12 Days Of Xmas Via 10 Actual Gifts

If the 12 Days Of Christmas is to be believed, all we really want are birds. So many birds. If that's not your bag, take a read...

You cannot have worked in magazines for 25-plus years and not be prepped to dish out a gift guide in your sleep by December. It’s quite beyond your control. Use this as an opportunity to explore some amazing, all-local talent to support in 2023…

Speel Your holiday can thank me! These are – bear with me – backgammon towels. Yep, the hand-crafted towel is your backgammon board and they’re sold as a set with pieces, so you can play games on the beach or at the pool. Isn’t that just the best thing? Ever?

Saint Vieve These are nighties that look like dresses or dresses that you can also wear to bed. Just pick which you prefer. I’m obsessed. Old fashioned vibes. Scooped backs or frilled fronts. Broderie anglaise or simple cotton. Long lengths or short. Equally perfect for a midnight menopausal hot flush as for a young and sexy time!

Dear Deer You know how beauty mags all tell you to sleep on a satin pillow and save your skin at least a few vials of Botox?! Because that is the power of satin on the face, rather than peasanty cotton? Well, Dear Deer does satin slips in all shades. With eye masks and scrunchies to match.

JS Health Is it weird to tell people to buy vitamin supplements? I don’t care. Give yourself this gift. Jess Sepel is a wellness guru. What started as a blog became a series of cookbooks became a global vitamin biz. Yep, really. Invest in your hair and skin – I RATE their Skin + Digestion and Hair + Energy as absolute essentials. Game changers.

Standard Beauty If you watch Hailey Bieber’s every beauty trick – from donut glazed nails to peptide lips, then know this… Standard Beauty has launched its own peptide lip glaze. And it’s so good. Slick it over your colour or use as a natural gloss or balm that plumps and hydrates.

Cape Island Who doesn’t love a candle? Not me! Bring them on. These are the celebration candles but Clifton Beach is a heady mix of coconut, lime and vanilla. And has the desired effect of allowing you to feel like you’re still on holiday long after you return to work in the new year. Sighhhhh.

Takkleberry Some time around the pandemic, I gave up on the idea of underwire. Forever. Say hello to Takkleberry. Super comfy, good looking underwear that goes up to a D cup off the rack but they’ll custom make bigger sizes according to your exact measurements. Colours are sublime, cuts even more so.

Tidefolk Hands down the best looking towelling hoodies. These soft coloured Aztec designs are my faves, but there are loads of options. Perfect throw-on after a cold water immersion and great for kids too. My punks falls somewhere between Wim Hof and kid and they rate them.

Russel & Rose is on my wish list, ahem, for anyone reading. She’s calling it modern heirloom jewellery inspired by antiquity. And that’s exactly what it looks like – heavy vintage-looking gold chains offset with a sacred heart pendant, which can be embossed or engraved or inset with stones. You choose. Dead for this.

Pichulik I am a long-time fan so no surprises bit I adore these as gifts and this year, they’ve created the 2022 grown-up equivalent of Best Friend Necklaces, with Between Us bracelets that can be customised and matched with friends. Gorgeous and a cool idea.

Need more inspo to get into the mood? Watch Bridget Jones’ Diary. My (and arguably The World’s) All-time Best Christmas Movie.