In the midst of all the Christmas shopping haze, it can be nice to support small, local businesses. The convenience of stores like Amazon can be a fun lure, but it’s also great to buy from businesses that offer a more personal touch.
This list of Christmas gift recommendations is almost entirely made up of products I’ve bought this year and loved from Australian businesses. There’s a little bit of tech, but most of these gift ideas are nice complements to your gadget-filled lifestyle.
Maybe you and the people you’re buying for might love them too?
Espresso Displays
- Price: from $499
- Where: Espresso Displays, JB Hi-Fi
While I technically didn’t buy an Espresso Display this year (I got sent one of the new models for work), I have recommended these amazing portable displays for years, and have bought from them in the past.
Espresso Displays makes portable touchscreen monitors that can turn Macs into touchscreen devices, giving you an easy second screen you can take anywhere. They’re thinner than an iPad.
It’s also a rare Australian hardware company that’s finding big success. If you haven’t heard of Espresso Displays before now, they’ll likely be everywhere soon.
I particularly like the new Espresso Pro 15 with the fancy new stand; the stylus is really good, too.
Anything from Pop Culture Larrikin
- Where: Pop Culture Larrikin
Pop Culture Larrikin is all about celebrating pop culture lovers from all walks of life, as well as showcasing a variety of local artists and artisans. The shop in Bayswater, Victoria, has regular Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering TCG events, and the online store has a wide range of games, apparel and accessories.
My personal pick is the Rugrats Inspired ’90s shirt I practically live in.
Burgh Cycling handlebar tape
- Price: $59.95
- Where: Burgh Cycling, various stockists
I love a specific business, a company that specialises in doing just one thing right. For Burgh Cycling, they’ve mastered bicycle handlebar tape. This small, Tasmanian, family-run company makes the best bar tape I’ve ever used, and while that’s technically not saying much, it feels so luxurious and comfortable, while looking great.
I got the Lightning Stealth Bar Tape for my Trek Domane, and love the subtle style it adds to my bike’s cockpit as well as the soft, padded comfort on my hands. I strongly recommend it.
Goldi olive oil
- Price: from $13
- Where: Goldi, various stockists
One of the things about getting older is that you learn which ingredients you can cheap out on, and which are worth spending a bit more money on to make a noticeable difference to your food. Good olive oil is one of those things worth spending money on, and Goldi makes some of the best olive oil in Australia.
Goldi’s olives for their oils and agrumatos (a kind of flavoured olive oil that has a more robust flavour profile than infusions) are harvested from family-run farms in Victoria and South Australia, which use sustainable farming practices.
My preferred oil is the Punchy, because it’s such a good base for pretty much any food. I particularly love the jalapeño agrumato for making popcorn, and the garlic for drizzling on almost everything. We have a subscription to the 3L tin of Punchy with a few agrumatos.
StrangeLove sodas
- Price: from $50 for a 24-pack
- Where: StrangeLove, Woolworths, Coles, Liquorland, Dan Murphy’s, Costco
I really like a good soft drink. Unfortunately, I just don’t enjoy the cheaper, more sugary drinks anymore. So, the more sophisticated StrangeLove flavours are good on my palate, even if they make my wallet sad at times.
The company was founded in Byron Bay in 2012, is based in Preston, Victoria, and their drinks just taste good. When my wife was pregnant and suffering from morning sickness, I set up a blind taste test of every single ginger beer I could find. The Strangelove Double Ginger Beer contained so much ginger that it’s the only ginger beer that really helped her.
In the Black Friday sales, I stocked up on mixed cases of their best-selling Lo-Cal sodas (a great place to start) and a mixed case of their tonic water, as well as cases of Lime and Jalapeño, Mandarin, Bitter Lemon Tonic and Tonic No. 8. I also got their Yuzu Lo-Cal soda from Costco. Good drinks.
Funsquare play couches
- Price: from $249 (for the chairs and couches)
- Where: Funsquare
When we started looking for a play couch for our daughter, Funsquare ticked every box: small business, Australian-made product, free shipping, and lots of customisation options.
Since we bought the Mini Play Couch, it’s been used every day as a climbing gym, dining chairs, reading nook, shop, house, boat, bus, and something that has only been described in toddler gibberish but seemed like fun.
When I was spiralling over trying to choose between the big and mini versions, and the different fabric types, Andrew gave helpful, clear advice which helped me make my choice. When we eventually have space for a bigger version of the couch, Funsquare is the shop I’ll be buying it from.
Planet Cocoa chocolate
- Price: from $8.50
- Where: Planet Cocoa, farmers’ markets, various stockists
Small batch, locally made, ethical, bean-to-bar chocolate is exactly the kind of feel-good indulgence that’s perfect for Christmas. You know everyone involved in the process has been treated fairly, the flavour options are inventive, and the customer service is excellent. I’ve bought my wife every non-nut flavour from Planet Cocoa multiple times, and every single one has been a hit.
My recommendations are coconut praline paste (tastes like heaven), the incredible drinking hot chocolate, and the gingerbread crunch oat milk chocolate bar.
Bean Bar You chocolate
- Price: from $6.60
- Where: Bean Bar You
For the devoted chocolate lover, this small Australian business specialises in bean-to-bar chocolates from around the world. You can shop for hard-to-find individual bars, or sign up for the subscription box.
My wife has been a subscriber for years, and the husband-and-wife team behind the site specially curate her monthly delivery to her tastes and dietary restrictions. The $49.95 subscription is shockingly good value for what’s included, and lets connoisseurs try bars they might not have had access to otherwise.
T Totaler Tea
- Price: from $22
- From: T Totaler
T Totaler Tea makes my favourite herbal tea in all the lands: Foraging For Berries Fruit Tea. This small, Australian business specialises in Australian-grown teas, and has the fruity herbal teas I love, and the Native Bush Sticky Chai my tea snob wife enjoys.
They have something for everyone, whether you’re shopping online or visiting their shop in The Galleries in Sydney (which I visit every time I’m in town).
Page and Pine wooden toys and decorations
- Price: from $6
- Where: Page and Pine
This is a small, family business that specialises in laser-cut wooden keepsakes, as well as wooden toys. I bought one of their customised height charts earlier in the year, and it looks excellent. What made it better was that they were happy to switch out the “mum” and “dad” height chart markers for custom “mummy” and “mama” ones, to better fit our family.
This is one of those keepsakes we’ll have on the wall for the rest of our lives, and so we were pleased to find one so elegant and simple that looks right in both a child’s room, or in the hallway.
