my christmas shopping lists

The lead up to the end of year holidays is always pretty hectic here.   Besides the blog and the box, which keep me busy  full time, I love to find a few  special moments to shop.  I always used to handle the gift purchasing on my own, but lucky me, since we are empty nesters, my husband likes to get involved , and we set aside occasional afternoons for shopping sprees!  Who knew he’d ever want to do that?!

So here are some ideas that I think would make great gifts, all either French made, or with a french twist.  Hope you find some inspiration among these mood boards – happy shopping!

For the one in your life, boy or girl, who loves to cook, and is general top chef in your kitchen, here are five presents to encourage them and thank them for all those delicious meals:

A red leather apron, for protection and true style;   inspiring French recipes from the kitchen of Susan Loomis;  a beautiful beech wood cutting board, because you can never have too many;  a bottle of divine olive oil, bottled at a chateau of course,  and a ruby red cooking pot from Le Creuset and to keep those cooking hands super clean, a liquid soap from Compagnie de Provence.

Girls, girls, girls, so easy to buy for , because we all like girly stuff, right?!   This pick includes a delicious bottle of perfume from Bastide, light and fresh, ideal for a busy day shopping;   some cute little notebooks for making the lists that we girls live by;  a pretty scarf tied loosely to look so French, accompanied by a lovely bracelet  that would work for any age and to round it off a blush pink handbag, big enough to hold everything a girl needs for lunch in Paris

For the men in our life who love practicality.  Who we like to see so chic, and smelling divine , we choose Vetiver, a classic and masculine fragrance from Guerlain; a beautiful boxed set of polishes for their shoe care;  a classic belt from Hermes, a chic black candle for their den by l’Artisan Parfumeur and  a rather special roll out tool pouch with leather clasps, and finally a leather grip from Paul Marius for a weekend away.

For the Paris-lover in your life, then it’s all about the senses:    a divine smelling candle reminiscent of the beautiful Jardin de Luxembourg;   Georgianna Lane’s wonderful book all about Paris in bloom;   Patricia Wells’ guide to the cafés and restaurants of the city;   a beautiful box of macarons from Pierre Hermé, and a calendar of photos of Paris from A Parisian Moment.

And finally for the four legged members of your family, and yes, I’m afraid to tell you that Gibson and Ghetto do get gifts, here is a suitably French selection to make them look chic, and keep them happy.     First of all this dog bed, (because could it be any cuter?!) by Dreamy Whites, made from French grain sacks;  a chic red and white collar, with a matching toy, and to call those naughty pups back when they run away on a country walk, a whistle  and to  keep them sweet smelling and dandy, a shampoo and perfume from Oh My Dog https://www.perigot.fr/fr/chiens-chats/491-collier

Hope your shopping is going well, less than two weeks to go!