2021 Magical Flabbergasting Christmas Gift Guide

In the past years I have not been one for indulging in Christmas presents or even offering them. I tried to avoid clutter and went into a more minimalist tone or mood with everyone. I am still thinking we should focus more on the relationships than on the gifts, but let's not try to pretend that gifts don't or can't form or scar relationships. We don't need to make such a fuss out of it, but we sure do and we love to.

So let's mollycoddle the ones we love this Christmas as they sure do deserve more than in previous years when the world situation wasn't so messed up. We have all been through a lot. Let's forget for a moment we are in 2021 and imagine ourselves in a beautiful different 2021 reality (an unicorn parallel universe) present were we are all kind to each other, attentive to each other's needs and wants and more accepting of everyone's beliefs and opinions. Non-judgemental. No matter what we wish to receive this Christmas and no matter what we decide to pamper ourselves in. Yes! Let's live like this is the last Christmas! I do hope and mostly wish for a contrasting 2022 but I think there are times when we need to party like the Gatsby's and forget everything else. We need to have fun before we can tackle anything else. We need it for our mental health and we require it for our inner balance. Equilibrium. Well, it's been a roller coaster 2021, let's end it in big style to dismantle all bad luck. And at the same time, let's do it in "ichigo ichie" style.

Ichigo Ichie, translated as "One Life, One Moment" is meant to indicate an unforgettable experience to cherish, it's a Japanese idiom that describes a cultural concept of treasuring the unrepeatable nature of a moment.

2021 Christmas hopefully won't ever happen again in the manner it is, given the world hopeless crisis, so let's just ponder on that and treasure it to make sure we let it go and prepare for a new year that I know we all wish to be kinder, freer and more compassionate towards every belief, opinion and personal decision.

So here's my 2021 magical and flabbergasting Christmas gift guide for everyone. Including myself. Everything listed here is something I would love to be gifted and gift it back.

- In no particular order -

Fluid silhouette tie-detailed striped satin dress

Link - I love Parlour brand

This can make a great option for New Year's Eve as it's elegant and distinct from what I imagine everyone else would be wearing on the day to embrace 2022.

The Little Black Dress - Claudie Pierlot Brand

Amazing Winter Boots - Traces of Heels Brand

A necklace for the fierce one - Rainy Day by Life in Mono Brand

Pink bag for pink mood for 2022 - Sac Bags Brand

A hopeful dream of freedom Brooch - Butterfly Brooch by Iuliana Asoltanei brand

Inspiration for minimalism, elegancy and distinction - a classic hit jewellery gift perfect for this silver winter

More jewellery for the classic elegant ladies in our lives - The Dolce Earrings by Iuliana Asoltanei brand

Or maybe that special woman in our lives - mother, grandmother, sister, best friend or if you are a man reading this, your special lady, fiancée or wife would love wearing these handmade silver earrings by same brand Iuliana Asoltanei

What if you would gift something unexpected yet amazingly astonishing? For all fashionistas - Splash Sac Bags

For whatever reason this reminds me of Jenny Humphrey from the show Gossip Girl.

As it's winter, let's gift some of the ladies beautiful unique gloves - by Ioana Ciolacu

Going forward with the inspiring ideas for 2021 Christmas gift guide, why not inspire ourselves with a gift that can be a gift as well to the surrounding people. It's more like a symbol. A symbol of the idiom "when pigs fly" to counteract the disbelief of people that might bring us down, or might be too brutal in their approach when we present some ideas that to them sound unrealistic.

I simply love this one. This is part of a jewellery collection entitled "Fly" which represents a form of artistic protest against everything that translates as discouragement, disdain and harming from the beginning the sincere hope and enthusiasm for utopia, idealism and humanitarianism.

It shows that we should never get discouraged by remarks such as "And pigs might fly too" and this necklace to me it's a form of showing others we have to believe in the fact that beautiful comes will come to us and that hope is the last thing to die. It is a way of getting a smile out of others that glimpse over our hidden décolletage or neck area and to make sure they too get contaminated by the same idea: Yes, we can! Everything is possible. As even the word "impossible" says "I'm possible!".

