“when we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed”
- maya angelou

It’s the season. The season of generosity, hospitality, warmth and connection. It’s the season to bring out the best in us. Whether Christmas is celebrated or not celebrated at your house, whether you have small believers or non-believers, whether it’s a big deal, a non-event or you’re feeling ambivalent towards it all after the stress of the past two years, let it be something that encourages reaching out beyond yourself. Gifts don’t have to be expensive, just considered. They can be free and thoughtful - after all the greatest gift you can give someone else is your time and attention.

So here are some ideas for the people you love - things that are useful and beautiful - the idea behind our little wren newsletter. We’ve framed these categories into scenarios rather than the standard ‘for her, for him’ in many gift guides, because, well, boring. And speaking of the wren, she has been wintering, but back very soon with her edit of delights, as I know you love her too. I hope you find something here for someone you love, and for you too. And have a happy festive season, may it bring out the best in us, Ellie x

To celebrate the greatest friendships

In memory of all the great wine nights you’ve had with friends, and in anticipation of those to come, this canvas and leather Wine Bag, which reads ‘My book club only reads wine labels’, would make a great stocking filler for you besties. Wine Bag – Book Club, €20 at stagerslifestyle.com

An hour of pampering must be on everybody’s wish list this Christmas, but a facial at Skin Passion in Greystones is a special experience. A Biologique Recherche therapist, Natalie Larkin has magic hands and will leave your skin looking toned, smoothed and refined with her customised facial. It’s a truly indulgent experience and one every good friend deserves. 60-minute facial, €120 at skinpassion.ie

Trinny London’s BFF Skin Perfector makes a brilliant stocking filler with its barely-there coverage for those days when you can’t be bothered to paint your face. BFF Skin Perfector SPF30 Cream, €40 at trinnylondon.com

Give the gift of strength and positivity to your closest friend with this beautiful Full Moon necklace from Irish jewellery brand Fawe. Inspired by the beauty of the night sky and intended to be worn as a motivator to achieve your dreams, the pendant also comes in half or crescent moon shapes. Full Moon Necklace in Silver, €120 at fawecollection.com

Try a different type of gift voucher this year with The Crate’s fresh flower subscription. Arrange to have seasonal blooms delivered to a friend’s door on a weekly or fortnightly basis packaged with a greeting card illustrated by an Irish artist. Seasonal Flower Subscription, €38 at thecrate.ie

Chocolate-loving friends will get a kick out of this chocolate tasting club subscription from Wexford-based chocolatiers Bean and Goose. It includes two bars of chocolate a month, one of which is a one-off seasonal creation from the ‘Bean Lab’. 6 Months of Tasting Club, €84 at beanandgoose.ie

To honour our elders

If your mother enjoys tablescaping, she’ll adore these handcrafted linen table napkins made from Irish homewares brand Liquorice. The rich plum shade and ribbon detailing strike just the right festive note. Huckleberry Napkin Set (pack of four), €85 at liquorice.ie

A beautiful gold-plated pendant with a textured finish, this is a wear-with-anything neckpiece perfect for a mum of any age. Luna necklace, €145 at styledby.ie

Irish brand Crann has a fantastic range of watches made from recycled materials (some from reworked bog oak sculptures). There’s a collection for both men and women, each of which looks cool and contemporary, but also has a message of slow fashion and sustainability. Slan watch, €109 at crane.co

Using a mix of photography, transfers, print and collage, artist Carolyn Walsh creates contemporary prints of city scenes, from Peter’s Pub and The South Wall in Dublin to County Hall and The English Market in Cork. Choose a print of a place that has memories for your parents for a very special joint gift. County Hall Cork Limited Edition Print of 10, €85 at carolynwalshart.com

A cashmere hot water bottle and eye mask set? Yes please. Buy one for each parent so there’ll be no fighting. Eye Mask and Hot Water Bottle Set, €89 at Cos

