Ho ho h-oh no! Haven’t gotten your Christmas sorted out yet? Trouble figuring out what you want to give to your friends and family this holiday season? Perhaps you need a little guidance on the matter at hand.
Don’t fret! There exists all manner of gifts that you can get — small or large in stature, and also either for the here and now or long term. We’ve compiled a list of them here which hopefully will be what you are looking for, or at the very least gives you an idea of what to get.
Food/Snacks
They say that the best way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, so in that vein, food or snacks could be a suitable gift for someone; especially if they indulge in them. Here are some items that could potentially soothe those cravings.
The Kettle Gourmet’s Popcorn Christmas Box
If it’s a tradition to binge on a glut of Christmas films or they just like popcorn in general, The Kettle Gourmet’s Popcorn Christmas Box is a great option.
Featuring all 8 of their available flavours — the standard slate consisting of Nasi Lemak, Chilli Crab, Chicken Floss, Chocolate, Salted Caramel, and Kaya Butter Toast, and including the new Pulut Hitam and Fish Head Curry flavours — it includes a handwritten card that you can customise to make it a little more personal. Plus, there are instructions in every box that help turn it into a beautiful Christmas decoration!
The mini gift box goes for $24, while the regular size is $40. There are also combos available that give discounts if you’d like to buy more than one box. Check out The Kettle Gourmet’s official website for more information and to purchase them.
The Kampong Bakery Bake Box
Nothing says Christmas like pastries, and this festive season, you can give someone some nostalgic feels with a bake-box from The Kampong Bakery. The recently launched bakery was started to bring Singapore’s retro flavours to the current times, and their bake box has several goodies that showcase that Kampong spirit.
Within the box lies Rojak Bomboloni (fluffy sourdough doughnut with hei ko caramel, peanut brittle and topped with light ginger flower diplomat cream), Ondeh Bomboloni (doughnut infused with a gula Melaka centre and toasted coconut, topped with pandan diplomat cream), Amchoor Tart (tart with curd made from lemon, lime, tamarind, ripe mango, and amchoor that is finished with swiss meringue on top), Kampong Babka (savoury babka with pesto spread and sprinkled with grains of cured egg yolk), and Gogan Roll (cinnamon roll variant spread with longan butter and barley, goji berry, and red dates are added before it is rolled, cheng tng icing is drizzled for the finish).
They also have a festive-themed tart — the Merry Osmanthus. It’s a tart with floral and citrusy notes that’s been filled with light osmanthus pastry cream and lemon osmanthus jelly before topping off with a fluffy mousse made with white chocolate, yoghurt, and honey mead made from homegrown distillery Compendium Spirits.
The Kampong Bakery Bake Box can be enjoyed for $28, while the Merry Osmanthus is only available this month at $35. You can order them at The Kampong Bakery’s Oddle page.
Maker’s Mark Personalised Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky Bottles
Get someone who appreciates their whisky an intimate touch with Maker’s Mark’s unique service, allowing you to craft a personalised name or message onto the festive edition of their Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky bottles.
You can use this service in person at the Cold Storage Outlets in Great World City and Jelita Shopping Centre. It will be printed on the spot and done within 20 minutes, or do it online via Lazada or Wine & Spirits, where you also have the option of doorstep delivery. Each bottle costs $65, and the service is available till 22 December.
Tech
Who doesn’t love new technology? And there’s no better time to get them than with Christmas! Check out some tech items you can gift to others and make their day.
BenQ Eyecare Monitors
It’s still work-from-home for many here in Singapore, so now would be an excellent time to not only upgrade someone’s set up with the latest specs, but also protect their eyes in the long term. BenQ’s new additions to the EW and GW range does just that.
These new devices have BenQ’s eyecare technology, which helps mitigate adverse effects on the eyes during use and includes features like Brightness Intelligence. The EW line has a new EW3800R model made to provide a cinematic entertainment experience. The 4K monitor has a 38-inch curved screen with a 21:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio, delivering an immersive watching experience with HDRi technology that enhances HDR content and crisp audio through the two speakers with an 8W subwoofer provided from truesound by treVolo.
BenQ’s new inclusions to the GW line are made to help productivity for professionals and students. The new GW2785TC model has several features, including a built-in noise-cancelling microphone for clearer audio in online meetings and Dialogue Mode, making voices more audible. Coding Mode also makes coding easier by bringing out colours in a text to distinguish code strings easily. It also has new Eye-careU software that enables features such as screen time reminders to adaptive brightness to ensure that eye health stays optimum.
The EW3800R comes in at $1579, while the GW2785TC is $419. Both also have separate smaller variants if your space is a little too small to accommodate either of the two. More information on the two monitors can be found at BenQ’s website, while they can be purchased from the company’s official online stores on Shopee or Lazada.
Canon MP250 Wireless Mini Projector
Cinemas may be back, but the viewing experience isn’t the same when it’s limited to just two people together in a theatre. So if you know a person or family who is missing the authentic cinema experience, you can try getting a projector to emulate it! And Canon has your back!
Their Canon MP250 Wireless Mini Projector is a tiny and compact device that is easily portable. Despite its size, it can project a display of up to 93-inches from 3 metres away. You can also hook it up through HDMI or use screen mirroring on Android phones and tablets to easily project any movie or show onto a flat surface wall.
