How cool is this, a CD from Plunket, with a whole host of Kiwi talent singing Christmas songs.  With the likes of Opshop, Annie Crummer, Shona Laing, Hollie Smith just to name a few it’s a must have in the CD player this Christmas.

The initiative was taken by Monique Rhodes, a singer song/writer living in France, who on her visit back to New Zealand felt moved to do something to give back and she chose Plunket to do just that.

‘Titled ‘Merry Christmas Baby’, the album combines original songs with a handful of unique versions of traditional Christmas songs. It is my Christmas wish that with the help of this album our children have the chance of a good life.’        Monique Rhodes

Proceeds of the CD go to Plunket to help Kiwi kids get a better start in life and personally I can’t think of a better cause to support at Christmas.

Check out www.merrychristmasbaby.co.nz for a complete list of artists but this is definitely one to put in the CD stack at home, or in my case the car so my children can get the benefit of my singing as well.  Funny that they don’t seem to appreciate that.

Available: Plunket, The Warehouse, the CD Store, JB Hi Fi, Real Groovy, Marbecks or shop online at www.merrychristmasbaby.co.nz

Price:$25.95  or if you pop into Plunket, Level 5, Plunket House, 132 Lambton Quay, it’s only $20.00.

  I have found two really great cookbooks for those who aren’t the Gordon Ramsey type.  I was so impressed with them that I have kept them for myself, which means once again there will be another little parcel under the tree that I will have to pretend to be surprised about when I unwrap them.

I have really been looking at making my life a little more exciting in the food department and I’m sure that the fact that I have been watching Masterchef lately has something to do with it.  But all that aside I was really thrilled to find these two cookbooks and are aimed at making our life less complicated in the kitchen but a little more exciting. 

 

Any One Can Cook  by  Annabel Langbein

Put quite simply in her words ‘this book is deigned to empower the beginner as well as the harried home-maker.  Providing people of all ages with the building blocks to become confident and successful in the kitchen.’  

Available: all leading bookstores       

Price:32.99                 

 

Fit Food Fast by the Millennium Institute

The Millennium Institute of Sport & Health and Nestle’ have designed this book to help Kiwis make good nutritional choices – you don’t have to be the top athlete to benefit from it’s recipes.  You also get an insight into the habits, likes and dislikes of some of out famous athletes. 

Most of the recipes contain six ingredients or fewer and are designed with both health and taste in mind.

                                          Available: all leading bookstores       

                                          Price:$32.99

If you are looking for a gift for that someone special and you are after a good idea then have a look at my list for generic Christmas gifts for this 2009.  Keep checking in as there are more Christmas ideas coming daily.

Just a thought, Christmas is about the thinking, the buying and the presenting of a gift for those special people in your life.  I always believe that the amount of thought you put into what you buy is the most important part, it tells the gift receiver you understand them and really know who they are. 

Happy Shopping everyone and hey no pressure.

 

The Great New Zealand Songbook

This is a great gift for anyone interested, even just mildly in music and also a good gift to send overseas as well.

You can buy the CD on it’s own or you can go to the www.   and but it.   It come as a package deal with 100 page Hardcover Journal with photos and lyrics, an original Dick Frizzell piece of artwork and the 2 CDs of last century and this century’s great music.

The best part is if you are after and overseas gift they will ship it for you and have the costs listed on the website.

Available:  www.greatnewzealandsongbook.co.nz            Price:$99.00

 

Jaime les Macarons

We’ve waited all year to use the ‘it’s Christmas I can eat whatever I like’ excuse and I have found the perfect decadent treat to do just that with.  Imagine having a box of Macarons in your choice of flavours delivered right to your door, or better still you can have them delivered to anyone else’s door as well.

They come boxed and have a range of colours and flavours to choose from with flavours like Vanilla, Pistachio, Raspberry and Rose just to name a few.  They are hand made and then filled with a chocolate ganache or a smooth buttercream, look amazing boxed up as a gift and can be delivered, yummy. 

