Show your mate, brother, father or wingman how much he means to you with one of these ultimate Christmas gifts for modern lads.
It’s that time of year again, when we search online and windowshop ourselves into a frenzy looking for the right gifts for those that are special to us. It can be nerve wracking finding a gift that sums up your relationship and which shows your appriciation for the role they play in your life – especially when he’s another fella.
However, the bond between men can be particularly strong and a little appriciation can go a long way so this festive season, show your mates you have their back with a stylish addition to their home decor, their wet bar, or even their bathroom shelf.
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A Fancy Chessboard
If you know a lad that takes his chess rather seriously, or is just looking for that perfect item to really bring the decor of his evil lair together, sculptor and object designer Tarek Elkassouf has created a limited-edition board that’s been stripped down, minimalised, and crafted in stone and metal.
The Beirut-born, Sydney-based artist has crafted a material-forward board – available in Stainless Steel, Brass, Oxidised Brass, and Gunmetal, with Carrara Marble, Basalt, Travertin Classico, and Travertino Rosso – to allow players to interpret and imagine the characters of each chess pieces. Oh, and the sets, limited to just 100, come ensconced in a high gloss wooden box with velvet lining for that additional wow factor.
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Wine From West Sussex
Sure, we don’t tend to think of England as a wine producer, but you might be surprised. This Christmas, break with tradition with a bottle of Nyetimber, a leading Engish sparkling wine. With estate-owned vineyards spanning across West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent, this year’s 280 hectares will be the largest area harvested to date by winemaking couple Cherie Spriggs and Brad Greatrix and Viticulturist Ben Kantsler.
The winery produces a number of stellar drops, including a classic cuvee, a rose, a blanc-de-blanc that pairs nicely with turkey, and a range of premium wines that include the Tillington Single Vineyard 2013, a pinot noir-forward wine from one of the brand’s most celebrated vineyards.
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Your Pocket Masseuse
Whether he’s been hitting the gym or he’s developed a home routine, every mate gets the aches and pains and that’s where Theragun‘s newest mini device comes in. It promises to silently but effectively turn aching muscles into butter, helping with muscle development and recovery. The pocket-sized masseuse comes with three speed settings and an impressive 150-minute battery life.
Skincare That Cares
Entitled ‘Anatomy of Generosity’, Aesop’s 2021 collection of gift kits is designed to honour and encourage everyday acts of kindness. Each kit has been tied to one of five registered charity groups, to each of which the Aesop Foundation has donated AUD$100,000 (US$72,000), regardless of sales.
Of the range, we like The Mentor, a triptych of powerful anti-oxidant-rich formulations. Made for busy urbanites, the set comprises a Parsley Seed Facial Cleanser that thoroughly removes surface impurities and offers mild exfoliation; a gentle Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Toner that soothes and balances the skin and prepares it for hydration; and a Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum Intense, a lightweight and rapidly absorbing serum that leaves the skin feeling fresh, hydrated and smooth with a matte finish.
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Crystal Clear Sound
For music lovers, the new Sony LSPX-S3 glass sound speaker is a gift that keeps on giving. Featuring an organic glass tweeter and candlelight mode, the LSPX-S3 creates a perfect blend of sound and illumination for an instantly cosy atmosphere anywhere in the home.
This minimalistic and elegant portable home speaker uses its design to produce stunning sound quality; the inclusion of Advanced Vertical Drive Technology and three actuators that are discreetly attached to the end of the glass ensure sound is evenly distributed while a 46mm speaker unit creates a well-balanced mid-range, and a passive radiator enhances clear low-end notes. If you want to add more bass, simply select “Bass Boost mode” in the Sony Music Center app.
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Some Special Chili Sauce
Luxury hot sauce brand (yes, that’s a thing) Chilli No. 5 has expanded its collection of healthy hot sauces with the launch of Spicy Sweet Chilli. This limited-edition hot sauce offers the perfect mix of sweetness and spice and is ideal for adding depth of flavour to meats such as chicken and pork, fish, and vegetable-based dishes. It’s also perfect as a hot and spicy dipping sauce! Just like all of Chilli No. 5’s limited-edition hot sauces, Spicy Sweet Chilli comes beautifully presented in a gold-embossed black box making it a perfect gift for fire breathers.
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Two is Better Than One
Krug Champagne has created Les Créations de 2008, two different expressions of nature back in 2008 that make a great gift for those Christmas dos. Krug 2008, nicknamed Classic Beauty by the winemaker, is a story of harmonious intensity, complementarity, and contrast, with structured freshness and diverse flavours.
