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Kuration Nº 02 · Week of Oct 9, 2026

Secret Santa gifts under $25: five anyone would keep

A good Secret Santa gift works for anyone in the group and still feels chosen. Our first pick is Art of Play’s Calder playing cards, a deck drawn from Alexander Calder’s own paintings, for $20. Every pick is from Kurate’s brand book.

The five picks

  1. The One

    Calder Playing Cards

    Art of Play · $20

    A deck drawn from Alexander Calder’s 1970s gouaches of card players, with the numerals in his own handwriting.

    For anyone who keeps a deck of cards in a drawer. Not for a group that never plays games.

  2. The Safe Choice

    No. 122, Nocturne, Tea Sachet Box, 15ct.

    Bellocq Tea Atelier · $20

    Fifteen sachets of a chamomile and lavender blend for the evening, each in a plastic-free sachet.

    For the colleague who makes tea at four o’clock.

  3. The Unexpected Choice

    Perch Bookmark

    Craighill · $18

    A bent stainless-steel bookmark whose small fangs grip the page, so it stays where it was left.

    For the reader with a book in every bag.

  4. The Upgrade

    Panobook

    Studio Neat · $25

    A wide notebook made to sit between a keyboard and a monitor, in an archival slipcase.

    For someone who keeps lists at their desk.

  5. Under budget

    Aranya Black Pepper

    Diaspora Co. · $13.50

    Single-estate black pepper from Kerala in a 50 g tin, small enough to tuck in with anything.

    For anyone who cooks.

Also worth a look

  • Star Dominoes · Fredericks & Mae · $20

    Baltic birch dominoes with silk-screened stars in place of pips.

  • Taper Candles, 8 Colors · SIN (Virginia Sin) · $18

    A pair of pure beeswax tapers in colours like celadon and moon dust.

  • The Medium Capsule · Cadence · $24

    One leakproof hexagonal capsule that snaps magnetically to others, for the frequent flyer who decants everything.

From the Kurate team. Kurate began with a hard task: choosing a gift for someone, and always ending up with a big designer name or something generic. We set out to find the brands worth knowing instead, with pieces that feel chosen for the person who receives them.
Prices checked on Oct 6, 2026. Prices and stock change, so check with the maker before you buy. No brand pays for a place in the book or a pick: how Kurate chooses gifts.

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