It’s that time of year again.
Christmas time is the best opportunity to spoil your bestie. From quality time together to sensual candles, here’s some ideas to show them what they mean to you.
Home and experiences
HOME Moment candles
One of the nicest ways to brighten up dark December days is by lighting your favourite candles. The creators of HOME Moment have carefully “curated a collection of fragranced candles around the psychology of scent, to evoke powerful feelings and memories.”
Everyone’s home can get a bit hectic around the festivities so if you are looking for something to give a stressed out friend a bit of a breather these candles are ideal. Each candle comes with a seed card that has a QR code for natural soundscape recordings that you can use simply to relax or to meditate to.
They are environmentally conscious and made using vegan soy wax. Some of the scents include, Amber and Exoctic Rose. Priced at €37.50 for a large candle with 60 burning hours, you can shop the collection here.
The Handmade Soap Company Workshops
Have you got a skin nerd friend who’s always researching the ingredients in their beauty products? Or someone who likes to get hands on with their beauty routine?
The Handmade Soap Company are now offering an experience to make your own lip balm, candles and bath bombs. They use all natural ingredients with an emphasis on kindness both to our skin and nature.
Each workshop has a limit of 6 people and is based on Wicklow Street in Dublin 2. A perfect excuse to get everyone together over some beauty chat! Find out more here.
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Ballet Ireland, Nutcracker Sweeties
Ballet Ireland is returning to the stage this festive season and they are the only Irish ballet company to do so! It could be a great start to a Christmas night out with friends in the theatre.
They will be performing their Irish tale, Nutcracker Sweeties which follows brother and sister Fionn and Ciara who get lost in a Dublin department store and are saved by the Nutcracker Doll and then transported to the magical Kingdom of The Sweets!
The story will be of course told through the medium of dance with an Irish twist to this Christmas classic.
Nutcracker Sweeties will be touring from the 3rd of November to the 23rd of December. It will be on show at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin on the 17th of November till the 20th. Ticket prices here range from €12- €38.50.
You can find the full list of tour dates and more information here.
Alanna Plekkonpol art
Alanna Plekkonpol designs and manufactures her art tiles from start to finish in her home in Ashford, Co.Wicklow.
Her designs are fun and tongue-in-cheek and inspired by Irish landscapes and pop culture, they also incorporate her half-Dutch heritage with traditional delft blue patterns.
The stunning pieces are brilliant for adding a pop of creativity to any space and your arty friends are sure to appreciate the amazing craftsmanship. All of the tiles have an invisible hanging system on the back but there is also a choice to have a wooden stand so your tile can sit anywhere.
Not only is this gift a lovely way to support an Irish artist, they can also be made into a personal keepsake with a message of your choice. Tiles start from €40 you can check them out here.
Prints of Ireland
A little bit of home is always nice at Christmas especially if you’ve got a friend living abroad. Prints of Ireland create artwork based on Irish landscapes with a focus on Gaeilge.
Their shop has a wide range of tote bags, prints, calendars and cards. It’s also perfect if you’re looking to support an Irish owned sustainable business as all their prints are made on carbon balanced paper in Dublin.
Landmarks such as Bewley’s and The GPO are displayed in their Dublin landmark collection, with Newgrange and Cobh Cathedral included in their Irish and Cork landmarks.
We love this super cute one of Dublin’s pubs reminding us of some fantastic nights out!
The prints began at €30 unframed and can be framed for a fee of €20. They are currently on sale at Arnott’s in store Christmas market and you can check out all the designs on their website here.
Micro-fleece throw
From Woodies, would you believe? Everyone’s favourite DIY store aren’t just for home improvements, turns out they’re also a great shout for lovely little homeware bits. Just like this micro-fleece throw that comes in three colours, and is only €16.
Secret Santa? We got you.
The Sleep Journal
Getting to sleep can be a real challenge these days from beeping phones to sleep cycles out of sync due to the dreaded day light saving hours. So what is a better gift than a bit of a rest?
If you know someone who struggles to wind down and catch those precious z’s a sleep journal could be the perfect gift.
The Sleep Journal from Irish company Sleep Care Co, includes guidance from academic research, ideas for sleep rituals and a space for daily gratitude. Most importantly it includes 12 weeks of daily pages for writing your thoughts as part of your evening routine.
Getting what’s in your head out on paper is proven to aid sleep and this is a brilliant place to do it!
They retail for €29.99 and you can find yours here.
Holder 8 Yoga Mat
Got a yogi in your life? Why not gift them a gorgeous, bespoke yoga mat from Irish company, Holder 8?
If someone you love is in the market for a new mat that’s lightweight, comfortable, and absolutely stunning, you need look no further than Holder Eight.
The guys over there have a selection of gorgeous, non-slip yoga mats that would be absolutely perfect for the yogi in your life. Truly gorgeous, these, and retailing now at €89. Find out more here.
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deBláca jewelry
A bit of sparkle at Christmas is always welcome and Irish designer Mairead deBláca has made sure that you can gift your bestie a shimmering masterpiece.
Her handcrafted jewellery is inspired by nature and her own art. All of her pieces are made and produced in Ireland so you’ll also be getting the chance to support Irish design.
From earrings for your best pal, to beautiful pendants for your mother and cuff links for the man in your life, there really is something to choose for everyone. You can check out the full range on her website at https://maireaddeblacajewellery.com/
These I am Dreaming drop gold earrings are one of the standouts for us in the collection. They retail at €75 and would be perfect for your friend’s Kris Kindle.
Tech
Sony portable speaker
There’s nothing better than being able to blast out all your old favourite tunes with friends when you have a get together.
This Sony portable speaker is perfect for impromptu drinks or when the warmer months come beach days and picnics. It has a 16 hour battery life so it will be able to last and thanks to its size you can bring it pretty much anywhere.
This is the gift made for that friend who’s always asking the DJ to play one more song or suggesting karaoke, now they can be in control of the music.
It retails for €59 and it comes in some super cute colours such as coral pink and lemon yellow.
Noise-cancelling earbuds from ONESONIC
It’s been a hectic year – to say the least – and sometimes we need to drown out all the noise! What better way to provide some peace and quiet to your bestie than gifting them the gift of noise-cancelling earbuds? ONESONIC is an Irish based designer of high-quality audio devices.
These earbuds have active noise cancellation, high definition audio with superior bass, up to 5 hours of playtime and up to 20 hours with the wireless charging case.
We’d highly recommend supporting Irish tech this year and at just €129.99 these are an absolute bargain! Find out more here.
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Mophie Universal Wireless Charging Port
Got a mate who’s got lots of devices? Are those devices never charged? Get them a wireless charging hub for Christmas, sure.
Mophie’s wireless hub charges all of your devices, regardless of the brand, in one convenient place. Featuring a wireless charging surface and three USB power ports, cable clutter is a thing of the past.
It also comes with a universal wireless charging mat, which charges up to four devices at once, plus an additional USB device. You can pick yourself up one from Irish owned PAIR Mobile for €59.95 here.
NOW Entertainment Membership Pass
NOW’s Entertainment Membership might be the perfect gift for the boxset binger of the family, or your Secret Santa this year – or for yourself, we won’t judge.
The pass includes channels such as Sky Atlantic, Sky Documentaries and Sky Comedy, as well as incredible series like Succession, and upcoming shows like Just Like That. Sign us up, please.
The NOW Entertainment Membership costs €15 per month. (7-day free trial available to new customers.) Find out more here.