A selection of Pinot Noir wines constitutes more than half of the blend (53%) coming primarily from Krug’s emblematic plots of the Montagne de Reims Sud, including Aÿ, Mareuil, Bouzy, and Ambonnay. Meunier wines (25%) bring tension and citrus, while aromatic Chardonnay (22%) imbue the blend with fruit. For the first time, this classic wine is presented alongside the acclaimed Krug Grande Cuvée 164 ème Édition in a special limited-edition gift set that will bring a smile to the dial of any true connoisseur.
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Man Bags From Formula 1
Continuing its collaboration with supercar maker and Formula 1 team McLaren, Tumi reinvents modern manly essentials with premium travel bags in signature papaya orange. The range includes the M-Tech Soft
Satchel, which features carbon fiber accents, soft-sided construction, two open pockets, a zip pocket, leather top carry handles, and a removable Tumi x McLaren key ring.
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A Touch of Ginger
Hong Kong’s own Mindful Sparks craft soda company has relaunched its popular Liquid Gingerbread Man, an alcohol-free spiced ginger ale that’s perfect for entertaining teetotallers. Available for a limited time, the hand-crafted beverage fuses non-alcoholic ginger ale with dark, warming spices for a silky, perfectly balanced blend of flavours. The experience starts spicy and finishes mildly sweet with a lasting ginger snap kick thanks to the use of dark brown and raw cane sugar, making it reminiscent of the Maltose Cracker or Mak Nga Tong, a gooey sweet street snack from the 50s and 60s.
Hitting the Urban Sprawl
If you’re headed for chilly climes (or are just particularly sensitive to the cold) you might want to invest in a jacket from The North Face‘s Urban Utility collection, which combines highly functional outdoor clothing with an urban style. That includes jackets in bold hues with multi-functional pockets that help break up the winter doldrums. The line includes this striking Utility Energy Down Parka in dark blue and vibrant orange.
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The Ultimate Luxury Cocktail Set
Exclusive to Mr Porter, the Lorenzi Milano cocktail set is the ultimate gift for any home mixologist. Handcrafted and carved from stainless steel and bamboo at a workshop in the Navigli district of Milan, this beautiful classic cocktail set is encased in a leather-bound box and includes a double lever corkscrew, cap lifter, ice pestle, cocktail spoon, lemon zester and jigger, all the essentials you need for whipping up seasonal libations this festive season.
Vital Super Serum
Help your mate to look his best with Kiehl’s Vital Skin-Strengthening Hyaluronic Acid Super Serum, an ultra-lightweight and biocompatible, fast-absorbing serum powered by 11kDa Hyaluronic Acid and an Adaptogenic Herbal Complex – think holy basil, red ginseng root, and schisandra berry. These potent ingredients help strengthen the skin’s resilience, suppleness, and plumpness to visibly address signs of aging in just four weeks. Boom!
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Wine Made Easy
Working closely with small-batch and purpose-driven winemakers, the all-female team behind Crushed Wines makes gift giving easy this year with wine gift boxes for sophisticated wine lovers and newbies alike. The Classy Christmas Case features Zero Dosage Blanc de Blanc by Genevieve in South Africa, a wine that gives the most prestigious sparklings a run for their money; an Italian 150 Lison by Borgo Stajnbech made with the timeless Tai grape; and a sexy and spicy red blend by California-based Guthrie Family Wines.
Alternatively, the affordable Festive Fun Curated Case includes an Extra Brut Prosecco by Francesco Follador that shatters the sweet Prosecco stereotype; the unusual (and unusually delicious) I’m Your Huckleberry from South Africa’s The Vineyard Party, a ray of Meyer lemon-flavoured sunshine in white wine form; and the Evolution Pinot, the second label of the environmentally-savvy Sokol-Blossers and a bright spiced cherry bomb red wine that’s perfect for those brief chilly months.
Socks That Say it All
Everyone needs socks but why stick to boring black? Maison Oeuvre, the artsy illustrated unisex socks brand, brings back the quirky and funky original art pieces to shine on your ankles. Combining the French aesthetic edits, the new release visualizes everyday wonder from the human brain and carnival scenes to the surreal powers of Cupid. Each style comes in two sizes: middle-fitting shoe size 36-39; large, 40-43.
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Time to Play Barman
Many of us love a Negroni but who thinks to stock all the required ingredients at home? Fortunately, Metabev has created the Negroni Gift Box, the perfect gift for all aspiring hometenders and Negroni lovers. The giftbox contains everything one might need to create the perfect Negroni as well as many classic Campari cocktails, complemented with bottles of Bulldog Gin or Boodles Gin, and Cinzano 1757 Rosso vermouth. Cheers.
Save Those Peepers
Has your buddy been pulling the long hours at work in the lead up to the silly season? Help him get ahead of those panda eyes with the Cardon Dark Circle Eye Rescue, which reduces dark circles, puffiness, and wrinkles around the eyes thanks to a mix of Haloxyl, Hyaluronic Acid, and Niacinamide. The stainless steel roller de-puffs without mess or stickiness.
