Christmas begins here... peek inside

Styling: Angela Scanlon Photography: Mark Condren Special thanks: Maureen Gillespie

Buzz Lightyear, Smyths, €44.99. This space cadet has over 60 phrases

Fire fighters, www.minitoys.ie €24.95. Comes as part of much larger fire man set

Mr Men egg cup, Meadows and Byrne, €12. You'll never have to persuade him to eat an egg again

100 piece train set, www.mimitoys.ie, €69.99. For Thomas diehard fans from three years old

Bouncing Babbles, Smyths, €26.99. Warning: She cries. Loudly

Finger puppet gloves, Monsoon, €15. A puppet for your little poppet

Pink dress, Chloe at Brown Thomas, €225. Because she's worth it

Penguin purse, Accessorize, €8.50. You'll be right on the money with this and isn't it almost unbearably cute?

Lambswool jumpers, Marks & Spencer, €40 each. Jumpers don't have to be dull. These are absolute cosy chic

75 years of DC comics, Amazon.co.uk, €98. So big even Superman couldn't lift it

Leather satchel, Marks & Spencer, €160. Old-school and terribly stylish

Silver chunky watch, Swatch, €146. A stunning time piece that he'll cherish for years

Customised heineken bottles, www.heineken.ie €29.99 for 6 (inc delivery). Mmmm. Beer

Travel wallet, Debenhams, €50. Not just for holidays, we reckon

Orla Kiely laptop bag, Kilkenny Shop, €135. Beep beep, computer coming through!

Book ends, Oxfam, €25 for pair. Keep your books from falling off the shelves

Lisa Stickley cake stand, Debenhams, €47. Cucumber sandwich, vicar?

Sequinned dress, Warehouse, €190. One for the golden girl – this is her New Year's party outfit sorted

Sparkle shoes, KG, BT2, €185. Practical? No. Comfortable?? Possibly not. Amazing? For sure

Mac gift purse, Brown Thomas, €42. This gift set has already achieved cult status

Gold clutch, River Island, €40. Just like the Alexander McQueen one, which is 150 times more expensive

Military-style coat, Carraig Donn, €89.95. Stylish, zipped, colour block – say hello to winter's most covetable coat

Suede notebooks, Monsoon, €18.50 each. Perfect for listo maniacs

Limited collection leather jacket, Marks & Spencer, €60. The price is right, so get there fast

Kurt Geiger ribbon shoes - BT2, €125. Take a bow. You've hit on the perfect gift

Tweed coat, Zara, €99.95. A modern classic that would look perfect with her skinny jeans

Retro popcorn holders in plastic, £3/€3.50

Glass jar votive, €6.95

Olivia Rubin dress, €148

Cutesie cosmetics from cult brand The Balm. Prices start at €14 for a lipgloss

Pally Pirate Noah €29.95

Soft leather 'Little Deer' shoes, €24

The Sunday Tribune's greatest gift guide ever has no gift vouchers, perfume boxsets or slippers. What it does have are hundreds of ingenious ideas for presents for all your nearest and dearest, and for all budgets. There are treats like handbags and gladrags for glamour pusses; gadgetry and geansies for the men; cute stuff and cool stuff for the little ones and beautiful items that every household needs, although you just haven't realised it yet. So no matter if you've been naughty or nice, don't expect to find any socks here...

Gift Sites

peoplelovepresents.com

This impressive Irish-edited portal selects thoughtful presents from a variety of sites redirecting you to where you can buy them.

Star buy: 'Whatever I Get, I Will Be Wrong' manbag in canvas, £12/€14.

bookdepository.co.uk

The big draws about this site are the slashed-down prices and the fact that there is free shipping anywhere in the world. Gives Amazon a run for its money.

Star buy: Life by Keith Richards, 50% off at £9.99/€12.

notonthehighstreet.com

A veritable goldmine of beautiful knick-knacks and clever stocking fillers waiting to be discovered, this site is beautifully laid out and full of all sorts of delectable items.

Star buy: 'Keep Calm and Carry On' cufflinks, £40/€47.

culturelabel.com

Golden skull candle? Check. One-off print from struggling artist? Check. With over 150 art galleries, artists and museum shops under one roof, this site is great for culture vultures and style mavens alike.

