If the Christmas preparation feels like it gets earlier and earlier every year that’s because, well, it does. But as the age old saying goes: fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
With all the uncertainty right now and unexpected costs popping up left, right and centre, it doesn’t hurt to sort your seasonal shopping list early and have one task ticked off when it comes towards the end of the year.
Over at ES, we get a first look at the Christmas offerings of many and most of the major labels so count ourselves as in a good position to sort the wheat from the chaff to find you the failsafe presents that are sure to delight when December 25 finally arrives.
Whether you are looking for the fun uncle who has everything, to the impossible parent who wants nothing, we’ve got you covered with our ultimate gifting list below.
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David Hockney My Window
This coffee table book will not only add a subtle pop of colour to their interiors, but it will also encourage them to get lost in the works of legendary artist David Hockney in an XL-edition. The book is a collection of 120 of the famed pop art painter’s digital works created on an iPhone and iPad where each captures a moment through the window of his Yorkshire home.
Buy now £72.85, Amazon
DROWSY Sleep Co silk eye mask
Give the gift of a sound night’s sleep with this silk eye mask from the DROWSY Sleep Co. So popular is this ultimate slumber companion that one sells every 15 minutes in the UK. Not those basic designs you find on long haul flights, this sumptuous option is soft on the skin, while also keeping out sound and light thanks to the padding.
Best of all, silk is known for protecting hair from damaging friction and can even have anti-ageing properties. This Christmas, it is available in Green Sapphire and this celestial themed option.
Buy now £69.00, DROWSY
Eberjey Gisele jersey pyjama set
Eberjey has some of the most covetable nightwear on the market. The designs are classic and elegant, placing comfort at the forefront where the materials are so sumptuously soft that it will be all the more challenging to get out of bed in the morning. There are silk variations but our favourite are the dreamy jersey fabrics like for the label’s signature Gisele silhouette. They come in a relaxed fit with contrast piping and turn-up cuffs for sophistication.
Shop more pyjama styles for women here and men here
Buy now £141.00, Selfridges
Fossil Rock Candy Slap Watch
What began as an April Fools’ Day joke evolved into a fully-fledged viral watch model that takes inspiration from the slap bracelets that dominated the 90s. This unique timepiece comes in four shades; a mood-boosting yellow, red, black and an attractive turquoise and is affixed on the wrist in one swift slap movement.
Buy now £119.00, Fossil
Micro Scooter Eco Mini Mint
While a scooter will always make a great gift for a little one, this cruiser takes it to the next level. No, we aren’t just referring to the light-up wheels (!), but this eco three wheeler from the experts at Micro is made from discarded fishing nets so will encourage sustainable thinking during the Christmas season and as they travel from A to B.
Shop the best Christmas toy gifts for kids here
Buy now £87.95, Micro Scooter
DL1961 Freja Jumpsuit Full Length - Lt. Skylark
Fashion gifts are not always the easiest but this jumpsuit from DL1961 is guaranteed to be well-received.
First and foremost, you have the denim construction, a universally appealing fabric that is so versatile and easy to style. Next, it’s the idea of a jumpsuit in general - one item and you have a full, chic outfit sorted with zero sartorial stress.
And lastly, the fit and wash. It has a utilitarian aesthetic with traditional jean hardwear and stitching but bonus points for the seam slit at the hem.
Buy now £300.00, DL1961
Allday Goods Knife range
If they’re serious about their cheffing, introduce Allday Goods into their cutlery collection. The brand takes a sustainable approach to the formation of its kitchen essentials by crafting its knives entirely from waste that would have ended up in the landfill. The blades are made from scrap metals, while the handles - in attractive hues of yellow, white and green - save 48g of plastic per option. They are made in Sheffield, cutting down on shipping pollution too.
Buy now £120.00, Allday Goods
Allbirds Women’s Wool Dasher Mizzles
While once the idea of a sustainable sneaker would lead you with unappealing silhouettes with even less attractive detailing, there’s been huge innovation in the space in a very short time. Leading the pack is Allbirds, the label known for its use of wool to create its shoes. The attractive Wool Dasher Mizzles should be on your radar this Christmas and beyond where the cosy ZQ Merino wool has been given a water repellent shield so you can brave the elements no matter what the British weather throws at us. They were created as a runing shoe but we think they’re attractive enough to work on and off the track.
Shop the best running shoes for women here
Buy now £135.00, Allbirds
Roberts iStream 3L DAB+/FM Internet Smart Radio
The iconic retro radios from Roberts are beloved by interior buffs and tech enthusiasts alike - a testament to the brand’s expert combination of fashion and function.
