The Holiday Gift Guide for Treating Yourself and Others
The season’s most-wanted gifts, fresh finds, and clever picks from the editors of NUVO.
In our holiday gift guide, we help with the hunt for meaningful presents. Whether a practical gift a loved one to use all winter and beyond, something for the person who appreciates a conversation starter, or a little something for personal indulgence, in the guide below you will find items that are sure to be memorable gifts for loved ones (or for yourself) this season.
If Santa had style, he’d be rocking Chanel Coco Neige. Designed for those who take après-ski as seriously as their runs down the mountain, the Coco Neige collection is where high fashion meets high altitude. Taffeta puffer and matching trousers, trapper hat, cashmere sweaters, earmuffs, sunglasses, pocket belts, bags, and boots: these are pieces that turn any snowy slope into a runway. Coco Neige isn’t just about staying warm, it’s also about looking effortlessly chic while bringing signature Chanel glam to winter chill. Chanel Coco Neige turns Christmas morning into a couture moment.
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Bellamy Teddy Bear Key Chain – BOSS x Steiff
A charming blend of craftsmanship and nostalgia, this teddy bear key chain is a playful yet sophisticated accessory from the collaboration between Boss and heritage toymaker Steiff. Detailed with Steiff’s signature button-in-ear hallmark, this miniature bear brings warmth to your everyday essentials. Clipped to a handbag, backpack, or key ring, it’s a luxurious keepsake and furry companion beyond the festive season.
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For 10 years, the maison’s signature Lady Dior handbag has been a blank canvas for artists invited to reenvision the design in the Dior Lady Art project, and this year’s collection, available in limited numbers at select Dior boutiques, includes bags by 10 avant-garde artists from France, Brazil, Korea, and China. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, the maison released an accompanying book, Dior Lady Art: The Lady Dior Reinvented by 99 Artists, at its flagship store in Paris this fall, to be released globally February 17.
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Cheval d’Orient dessert plate – Hermès
The festive season calls for showcasing fine tableware, and this porcelain dessert plate is part of the maison’s 55-piece Cheval d’Orient collection, an homage to the maison’s equestrian heritage. Hermès worked with French artist Nathalie Rolland-Huckel, who was inspired by the Persian miniatures from the Silk Road in the 15th and 16th centuries, illustrating free-running horses wearing ceremonial blankets. This design, amongst others from the maison, is applied using serigraphy and by hand using a gold thread. Whether to be used as a part of a tablescape or simply for decorative purposes, this plate is sure to be a conversion starter at the dinner table.
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No one does colour like Hublot. The watch manufacturer has made it its signature to crack the code of working with ceramic, pushing the limits of material science to create timepieces that are as vibrant as they are enduring. Case in point: the Big Bang 20th Anniversary Red Magic and Spirit of Big Bang Dark Green, two watches that exemplify Hublot’s bold attitude delivering festive colour and undeniable presence. Whether you’re gifting a statement maker or treating yourself (same, same), this holiday season isn’t about blending in—it’s about standing out.
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Bottle Opener Fish – Svenskt Tenn
Functional art meets Swedish design in Svenskt Tenn’s fish-shaped bottle opener. This brings a touch of vintage charm to modern entertaining. A thoughtful host’s gift or collectible accent, the opener’s sculptural form doubles as decor, equally at home on a bar cart or dining table.
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849 Ballpoint Pen in Alpine Frost Blue – Caran d’Ache
The 849 Ballpoint Pen from Caran d’Ache is dressed up for winter weather thanks to this year’s Alpine Frost colourway. The iconic hexagonal aluminum design, preferred by in-the-know creative types since it debuted in 1969, is treated to a soft, icy blue colourway inspired by frozen lakes. Extra detail comes by way of its rectangular checkerboard pattern meant to evoke ice crystals, giving this limited-edition pen an extra-wintry spin. Thanks to Caran d’Ache’s long-lasting Goliath cartridge, this frosty 849 will be able to handle holiday card duty for years to come.
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You can never go wrong gifting jewellery, and Cartier’s new Love Unlimited collection takes the house’s iconic design and gives it a fresh, radiant twist. The new collection of ridged rings and flexible bands in 18-karat yellow, rose, and white gold have been reimagined just in time for the holidays. Few pieces of jewellery have inspired such cultural obsession or attained such staying power as Love, and this new fine-jewellery collection reminds us that love can be celebrated in many different forms.
