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Mallorca Christmas gift ideas for lovers of Deià and the islandNovember 28, 2020

It’s Christmas month at Charles Marlow Mallorca and we’re getting things started by sharing our Mallorca Christmas gift ideas and suggestions how you can help the less fortunate here on our island.

Giving feels good. Especially when you’re introducing someone you care about to something you love. And, as we come to the end of a challenging year, to say the least, it’s great to be able to help others.

The Charles Marlow team is delighted to be able to share our Mallorca Christmas gift ideas with you. As you’d expect, our ideas are island-based although there are some wild cards.

But, as well as sharing our Mallorca Christmas gift ideas, we’re shining a light on people finding a way to give back to others on the island.

Giving back – Charities in Mallorca

We’re all very much aware of the people on the island who’ve struggled this year and still are and we’re committed to doing our bit to help.

Our friends who are part of the I Have A Question Mallorca Facebook page told us the following organisations are all doing great work to help make lives better for people in Mallorca.

  1. Better Together
  2. Asociación Zaqueo
  3. Mallorca Sense Fam
  4. SoS Calvia
  5. Santa Ponsa Food Bank
  6. Associació Tardor
  7. Yachting Gives Back
  8. SOS Mamas
  9. Mallorca Lebensmittel
  10. Street Angels

For a more general overview, go here.

Now for the team’s Mallorca Christmas gift ideas.

Ieva models her jewellery. Photo used by permission.

1. Sustainable jewellery – Maria’s Christmas gift idea

I’ll kick this off with a lovely sustainable jewellery brand called Dzerve. Ieva Dzerve is the designer, jeweller and creative director behind the brand which features pieces made by hand at her studio in Alaro using non-toxic, sustainable materials.

My fiancée bought me a beautiful necklace made by Ieva for my birthday this year and I love it. The packaging was also really lovely so I’m sure something from Dzerve would make a special Christmas gift for someone in your life who deserves pampering.

Ieva also makes one-off individual custom orders but she’s not taking any of these until next year. She can do custom orders based on her original designs – like making some pieces in 9 carat white or rose gold or 14 or 18 yellow carat gold. She can also do some hand engraving.

Although Ieva’s very busy, you might be able to make an appointment to collect jewellery from her at her Alaro studio or in the town itself. Send her a message via the contact form on her website.

The hot springs at Fontsanta. Photo used by permission.

If you’d like to share your love of our island with someone special, I’d recommend you check out the Fontsanta Hotel, Thermal Spa and Wellness in the middle of the natural park next to beautiful Es Trenc beach. Here you can experience the only hot springs in the entire Balearic Islands.

My fiancée’s family gave us a spa and lunch experience here last year and it was soooo lovely.

Fontsanta expects to open for summer 2021 on 25 March. Buy a gift voucher for someone now and they can redeem it any time next year. Email Victoria at info@fontsantahotel.com.

2. Online dance classes – Andreas’s Christmas gift idea

I’m one of those people who leaves Christmas shopping to the last minute and prefers to wander around until inspiration strikes.

But, as a passionate tango aficionado, I think a great, unusual gift is an online tango class.

Fernando Sanchéz and Ariadna Naviera are wonderful, world-class tango dancers and teachers who offer online tango classes from their home in Argentina in English. Being able to learn from them is an amazing introduction to the spirit of authentic tango.

Argentina is only four hours behind Europe so their Saturday class at 10am is perfect.

Online flamenco classes flyer

3. Handmade and local gifts from Deià – Ida’s Christmas gift idea

I’m still getting to know Deià and exploring the shops in the village. One of my favourites is Icks on the main street.

Gift ideas at Icks. Photo by Ida Carlsson.

Francisca, known as Xixa, who runs the shop, offers a great choice of handmade and local gift ideas from Deià and all over Mallorca, some of which she makes herself. Many of these could be easily popped in the post to people missing Deià.

The shop is open throughout December and it’s worth calling in to meet Xixa, who loves to chat. Email xixiripoli@gmail.com to find out more.

4, 5 and 6. Books, posters and caganers – David’s Mallorca Christmas gift ideas

Reading about Deià is one of my favourite things to do and I like to give books about the village as Robert Graves as gifts to my friends.

The best, most entertaining, book about Graves – albeit in disguise – I’ve read this year is The Apprentice Lover by Jay Parini, available from Amazon. I interviewed Jay and he told me the fascinating story of how the book came to be. I’ll be sharing our conversation with you early in the new year.

Another one of my great Mallorca Christmas gift ideas is to send your friends a caganer and wait for the reaction. Caganers are, I believe, found only in Catalonia. Although they’re hilarious, caganers are part of a genuine Catalonian tradition that’s all about fertilising the soil and bringing good luck.

Donald Trump caganer. Photo used by permission.

Hurry over to caganer.com. Even if you don’t buy one, trawling through the site is a joy in itself. If you’d like to know more about caganers, I wrote this article a while back.

On a far more tasteful note, I’d also recommend the amazing Mallorca posters made by travel poster art enterprise Stick No Bills. Perfect for your friends and family who are missing Mallorca.

Buy online here or call into the Stick No Bills shop at Costa D’en Brossa 10 in the middle of Palma de Mallorca, just up from Placa Del Mercat.

Read the Stick No Bills story here.

© Stick No Bills™ (courtesy of The Poster Design Group [UK] Ltd), 35 Church Street, Galle Fort, Sri Lanka

7. Online cooking classes – Charlie’s Christmas gift idea

Becoming vegan has inspired me to take control over what I put into my body, which has led to me cooking more and more.

As anyone who gets into cooking knows, you’re constantly on the lookout for interesting recipes and tips.

This is also the season where we come together with our loved ones to share goodness. Given the year 2020 has been, I know I’ll be giving thanks for being able to be with my family and friends as well as doing my fair share of the cooking.

Here are my Mallorca Christmas gift ideas.

A vegan salad prepared at Lonja 18. Photo used by permission.

I’ve just discovered VeganGastronomy.com which offers both online and in person courses. Their reasonably-priced online offerings currently cover a one-year training to become a Certified Vegan Chef as well as specialist courses covering vegan baking and making vegan cheese and pastry.

VeganGastronomy’s International Chef online course looks great for anyone who’s seriously getting into vegan cooking.

If you’re thinking about buying a cooking class for someone in Mallorca, I’ve heard good things about Lonja 18 in the heart of Palma. They offer Spanish cooking, street food and tapas and pincho-making courses as well as an introduction to vegan cooking that looks a great place to start.

Our wonderful Christmas illustration is by Ida Carlsson.

 

David Holzer

A freelance writer for many years, David is the author of a number of books and magazine articles, mainly on the subjects of the Beat writers and yoga. He is fascinated by the remarkably rich cultural history of Deia, from Robert Graves to the present day.

David also teaches yoga for writers.

    Whilst a lot of weeks are getting booked up for this season, we still have availability across our collection. Please get in touch to secure your booking for this year's holiday. For more information, leave your details, or call us directly: 0034 971 636 427. If you wish to see an agent, we are happy to set up a video call.