We have to have faith and hope and to believe in something bigger than ourselves. Even in Santa Claus.

Absorbing Non fiction books to get more educated, cultured and become a more interesting human being for 2022

The first major biography of the pathbreaking, perpetually influential surrealist artist and iconoclast whose inspiration can be seen in everyone from Jasper Johns to Beyoncé—by the celebrated biographer of Cézanne and Braque.

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays.

Art historian Catherine McCormack challenges how culture teaches us to see and value women, their bodies, and their lives.

The Transcendentalists and Their World offers a fresh view of the thinkers whose outsize impact on philosophy and literature would spread from tiny Concord to all corners of the earth.

A Natural History of the Future sets a new standard for understanding the diversity and destiny of life itself.

At once ambitious and intimate, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows offers a deep understanding of the myriad forces that have shaped modern China, and serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.

Rave recommendations for FICTION

Bright Burning Things is an emotional tour-de-force—a devastating, nuanced, and ultimately hopeful look at an addict’s journey towards rehabilitation and redemption.

A book that playfully twists form and genre with wit and heart to explore questions that lie inside all of us: about language and shame, about arrival and making it just in time, about luck and death, about what role our origins and memories play in our lives.

A scathing critique of corporate greed, Hossain shows us how to think beyond the naïve ideas of preening moguls like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

White on White is a sharp exploration of empathy and cruelty, and the stunning discovery of what it means to be truly vulnerable, and laid bare.

Storyline - It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

"a collection of interlinking stories that masterfully blend the mundane and the mythical—"fairy tales in the best Brothers Grimm tradition: naïf, magical, and frequently veering into the macabre" (Financial Times)

Winner of the Goncourt Prize and now an international phenomenon, this dizzying, whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight.

Imaginative and beguiling, these and other stories in The City of Mist summon up the mesmerizing magic of their brilliant creator and invite us to come dream along with him.

A brilliantly written novel that takes us into the glittering night-time of Seoul and the bleary-eyed morning after with both humour and emotion, Love in the Big City is a wry portrait of millennial loneliness as well as the abundant joys of queer life.

Arresting, darkly funny, and unsettling, Chouette is a brilliant exploration of ambition, sacrifice, perceptions of ability, and the ferocity of motherly love.

The stories in this collection, by their very outrageousness, achieve a heightened realism unlike any other.

Short stories by Lily King - I have seen these everywhere on Bookstagram - no need to say more.

“A masterpiece”—LAPD detective Renée Ballard must join forces with Harry Bosch to find justice in a city scarred by fear and social unrest after a methodical killer strikes on New Year’s Eve (from the Publishers Weekly)

With beautiful prose, extraordinary tenderness, and bursts of humor and light, Still Life is a sweeping portrait of unforgettable individuals who come together to make a family, and a deeply drawn celebration of beauty and love in all its forms.

It is an intimate and vital examination of how and why we create—make art, form relationships, build a life—and an urgent exploration of an unprecedented crisis, the repercussions of which are still years in the learning.

What a beautiful cover! - The book is about a perceptive and powerful debut of identity and belonging―of a young woman determined to be seen.

For all other book lovers, I would recommend something unique as well as a gift. If I would receive this, it would be very nice.

This is a rare tablet. It's called ReMarkable. And the out of the ordinary characteristics include the feeling you are writing on actual paper which to someone who enjoys physical books, can also be unimaginable alluring to write on a tablet that gives you the same sensation and at the same time being able to convert the handwriting into text. It has a 2 week's battery life, you can have all your notes, organized and accessible on all devices, and it can take notes directly on PDFs. It also integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox.

Why not gift something that can corroborate the modern with the classic, the "academia vibe" with the aesthetic and functionality of a tablet which has no distractions compared to all other tablets on the market. There are no buzzes of the notifications and you can focus on writing, taking notes, journaling and even jotting down ideas from the books you read, all in a fashionable bringing you the unprecedented writing experience.

I would be thrilled to be gifted this.

What else?

For men and also for women, I am considering another traditional gift but made smart, upgraded to modernity.

THE WALLET.