Star buy: Lego-like lunchbox by Moleta Munro with two handy compartments so there' s no mixing anything up, £9/€10.50.

coxandcox.co.uk

From chichi bits and bobs to unusual gifts, there's a Scandinavian feel to the site at the moment, with lots of great stylish buys for the festive season.

Star buy: Retro popcorn holders in plastic, £3/€3.50.

Others we like: While some Irish gift sites, such as pressieport.ie and giftguru.ie are looking a little low on stock and fresh ideas, Cork-based giftslikethese.com is definitely worth checking out for its sense of fun and irreverence. Meanwhile allgifts.ie is handy for spa vouchers.

Home

anthropologie.co.uk

If you've visited its stores in the US or London and loved the vibe you'll soon be a fan of its website, which now delivers to Ireland. A gorgeous mix of clothes, homeware and kids' things, all beautifully presented.

Star buy: Kids' tartan apron, £22/€26.

pedlars.co.uk

Lifestyle shops such as these are hugely popular on the web, and we love the mix here of fun, cool and vintage-like accessories and kitchenware.

Star buy: Bungee-jumping bird feeder, £9.99/€11.50.

mabelandviolet.com

Small but perfectly formed hand-picked gifts by an Irish interior-design junkie who started her online business in her spare room two years ago.

Star buy: Glass jar votive , €6.95.

biomelifestyle.com

High-quality handcrafted home furnishings sourced from small and co-operative businesses.

Star buy: Natural soaps in yummy scents including ginger and carrot, and sage and lime, £2.50/€3.

Others we like: The internet was made for chic interiors sites, where pre-loved furniture and beautifully photographed objects can easily be drooled over. Irish site ubode.ie has sections on all areas of the house, although it is a little bit clunky to navigate. Get busy at our other favourites: plumo.com (think distressed candlesticks, retro tealight holders, floral pattern quilts), colloco.co.uk, which is good for eclectic items you're not going to find in Laura Ashley such as funky kitchen accessories, retro telephones and (our fave) Christmas pudding binbags, and lapinandme.co.uk which is essentially a kids' website with a small amount of fun gift items such as fridge magnets, rabbit lamps and coffee table books.

For Her

doo-lally.com

A cross between asos and net-a-porter for Ireland – you can see where this site is going, but it hasn't really got there yet. Still, it's handy, it's Irish and it's very easy to shop from.

Star buy: Olivia Rubin dress, €148.

feelunique.com

Twelve thousand bargainous beauty products to pick from, all under one roof – one of Europe's biggest online beauty retailers.

Star buy: Any of the big-brand fragrances, which are 50% off.

beautyfeatures.ie

A new Irish site with everything from fitflops to St Tropez on offer. Search by brand or by category.

Star buy: Cutesie cosmetics from cult brand The Balm. Prices start at €14 for a lipgloss.

styletonic.ie

With labels such Collette Dinnigan, Zadig & Voltaire and Isabel Marant on board, you're bound to find something to impress on this new Irish fashion e-commerce site.

Star buy: Philip Treacy silver clutch bag, €359.

Others we like: Most girls would be happily wowed with most of what's on offer at any of the following creative and quirky websites: oliverbonass.com, a lifestyle shop with everything from cashmere slippers to slick picture frames; whippetgrey.co.uk, a beautiful design-led site with unusual items such as cardboard antlers and olive wood salad servers; www.thehambledon.com, a small boutique department store with fans such as Kate Moss and Alexa Chung (think hand-picked clothes, furniture and accessories) and bodieandfou.com, for more unique gifts, stylish home ideas, art and the rest. Fashion sites netaporter and its bargain outlet site theoutnet.com can't be beaten for a stylish surprise.

For Him

bcool.ie

Irish online gadgets and gizmos store which specialises in anything from the wild to the wonderful – think spy watches, gun lighters, Jedi robes.

Star buy: Apple App fridge magnets, €12.95.

hairybaby.com

Fairtrade, organic cotton tee-shirts all packaged with an environmentally friendly eye. Slogans such as 'What's the Story, Rory?' and 'I Love Tay' veer towards the embarassingly diddly-aye but could be fun gifts for the Irish man abroad.

