Art, dishes, furniture, linens, trinkets, plants – the objects in our homes help create a personal sense of place. Giving a gift for the home is a nice gesture, but finding the sweet spot between your taste and theirs can be a challenge. Here are five solid starts…

For the ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ fan you know (and we all know a few), scoop up an embroidered linen Christmas stocking or two from Coral and Tusk. They’re so cussing cute! They’re in stock right now at Mt. Pleasant’s awesome Much & Little shop (2541 Main St.) | $65+

Help out the little guys this Christmas and grab a bee garden starter kit from The Urban Seed Project. The recipient friend (and really the world at large) will thank you. Find yours right now at one of our favourite shops, Nineteen Ten (4366 Main St) | $17.50

There’s never any telling what you’ll discover at Chinatown’s Duchesse Vintage, but you can always be confident that it’ll be something unexpected. To us, nothing says Christmas like a sweet dinosaur planter. Get this beauty now before it’s gone at 430 Columbia St. | $30

The original Bean Bag Chair is a homerun. Win unending admiration from anyone who gets this shoved under their tree on the 24th. We advise you pick one up at Walrus, and jokingly explain how you need it gift-wrapped. Walrus Home (3408 Cambie St.) | $279

This sweet houseplant print is an excellent replacement for the real thing if you happen to be shopping for a pal who would kill a cactus with neglect. Available now (packed up and and display ready) at tiny little Meadow Gifts in Gastown (104 Water St.) | $52

Just because one gets grubby in the kitchen doesn’t mean one should look grubby. Spruce things up with a Carrall Street Canvas Co. apron. Durable, beautiful and always the right size. Score yours where the cooks at Savio Volpe got theirs, The Window Community (1 E. Hastings) | $60

EVERY COOL THING WE WANT