The device is currently available at $399 (O.P $699) from the Canon eShop.
Arlo Pro 4 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera
We may be home most days, but there’s nothing wrong with having more security at the house. Gift someone the feeling of safety with Arlo’s Pro 4 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera providing it in abundance.
The Arlo Pro 4 Wire-Free Spotlight Camera provides a crystal clear recording with its 2K resolution combined with HDR, including colour-night-vision to allow you to see more details. It also has a 160-Degree viewing angle, giving you a wider field of view. Furthermore, the device features Two-Way Audio that reduces wind and noise, allowing for clearer communication.
The device starts at $399, and you can find it on Arlo’s official online stores at Shopee, Lazada or Hachi.Tech. They are also available at physical retailers like Harvey Norman and Challenger.
Home/Lifestyle
It’s always great receiving something that you can use for the house or as part of your lifestyle. In that respect, last up are some gifts that can help spruce up a person’s home and daily routine.
Scent by SIX Christmas Gift Sets
One great gift option is getting something that would freshen up their day, and what better way to do so than with scents and fragrances. Homegrown fragrance brand Scent by SIX has several gift sets that can do so for both the person and the home.
Five curated gift sets are available: ‘Peace’, ‘Love’, ‘Joy’, ‘Prosperity’, and ‘Biei Trio Set’. These sets have a varied combination of Scent by SIX’s collection of pillow mists, aroma essences, nebulisers, reed diffusers and disinfectant sprays, featuring two of the company’s most popular scents, 27 ̊F Biei and Hikaru.
You can find more information on each gift and purchase them on Scent by SIX’s official website. They can also be bought at Scent by SIX boutiques at Jem, Bugis Junction and 313@Somerset.
Bynd Artisan Mystery Boxes
Bynd Artisan is a local business that sells personalised leather and paper gifts, and this festive season, the company is offering something unique in that you can get a gift that even you might not know! Well, sort of.
Their mystery boxes, curated for either guys or gals, contain an assortment of items like wallets, cardholders, photo frames and notebooks, but it’ll be a surprise on which items you’ll actually get when you finally unbox them! It’s the perfect gift for those who want to spice things up a little with some suspense.
Each of the boxes goes for $70, and you can find the full selection of possible items on Bynd Artisan’s website, where you can also purchase the mystery boxes. Alternatively, you can also visit their physical stores at ION Orchard, Raffles City Shopping Centre and Holland Village to make your purchase.
RUHENS Scented Vitamin C Shower Head
A nice hot shower is a great way to unwind after a long, stressful day — but what if you can elevate it to the next level? RUHENS, a company dealing with water purification and filtration technology, has the answer to that.
RUHENS has launched a series of showerheads for sale, but these aren’t just any ordinary showerheads. They come with Vitamin C Chlorine Filters that filter out 99.9% chlorine and harmful particles and infuse the water with pharmaceutical grade Vitamin C. Also, you can choose an additional scented option of showerheads that gives a selection of three different scented oil filters to provide an aromatic experience when washing — Lavender, Rose, and Lime.
The filter can last from 3 to 6 months, with each unit coming packaged with a showerhead and one filter. Showerheads come in either the original Vitamin C filter or the scented versions (also containing the Vitamin C filter), costing $116.69 and $138.03, respectively. Refill packs for the filters are also available.
You can purchase them right from RUHENS’ online store.
BONUS: Pleasure
Not going to lie, the next gift idea is unorthodox to say the least, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. We all desire a little pleasure at times, so why not give someone the gift of feeling that pleasure this festive season?
WOW Tech toys
WOW Tech has several sexual wellness brands under their belt, catering to all sorts of demographics and tastes.
Perhaps get your girlfriend (or gal pal) a Womanizer Premium 2, the updated version of the brand’s best-selling product. It has a feature called Autopilot 2.0 that allows the users to give up control, with the toy changing between different intensity levels on its own. It also has up to 14 intensity levels, and its Smart Silence technology has the toy function only when in contain with skin; providing discreteness.
Or maybe get the boyfriend (or bro) the Arcwave Ion. This toy helps stimulate the underside of their friend down under with airwaves to deliver an all-new sensation that wouldn’t otherwise be felt during their alone times. Likewise, it also features the same Smart Silence technology, so quiet time means just that.
Even better, you can share the joy as a couple (or gift it to other couples) with the We-Vibe Chorus. Under the covers, it helps stimulate both partners with the intense vibrations as the girl wears it. There’s also a Squeeze Remote that can react based on the pressure of the user’s grip. Finally, an accompanying free We-Connect app allows the partner to take over control and provide pleasure, even if both people are not in the same place.
The Womanizer Premium 2, Arcwave Ion. and We-Vibe Chorus all retail at $280, and there are other toys at the respective Womanizer, Arcwave, and We-Vibe websites that you can look at to see which fits your kink.
In The End
Just because it’s last-minute doesn’t mean that a gift can’t be good. We hope that our guide has provided you with some thought on what you want to give, and we especially hope that it will be something that will make your intended receiver smile.
Visuals courtesy of The Kettle Gourmet, The Kampong Bakery, Maker’s Mark, BenQ, Canon, Arlo, Scent by SIX, Bynd Artisan, RUHENS and We-Vibe.
