10 minute read

midlands Under tHe cHristmas tree

If you are not sure what to do for Christmas gifts this year, look no further than right here on your doorstep - the Midlands, of course. We are shining the Christmas spotlight onto a couple of local places, offering some unique and eclectic gift ideas. These are our 12 “unique places” of Christmas.

The Wedgewood Emporium at Piggly Wiggly is a wondrous world of confectionery sampling and gifting. The Emporium is the flagship store of Wedgewood Crafted Confectionery. This handmade confectionery company started from humble beginnings in the Walters’ family kitchen 20 years ago and continues as a family business, still inventing new and wonderful things on their farm in the Midlands.

Visit the Wedgewood Midlands Emporium and enjoy learning about Wedgewood’s renowned handmade honey nougat. Sample some of their artisanal chef’s newest inventions and experience Wedgewood’s world-first liquid nougat ice cream. Browse their gifting range, all locally handmade and gift wrapped for you by Paddington the Emporium Curator.

This is a destination shopping experience with a touch of food theatre for all the family to enjoy. Wedgewood Crafted Confectionery caters to the Gluten and Dairy Intolerant, Halaal, and Kosher markets. What better way to spoil your loved ones this Christmas than with a thoughtful gift from Flowers & Leaves at Piggly Wiggly Country Village.

All the Flowers & Leaves Collections are created with a well-considered balance between captivating perfume and therapeutic value, suitability to all skin types, and unisex appeal; sustainability and affordability.

In this beautifully curated space, you will find bath salts that will ease weary bodies, butters to restore skin to glowing youthfulness, hand and body washes that will cleanse without disturbing your skin’s natural balance, and delicately scented soy candles to fill your home with natural fragrance. Flowers & Leaves are also well known for their extensive collection of quality essential oils and carrier oils.

All of these make for beautiful gifts on their own, but you will also find a wide variety of stocking fillers to suit every taste and budget, like their highly fragrant Scented Sachets or the Bath Salts with the addition of a handmade Linen Bag. Open every day from 9 am to 4 pm.

Abby River is a Midlands-based baby boutique online brand. We pride ourselves on high-quality baby products. We pay close attention to detail to ensure practical yet beautiful products for your little one.

With a wide range of clothing and accessories for your baby, why not get our sweet summer set with a matching headband to dress your little one for Christmas lunch?

We’ve got beautiful affirmation cards where you get to spend some time in the morning speaking positive words to your child; what a great bonding experience! Looking for a gift for someone expecting? We’ve got a wide range of essentials for any newborn and expecting mom, ranging from beautiful and soft swaddles to nursing scarfs for easy feeds in public.

www.abbyriver.co.za

We create original designs, experiment with new weaves, mix different fibres for exciting effects, and create a range of textures. We dye the yarns, creating beautiful colours and effects.

We are proud of our Hand Woven Heritage. Ours is a team of skilled crafters, creating handwork that is both original and beautiful. Our thorough and professional approach to the design and hand-weaving processes has appealed both locally and worldwide.

Our Protea Throws and Clivia Wraps are ideal for that luxury Christmas Gift. Woven from a Mohair blend with a bit of wool to help the lustrous and shiny mohair fibres hold together and a tiny bit of Nylon for strength. We offer them either Fluffy (hand brushed to raise the fibres) or a Boucle, which has little curls all over the throw. The fibre is strong and resilient, lasting many years but ever so soft to the touch and cuddly! Spoil your loved ones with a gift voucher to KwaZulu-Natal's premier wine estate. Situated in the KZN Midlands, Abingdon Wine Estate is a boutique producer of fine wines. The estate made history in 2007, producing the first certified KZN estate wine. The wine bar and restaurant is the ideal spot to enjoy this Christmas.

Abingdon produces a range of Methode Cap Classique, white and red wines to suit everyone's taste. Vouchers can also be used to treat yourself to wines from their wine shop (available at the estate and online).

For those wine enthusiasts wanting to know more, the KZN School of Wine offers a range of fun or serious wine courses at the estate to include vineyard and cellar tours as well as lunch.

At Groundcover, we have your Christmas gift shopping covered.

gifts for men: What kind of men are on your list? Outdoorsy and rugged? Clean cut and office-ready? Whether you’re shopping for your husband, dad, brother, or friend, our shop has picks that are thoughtful and useful. Our men’s range includes our rough and ready outdoor boots, to our smart and casual shoes, and leather goods from an understated leather campus bag to a handcrafted leather briefcase in full-grain leather. Whatever his style, we have you covered.

gifts for women: This year, the best gifts for women are practical and functional, but special enough that she wouldn’t buy them for herself. Whether you’re shopping for your wife, mom, sister, or friend, she will love a thoughtful, well-made gift. From soft leather bags to beautifully handcrafted shoes to our colourful accessories, our gift guide for women is full of no-fail gift ideas for her.

Visit us for all your Christmas shopping in our 100-year-old shop on the Currys Post Road, or visit our website for all our Christmas goodies.

www.groundcover.co.za

Our Ultimate Stash Pouches are locally produced and handcrafted from the finest quality tanned genuine leathers. They are stitched to perfection, guaranteeing durability and functionality.

