Christmas gift ideas: 8 of the best things I got myself in 2024 that would make excellent presents

As someone who is admittedly pretty dumb with technology, I really never thought I'd own and be obsessed with a pair of smart sunglasses, but never say never!

In terms of style, the sunglasses are the timeless Ray-Ban Headliner frames that everyone knows and loves. The lenses transition, which is perfect as it means you can use these frames indoor. 

In terms of tech, there's very little these glasses can't do — they play my Spotify tunes, identify things around me and can answer questions with Meta technology. I was recently driving and trying to determine where I should stop for gas; I asked my sunglasses, and lo and behold, it informed me of a nearby gas station. As well, a friend had gifted me a crystal I couldn't identify; I once again asked my sunglasses and it quickly let me know that the stone was howlite. Cool stuff, right? They are a little heavy, but I find the convenience they offer to be totally worth it. 

I'm a sucker for having scents in my home and already owned many essential oils from Saje, which I absolutely love. When I saw they had a new diffuser, I knew I wanted to try it out and I'm so happy I did. It's much prettier than other diffusers I own that are kind of plain, and it twinkles when it's a dark outside which adds some whimsy to my space. 

I love hepatic feedback, so when I learned that this necklace could play the rhythm of a loved one's heartbeat, I was sold. 

When you get the necklace, you download the app, have your loved one hold their fingers over your phone camera and it records their heartbeat. After that, you use your phone's Bluetooth to pair it with the heart-shaped device, which I found very simple to do. 

Then you just squeeze the heart and it vibrates with the rhythm of the heartbeat!

I'm a pretty anxious person, so being able to feel my fiancé's heartbeat while I'm on the subway or in uncomfortable situations helps me feel more grounded. Just one of those those little things that makes a big difference!

Listen, I'm at an age where there's very little I actually want or need — but coffee will always be welcomed in my home.

I'm a miserable morning person, and the only thing that gets me functioning is a cup of this strong, dark roast coffee that's aptly named "Kick Ass." It's bold, chocolatey and deep, which is everything I crave when I wake up — and it also tastes delicious as cold brew in the summer.

I actually hate wearing pyjamas (I'm not sure why — I generally just wear an old, scummy T-shirt and underwear to sleep) but these PJs have changed me.

They're so incredibly soft and make me feel all cute and snuggly. I genuinely look forward to changing into these at the end of the day — something about them puts me in calm-mode. I have the PJs in both red and black, but the black is definitely my favourite. 

Like many people, I had a bit of a tough year. While a lot of things went right, quite a few things also went very wrong and I found myself struggling with my mental health. This set of 50 swear-y affirmation cards definitely helped boost my mood and self-confidence when I was feeling low. Sometimes you just need that little reminder: "Listen b*tch, your wildest dreams deserve a chance."

As mentioned, I love nice-smelling things. One of the best scents I discovered this year is the "Boys Of Summer" body spray from Henry Rose. It comes in a trio of gender-neutral scents, and while I very much liked the other two, "Boys Of Summer" is my winner. It's earthy, peppery and lightly floral, which is unlike anything else I own. 

And lastly, I won't get into too many details — but let me just say, this rechargeable bullet vibrator kept me in very good spirits this year!