Folks got a great vinyl collection that isn’t heard anymore? Bring it back to life with a great sounding record player and let their memories surround them again. We did it recently and the smiles were infectious. This one is great quality and sold by Irish pressing plant, Dublin Vinyl, €279

To treat someone who’s had a shit year

The perfect Christmas card for anyone who’s relieved to see the end of this year, this graphic-print greeting card offers the energy of a colourful design coupled with a message of optimism. Christmas Cracker greeting card, She Designs, He Prints, €3.50 at mimiandmartha.com

Created to help you reconnect with nature and yourself through intentional self-care, these cleansing and hydrating bath salts can ease muscle tension and relax both your body and mind. Indigo Bath Salts, Wild Rose Botanicals, €12 at wrappedinkindness.ie

Designed to empower you as you head towards new adventures and celebrate your own personal growth process, these healing stones include amazonite, citrine, clear quartz and fluorite. What better gift for a midlifer? Daffodils Crystal Gift Box [New Beginnings], €30 at kaikostudio.com

We all deserve a Melissa Curry Warrior pendant given the year that 2021 has turned out to be, but this exquisite piece, designed as part of a collection to promote courage and determination and to help you overlook your fears, is perfect for someone who’s had it especially tough this year, or simply needs a bit of a boost. Warrior pendant, €79 at melissacurry.com

Made with vegan ingredients and described as being “blended with sincere intention to soothe the soul”, gorgeous Cork-based wellness brand Ground has built a devoted following with its selection of self-care products. The Hug gift set, which includes Beo Uplifting Body Oil and Curam Comfort Essential Blend Oil, is an ideal gift for someone who needs a bit of TLC. The Hug gift set, €35 at groundwellbeing.com

Embracing small daily rituals can be a really effective way to boost your mood and sustain a positive feeling. This Space Clearing Spray from Galway-based brand Well Double L is designed to change up the energy in your personal space to help with a positive mental attitude. Good Vibes Space Clearing Spray, €29 at welldoublel.ie

For Someone sick of cooking

Nourishing homecooked food delivered nationwide is what Kayla’s Kitchen promises, with the added benefit that each dish is as allergen-free as possible. A gift card could make someone’s New Year feel a whole lot less pressured. kaylaskitchen.ie

Ireland’s only subscription grocery service, Weekl.ie, has a gorgeous selection of Christmas hampers this year, including this Irish Cheese Nosh-Box, which includes four types of cheese, biscuit wafers, figs and honey. Yum. shop.weekl.ie

These days you can get pretty much anything delivered to your door, including freshly roasted coffee. 3FE has a variety of subscriptions available; choose between an ever-changing coffee experience or a steady supply of your favourite blend. 3fe.com

After two weeks of traditional turkey, ham and roast potatoes, there’s nothing better than a fragrant and spicy Indian feast. Gift your loved one a voucher for the best Indian in Dublin at keralakitchen.ie

Just to make life a bit easier

Luxury Irish accessories brand Aoife Lifestyle has created a beautifully designed and finished tote bag that converts easily into a backpack for a clever and great value-for-money accessory. Having a hands-free-option at all times is exactly what busy, multi-tasking women need. Gallery Tote To backpack, €395 at aoifelifestyle.com

Everything is easier after a good night’s sleep isn’t it? Lockdown-launched brand The Sleep Care Company has created a Sleep Journal to help you build a consistent evening routine and nourishing sleep rituals to ensure you wake up feeling destressed and revived. A great gift filled with advice, a sleep tracker and sleep affirmations, this is bound to make life a little easier in 2022.Sleep Journal, €30 at thesleepcarecompany.com

The Personal Financial Planner from Irish brand Femme Ireland is more than just a means of documenting income and expenditure, it’s a beautifully produced vegan leather journal full of strategies and mechanisms to help you manage your finances and achieve your goals. Personal Financial Planner in Nude, €30 at femmeireland.com

We love the fresh-start feel that comes with a brand new diary, especially one of these from Badly Made Books. Another lovely stocking filler. Diary 2022, from €18.50 at badlymadebooks.com

