Seeking a gift for someone in your life? Here is every Viva holiday gift guide for the upcoming festive season, where you can find inspiration for the different personality types in your life.
The holiday season is drawing near and the giving spirit is in the air!
Collating the gift
Multimedia journalist Tyson Beckett is keen to embrace the sun in a new inner-city swimming spot this summer: “I await the opening of the new harbour swimming area at the Karanga Plaza Tidal Steps in Wynyard Quarter with a giddiness usually reserved for children anticipating Santa’s visit. Anyone who went to Zambesi’s show at Fashion Week 2023 will attest it’s one of the most spectacular spots in the city and the second the ribbon gets cut I’m heading down to claim my spot on the floating pontoon.”
There’s a specific beach essential she would love to be sporting. “Hopefully slung over my shoulder will be this reclining beach chair.”
Deputy editor Johanna Thornton has a simple request – a cap for walking that doesn’t make her look like a total goober. “Preferably one that’s locally made in a summery shade. My cap collection consists of free ones that get sent to the office, including a too-small KFC cap and a pink velour corduroy number and surely, surely I can do better than that?”
Beauty editor Ashleigh Cometti is also coveting an accessory to assist in her step-count. “I’d love a fancy strap for my Apple Watch! Rather than do away with my workout tracking accessory, I’d like to find a more aesthetically pleasing strap to wear daily.”
For her gift, journalist Emma Gleason is already considering the practicalities of returning to work in the New Year.
“Lugging all my stuff back to work after Christmas breaks would be a sweeter pill to swallow with this handsome suede bag. With a generous size and the structure and tactility of the suede leather, it has the kind of reliability that’s welcome in the new year. Not to mention it looks sexy as.”
For creative and fashion director Dan Ahwa, it’s a handsome pair of salt and pepper mills from Le Creuset. “Aside from the overindulgence that comes with Christmas festivities, for the rest of my break, I expect to make the most of our fresh summer produce and dust off the BBQ for long summer picnics and dinners with friends - a nice pair of salt and pepper shakers is a welcome reminder that you should always season your food.”
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Advertise with NZME.And, if the makers in the North Pole’s workshop are still reading, may I (multimedia journalist Madeleine Crutchley) request some new hiking socks. Mine are well-worn and slightly shrunken from the wash. I really, really like these recycled woolly ones from Untouched World.
Hopefully, these gift guides curated by Viva’s team of editors and writers encourage you to make a mindful choice – one that champions local makers, illustrates your care for the people you cherish or supports a cause close to a loved one’s heart.
Thoughtful Gifts For Culture Vultures And Bookish Types
The stakes can feel high when shopping for someone with highly specific, discerning taste. Of course, caution must be taken when attempting to buy voracious readers an actual book – god forbid you select a novel that is not up to their standards. A classic? Too stuffy! A contemporary? All the best books have already been written! Might you instead consider a voucher for a New Zealand-owned instead? That leaves the reader free to peruse the aisles solo.
For this guide, we’ve wandered away from the bookshelves (save for one classic option) to consider thoughtful gifts that accessorise and bolster a bookish interest. Think comforting and cosy homeware, from an illustrative teapot to a swaddling blanket and a heavy, Holly-stamped mug. A few whimsical, vintage-inspired garments also reference the coffee-drenched, bespectacled aesthetics you might expect to see in a local bookstore.
Discover the full guide for intellects and literaries here.
Charitable Presents For The Person Who Wants To Give Back
This time of year encourages a lot of giving and these initiatives seek to make wider impacts in this spirit. In this collection, you’ll find a surf-appropriate rash shirt that does plenty of good, a native tree-planting project that restores and maintains forests, rivers and regional parks and other charitable organisations that will channel funds towards good. Think about the actions that are closest to your loved one’s heart and turn your attention towards those causes.
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Advertise with NZME.Discover the full guide for gifts that do good here.
The Most Ostentatious Gift Ideas For The Extroverts in Your Life
If you’re buying for someone who is a little bit of a magpie, this collection of shining, shimmering pieces will catch their eye. Luxury lovers will be delighted by pretty jewellery embellished with a kaleidoscope of stones or finely detailed homeware crafted from crystals. This guide also considers smaller striking pieces that could act as stocking stuffers – crowning scrunchies, silk sleeping masks and a cheese knife coated in yellow gold.
Discover the full gift guide for the extra and extroverted here.
The Best Outdoorsy Gifts For Active People Itching To Leave The House
Support the wandering ambitions of the travellers and roamers in your life, with practical presents that enable them to spend more time in the open air. Did they develop a specific sporting interest this year? Consider a vibrant chalk bag made from repurposed fabrics, a watch that tracks all the measurements of their long-distance runs or a crisp pleated tennis dress. If they’re more interested in the fashioning of gorpcore into their everyday ensembles, there is technical wear that can be donned far and near. Foragers will also be well-treated – there are carryalls to transport fresh harvests and tools for treating produce intentionally.
Discover the full guide for campers and amblers here.
The Best Gifts For Food Lovers And Budding Chefs
What should you give to people who frequent markets, stockpile cookbooks and spend hours in the kitchen? The tools they won’t justify purchasing for themselves. Whether it’s a plate designed to keep pasta warm, a tortilla press or herb pots to keep perched on a bench, they’ll be grateful for the pieces that grant greater culinary inspiration.
Discover the full guide for the people who make you peckish here.
These High-Shine Gifts For Beauty Lovers Will Be Utterly Adored
It’s tricky to spoil for a beauty buff, without becoming muddled by the sensory overwhelm of scents, colours, hues and textures. In this selective collection, you’ll find some assuring guidance. There are cult-favourite perfumes, festive hair accessories and styling tools all stamped with beauty editor approval.
Discover the full guide of sparkle and shine here.
The Gifts For Under $50 That Celebrate A Little Luxury
This collection is made to feel special by the craft and care put into them. Largely produced by skilled New Zealand makers, they showcase mindful production techniques and high-quality materials – these are pieces that will last. They also allow for practical implementation in everyday routines, demonstrated by a stylish diary, woolly socks and a beach-bound bag.
Discover the full guide for small, practical gifts here.
More festivities
From party ensembles to end-of-year wellbeing.
18 Party Season Pieces That You’ll Definitely Wear Again. From dresses to tanks and accessories, these special occasion and party pieces will integrate smoothly into your day-to-day wardrobe.
Ask The Beauty Editor: Which Heatless Curl Method Is Right For My Hair Type? One reader seeks the best hair hacks to keep tresses looking lush during party season.
The Best Sparkling Wines To Pop The Cork On Now, From Champagne To Pet Nats. Wine editor Jo Burzynska rounds up the very best sparkling wines for the festive season.
Dr Libby: How To Prevent Burnout As We Get To The End Of The Year. In the drive to achieve and prepare, it’s easy to overlook the small joys of the present.