 

Available:  wwwjaimelesmacarons.co.nz     

Price: $2.50 per Macaron   box has 12 Macarons

North Island courier   $8.50        1-2 boxes

                                                         South Island courier  $ 5.50       1-2 boxes

 

Peter Bush Photography Book                 A Life in Focus

It’s always such a privilege to be able to see inside the life of great New Zealanders who have contributed so much back for all of us to enjoy and Peter Bush is one of those individuals who has done just that.  He is a true living legend in Photojournalism and has now put his collection together in a book for all of us to enjoy.

His biography of his life spanning 50 years is remarkable, as he says ‘have camera will travel’.

This a fantastic gift for those really hard to buy people in your life and can be found in all the leading bookstores in New Zealand. 

 

Available: all leading bookstores                Price:$34.99

 

The Big Game Company

These guys make it back on to the list this year as you can find allsorts of new and fun games for the family.  The building tower block looks good and my favourite pick would have to be the giant chess sets.

I have bought off them last year and it arrived neatly packed within a couple of days.

Prices vary depending on what you buy but this is what they call big fun and I’m sure there’s something here for everyone.

Available:   www.thebiggamecompany.co.nz          Price:$222.00  (12 inch chess set)

 

Check in tomorrow as the Children’s Xmas list will be there and more other great ideas I find on my travels.

Here is the second instalment of my 2009 Christmas List. This list focuses of presents for men.

TopGear Great Adventures Collection

It seams that TopGear is everywhere this Christmas, every bookshop I go into is bursting with DVDs and Books from the hugely popular TV show. The live show is also back in New Zealand in February 2010. Any of the DVDs and books are sure to bring a smile to the face of most men but the ultimate TopGear gift would have to be the The Great Adventures Collection - Limited Edition (4 Disc Helmet) DVD set.

Price: around $120

Available: everywhere but try www.mightyape.co.nz

BBQ Branding Iron

For the man who loves his BBQ and likes to have all the latest accessories this could be a winner. You insert the letters to make what ever message you want, heat it up and hey presto, branded steaks! How cool is that?

Price: $34.95

Available: www.iwantthat.co.nz

Whites Aviation Classic New Zealand Aerial Photography

At last, a coffee table book you can buy for a man that you actually won’t mind having on the coffee table. This magnificent book contains a selection of more than 200 images of New Zealand from the air. Taken from the White’s Aviation collection at the Alexander Turnbull Library, these images of towns, cities, landforms and events were taken from the 1930s to the 1970s, and show a landscape still familiar in some cases and changed beyond recognition in others.

Price: RRP $60

Sport Kite

Kites can be a lot of fun and lets face it, there is no shortage of wind to fly them in. Most people have only ever had a cheap toy kite to fly. Why not take the next step and get a good quality sport kite for not a whole lot more. The Quick Step has a span of 1.3 metres and can fly in winds from 6 to 38 kph.

Price: from $50      Available: www.kites.co.nz

Home Electronic Safe

A safe is not something you think of to buy for yourself which is why they make great gifts. Just make sure you can hand deliver it as they are just a bit to heavy to post.

Price: $69.20 from Bunnings

Battery Jump Pack

Not something you use everyday but when you do need one, boy are they useful. Great for starting the car, the boat or even the ride on lawn mower. It also has a cigarette lighter socket so you can power your tyre pump or other 12volt devices.

Available from Repco or Supercheap Auto

More FM Winery Tour

Event tickets can be a great gift idea for the really hard to buy for. The year’s MORE FM Winery Tour sees it visit 16 venues for 18 shows in February and March 2010, adding shows in Whangarei, Palmerston North and Taupo regions for its fourth season.

Price: from $70    Available:  www.ticketdirect.co.nz

Xmas is coming, the countdown is on and it’s only days to go.  I know it’s hard to believe isn’t it, so it’s time to stock up the fridge, order the ham, dust off the Chrissy Tree and start taking your Berroca’s because the silly season is upon us.

But if you’re suddenly feeling stressed about time running out to buy those really cool gifts for the special people in your life, then I’m about to make your life a whole lot easier.  It’s my annual Xmas List with lots of great ideas for everyone for Christmas, websites to visit and lots of helpful tips to get through to Christmas day.

So keep checking in as this is the first of many daily posts in the lead up to Christmas.

WOMEN

Blunt Umbrellas

I love the idea of one of these Umbrellas, just with the mere possibility of being able to hide under it in our Wellington wind and rain, but not get wet is enough for me.