They are designed to store your stash, tobacco, rolling papers, filters, scissors, lighter and other accessories. They also fit a full-size chillum, large vapes, and English pipes.

With a full wrap-around zip opening the pouch up completely, quickly transforming into a large rolling surface that can be used either on a table or your lap. Available in several colours, The Ultimate Stash Pouches also feature two large storage compartments and a kingsize rolling paper holder. They retail at R395,00. "I need to find something different this year". That's where Jaspers comes in! Jaspers Tobacconist and Van Coller Cuts barbershop situated at The Rycroft centre, 56 Main Street Howick, offers a range of smoking accessories, Vape liquids and devices, CBD creams, oils and more! For Christmas 2021, we'll be putting together perfect gift packs that will be customized according to our customers’ requests. We take orders for custom rolling trays, ashtrays professionally cut and painted to your specs.

Jaspers is owned by long time Howick local entrepreneur Scott Taylor Peek; after the success of his social media and marketing company and then his novelty brand "The Bad Badger", he decided to throw caution to the wind despite lockdown and COVID-19 and open his first retail store. Embracing Richard Branson’s philosophy of "Screw it, let's do it!".

Christmas time is fast approaching, and here at The Ellenbird, we feel as if all Santa’s elves are busy at work. Christmas is a time when the shop looks like Santa’s workshop – overflowing with thoughtfully and tastefully crafted sought-out gifts. The excitement is mounting as our 90 suppliers are already hard at work creating handmade gifts with love or locally sourced with pride.

We provide a wide range of gift ideas, from stocking fillers, toys for boys, young and old, a beautiful gift for a special lady, and of course, the girls are spoiled for choice. We have gifts handcrafted from wood, knitted stitch by stitch, handwoven with care, and created from pure inspiration. There are some gifts to brighten up the day, some to spoil, to pamper, for the home, for fun, even for her and him, for me and you, and some just because. There is something for everyone.

@TheEllenBird

Christmas is almost here! Inevitably that also means a sometimes frantic Christmas shopping experience! This year though, The Private Collection Interior Company can make that a much more pleasurable one for you. Based at The Old Mushroom Farm in Karkloof, you’ll find the most gorgeous range of personally curated gift items and enjoy a luxury shopping experience you won’t find anywhere else in the Midlands.

Browsing through our Maison, you’ll find gorgeously heavy crystal and marble candle holders; artist-designed blankets, wraps, and scarves from an innovative South African design studio; luxury fragrance diffusers from France, the UK, and South Africa; a vast range of beautifully scented candles and fragrance oils from KZN and Cape Town; super-soft 100% Turkish cotton towels; beautiful scatter cushions in a range of both local and international Hertex fabrics handmade just for us by a top Durban design house, and the most beautiful lamps and pieces of furniture offering luxurious texture and layers for your home (or the lucky person you’re shopping for).

We can courier to your door if you aren’t able to enjoy The Private Collection Interior Company shopping experience in person just yet.

Miss Molly’s TasTy TreaTs

Miss Molly’s date balls are dainty mouthfuls of deliciousness and nutrition homemade with love in the Midlands! What started as a COVID-19 side-hustle has now become a labour of love.

Using only the best quality ingredients and her Granny Molly’s farmstyle recipe, Miss Molly’s date balls are stocked at selected Midlands coffee shops, delis, and restaurants and is the perfect moreish snack to keep energy levels high this Festive Season! The ideal accompaniment to your favourite blend of tea or coffee or a healthy treat for the school lunch box. Retails from R30 per packet of six.

@missmollystastytreats

Pura Vida

aroMaTherapy rose geraniuM hand & body loTion and hand

& body Wash duo - Massage a little of this light and creamy Hand & Body Lotion into your skin for all-over hydration and nourishment. This aromatherapy lotion will leave your skin soft, nourished, and beautifully fragranced. This silky lotion is mindfully blended with pure essential oils of balancing Rose Geranium, calming Chamomile, and relaxing Clary Sage, which will help to balance the emotions, alleviate stress, and calm the mind.

Rose Geranium Aromatherapy Hand & Body wash is a delightfully fragranced organic hand and body wash that leaves your skin feeling cleansed and freshened. Fragranced with Rose Geranium essential oil to help find balance and calm. Everything you put onto your skin penetrates deep into your cells - why not apply something that heals and smells amazing! Free from damaging toxic products and full of skin-loving ingredients, which are kind to your skin and to the environment and are, of course, cruelty-free.

This duo of natural Aromatherapy products will make the perfect gift for someone special.

www.puravidahilton.co.za

Exquisite lingerie for all women as well as mastectomy wear. Fittings done at our premises in a private and positive environment. You will be treated with the respect and dignity you deserve, In 2019 Lydia was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. After this traumatic time, treatment and reconstruction, she realised the need for supportive underwear, not only for mastectomy patients, but for all women. Contact Lydia for all your bridal lingerie, mastectomy bras, specialized bras and everyday underwear.