For some people, Christmas is a time for making ostentatious gestures intended to show how far they've come up in the world
The son who has made it in business and wants to show his golfing father his appreciation for all the guidance, the financial support and the lucrative boardroom directorship will give his father a set of Callaway X-12 graphite golf clubs (£899, to order at Elverys), a Powacaddy Classic electric trolley (£399 at Elverys), and a Bruce Clark Goretex Wetsuit (£199 at Elverys). Perhaps he'll finally forgive you for not getting enough points to do medicine.
Upwardly mobile
THE nouveau riche husband who wants to show-off his share profits to his wife cannot go wrong with a diamond cross, a perfect expression of spirituality and commerce in white gold with 11 diamonds, total carat weight .91 (Weir's, £2,000). She can wear it to boogie like Madonna, or to Confession.
More dash than cash
SHOW your impeccable taste, not your money, with contemporary Irish jewellery from Kilkenny Design. Alan Ardiff's extraordinary, humorous pendants and brooches in sterling silver with internal moving pieces stand out from the crowd. Their theatrical, miniature puppet quality comes across in their names: "Yes Man" (brooch, £96.50), "Moondance" (brooch, £103.50) and "Birds in the Belfry" (pendant, £150). Linda Uhleman's designs are delicate, abstract classics with a medieval feel, such as her unusual freshwater pearl, silver and garnet necklace (£72.60) and earrings (£57.90). For pure style, choose Maureen T. Lynch's trendy silver perfume bottle on a silver chain (£137.50). No twentysomething will turn it down.
Delightful company
MAKE all their dinner parties colourful, no matter how dull the guests, with witty glass and cutlery. The "Entertainer" range from Newbridge combines stainless steel with bold handles. The Pierrot design features translucent sorbet handles in lime, orange and lemon and the Carousel line boasts three different marble effects in rich blues (both £199.95 at Kilkenny Design and elsewhere). The perfect glasses for either scheme are Jerpoint's multi-coloured swirled crystal goblets (£16.50 each).
Monica, how could you?
YOUNG women "and a few ladies as well" are among the growing cigar aficionados who frequent the intoxicating walk-in humidor at Petersons in Dublin. "Power cigars" are the current fashion and the biggest are called "Churchills" in cigarspeak, though these days they could be called "Clintons" or even "Lewinskys", but never mind. A Bolivar Churchill (£15.40 each) is not enough if you want to make a major statement, so why not splurge on a box of 25 (£350). To be fully appreciated, such a gesture should be accompanied by a lacquered bird's eye maple, desk-top humidor (£795), which can keep 100 cigars at the perfect humidity. And why stop there? Other accessories include a gold-plated cigar lighter - an arsonist's dream with not one, but two jets of flame (£95). There are pocket-sized cigar guillotines (£30), also perfect for decapitating mice. For flashy home or office use, a special scissors will do nicely (£45).
Wine without whingeing
THERE will be no arguments about the temperature of the wine if you give them a Vin Chilla (£80 at McCabe's, Blackrock). The British manufacturer's motto is direct, if unoriginal: "No home should be without one". After all, who has time to chill Chablis for one hour in the freezer or 16 hours in the fridge when they want that glass right now, this minute? (A recent Australian survey that found that the average time between purchase and consumption of a bottle of wine was one hour.) The Vin Chilla not only chills wine in five-10 minutes, but it also warms red wine to the perfect temperature. If money is no object, give them a couple of cases of wine to go with it, such as a red burgundy, Volnay, 1er Cr, Les Aillerets, Jean Boillet (£384 per case at McCabe's) and Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos, 1994, Brocard (£360 per case at McCabe's).
