The Rotary Club of West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook is running its Trees of Joy campaign again this year, aiming to deliver more than 1,000 Christmas gifts. Shoppers choose a gift from a bauble bearing a person's story and wish, then return it to a drop-off point. The club works with more than 10 local charities to reach children and adults who may otherwise go without. Trees are at four shopping centres in Cherrybrook, Westleigh, Pennant Hills and Thornleigh from 2 November until 10 December. Rotary asks people to return gifts early to ease distribution.
A commemorative bench and a handmade quilt will travel from Busselton to Japan this week to mark 30 years of the sister city relationship with Sugito. A community delegation will visit Sugito from November 1 to 3, including the town's annual Agricultural Festival. The bench, painted with Busselton images such as the Busselton Jetty, will be unveiled at the festival on November 3. The quilt, made by Busselton Belles members, will be presented at a welcome party. The relationship began through Busselton Rotary Club visits between 1992 and 1995.
Qubitunes, a screen-free play stage and speaker for children, is recommended as a gift ahead of the Black Friday shopping period. Kids place wooden character pieces on a circular soundstage divided into four sections to change the audio, creating interactive stories, layered music and quizzes. Content such as stories and games costs between $10 and $20 per add-on and needs a Wi-Fi connection only for the initial download. The reviewer says the toy is popular with seven and eight-year-olds and suits children from age three.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Four Happy Nuts grooming products are recommended as gifts for men, each listed under US$20 at Amazon US list price. The range includes Comfort Cream, Whole Body Deodorant, Body + Nut Wash and Comfort Powder Spray. Three of the gifts come in the brand's newer scents, including Big Wood, a cedarwood and bergamot blend. Happy Nuts has scheduled discounts for 8 to 17 November and 19 to 30 November. Prices are in US dollars, and Australian shoppers are advised to check delivery to their address at checkout.
Three businesses are featured for Small Business Month in New England. Easy As Armidale, owned by Jason Richey, runs a drive-through serving coffee, gourmet pies, rolls and sandwiches. Serenity Diamond Beach, a retreat on the Mid North Coast, offers villas, beachfront access and facilities for weddings and events. In Glen Innes, Rhubarb & Rosie, run by Janie Kent, sells flowers, plants and gourmet hampers and bakes cakes from scratch.
A gift guide features 20 products aimed at men who want a rugged, traditional style of gift. Picks include a stainless steel pepper grinder with 50 settings, a Global chef's knife once recommended by Anthony Bourdain, and a green-laser distance measure. Other items range from a waxed canvas trucker jacket and a tactical toiletry bag to a 2,600 psi pressure washer and a hand-powered espresso maker. Reviewers describe each product's strengths, along with some drawbacks.
For Small Business Month, three New England businesses are being highlighted. Kim Talbot of Eungai Creek makes handcrafted chocolate and raw treats without gluten, dairy or refined sugar, starting from certified organic ingredients. In Uralla, best friends Emma Lawrence and Leah run Miss Groves, a shop of homewares, gifts and art they choose for themselves. Kaye and Leah Kliendienst, a mother and daughter, run The Lucky Dip Emporium, which stocks vinyl records, antiques, vintage toys and preloved clothing.
WIRED has published a holiday gift guide of 40 gadgets priced under $100 for tech enthusiasts. Picks include portable speakers, smart lights, a portable charger, a headphone stand, a gaming controller, a motion sensor and a sound machine. Each item is recommended by the outlet's testers, who say the list is designed to suit budgets during the costly holiday period. The guide is updated for November 2025 and links to further gift lists by price and interest.
WIRED has published a guide of nine gift ideas for people who love technology. The picks are items that tech enthusiasts want on their own wish lists this year. The guide advises buyers to choose gifts they would also want for themselves. Luke Larsen, a product writer and reviewer at WIRED who covers laptops, PCs, monitors and related computer accessories, wrote the guide. He has reported on tech for more than a decade.
This year's limited-edition beauty gift sets offer substantial value, featuring popular products and exclusive items. The Rare Beauty set includes four mini and full-size products valued at $115, while the Huda Beauty kit contains four full-size items worth $125. Estée Lauder's skincare set, valued at $266, features three products including a full-size night cream. Experts recommend considering recipients' preferences and existing products when selecting holiday beauty sets. Consumers should assess whether they'll use all items in a set to ensure they're getting genuine value.
Australia Post has announced Christmas 2026 parcel cut-off dates, urging shoppers to send gifts early. Parcel Post deadlines vary by state, with most interstate deliveries requiring parcels to be sent by 21 December. International shipping dates also differ, with some destinations needing parcels to be sent as early as October. The postal service delivered over 111 million parcels during the 2025 peak season.
