Kathriona Devereux: Great gift ideas that will help you fly Cork flag this Christmas
I have already witnessed trolleys teetering with towers of toys departing Smyths. Piles of plastic distraction, presumably heading into homes with entire wings as playrooms.
I simply can’t fathom how all this stuff fits into ordinary houses. It is the true miracle of Christmas.
Most of us struggle to keep on top of all the possessions that accrue with living, and the thought of more stuff coming into my home at this time of year makes my neck itch!
So, what are the best presents for people who really don’t need them, and can we give something meaningful that will be joyfully unwrapped on Christmas morning without breaking the bank and the planet?
My goal for Christmas shopping is to find something for the people I love that they will appreciate, and applying the dual rule of buying local and avoiding plastic whittles down the endless choices nicely.
Vouchers are a popular fallback for those wary of bestowing an unwanted gift. No-one wants their recipient to think, “Jeez, thanks, great… just what I always never wanted” and a voucher is a safe option.
But before you resign yourself to a generic gift card, just remember the company that sells One4All gift cards in Ireland reported a profit of €5.8 million last year with much of its revenue coming from inactive balances and other administration fees.
Imagine what that kind of unused money could do for small local businesses, cafés or restaurants instead!
Because I’m someone who would squeal at a pair of 100% wool socks and the priceless promise of warm feet in winter, and I recognise that not everyone has such basic desires, I asked my most discerning friends for their top local-supporting, non-plastic, beautiful gift recommendations.
Ahem…this is also a handy list for any of my loved ones who might be reading!
There’s nothing better to get you through the dark months of deep winter than having something pleasant to look forward to. For the kids, grandkids, and godkids in your life, consider the gift of a fun activity rather than a toy this year.
In our house, tickets for the panto are a generous and much-appreciated annual present for the whole family.
Vouchers for the cinema, Awesome Walls, Airtastic, Leisureworld (the waterslide in Churchfield swimming pool is great fun) or Zipit are all guaranteed to light up small faces on Christmas morning.
For the adults in your life, think about what they might like to do rather than what they might like to have.
Classes for something they like or have been meaning to try - yoga, painting, photography, Irish classes or woodwork?
Or how about a voucher for a massage or a facial - something to undo the stresses of the festive season at a later date.
Or a GAA season ticket for the sports-mad fan who will be grateful, depending on the scoreline, for your gift throughout 2026.
Another, less adrenaline-fuelled but equally valuable way to support independent media is a subscription for a magazine or newspaper. You could arrange to get anything from National Geographic to The Echo delivered to their door.
A calendar from West Cork’s Kilcoe Studios is a lovely year-long gift that celebrates the beauty of native Irish plants.
Kinsale’s Wizard & Grace candles are made with rapeseed, coconut wax and 100% essential oils and no synthetic fragrances or ingredients.
Sawframed is a Cork craft business making handcrafted sterling silver jewellery - the adorable pendant necklace featuring a ball of wool with knitting needles would be ideal for any knitter in your life.
Future Forests in Kealkill is one of the most pleasant corners of the county, filled with beautiful trees and plants, and a delicious café with excellent grub. A plant, tree or voucher from there would be a splendid gift for your green-fingered friends.
It can feel crass and indulgent to be talking about presents when we are all acutely aware that so many people are not experiencing the magic of Christmas.
There are so many ways your hard-earned euros can be spent productively for charity.
Irish card company Bold Bunny is selling colourful ‘All I Want for Christmas is a Free Palestine’ Christmas cards, and Pickled PomPom, a small Irish design studio, is selling Palestinian keffiyeh-inspired prints - both companies are donating profits to Palestinian charities.
Handala has been a powerful cartoon icon and symbol of Palestinian resilience since 1969 and all profits from these t-shirts are going to grassroots charity Gaza Go Bragh.
Another charitable gesture that caught my attention was from West Cork jam company Folláin, which is donating 50% of the proceeds of all its online sales to the Simon Communities of Ireland from November 1 to December 31 to help end homelessness.
They offer a 12 days of Christmas preserves box filled with miniature jams ranging from passion fruit curd to Christmas spiced marmalade. It could be a lovely gift to someone sweet-toothed in your life.
Irish consumers spend more than €8 billion in December, so it’s well worth thinking about where your money goes this month.
Don’t give it to the multi-million-euro chains - give it to the people who will appreciate it the most!
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