NYLON’s Holiday Gift Guide 2018

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And with our favourite festive holiday around the corner, we bet you’re in the mood for some generous giving — we’ll help with our series of the best gifts you can buy for your friend / family member / significant other.

This year, it’s for the raging feminist, the Netflix nerd who’d rather sink into his/her sofa than socialise, the friend who’s whipping out her sustainable non-plastic metal straw every chance they can get, the solo traveller who’s up for exotic countries you’ve never heard of, or hey, the ‘artist’ who’s also visiting these faraway locales, albeit on Photoshop. So if you’re still sussing out the perfect present, get inspired here.

We’ll be updating this page as our gift guides come along — so bookmark this and keep hitting refresh daily!


CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Ah, the movie that put Singapore on the world map, well more so anyway, except everyone else thinks all we do is sip margaritas on top of Marina Bay Sands, and hold lavish parties at hidden sprawling mansions. We’re all for Asian representation… but do us regular Singaporeans want to be stereotyped this way? Either way, we can’t help but marvel at the giddying, glittering riches of the “old money” bougie portrayed in the show. And really, what do you buy someone who has it all? All we can say it, try these, if you have money to spare…

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


FEMINIST

Let’s see… Beyoncé and Emma Watson are probably your role models, and with good reason too: they’re prominent celebrities who champion both female equality and empowerment, while wholly living out that truth too. We’d love to tell you more about this category, but like all things that don’t need to be mansplained, we think it speaks for itself. Here’s one for all you leading ladies.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


BTO STARTER KIT

Some of your friends might have just graduated, others are already starting their new lives with their partners. And being new homeowners in Singapore, most of them probably would have gone down the BTO route and are planning for their new homes. But what if you’re still single and have no idea what to get for your recently BTO-ed buddies? You don’t want to get them something that just lies in the corner gathering dust, forgotten. So we’re here to help you get the best housewarming gift award with some gift guide suggestions for your buddy that will be receiving their BTO flat soon. They’ll definitely appreciate these little indulgences when all their spare cash is going towards repaying the house loan.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


SOLO TRAVELLER

Shout out to all the peeps with wanderlust running in your veins instead of blood! We all know that friend who loves to yolo solo travel, with an inspiring Instagram feed to boast and plenty of stories to brag about. Chances are, they probably are enablers too. And also is in possession of a slew of fancy gadgets and accessories that are simply genius when it comes to travelling smart. When you’re constantly on the move, you have to be very picky with your travelling kit. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to be stylish and occasionally indulge in say, some fancy earrings or a gorgeous makeup pouch. Here’s what we’ve got on our wishlist for our solo travellers friends out there.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


PHOTOSHOP ‘ARTIST’

We do appreciate a good Photoshopped picture here and there, but it’s a huge no-no from us when someone tries to pass it off as one of their photography masterpieces. For those who are aspiring to be a (legitimate) Photoshop master, the road is long and hard. But not impossible! We’ve put together a list of must-have items to make that journey a little easier, which might come in handy for that relative of yours studying graphic design or that friend who over-edits their Instagram photos.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


QUEEN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB

…first of her name, the undeterred, saviour of plastic straws, khaleesi of the great green movement, breaker of unsustainable habits, and mother of — what else — earth. you’ll never catch her with a non-biodegradable plastic bag, and legend has it only metal straws can graze her lips.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


THE NETFLIX NERD

We know people who like to Netflix and chill, and there’s those who would always choose Netflix over chill every time without fail. Now that everything can be streamed online, nobody really needs all 10 seasons of F.R.I.E.N.D.S on DVD. Plus who even has a DVD player nowadays? Of course, there’s always the option of gifting your Netflix-obsessed BFF a couple months of free subscription, but it’s lacking a little in the effort department. Depending on their favourite shows, there’s plenty of other cool trinkets that would make even the most hardcore Netflix fan get off the couch to squeal in delight.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


KEYBOARD WARRIOR

Stop. Listen. And look what we have here! Why, it’s the elusive keyboard warrior, and boy is it a fascinating creature. There are over four million different kinds of animals and plants in the natural world, but we have to say, this one’s a true beast.