In a whole host of nostalgia-inducing colourways, from teal blue to sunburst yellow, they are characterised by the grill, logo and timeless accents, while still offering rich sound, Bluetooth audio streaming, DAB+, FM and WiFi radio, as well as access to Spotify. It also doubles up as an alarm clock.
Buy now £229.00, Amazon
Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3
Small but mighty, the WONDERBOOM 3 is one of the most room-filling speakers on the market despite its very compact size. Hugely portable (it can be slipped into your travel or camping backpack or hand luggage with ease), it offers 360° sound with crisp, bassy audio and a long 14-hour battery life. The audio treat is now crafted from certified 31 per cent post-consumer plastic to give your party a eco-conscious twist.
Buy now £89.99, John Lewis
KitchenAid Design Series Blossom Stand Mixer
It is always at the top of their Christmas wishlist and now, there is no better time to make their gifting dreams come true as KitchenAid has revamped its signature stand mixer in a trend-led soft thyme green colourway. Better yet, the mixing bowl is in an attractive copper shade. As with all of the label’s models, it comes with a stainless steel wire whisk, dough hook, flat beater and pastry beater.
Buy now £749.00, KitchenAid
Pasta Evangelists Taste of Italy Pasta Making Kit
Play this gift right and you’ll have homemade pasta as part of your dinner rotation. This kit from restaurant-quality delivery service Pasta Evangelists comes complete with everything they need to whip up artisan Italian pasta with the specialised 00 flour, a roller, cutting rools and an instructional guide all included. The gift that keeps on giving, they will soon be able to knock up homemade gnocchi and ravioli creations.
Buy now £30.00, Amazon
Mindful Chef gift card
There are so many benefits to the food subscription box models. You will get the chance to create meals you may not have thought of with all the ingredients and the perfect quantities of them ready and rearing to go, taking out the guesswork and removing waste from your home cooking agenda.
Mindful Chef is one of best in the biz, specialising in balanced, healthy meals that can be adapted to suit all dietary requirements, from gluten free to vegan. All the recipe boxes as well as the frozen meals on offer are nutritionally balanced and free from refined carbs and additives.
This gift card is ideal to give them the power to choose when to receive a box and can vary in amount depending on your budget. It’s also great for last minute purchases as can be emailed directly to them.
Buy now £30.00, Mindful Chef
Shark Beauty FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System
Hot on the heels of its Dyson competitor, Shark Beauty has unveiled the FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System with interchangeable accessories so with just one tool, you can curl, straighten, volumise, smooth and define locks.
Saving you space and fuss, you can use it as a hair dryer and with just a twist, it becomes the styler, all while ensuring it is protecting strands from heat damage. There’s a paddle brush with smoothing bristles for poker-straight tresses, an oval brush to amp up the bounce and multiple curling accessories depending on the wave you are trying to achieve.
Buy now £300.00, Argos
Prada Paradoxe Eau de parfum
In a bottle resembling the Italian fashion house’s signature triangle logo comes the latest fragrance from Prada - a treat for the senses. The floral aroma has a transportive feel as you pick up on the dynamic combination of neroli, amber and musk. It begins as a light, fresh and crisp aroma but has added dimension through an amber accord at the heart. It’s given further depth from the musk base for a non-traditional floral bouquet.
Shop the best floral fragrances here
Buy now £59.00, John Lewis
Gucci Rouge de Beaute Brilliant High-Shine Lipstick
You only need to catch a glimpse of this lipstick from Gucci to see its gifting credentials. The stunning exterior of the bullet alone is enough to sway you with the fashion house’s designer Alessandro Michele taking inspiration from vintage brooches and collectibles for its aesthetic. But this is no means a case of style over substance. The formula is long-wearing and while imparting highly pigmented colour, it also nourishes with hyaluronic acid, fruit butters and flower oils.
Shop the best red lipstick here
Buy now £36.00, Selfridges
Elemis x Rixo On-The-Glow Essentials
This collaboration between British beauty label Elemis and retro-inspired fashion house Rixo is made for the jetsetter in your life. Housed in an attractive washbag adorned with a print in the latter brand’s signature vintage style comes seven Elemis products in a combination of full and mini sized, all of which are travel-ready and will encourage a a healthy glow.
Buy now £65.00, ELEMIS
New Balance 574 Core trainers
Never has the brand’s 2019 marketing campaign rang so true: “worn by supermodels in London and dads in Ohio”. The sportswear label continues to toe the very fine line of the “dad” sneaker that remains hugely popular among the fashion set as is perfectly encapsulated by the 574 that is available for men and women.
Buy now £95.00, New Balance
Carhartt WIP Watch Beanie, Black
When you’re living in the UK, cold weather essentials like beanies will always form a staple part of our wardrobe to keep us cosy and warm when the temperatures plummet. With this option from Carhartt, they can brave the elements in style with the label’s signature workwear aesthetic. It has a knitted design, a double-layered rim and the simple detail of the label’s logo embellishment.
