australia.

Smiley metal dustpan & brush. Might make tidying up slightly more jolly?

Mabu Mabu celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through food. The ingredients list is nuts, in the sense of hard-to-find, but I'm here for it.

Minimum wines Rose - sangiovese / syrah / Cab. Sauv. Please and thank you.

Whisky infused toothpicks. A joke present or stocking-filler for booze-fond adults. Along the same boozy jokey lines, see Stewart & Claire Lip balm cocktail trio.

Beautiful fiddle bow bread knife by Tasmanian company, Hasa Designs.

Peony Hose Kit. Lightweight, tough, pink and gold. What's not to like? We'll put it in the 'splurge' category, because $100 is a lot for a hose.

Let them be daring little monkeys with this Ninjaline 36' Intro Kit with Obstacles.

We always recommend a class to make something. For example, this platter-making class in Torquay would be fun. They also do a mug-making class and for those not close by (like us) they sell very cool mugs.

Yeah, I don't know. They're called chuckle soaps. They're soaps with things inside them. They do make me chuckle.

Mocka kids' wheelbarrow. Apparently good for play both inside and out.

Set of many-sided dice. Good stocking filler. They're designed for role-playing games, but we have some and use them for random games we make up instead. You can get them from most board game stores.

This incredible artwork by Melbourne artists Mondocherry (my brilliant sisters) is intricate, one-of-a-kind, and pretty much an essential purchase.

The Empress Yoga Mat. They also do a picnic rug.

Napolean Chilly Bin. Eski, cool bag, ice box, chiller, car fridge, cool box, ...whatever. They say it's 'lemon', but it could pass for gold while you watch the Boxing Day Test.

Rambutan – recipes from Sri Lanka.

I don't even like this bag, but Briohny made me add it. Stupid name too: Eggi in ultramarine. It would be a quite the splurge.

Brisbane artist Kristina Forrest turns your children's drawings into fabric.

Socks – boring present, I know. But are not these ones by Camellia a bit special?

Wattle and Clay doctor's set. Not cheap, but have you seen that bag? Our kids play with it, like, every day.

Limoncello made from lemons grown in Adeliaide Hills.

Nakie recycled hammock. Rolls into a tiny package. A nice present for a camper.

Wattle and Clay felt tea bags and treats collection.

The kiddos love this game, Buildzi. I like it too, and have fond memories of competitions with all the cousins last boxing day.

Blue Frost Brass Hanging Planter. Wheel-thrown ceramics made in East Brunswick, Melbourne.

Leather pouch workshop for two people in Alderly, Brisbane. A nice thing to do with someone you love.

P&C Circle Scissors. Gorgeous.

The Kapla Challenge Box is basically just 16 blocks of wood and 12 cards, but I think it looks like lots of fun for older children and adults on Christmas afternoon. You have to build the model shown on the card.

'Everybody is a puzzle, Agatha. Everyone in the street has their own story, their own reasons for being the way they are, their own secrets.' True enough! Agatha Oddly is a mystery book for kids.

You know those little colourful breath-fresheners you get at the Indian restaurant? Yeah! We have those. And I can't tell you how fancy they make home curry night. Anyway, they're called Mukhwas. They're mostly sugar-coated fennel seeds.

Fancy holographic roller skates.

Bright nail polish. This particular one is Hermes, which well and truly puts it in the 'splurge' category.

Brisbane artist and designer, Lordy Dordie makes colourful art umbrellas.

Tablecloth playhouse. Saves them using the sheets? Seems easy to pack away? Perhaps, then, I would say 'yes' more often.

Our 8-yr-old loves this series. Pages & CO – Tilly and the Book Wanderers..

Kid's retro bike basket.

This glasses stand would be nice for a desk or a bedside table.

Glow pals make bath-time glow-y fun.

Sugru is mouldable glue. I suppose it's like bluetac, but sets hard. A stocking filler for someone into DIY?

One of those little dangly fragrance things for their car. This one by DS&Durga - Big Sur After Rain is supposed to smell like: Coastal rain, eucalyptus shoot, magnolia, pacific spray, eucalyptus leaf, wet wood.

This mouse in matchbox is gorgeous, although for $65 it's a splurge for such a tiny thing.

ROOT is an adventure board game in which 2 to 4 players battle for control of a vast wilderness.

Things Come Apart is a coffee table book of exploded and deconstructed objects.

Quite Nice Clothing makes tshirts with ingredients for your favourite recipes. I'd choose hummus. But I don't use canned chickpeas because I'm fancy like that.

Sennheiser wireless over-ear noise cancelling headphones.

That time you killed me is a 2022 board game. It's an 'abstract game of time and murder.' 'You and your opponent are rival time travelers trying to erase each other from history. To prove you are the one true inventor of time travel, you must use your invention to find your enemy in time and murder them - before they get you!'

Myriam Swim make sustainable swimwear in Australia.

Nail polish colour maker.

Japanese hori hori gardening tool from Melbourne store, Philip and Lea. P&L has lots of other fancy gardening and kitchen tools too. Some folks say the hori hori is the single most useful gardening tool.

Teacup pincushion by Hannah Doodle. See also these cute ones of pears and pufferfish.

Summit Crossbody - Green Check bag by Australian designer, Nancybird.

This sweet teddy in overalls from Mondocherry is such a cutie. I know a couple of little munchkins who would love to cuddle this guy.

Up your bubble game with this giant bubble wand for making giant bubbles.

Lush new bath towels by loom towels, designed in Australia and made in Turkey.

Linus: Lil Dutchi 16 in gold.

Sew It Yourself by DIY Daisy. Pattern-free sewing.

Cornhole toss is just objectively a rad family game. Who wouldn't like it? If you've never seen it, the pro league [youtube] will amuse you.

Wacom tablet, so they can use a stylus with photoshop, illustrator, etc.

Leviathan is a choose-your-own adventure comic, incorporating mazes.

Retrospec electronic longboard. Expensive, obviously, but would be so fun.

The Philosophy of Modern Song is a new book by Bob Dylan. This makes the list, even though I truly hated Dylan's autobiographies, because he's obviously the greatest living songwriter, and we all know someone who is both hard to buy for and loves Bob Dylan.

This marine biology starter kit is a fairly niche present, but could be great for the right kid. 'Sculpt a coral reef out of clay that changes color in hot water — just like real reefs do. Build moving marine machines that show how sharks and whales swim differently from each other.'

I had jackstraws when I was a kid. Fun little game. I recall playing with the little ladders and swords in other ways too.

Kids should know how to use a compass and this one looks nice and would be fun in a stocking.

In the Quacks of Quedlinburg you're medieval chemists - 'Quacksalber' is German for charlatan - competing to brew the best potions. Gets good reviews.

If they have an electric guitar, they'd probably love this Fender Mustang Micro. It lets you play electric guitar straight through the Micro into headphones, using a range of amps and effects. Check it on youtube.

Wrap coffee tins by various artists.