My Christmas wish-list 2022

Superfolk - Brass Meander Candle Holder

Acknowledging your list

When we gift at Christmas, we do so for one of two reasons, either out of love for those who spark joy in our lives, or out of gratitude for someone who helps make our day that little bit easier, touching us in some small way. Acknowledging your gratitude or love for someone, is what brings joy to gifting.  If you find you have a never ending growing list, chances are that you are gifting out of a sense of duty or obligation, without any real meaning.

There’s never been a more opportune time to start a conversation with intended beneficiaries about sustainable practice and gifting responsibly, while still being able to enjoy a magical season.

We’re all guilty of falling into habits we find difficult to break and if we start with editing one list, you may be surprised to learn of its far reaching benefits in another, encouraging you to nurture further simplicity in your Christmas rituals and in your home.

What to gift

When it comes to seeking inspiration, we all share a common thread through everyday tasks and rituals.  Knowing a person will better inform my decision when I look to gifts that are timeless and meaningful, for those I don’t know as well, I consider elevating daily moments through sensory joy.  These aren’t gender specific so no matter how long you spend visiting one task or indulging in a ritual, a heightening of the senses will ground you in those moments, sparking joy in your everyday.

Fortunately, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to the quality of craft and product design produced on our Island.  The difficulty will be in selecting whom to support in any given year. My list may be slightly biased towards the peoples’ republic, so I apologise in advance while I slowly become more familiar with all the unchartered territory and creativity outside our county bounds.

As to my own wish-list, I have mentioned below a few firm favourite products and product-designers I return to time and time again for that trusted experience but am definitely craving more time this year to simply slow down and be more immersed in the every day. 

There are also some incredible shopkeepers who share their passion for the products they stock, championing those designers.  What better way to gift responsibly than to support local businesses and champion homegrown talent.  It won’t be possible for me to include every worthy producer so take it upon yourselves to seek those out within your own community, and to share any of your unearthed finds.

The gift of scent

Gifting perfume is deeply personal and find it best saved for those whom you love or know best.  Out of all the senses, it can evoke powerful memories of a person, time or place.  When we scent our home we can use it for different reasons and to great benefit for changing a mood or for calming our soul. 

I look for pure essential oils when gifting candles for their therapeutic benefits including www.cleanslate.ie whose considered range and Christmas candle scents in beautiful packaging would please anyone and to a more recent find www.breadandweather.ie.  www.cloonkeen.com in Galway ‘capture the poetic spirit of Ireland’ while their Spanish Arch room spray evokes summer in the city of tribes and would please any pet owner battling wet dog smell.

To scent my own home, I use the sphere oil diffuser from www.framacph.com which has long become a favourite morning ritual.  I am currently burning eucalyptus and pine oil for a scent surround of Christmas memory. 

I’ve noticed a renaissance of this ritual throughout homes, offices and even classrooms over the last couple of years proving its healing and restorative benefits making an essential oil diffuser the ideal gift. www.groundwellbeing.com offer a ‘blend’ collection, comprising of four different experiences in Talamh, Codladh, Beo & Curam, depending on how you might feel throughout any given day.

For showering, daily hand-washing and all your bathing requirements, I look to the benefits and uplifting scent of seaweed in www.voya.com, www.seavite.com and to a more recent favourite, www.WASi.ie based in bantry, west cork.  Their incredible lemongrass and cedarwood, seaweed soap starts from as little as €9.00 when seeking a complete, immersive experience.

The gift of comfort and warmth

Our heritage is steeped in the traditional craft of textile weaving with our Irish wool, tweeds and linens sought to worldwide acclaim so we don’t have to look too far when seeking warm layers for our home.  Anyone who knows me, will know that a product from www.stableofireland.com will always be on my Christmas and every other wishlist!  From linen tableware to woolen throws, tweed scarves and their limited edition clothing range, Sonia and Francie travel the high roads and byroads of Ireland in the pursuit of the very best of quality craft, makers and producers. 

Another champion of Irish textiles are www.thetweedproject.com  based in Galway for original, Irish design who ‘bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary design’, to create timeless pieces.  These are available online or if you head west to the home of www.watersandwild.com in Glandore, you will also find other hidden treasures stocked by Joan Woods, founder of the organic perfume, under the same name.  www.mournetextiles.com is a firm favourite for their beautiful designs and colour inspiration from the surrounding landscape. Gerd Hay-Edie’s collaborative work with The Robin Day foundation has been continued on through her grandson today. You will find a good selection of their cushions and throws in Clodagh O’ Callaghan’s www.grannysbottomdrawer.ie in kinsale, who stocks a curated selection of quality Irish craft and design including Eddie Doherty tweeds, www.handwoventweed.com, fermoyle pottery(see below), www.foxford.com, www.studiodonegal.ie and www.mcnuttofdonegal.com to name but a few labels to dress your table and keep you warm this winter. If you’re travelling specifically, then a 15 minute drive further out towards ballinspittle is worth the visit to Emily Connell’s award winning www.chalkandeasel.ie who stock a vast array of gifts for the home in environmentally materials from small, home grown producers as well some european designers for that personal experience.

I had the honour to meet Master weaver, Michael Madden on a recent trip to the Ballymaloe Craft fair; Michael, of a certain generation, has yet to embrace social media and relies on word of mouth to sell his beautiful craft.  His truly original colours and designs remind me of a modernist expression in a similar vein to early Patrick Scott and wouldn’t look out of place in a traditional or contemporary space.  Having spent many years working in the states, his hand tufted rugs grace the homes of many a famous politician and businessman, yet he remains modest but proud of his craft.  (Contact tigh design for further details).