Star buy: 'Did You Turn Off the Immersion?' hoodie, €45.

howies.co.uk

Great selection of men's clothes packaged with a clean, eco feel. There is also a small edit of 'stuff we love' which would make good present ideas.

Star buy: Dublin jumper in lambswool, €69.

uncrate.com

Stylish US site with everything from great boots and manbags to the latest Casio chronograph on offer. Even if you don't purchase anything, it's a good one for ideas.

Star buy: Barbecue set with sculpted wood handles from J Crew, $149/€108.

duluthtrading.com

For the man with a shed. Innovative men's workwear and gear, designed and tested by tradesmen. Gets great reviews but watch for the sting in the tail – the import tax from the US is high.

Star buy: The longtail shirt, aka, "the solution for plumber's butt", $19.50/€14.25.

Others we like: When in doubt get him a tee-shirt. Check out American-sized tee-shirt shop thetshop.com or a cool design site such as www.threadless.com (where you can even submit your own designs and get paid for them). For loads more ideas and gifts galore for guys check out a whole site dedicated to the subject: treathim.com.

Babies and Kids

mimitoys.ie

Founded by a French mother of four (that's the 'Mimi' bit), this Meath-based traditional toystore caters to kids up to 12 years old.

Star buy: Pally Pirate Noah, €29.95.

stellamccartneykids.com

For the little hipsters in your life there's really good feedback filtering in about the new Stella McCartney kids' label which launched this season and is all available to buy online.

Star buy: 'Lydia' bohemian blouse, €65.

hipbaby.ie

Irish baby and children's shop focusing on inspired design, eco credentials and healthy choices.

Star buy: Bandana baby bibs, €6.

mccul.ie

Dublin-based McCul clothing offers hard-wearing and good-value clothes for kids from one to 10.

Star buy: Stripey leggings with flock print, €15.

babyelephant.ie

For new-born baby art, mamma gifts and mamma-to-be hampers, this website is a one-stop shop.

Star buy: Soft leather 'Little Deer' shoes, €24.

Others we like: The UK sites really do excel in toys, gifts, clothes and games for babies and children. We got lost in all of these amazing places: mulberrybush.co.uk (for wooden toys and game ideas), tickety-boo.co.uk (traditional toy specialists) and ilovegorgeous.co.uk (for amazing little-girl princess dresses). There is also yellowlolly.com which has cool Scandi brands and practical outerwear, and celticsheepskin.co.uk for cosy slippers and boots for all the little ones, and the rest of the family.

Crafty and A Little Bit Random

frankworks.eu

Like a British version of megawatt crafts site Etsy, this place is all about handmade wares and independent designers doing their hand-stitched thing.

Star buy: A limited edition from paper-cut maestro Rob Ryan, £320/€374.

sashaandelisabeth.co.uk

Handmade homewares including vintage cake stands and lampshades from two kitchen-table-business mums.

Star buy: Rose brooch made from vintage crockery, £6.50/€7.50.

todryfor.com

An online boutique specialising in designer tea towels, they promote work by both prominent and up-and-coming artists and illustrators.

Star buy: Dinosaur 'Tea-Rex', £10/€11.70

alphabetbags.com

Offshoot of the Keep Calm Gallery, this canny duo have gone on to create a range of screen-printed cotton bags with letters, punctuation marks, numbers and other typography.

Star buy: Kids will love the mini totes, £6.50/€7.60.

Others we like: Share our love of fancy paper, pens and stationery? Check out lollipopdesigns.co.uk – for gift wrap, card sets and specialist stationery, penheaven.co.uk for absolutely any pen from a practical Parker to an old-school fountain pen, and papermash.co.uk for cool sellotapes, ribbons, gift tags and rubber stamps.

The Small Print

Last orders for Christmas at most Irish sites have to be made by 22 December for all of the Republic of Ireland and 19 December for Northern Ireland. Some Dublin-based ones will take orders up to Christmas Eve for city deliveries

Most UK sites pledge to deliver to Ireland within 7-10 days. Order no later than 15 December to be on the safe side. If ordering from a US site do so by the end of this week (Friday 3rd) to give yourself at least three weeks for the packages to get to you. Also watch out for import tax (VAT and duty of up to 25%) which will be added on this side.

November 28, 2010