Don’t let their harmless appearance fool ya! In the open, the keyboard warrior appears like a docile critter, but when cloaked in darkness and secrecy, it comes alive, its movements suddenly going at rapid-fire, spewing vitrol and hate as it wrecks war online. You can spot them trolling the deep corners of the Internet, web forums, and the ST comments section, while they’re also often armed with a cup of tea (which, no doubt, will be spilled) and what seems like an unlimited amount of time. Treat them well and they’ll be lifelong friends who’ll defend you to the ends of the earth — needless to say, you don’t want to be their enemy.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


PHOTOPHILE

Everyone has that friend who somehow manages to captures all the best moments – whether it’s his latest holiday, the National Day fireworks, or just himself enjoying a nice lunch at his neighbourhood. You’ve got the same iPhone, but their shots are leaps and bounds nicer. You’ve come to terms with yourself not being able to ever take such gorgeous photos, but if you’re looking to step up your photography game or just looking for a gift idea for your snap-happy friend, you’re in the right place.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


POP CULTURE SNOB

“It’s levi-o-sa, not levio-sa!” sounds familiar? We all know a friend who’s so obsessed with every movie, TV show, musical, or game out there, that they’ll literally scream in your face if you dare reveal a spoiler — not that they don’t already have a breakdown of that end-credits scene already. And if you so much as admit that Justice League is an acceptable movie, not laugh at their “why Gamora” reference, or fumble in your ranking of the best Hollywood Chris-es*? Let’s just say you’ll incur a wrath worse than Thanos’.

*P.S. It’s Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, btw. Don’t need to thank us.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


OFFICE SECRET SANTA / COLLEAGUE

As you’re putting together your list of people to get presents for this Christmas, don’t forget your colleagues! After all, you spend two thirds of the week with these people. Whether you bonded over petty office arguments, entitled customers who think that they are always right, or OT-ing late into the nights, they really, really deserve a gift to show how much work life would suck when they aren’t around. Just try not to shop during office hours because you don’t want to spoil the surprise!

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


DISNEY FAN

“AhSalaam and good evening to you worthy friend. Please, please, come closer” — if you think your loved one would recognise those opening lines from Disney’s Aladdin, then you really do need to come closer and take a look at our magical Disney wares. Be our guest!

These aren’t just your regular thingamabobs, whozits and whatzits, nor are they the bare necessities; we’ve gone the distance and put together this year’s best Disney collaborations for you, the gift-hunter, so you’ll truly have no worries (for the rest of your days).

It helps that this year’s Mickey’s 90th birthday as well, so boy oh boy have the brands gone all out to celebrate! If your friend’s still dreaming of a true love’s kiss, tell them to let it go — you’ll fulfil that wish upon a star instead with something more practical, yet just as dreamy. Go on, get down to business already!

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


SOCIAL MEDIA #GOALS

You can roll your eyes at all the Instagrammers, but you can’t deny that you have secretly wished that you were in their shoes. They’ll tell you that they woke up like that (c’mon, who wakes up with glowing skin and perfect curls?), but a lot of effort actually goes into maintaining a pretty social media feed. Whether it’s making sure you’re always looking on point or hunting down cool spots for photos, there are endless places and hashtags to look for for inspiration. Not sure where to start on your journey to social media stardom? Here’s some ideas!

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


NEW MOM

“I’m a cool mom!” If you get that reference, you’re probably one. If not, thank u, next. Okay just kidding — by virtue of the incredibly difficult job it takes to raise brats successful kids like us, all moms are infinitely cool and deserve every recognition and celebratory honour possible. Only this time, we’re talking about a new generation of young moms who have recently been blessed with the life-changing role.

Whether you know someone on your way to become a momager aka the next Kris Jenner, or one of those angelic Insta-moms who seem to get everything right the first time, it’s no judgment, all respect over here! Who knows, one of these gifts might really be a life-saver.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


HORRIBLE BOSSES

Horrible bosses are a dime a dozen, and there’s no way you can escape from them. We’re not just talking about one terrible day at work, but actually having to report to someone who makes you want to take sick leave for the rest of your life.

We’re thanking our lords that Boss’s Day is not an occupational holiday which requires gifts, but most workplaces celebrate the upcoming holiday – Christmas. It’s only the most festive (and giving) season, after all. Whether it’s to show your appreciation (???) or because you have to thanks to that “Secret Santa Tradition”, there will come a time where you need to gift your boss a present.

We’re sure that you don’t want to give your horrible boss a good gift out of sheer spite, but you want to avoid coming off as distasteful. If you’ve clicked on this gift guide, you must be pretty desperate, so here are 13 terribly passive-aggressive gift ideas for the worst boss ever.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.


WORLD’S BEST BOSS

Do you have a boss who deserves this?

Trick question! If all they deserve is a ceramic mug with a depressing sans serif font on it, maybe check out our horrible bosses category.

Today, we’re talking about the bosses who are worthy of the Iron Throne; who rule the land with utmost grace and sincerity, as creative forces and also master motivators, so adept that you’ll wanna get on board any team they put together. Even if it’s just a round of Taboo. Skilled and competent, responsible and reliable, intuitive and caring while giving you space to grow… we know it’s a rare breed, but whatever your definition of a good boss is, if you’ve found one, never ever let them go show your appreciation with these wonderful gifts.

See our full list of gift recommendations here.