Do you get outfit fatigue this time of year? Then invest in a handmade detachable collar from Irish accessories brand Handmade By Rasa. Pop it on over any number of items, from dresses to sweaters, to reinvent your look. Silk Gingham Detachable Collar, €45 at etsy.com

A shopping bag, but make it gorgeous. This one is Irish linen by Stable Ireland, €35. Almost too good for Aldi

Just for the thrill

If you can’t splash out at Christmas when can you? This exquisite cashmere sweater from Irish brand Castanea is the ultimate luxury buy, and a forever piece you’ll treasure year on year. Girolata cashmere sweater in Powder, €615 at castanea.ie

Forget Chanel, Gucci and McQueen et al, the coolest handbag brand right now is Irish label Peelo. It’s gorgeous totes, crossbodys and clutches make beautiful gifts for women of any age. Denim Python Embossed Leather Stripe Tote, €265 at peelo.ie

Christmas is a license to buy beautiful things, so ddd these stunning stoneware Petit Four Plates to your wish list or shopping list. There’s a choice of ten equally lovely shades, from Barley to Speckled Clay. Petit Four Plates, €18 each at fermoylepottery.ie

Changing your scent can be as transformative as changing your hairstyle. Explore five different botanical perfume oils with this Perfume Discovery Gift Box, €95 at oxmantownskincare.ie

To put a smile on someone’s face

These fabulously cheery neon candles make a refreshing change from traditional red and white pillar candles at this time of year, and will make a fun surprise for anyone. Dip-Dye Candles, Cuar, €20 (pack of four) at wrappedinkindness.ie

This gorgeous super-fine Merino wool beanie from newly launched knitwear brand Urban Aran takes inspiration from Waterford’s cool street art. We love this version in gorgeous fuchsia as it’s such a fun, feel-good shade. Hat/Beanie in Fuschia, €60 at urbanaran.com

This heartwarming, funny and resonating book of poems written by midlifer Jan Brierton will put a smile on anybody’s face with it’s fresh and honest perspective on life during lockdown and beyond. The perfect stocking filler. What Day Is It, New Island Books, €9.95

This velvet embroidered powder bag looks like something straight out of Lady Mary’s wardrobe in Downton Abbey. It will make someone feel incredibly special, and glamorous, on Christmas Day. Powder Bag, €39.90 at distriktbymia.ie

Books to enlighten, entertain & educate

Are you Somebody? by Nuala O’Faolain; this midlife exploration of love, loneliness and self-discovery is truly brilliant.

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo; a poignant, funny and heartfelt account of the struggles, loves and losses of 12 different black women living in the UK

You Learn By Living by Eleanor Roosevelt; written at age 76 by the former First Lady, a feminist icon and pioneer, this book offers a simple guide to living a fuller life

Dublin Architecture Guide by Paul Kelly, Cormac Murray and Brendan Spierin; a brilliant guide for anyone interested in discovering more about Dublin’s modern architecture

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; a moving WWII tale of a blind French girl and a German teenage soldier whose lives intersect unexpectedly

Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan; exquisitely written and utterly absorbing, this story of a Tipperary teenager who goes missing then returns home never leads where you expect it to.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle; launched last year, but still a multi-week top spot New York Times bestseller. Gift to all your women friends to stop the culture of people-pleasing.

The Comfort Book by Matt Haig; just lovely, cheering words of support if someone needs a boost. All short quotes, so no long read required.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab. The therapist with over a million followers on Instagram has a lot of say about the importance of boundaries. One of the books that stopped us in our tracks (literally) this year. She tells it straight and it’s liberating.

Cracking the Menopause by Mariella Frostrup. Lot’s of midlife/menopause books can be too medical or too strangely divorced from talking about what it actually feels like. This new one, however, is good.

Wintering by Katherine May. If you want a beautiful, almost poetic read about the season of rest and renewal that is Winter, go for this - it is sublime. Gift it to your thoughtful friends. And buy one for yourself too. You won’t regret it, it’s a stunning read.