These wallets are smart, they have a quick access mechanism which means your wallet won't look stuffed any longer, you can use it for up to 12 cards, and some cash. It's made of environmentally certified leather and it comes with a RFID blocking technology which is a system that reduces the transmitted signal power of the reader, preventing the microchip in the RFID card from working. This ensures RFID card security. Essentially, RFID readers transmit signals which power the microchip in the card, the microchip in the card then powers up and send data back to the reader.

In short, your card details are safely stored in your wallet and no hacker can track them with their ingenious scamming systems. With these wallets you can also add a Tracker to make them unlosable.

It's not just for boys. This premium leather smart wallet, perfect for slim storage and quick card access, with a built-in aluminium cardholder fans out your cards at the click of a button and protects them against skimming can also be gifted to women.

The expandable metal backplate allows you to carry more while keeping a slim profile and comes with a silicone band for extra grip.

Surely it's outstanding and it looks so exclusive. Get more inspiration from their Instagram account.

Another option for the 2021 Christmas gift lists is a toothbrush. But not just any toothbrush.

The Oral Spotlight Sonic Toothbrush developed by Dentists

Using a sonic toothbrush improves gum health and removes stains. This toothbrush has a very long lasting battery which means you do not need to worry on charging it every night to make sure it's ready for use the next day.

I actually have the toothbrush. I purchased it this May and I have been in love with it ever since. My dentist not knowing that I don't use a manual toothbrush told me on all my check-ups this year that I have an excellent toothbrushing cleaning style and it emerged from the look of my teeth. I also love it because it does not have a powerful noise like all the other electric toothbrushes on the market.

I did not have an electric toothbrush before I purchased this. So this is actually my first experience with a non-manual toothbrush. However, I can say, from checking and listening on how the electric as an example the Oral-B toothbrush sounds, that the Oral Spotlight Sonic toothbrush is SUPERIOR. All letters caps lock because it is indeed superior.

It has 3 speed settings and an ergonomically designed head and I also enjoy it because the head it's small and it makes it easy to not harm your gums while brushing as I would usually do with a normal toothbrush due to my cleaning style. Ever since I own it, I find it extremely helpful and I would never go back to any other toothbrush unless it's maybe something spectacular or an upgraded version of this one.

So, this would be a bewildering Christmas present. I am thinking of purchasing the water flosser from same brand because having tried on their toothbrush I can only imagine the perfection of the device in the form of the water flosser.

This has a 360 rotating nozzle making it super easy to use, it's ideal for cleaning around dental bridges, braces, implants and crowns and it's also compact, cordless and rechargeable. It also has a powerful water pressure of 80-160 PSI. I cannot wait to buy this for myself.

So what else can we gift this Christmas to loved ones to be of use, to feel enjoyable and to have a meaning?

Sweets and Tea!

But in a very breath-taking manner.

Biscuit Boutique’s gourmet cookies are a treat for the eyes and the taste buds – the perfect gift for the hungry aesthete.

Part of the pleasure is the surprise at this truly startling gift.

And they have so many collections to choose from.

Another amazing fact about their luxury confectionary is that they are:

• Vegan
• Palm oil-free
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Egg-free
• Suitable for Halal diet requirements

Tea - something to get us cosy and warm and in love with the festive vibes.

Or Tea?™ is premium quality tea with affordable pricing. It has uniquely blended specialty tea. Or Tea?™ is good taste tastes real good!

This chamomile tea is the one that I tasted from this tea brand and that's how I discovered it and loved it ever since.

You have so many varieties to choose from. You can amaze all your family members and friends with this distinguished tea brand.

You can top it up with a mug from same brand. Or you can gift the mug separately. Maybe as a Secret Santa option.

Or maybe you can choose this Or Tea? T’mbler which was designed for you to enjoy your tea on the go whether it is cold or hot. Tiffany's Breakfast 470ml thermos flask.

We are going to end here. Hopefully these items will bring some artistry in your gift list this year and they will be enjoyed by both your dear ones and yourself if you choose to also "love yourself" in the process.

Happy Holidays!

And remember that flying pig jewellery.