Buy now £20.00, John Lewis
Le Creuset fig cast iron range
Here’s a hack: Le Creuset is one of those brands that will rarely - if ever - be met with disappointment from your recipient. It’s akin to Dyson and Apple in that respect. While you can’t go wrong with the stoneware brand’s rainbow array of colours, it’s the Fig that has caught our attention. You can go for a stocking filler like the mug (£15) or up the ante with a casserole dish (£215).
Buy now £15.00, Selfridges
Apple AirTag
Best for: Bluetooth tracking Apple addicts
While the Chipolo ONE Spot may be a fully features Bluetooth tracker aimed exactly between the eyes of iOS users, I know full well just how brand-loyal many Apple owners can be (some might even stray into the realms of the obsessive – just saying), so for them there exists no other tracker option than the AirTag.
Yes, it’s shiny and good-looking. Yes, it comes with a whole armada of accessories. Yes, it can track things locally over Bluetooth using audio and map directions (or even on screen arrows if in the house) and yes it does also open up the whole Find My community of millions and millions and millions of users to assist you in the search for your stuff, the Apple AirTag looks sharp, works exceptionally well and does all you could ever ask of a tracker… if you’re an Apple user.
Buy now £29.00, Amazon
Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth High Resolution Audio Over-Ear Headphones
Elevate their audio experience with this game-changing set of headphones from Sony. This wireless design have some of the best noise-cancelling on the market so whether you’re next to a crying baby on the plane or a loud chewer on the train, there is nothing that is going to get in the way of enjoying your playlist or podcast to the max.
The same is true for the microphones, in which there are four on each cup and they feature an Auto NC Optimizer to automatically optimise it based on your environment. The sound is impeccable, they’re attractive and they are some of the most comfortable you’ll ever wear. The WH-1000XM5s boast 40 hours of playback.
Buy now £299.00, John Lewis
Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream
This is the kind of gift that they may not purchase themselves but will feel indulgent and divine to receive. Augustinus Bader is one of the most covetable names in skincare and is known for its innovative formulations using the brand’s signature TFC8® complex that is backed by 30 years of research. Beloved by Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Aniston to name but a few, The Rich Cream is the bestseller. It’s a face cream that you can use day and night and is packed with nourishing fatty acids and antioxidants to protect the skin against environmental aggressors.
Buy now £135.00, Space NK
Patch Plants
Whether they have a green finger or not, the mood-boosting benefits of plants can liven up their home with the ‘almost un-killable’ section at Patch. This selection of snake plants, peace lilies, devil’s ivy and the likes will thrive no matter the level of care and you can throw in a pot for good measure.
From £10.
Shop the best indoor plants here
Buy now £10.00, Patch
Rains Weekend Bag
May their 2023 be filled with adventures where this Weekend Bag from Rains will come in handy. Give the gift of efficient travel with the minimalistic Scandi label and the waterproof PU fabric pieces that it is synonynous with. The versatile bag can be used for gym or overnight stays with a shoulder and adjustable cross strap.
Shop the best weekend bags here
Buy now £65.00, Rains
As Cooked on Tiktok
It’s not always easy to follow recipes on Tiktok with the fast-paced nature of the videos but with this cookbook, you can whip up the most shared dishes and bring them to life. With a foreward from Gordon and daughter Tilly Ramsay, it collates the likes of the #fetapasta as well as tried-and-tested delicacies from over 40 food creators.
Buy now £11.91, Amazon
El Rayo No1 Piata Tequila
It wasn’t long ago now that we were a nation of gin drinkers but something has changed in the post-lockdown world that we’re living in where tequila is becoming the most uttered spirit at bars everywhere. There’s just something more playful about tequila and maybe that’s what we’re looking for after being shut up in our homes for too long.
The El Rayo No1 Piata Tequila takes a different approach to the blue agave plant-derived beverage. The Silver Tequila is described as “citrusy and herby with a peppery spice, earthy agave, pineapple sorbet, wildflowers and a flinty note reminiscent of Sancerre” and with flavours that good, you wont want to mix it up in a cocktail. Enjoy with tonic, sipped neat or in line with the party season, shotted.
Buy now £44.00, Harvey Nichols
Reformation Agathea leather loafers
Loafers have been dubbed as the shoe of the season and you’ll spot them everywhere, from 9 to 5ers to pub goers. This pair from Reformation has become a go-to with the celebrity set and have been spotted on Gigi Hadid, Katie Holmes and Malia Obama. The LA-born label pays close attention to the way in which these shoes are crafted in order to be as eco-conscious as possible.
