The Art of Gifting: some ideas to surprise
The custom of giving gifts, deeply rooted in our human culture, transcends the boundaries of simple material exchange. Since time immemorial, the act of gifting something to another has been a way of expressing feelings, consolidating relationships, and, above all, transmitting emotions. As we approach the key dates of the holiday season, the practice of giving gifts reaches its peak expression, and a reflection arises: what makes a gift truly special?
From our point of view, the key lies in putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. That is, thinking about what will truly make that person happy. This may seem obvious, but often what we receive has more to do with what the giver likes than with what we actually want. Let us not forget that the act of giving is, above all, an ongoing exercise in generosity and attention to the other.
That said, we are very detail-oriented and love to give gifts and treat ourselves at any time of the year. Here are some ideas we want to share.
Books
In this link, you’ll find many of our literary recommendations.
Specialty Coffee
Some of our favorite coffees come from Nomad Coffee, Three Marks Coffee, La Cabra, and Friedhats. They all have online shops.
If you’re looking for a good coffee machine for brewing filter coffee, we recommend the Moccamaster. For espresso, Sage machines are fantastic. We also love the ones from La Marzocco, though they may not be for every budget.
Candles
We are big fans of candles to decorate the home and any space throughout the year. Here are some of our favorite brands: HAY Design, Byredo, Pampa Studio, and Mulier Studio.
Travel
Traveling is our passion, and there are endless options. Here are our recommendations for hotels and destinations.
Additionally, we recommend The Unusual Travel Guides, our travel guides for Madrid and Barcelona, full of hotspots for gastronomy, art, design, lifestyle, and architecture, among others.
Beauty Care & Perfumes
Some of our favorite stores where you can find great products for self-care are: Aesop for body, Binomial for face or Midnight Cosmetics for body and especially hair. We recently discovered the perfumes from 27 87, and they are exquisite.
Foodporn
If, like us, you love to eat delicious food, as well as select brands of the highest quality, with a story behind them and beautiful packaging, then these recommendations will absolutely thrill you: The marketplace Petramora, where they sell products from other brands as well as their own; The smoky delights from Rooftop Smoke House; The cheeses from Formaje; The chocolates from Kaicao and Løt; And the delicious store Funky Bakers Deli in Barcelona.
On the other hand, there’s the neighborhood store Super by Dot in Madrid, the bakeries Origo (Barcelona), Alma Nomad Bakery (Madrid), Santo Bakehouse (Madrid), Pa de Kilo (Barcelona), and Horno San Francisco (Madrid), as well as the cakes from Reposted and the sweets from La Duquesita (Madrid) or Takashi Ochiai (Barcelona).
Design
We could recommend a thousand brands, but this time, we’ll focus on these: the lamps from Santa&Cole; The towels, bathrobes, bed linens, and textile accessories from Tekla; The tablecloths from Sarah Espeute, or anything from Vitra, Frama, HEM, Dissseny, Zieta, or HAY Design.
We also recommend the glasses from Kaleos, the artwork from Valeria Vasi and LRNCE, the bicycles from SantaFixie, the new hard-shell suitcases Resist’r Case from Eastpak, the blankets from Teixidors, and anything from Shrig Shop. You can’t go wrong!
Fashion
Some of our favorite footwear brands are Hereu and Saye. For jewelry: Simuero, Cristina Junquero, Beatriz Palacios, and La Manso.
In fashion: Arket, Stella Nova, Skall Studio (we’re in love with their sweaters and coats), or Artikel København.
For bags: Linden is Enough and Freitag.
Photography
If you’re looking for a gift related to photography, we recommend Lomo cameras, or any disposable or analog cameras (like Polaroid) available at Chandal or La Peliculera. When it comes to digital, we’re big fans of Fujifilm.
Not just objects
We also recommend gifting a subscription to Filmin—and while we’re at it, here’s our TOP 10 movies on this platform for you to enjoy.
Another option could be gifting a subscription to a newspaper or magazine you like, a weekend getaway, concert tickets, or any other experience: an exhibition anywhere in the world, a cooking workshop, a dinner, etc. Any plan that can be shared.
By the way, here’s our Spotify playlist: CC/vibes, to help you in your process of finding the perfect gift.
Happy holidays, and happy everything and beyond!
(*) Cover photo: Tim Mossholder.