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The colour of the case holding this backgammon set is the only clue you need to who made it. The iconic blue of Tiffany and Co. may be more familiar on jewellery, but here the case is manufactured to look like a cut gemstone. Inside, the light-blue motif continues. The case is manufactured to look like a cut gemstone, and inside the light blue motif continues on half of the pieces, the pips of the dice, and the doubling cube.
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Special Edition House of Cards – Eames
Designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the 1950s, the House of Cards is a collectable item celebrating design history. Originally captured by the architects for their 1955 film House: After Five Years of Living, 108 photographs are featured in this special edition of the cards—highlighting various items, textures, and architectural details from the couple’s personal collection. It’s a gift that inspires creative minds while honouring an iconic design duo of the 20th century.
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Pulcina Espresso Maker – Alessi
A stylish option for a morning—and afternoon—routine, Florentine architect Michele De Lucchi’s coffee maker design for Alessi has a spout inspired by a chick’s beak (pulcino is chick in Italian). Although it seems to be a small detail, the V-shaped spout was designed to prevent the bitter-tasting last few drops of coffee from reaching the cup, ensuring a rich and aromatic espresso pour. The handle comes in two colours: black or bright red.
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There’s a time and a place for sparkling wine, and the holiday season is most definitely it, but amidst all the holiday cheer, it’s easy to forget that that fourth glass of champagne tastes better than it will feel in the morning. More often than not, the alternative options leave a lot to be desired: half-flat sparkling water, pops and juices, or perhaps worst of all, generic non-alcoholic wine alternatives. Enter French Bloom. Made with 100 per cent organic chardonnay grapes from France’s Limoux region, Le Blanc is a non-alcoholic wine that actually tastes like the real thing, so go ahead and pour that fourth glass.
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Adorn your tree with the finest ornaments around: a set of two handmade, mouth-blown Murano glass baubles adorned with the classic Gucci red and green stripe to hang from the branches of your tree. The baubles are made using the balloton technique common to Venetian glassblowing, in which a bronze mould is used to create a raised pattern on the surface of the ornament.
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This year, consider giving the gift of deep rest for a person who needs better sleep. Hästens is a sixth-generation family-owned brand dedicated to creating the world’s finest beds, and its 2000T mattress is handcrafted from refined natural, renewable, and biodegradable materials such as cotton, wool, flax, horsetail hair, and slow-growing Swedish pine. With a three-layer design, it offers the feeling of a weightless, cloud-like sleep. Designed to last for decades, each bed aims for optimal spinal alignment, temperature regulation, and restorative sleep.
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Holiday Collection – Loro Piana
In a season defined by abundance, gifting can feel like an impossible task—especially when shopping for someone who appears to have everything (there is always one on the list). This is where Loro Piana is the ultimate crowd pleaser (for everyone, actually). The brand known for its whisper-soft cashmere, luxurious wools, and understated Italian elegance has perfected the art of cozy sophistication. Classic scarves, travel-ready leather accessories, plaid throws, day-to-dark looks, and tableware for everyday dining: each piece is designed to endure long past seasonal trends.
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Speedmaster Milano Cortina Edition – Omega
Celebrate the spirit of adventure with the Omega Speedmaster Milano Cortina. Omega has been the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932, and for each Games, the Swiss watchmaker creates a dedicated timepiece. For the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy next year, the Milano Cortina Speedmaster special edition is crafted with a 38-millimetre case in stainless steel and mounted with a navy—long considered a cornerstone of Italian style—ceramic bezel and tachymeter scale in white enamel. Whether you’re gifting a collector or an Olympian at heart, the Milano Cortina Speedmaster is a timeless reminder that every moment counts.
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Saffiano Leather Bolo Tie – Prada
Even cowboys get bitten by the fashion bug. And for those whose itch needs scratching, Prada’s Saffiano leather bolo tie is just the thing. In lieu of the classic ornamental clasp, this high-fashion take on western wear is tightened with one bearing Prada’s elegant triangle motif, bringing just the right amount of flare to the otherwise authentic-looking piece. Whoever you give this unusual piece of haute couture to, they will be moseying on out of the holiday season in style.