The gift of Touch and Performance

When it comes to functionality, endurance and tactility www.superfolk.com designers and makers, inspired by the great outdoors produce beautiful craft that elevate everyday mealtime from their handcrafted trivets in Oak and ash to their brass meander candle holder (see main image) that look every bit as good as they feel.  Their product is available online and in limited stockists including www.wearemaven.co.uk in Belfast.  They have recently collaborated with www.fermoylepottery.ie to produce beautiful, wall hanging vases whose signature tableware you may have coveted if you’re a regular to any Michelin starred restaurant including Aimsir, Aniar or Ichigo Ichie.  If these are outside your reach, then look to elevate a simple morning coffee ritual with their black iron glazed stoneware cups, frequently sold out on their website.  (Sign up to their newsletter for regular shop updates). 

For someone who likes to close out their evening with something a little bit stronger, a handblown tumbler or decanter from Criostal na Rinne in their simple and familiar pattern inspired by the ogham script, will heighten any tasting experience.  www.criostal.com

The gift of experience;

When we gift an experience, it is usually offered through a gift card, allowing us flexibility for planning the event to suit our own needs.  The downside to these of course is that we tend to not committing which explains the amount of unused vouchers any given year. Sometimes we need a short goal, which is why a recent Ad. for www.benchspace.ie in Cork, offering vouchers for workshops in January through different disciplines, immediately sparked joy in me. Receiving a gift of a pre-planned event barely weeks away, makes that impending deadline all the more exciting, as we tend to lose momentum when that date is pushed out too far.  (Still availability for any creatives in your life). www.maherspurecoffee.ie also offer the immersive experience of a Barista course in January, for any coffee lover close to you. Though a little late for this year, I signed up for a Christmas wreath workshop on Sat 10th last (at the ballymaloe grainstore) with Laura of www.paperdaisy.ie which would make the perfect gift for any crafter, DIY enthusiast or green fingered friend on the run up to christmas next year. The opportunity to escape east and spend a Saturday morning focused on making, was the perfect kick off to the festive season. The Christmas scent surround was equivalant to being lost in a pine forest and enough to lift any spirits regardless of your creation at the end of it.

The gift of time

We all tend to underestimate the value of our time when given over to another, especially when it allows them a much needed break from their routine. If you have considered a gift of self-care to a friend or loved one, who happens to care for another, then enabling them to take that opportunity will be priceless. Whether that is 90mins of your time, an evening or an overnight stay, it will be the gift they will remember and appreciate most.

The gift of your time will also benefit any frazzled, dog-owning friend who also happens to be a coerced Parent. If you’ve failed to secure that pre-booked, Boarding Kennel staycation for their Mutt over the Christmas holidays (highly likely), then the gift of your dog-walking services will make them your friend for life !

The gift of Taste

There may just be a small window to gift a token of gratitude or a known chocolate lover, with one of www.beanandgoose.ie  vast array of individual and seasonal treats including sharing slabs with their ‘festive hammer of joy’ for the ultimate sensory, Christmas experience. Another olfactory and tasting experience might include a gift from www.maherspurecoffee.ie in cork offering various packages and subscriptions as well as their barista class already mentioned above.  There are of course endless gourmet options but if I were to choose one ultimate luxury gift, it would be having the talent of www.caitlinruthfood.ie tailor my every cocktail and catering need in the comfort of my own home.  From take-out mezze and tapas plates to pre-mixed, cocktail kits and gourmet hampers, she managed to keep those of us west of cork, sane and satiated during lockdown.

Time to read

Any Christmas wishlist wouldn’t be complete without the time to read over the holidays. Fellow corkonian and Crawford graduate Dorothy Cross’s book, ‘Crossing’ www.durereditions.com celebrates over 35 years of her work and is available in a collector’s or as a signed limited edition. Recently awarded an honorary doctorate from Trinity College Dublin, her ‘retrospective’ is top of my Christmas list this year. ‘Irish Art 1920 – 2020’ by Catherine Marshall (founding head of collections at IMMA) would be a close second.  If you are seeking a gift for a female friend or relative, then Cristin Leach’s powerful ‘Negative Space’ is a must particularly for any art lover or artist in your life.  ‘Flowers’ by www.katherineboucherbeug.com is a limited edition publication and available to purchase directly through the artist’s recent website for €40.00, along with some of her limited edition prints.

It would be difficult to choose from the many design books published annually, but if I had to select one this year it would be Soft Minimal; Norm Architects; ‘A sensory approach to architecture and design’. (www.gestalten.com) With a focus on natural materials and balance, the design partnership are guided by ideas of wellbeing and of ensuring a space feels as good as it looks.

If styling is more your thing and you are seeking inspiration to elevate an existing space, ‘Arranging Things’ by Internationally acclaimed Colin King and regular collaborator with West Elm, Zara Home and Crate and Barrell will guide you through recreating his look from found objects in your home.

The gift of Visual joy

Last, but not least, being a designer and visual-arts lover, my wishlist wouldn’t be complete without including visual joy.  Apart from championing Irish designer-makers, the inclusion and promotion of the visual arts community is very much part of the tigh design ethos and aesthetic.  Every year, I have the privilege of encountering new and more established artists practicing in different media and discovering my own evolving taste. 

I posted last month in ‘Rediscovering November Joy’ about how incorporating a percentage of your home renovation budget or new build project, will encourage you nurture a passion for the visual arts should you seek further reading if thinking about starting a collection. 

While the purchase or gifting of an artwork is personal, why not start with a trip to a gallery this christmas and letting that someone select their own piece instead.  From as little as €250.00 – €500.00 (in some cases less) you could start your own unique, Irish art collection with a fine art photography or limited edition print when looking to create an engaging and unique space. For inspiration on what to purchase, follow me on instagram for regular updates on exhibitons and Artists’ news.

  Do you seek help with creating sensory joy in your home?

Do you struggle with starting your own art collection?