Chilly Essentials
From heading to the footie to making plans for brunch, when your wingman heads out during the winter months, ensure he stays toasty with the Barbour Swinton Beanie & Travel Mug set. The set includes a reusable travel mug – in a Barbour tartan print – with a contrast silicone lid and grip band, as well as a knitted beanie in a cotton, wool, and polyamide blend.
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Gunmetal Cigar Holder & Flask
Do you have a compadre that likes his Cubans and his Highland malts? Ensure he keeps his stogies secure and his soul merry with this refined hybrid cigar case flask from Viski. Constructed in stainless steel, the case has room for a choice 54-gauge cigar alongside a half-sized flask for their favourite whistle-wetting.
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Solid Sound
A gift that keeps on giving, the new Bose SoundLink Flex portable speaker delivers stellar audio performance in an all-new, grabbable, and ultra-rugged design. It’s packed with exclusive Bose technologies to deliver deep, clear sound that’s powerful enough to fill your bud’s living room while entertaining, and loud enough for any outdoor adventure.
The new addition to the collection includes proprietary Bose PositionIQ technology to automatically detect the speaker’s orientation, so whether upright, hanging, or flat on its back, the speaker is optimized to deliver rich, lifelike sound. Its IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating combines with up to 12 hours of battery life to make it a tough, portable workhorse.
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A Gentle Trimmer
When it comes to beards, most guys are happy to tackle grooming at home, unless they’re looking for a little pampering. However, when it comes to ‘south of the border’, they’re rightly a little more hesitant. Ensure your mates are in top-notch form with this oh-so-gentle body hair groomer from Meridian.
Waterproof and made to take a tumble, the trimmer will cut through even the densest body hair, in and out of the shower, and with just two attachments, you can help them keep things consistent and inviting. The trimmer is available in olive and black and there’s a 90-minute battery life too making it a great travel companion.
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A Bond Book
If your closest male confidant is a fan of 007 he’s in luck with the release of The James Bond Archives: the No Time to Die Edition, a new hard cover by Paul Duncan that documents all six actors playing the ruthless spy across 25 EON-produced flicks. Packed with photos, designs, storyboards, and insights, the result is the most complete account of the making of the series, covering every James Bond film ever made, beginning with Dr. No (1962) and ending with No Time To Die (2021). The wealth of previously unpublished photography, set designs, storyboards, and production memos is supplemented by an oral history recounted by over 150 cast and crew.
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A Stylish Travel Kit
We all know a guy who can never stay still, who is always making plans and using air points to explore the world beyond. As they gear up for the post-Covid travel era, give them a little comfort on the road ahead with this travel kit from Thom Browne. Presented in signature red, white, and blue, the kit includes a neck pillow, an eye mask with elasticated straps, and a pouch with a wrist strap and zip closure for life’s little essentials. Each piece is trimmed with black leather and promises a great nap at 40,000ft.
Bathroom Beauty
Ensure your wingman takes his impeccable style on the road with this elegant Bennett Winch leather wash bag in pebbled black Italian leather. Lined in waterproof Italian nylon and made in England, the wash bag has an internal clip-out wet compartment for razors, toothbrushes, and beard clippers, while an internal pocket provides secure space for smaller tools. The dopp kit’s main opening is wide enough for you to find what you’re looking for and the whole kit stays secure under striking brass zips.
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Writing Red Racer
With its latest Great Characters Edition writing instruments, Montblanc pays tribute to the life and legacy of Enzo Ferrari, the Italian motor racing driver, entrepreneur, and founder of Scuderia Ferrari. The same passion for craftsmanship and innovation that defines the Ferrari brand has been applied in Montblanc’s atelier to create three different writing instrument editions that tell the story of an exceptional racing champion and engineering maverick.
The new pens are presented in a bold red colour inspired by the Ferrari color “Rosso 70 Anni” and include subtle cues to the motorsport great’s legacy, including cones engraved with key dates and a metal grid inspired by a vintage car grill.
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Godzilla for Home
Is your mate a Big Bang-level geek? If so then he will probably appriciate the new Godzilla statues from newly launched Singapore-based design studio XM. The four new 60cm Godzilla creations from the iconic Japanese franchise created by TOHO will fulfil every movie fan and collectors’ dream.
The Godzilla line has been conceptualised and interpreted by XM Studios, together with acclaimed illustrator and sculptor Tanaka Kenichi, who is the 2D and 3D artist for this first XM release, and includes a Godzilla 2001 bust, a Shin Godzilla bust, and a Godzilla vs Space Godzilla version circa 1994.
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