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A tribute to British engineering excellence, every contour of this Range Rover aluminum model mirrors the real vehicle’s modern elegance, ideal for collectors or enthusiasts. Whether displayed on a desk or mantel, it’s a statement piece for those who appreciate automotive design.
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Cocktail Case – Rimowa x Robbe & Berking
The Rimowa x Robbe & Berking cocktail case may just be your ticket to Best Gift Giver status. The iconic aluminum shell is the James Bond of barware and is packed with everything needed to shake or stir, handmade and silver-plated by Robbe & Berke artisans: custom cobbler shaker, tumblers, a jigger, coaster, silver straws, and bar spoon all organized so mixologist or wannabe can channel their inner bartender anywhere. It’s travel ready, party perfect, and just the right amount of extra—it’s definitely not your average gift, but who wants to be average? The Rimowa cocktail case is the ultimate upgrade to happy hour.
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Prestige Sky Blue Chess Set – Saint-Louis
Board games are a staple of Christmas gift giving, so this year combine one of the oldest ones around—chess—with France’s oldest crystal glass manufacturer: Saint-Louis. A chess board designed by contemporary artist Patrick Neu features pieces, excluding the knights, based on the preexisting design of a Saint-Louis crystal decanter and rendered in a sky-blue shade that has been part of the company’s iconography since 1840. The board itself is made of alternating colour cubes and mirrored to give the impression of a levitating game of chess.
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Three Sirens Soap Bar Set – Sangre de Fruta
Inspired by the beauty rituals of ancient Egypt and traditional remedies, Sangre de Fruta products are made in small batches using plant-based ingredients on Bowen Island in British Columbia. For this limited-edition festive bar soap set, Sangre de Fruta worked with U.K.-based illustrator Tabby Booth on packaging with a folk art design for soaps scented with rose cedarwood, cedar greens and bergamot, and neroli. Aiming for a silk-like lather leaving skin feeling soft, the brand describes this soap bar set as a feast for the senses.
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Small Batch Distillers Advent Calendar – Dillon’s
Nothing makes making merry quite like a well-crafted cocktail. Luckily, Niagara’s very own Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers has wrapped up and tied a bow on most of the necessary ingredients with its 12 Days of Cocktailing Advent Calendar. Consisting of a selection of its handcrafted gins, vodka, and whisky, as well as a handful of its fan-favourite bottled cocktails, all that’s needed for delicious drinks on Christmas Day to ask Santa for the necessary mixers. No matter what he comes up with, it’ll surely beat a partridge in a pear tree.
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Le Labo, founded in New York in 2006, is known globally for signature scents, and its toiletries can be seen in luxury hotel rooms the world over. This Christmas, bring those fragrant notes into your home with the Santal 26 candle. Described by Le Labo as an “aristocratic” scent, Santal 26 has a smoky, leathery fragrance. This particularcandle is poured into a distinctive black concrete holder and will last long after the tinsel and the tree have been taken down.
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Are you really Canadian until you own at least one pair of Sorel boots? Known for footwear with rugged durability and iconic style, Sorel has kept feet warm and dry through winters that test even the hardiest. This season, Sorel has collaborated with legendary British outerwear brand Barbour for a capsule collection that is posh but prepared for weather. It’s a meeting of Canadian cold-weather confidence and British countryside charm, resulting in footwear and outerwear that look equally at home on a misty moor or outside your local coffee shop. Think waterproof leather, classic Barbour waxed trims, and an timeless earthy palette. This limited-edition collaboration is holiday-ready and guaranteed to impress.
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Totem Vinyle Speaker – Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades
Part of Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection, this speaker and turntable land somewhere between a music player and a work of art. The entire structure is clad in striking blue leather with a curved design, and it features 11 integrated speakers that provide 360-degree surround sound in any room. The Objets Nomades collection is inspired by nomadic lifestyles, and it is easy to imagine this speaker in locales from Paris to Tokyo and beyond.
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Minimal, durable, and sleek, a toolbox from Japanese brand Toyo Steel is a lesson in functional yet beautiful design. Pressed from a single sheet of steel its seamless construction aims to be lightweight and long-lasting. Ideal for tools, art supplies, or keepsakes, the box is a gift for the organized creative or design purist.