Buy now £250.00, Net-A-Porter
Therabody SmartGoggles
We have long been fans of the Theragun for the way in which it revolutionised post-exercise recovery, and now the brand has evolved to change-up another pain-relief space. This is a first-of-its-kind facial device that uses the brand’s trademarked SmartSense Technology to ease headaches and tension. This is achieved through a combination of vibration, heat and massage that also has a soothing and relaxing effect.
Buy now £174.00, Therabody
Annabels for the Amazon x The Lost Explorer Mezcal Espadin 700ml
Legendary London members club Annabel’s has teamed up with Oaxaca-made The Lost Explorer Mezcal to create a spirit that gives back. There are only 1,000 bottles available and the proceeds from each goes to planting 35 trees in line with its Annabel’s for the Amazon campaign that supports The Caring Family Foundation x Amazonia SOS restoration efforts.
The Espadín mezcal comes from an eight year growth period with sweet but herby flavours from notes of apple, fruits and mild smoke. The bottles has been created with over 55 per cent recycled crystal scraps and sealed with biodegradable natural beeswax.
Buy now £120.00, Selfridges
Jonathan Adler Lacquer backgammon set
An elegant addition to a home office or living room, this backgammon set has been created by the legendary interiors shop with its vibrant aesthetic. Putting a contemporary twist on the classic game, it’s red and tuqyoise and houses the pieces within the acrylic box exterior.
Shop the best backgammon sets here
Buy now £318.95, Sweetpea and Willow
Instant Brands Duo Crisp with Ultimate Lid Air Fryer and Instant Pot
There’s been something of an air fryer revolution in recent times. Whether it’s for the health benefits as you can use far less oil or its lessened energy usage, these devices have been pegged as the ultimate kitchen essential.
This is the latest model from Instant Brands with 13 functions in one. You can use as an air fryer, grill, mini oven, roaster, pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, sauté pan, sous vide, dehydrator, yogurt maker, bread proofer and last but not least, food warmer.
The brand has also revealed that it uses up to 80 per cent less energy than an electric oven in a test cooking chicken as well as 95 per cent less oil compared to deep frying. It will also cook 70 per cent faster than traditional cooking methods.
What makes this even more unique is the large LCD display that provides step-by-step cooking instructions. It’s also super quiet, dishwasher safe and you can whip up meals with up to six servings.
Buy now £229.99, Lakeland
Daisy Jewellery zodiac necklaces
The 90s revival that has dominated the fashion agenda in recent seasons has brought another favourite back to the fold: the name necklace. This, combined with the ever-growing fascination with astrology, has results in this mash up of two of the biggest trends right now - zodiac word necklaces. Daisy Jewellery has created this collection in recycled sterling silver or 18ct gold plating set on a delicate chain that is ideal for the person who is such a Taurus in your life.
Buy now £75.00, Daisy Jewellery
Escentric Molecules Molecule 01
Luxury unisex fragrance brand takes a different approach to its fragrance formulation. First and foremost, it uses Iso E Super (Molecule 01) - a specialised aroma-molecule that was created in a lab in 1973 - at its heart that is known for its smooth, velvet effect. What is unusual is that it is rarely smelt by the person spritzing it but can be sniffed by others with modern cedarwood note that adapts to each person for a truly personalised aroma that is cocooning, subtle and hard to pin down. Fans of the brand include Elton John, Rihanna, Beyonce, Kate Moss, Lizzo and Naomi Campbell.
Buy now £79.00, Harvey Nichols
Nintendo Switch Sports
Screen meets sports in this Nintendo Switch game that can get the whole family involved and getting competitive. There are six sports; tennis, bowling, chambara (where you use a sword to knock your opponent off a platform), football, badminton and volleyball that recreate the real thing in your living room. Get up, get active and use the Joy-Con controllers as your batt, foot and racket.
Buy now £42.00, Amazon
Papier 2023 diary
Start the year off right with this 2023 diary gift that will encourage them to stay orangised through the new year. Papier is one of the leader’s in the space with its personalisable diaries and calendars (there’s also notebooks, stationery and more).
Buy now £30.00, Papier
GOOGLE Pixel Watch 4G with Google Assistant
Here’s something you may not know - Google owns Fitbit. But that hasn’t stopped the tech giant from creating its very own fitness smartwatch. The newly launched device is finally here: the Google Pixel Watch.
The sleek timepiece has a domed design complete with durable Gorilla glass and a battery life of up to 24 hours. The straps can be changed, mixed and matched and the face is customisable.
You can call, text, email, ask Google for help, check maps, browse your calendar and pay via Google Wallet all from your wrist.
Shop the best smartwatches here
Buy now £379.00, Currys