A great practical gift for someone who has everything, they won’t have one of these as they are new to the market.

Price:$98.00                    www.bluntumbrellas.com

Perfume Gift Sets

In my travels over the last few weeks I have managed to find a couple of great bargains for myself which is always very tempting.  One of my great finds was a favourite perfume of mine called Michael Kors and Kirks, this year, have it in a gift set.

It is at the moment cheaper to buy the gift set which gives you a 50ml Eau De Parfum Spray and a 150ml body lotion as well for $148.00.  Now the normal price for the 50 ml Eau De Parfum on it’s own is $165, so now is a great time to put perfume on your wish list as there are some great gift sets around.

The Kindle

This is another one of those gifts for the person who has everything, and it will be a really big hit this Christmas.  Amazon’s Kindle is the new way to read everything form Newspapers, Blogs, Books and much more.  It comes in two sizes, is lightweight can hold over 1,500 books and you can download your next favourite read in only 60 seconds.  A great way to take all your summer reading on holiday.  Have a look on Amazon for more info.

Price:    $259.00       www.amazon.com

Mecca Gift Sets

As always every year Mecca bring out great gift sets for Christmas, you can’t go wrong with one of these and the team there are really helpful.

There are sets from Stilla, a new Eyelash Extender which looks very exciting, Tinted Sunblock and moisturisers, Self Tanners … the list is endless.  Remember they scout the world for the hottest and most innovative products,  I would be happy to get anything from here.

India Hicks Island Living

I stumbled across this great range at Crabtree and Evelyn called India Hicks.   Crabtree and Evelyn are always a good place to go when you are looking for stocking fillers and this new range they have in is fabulous and a really good deal.  The perfume is a light Summer fragrance, the set I bought has a 30ml fragrance, a body cream and a body polish.  It’s a lovely gift set and is a really great price.

Price:$

Boh Runga Jewellery

What’s not to love about Boh Runga’s Jewellery and you can’t go wrong with any of her designs as a Christmas gift.  There is a range of styles to choose from and you can also have either gold or silver plated.  I love her new range called Birdland and the best part is that they come beautifully packaged, which takes all the hard work out of it for you.  There is a list of stockists on the website or you can order direct from the website.

Price:range from $129.00 upwards         Available:      www.nzmintjewelry.com

my goodness

There’s always the gift baskets for everyone at Christmas and this site has some of the best I’ve seen, they really are quite amazing and when you are looking for a more generic gift you can’t go wrong with one of these.

The worlds your oyster with price and they will deliver anywhere in New Zealand, winners of Business Excellence award, you can’t go wrong with one of these.  The best part is if you’re running out of time for those overseas gifts, they will deliver there as well and you can always pick a Kiwi theme.

Available: at     www.goodness.co.nz

Dolphin MP3 player

Now this cool and you will be the envy of the gift givers around the room if you can find a grateful recipient for this one and, yes, it has made it back onto the list as it was on there last year.  But I do say if you didn’t buy it last year then maybe it will make onto your list this year, as I really do think they are worthy of a second look.  They are extremely practical and will most definitely raise you up on the ‘I’m very cool ‘ level at the pool.

Check out some of their other products on this site as they are different and worth having a look at.

Available:    www.montgomeryroad.com

Flip Mino

Ok, so if anyone’s listening I really love these and want one myself.    How cute is this and who wouldn’t want one.  They can record up to 60 minutes of high quality video, it’s light weight, sleek, smaller enough to pop into your pocket and perfect to sit in the handbag to record all those important moments.

You can also buy a tripod if you are looking to train for a job as a Cameraman for TV3.

www.dse.co.nz

Available: Dick Smith                                  Price:$prices range from $279.00 upwards

Echo Bot

Oh this is fun and everyone should have one.  They are called Echo Bots and are a boggle eyed alien with a message, what message?  The one you record and stick on it, designed to be triggered by a motion sensor they can serenade, insult or just scare the intruder.

Great gift for anyone with a good sense of humour, or even the kids would love this.

Available: www.iwantthat.co.nz                   Price:$39.95

If you don’t see anything here that tickles your fancy, don’t worry, I’ll keep adding things with more posts as I do my Christmas shopping. I’ve already got some great ideas for men and for kids so stay tuned.