11 Charming Polish Gift Ideas for Christmas 2021
It’s that time of the year again when you’re posed with the uneasy task of figuring out what presents to get for your loved ones. If you’re short on ideas, fear not, because Culture.pl is here to help! Below you can find a carefully composed list of 11 Polish Christmas gift recommendations: from Chopin-inspired perfumes, a video game crafted out of paper and a novel by a Nobel Prize winner.
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Olga Tokarczuk’s ‘The Books of Jacob’, photo: Volume
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We start off with a classic gift idea – a great read. Just recently, on 15th November, a fabulous Polish book, Olga Tokarczuk’s The Books of Jacob (Księgi Jakubowe), was published in English by Fitzcarraldo. Tokarczuk is one of Poland’s most celebrated contemporary authors, she received the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 and her novel Flights won the International Booker Prize.
The Books of Jacob is a fascinating historical novel set in the 18th century, which tells the story of the Jewish mystic and self-proclaimed Messiah Jacob Frank and his acolytes. Frank, who was born in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, led a religious sect which challenged the Jewish and Christian orders and was rumoured to practice secret rituals. This enormous book, over 900 pages long, is sometimes referred to as Tokarczuk’s magnum opus. It was translated from the Polish by Jennifer Croft.
The Books of Jacob is available as a paperback but a special limited-edition hardcover was just published by Fitzcarraldo in collaboration with Volume. The hardcover version comes in an elegant box and is signed by the author herself. You can purchase The Books of Jacob on Amazon and from selected bookstores.
'Polish Your Kitchen: A Book Of Memories: Christmas Edition’ by Anna Hurning, photo: press materials
Next up we have another book – this time for foodies! Polish Your Kitchen, A Book of Memories: Christmas Edition is a marvellous cookbook published in 2019 by Anna Hurning, the host of the popular Polish food blog Polish Your Kitchen. It includes 30 recipes for traditional Polish Christmas dishes such as sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi, beet soup with dumplings or wild mushroom soup. Thanks to this book you can make your Christmas taste like Poland!
Hurning’s publication is titled A Book of Memories because it was inspired by the kitchen experiences the author had with her Polish grandmother. Since there is no better custodian of Poland’s culinary tradition than a Polish grandma you can be sure that the recipes in this book are the real deal. A Book of Memories is available via Amazon.
Poster from the ‘Polska’ series, designed by Ryszard Kaja photo: © Ryszard Kaja
Looking for a visual reminder of Poland? The poster series Polska (Poland), created in the 2010s by the acclaimed Polish graphic artist and painter, the late Ryszard Kaja, encapsulates the essences of different cities and regions of the Land on the Vistula. Playing with the aesthetic of tourism posters Kaja created a unique Polish collection.
The city of Szczecin is illustrated with a stylized depiction of its iconic opera house, the poster of Toruń, the birthplace of the creator of the heliocentric theory Nicolaus Copernicus, sports a humorous depiction of the solar system. You can browse and purchase the posters from it at the Galeria Polskiego Plakatu website.
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'Papetura', photo: Petums
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Also visually appealing is this year’s video game Papetura created single-handedly by Tomasz Ostafin. Ostafin fashioned the sceneries and characters in his game entirely out of paper! He photographed the paper elements in various lighting conditions and transferred the pictures to a computer program and then animated them. This way he created a highly-detailed and original paper world where light and shadow are key.
Papetura is a puzzle adventure game where you play as a paper creature called Pape. Your objective is to stop a bunch of monsters from destroying the paper world with fire. It’s worth adding that it took Ostafin approximately seven years to create! The effort was well worth it as the game is absolutely beautiful. Due to its unique creation process and aesthetics Papetura has been described as ‘possibly the most artistic game of the year’. Ostafin’s game is available on Steam.
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Wooden Story, Retro Car, photo: promotional materials
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If you’re looking for a gift for a baby or small child, you should definitely consider the charming wooden toys made by Wooden Story, a family company based in Poland’s Beskidy Mountains. You’ll find delightful animal-shaped rattlers, eye-catching cars, colourful puzzle boards and more.
Wooden Story assure that their toys are free from any toxic paints or varnishes – all the paint they use is natural and eco-certified. They use beeswax and botanical oils to give their products a smooth finish. You can browse and purchase Wooden Story’s toys on the company’s website.
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‘Moss’ cotton sheets, design by Foonka, photo: Foonka / naturally inspiring
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Speaking of baby toys, let’s take a look at something that’ll help you sleep like a baby. The Polish brand Foonka creates amazing bed linens which make you feel like you’re surrounded by nature! With photorealistic patterns like hay, moss or sand, you can relax and drift off to sleep. But be sure to take a closer look at your linens: the patterns on Foonka’s sheets feature some hidden items waiting to be discovered. For example, the hay pattern includes… a needle, which lets you (almost) literally search for a needle in a haystack! The moss pattern, meanwhile, features a hedgehog and a ladybird.
Apart from bed linens Foonka also offers things like tablecloths, sleep masks and anti-allergy pillows filled with buckwheat hull. You can take a look at their products at their website.
Photo: Dziane
Here’s another recommendation from the world of textiles – the wonderful knitted items from Dziane. Based in the city of Łódź, Dziane is a small knitting studio that uses non-electric, manually-operated knitting machines – each of their products is made with a lot of care and precision. Knitted from natural fibres – linen, recycled cotton and merino wool – they are all finished by hand.
Among the studio’s products you can find tops, beanies and mittens, most of which are embellished with intriguing patterns. A special mention ought to be made of Dziane’s neck warmers designed especially for dogs. These colourful items should make for a great gift for any dog owner whose beloved pet has to endure cold weather. Dziane’s wares can be viewed and purchased on their website.
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Still from 'Never Gonna Snow Again' directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, photo: Lava Films / Match Factory Productions / Kino Świat
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Never Gonna Snow Again is a 2020 dark comedy by the acclaimed Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska and cinematographer Michał Englert. The film tells the story of a mysterious Ukrainian masseur by the name of Żenia, who works at an elegant gated community in present-day Poland. Thanks to his special skills he impacts the lives of the communities’ residents who, despite being well-off, seem to be lacking spiritual satisfaction.
The film was praised for its vivid characters skilfully portrayed by some truly talented actors. Żenia is played by Alec Utgoff, who many know from the show Stranger Things. He is accompanied by such noted Polish performers as Maja Ostaszewska, Andrzej Chyra and Łukasz Simlat. If you’d like to gift someone with a slice of contemporary Polish cinema Never Gonna Snow Again seems like a great choice. It’s available on Amazon Prime and on DVD on Empik’s website.
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'Anime Aeterna' from Jakub Józef Orliński, photo: Warner Music Group
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This year a fabulous album of classical music entitled Anima Aeterna was released by Poland’s ‘breakdancing countertenor’ Jakub Józef Orliński. This immensely talented young opera singer has won numerous awards and performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Opernhaus Zürich and the Warsaw Philharmonic. He is currently preparing to perform at the Metropolitain Opera in New York City.
Anima Aeterna is a collection of 18th century sacred compositions by composers like Jan Dismas Zelenka or George Frideric Handel, in which Orliński performs alongside the Il Pomo d’Oro orchestra and a choir conducted by Francesco Corti.
Interestingly, the compositions on Anima Aeterna include some forgotten pearls of Baroque music. The aria Un Giusto Furore by Bartolomeo Nucci and the motet Laudate Pueri by Gennaro Manna were released as recordings for the very first time. Discovering these obscure (and beautiful) melodies can be a real treat for a classical music lover! Orliński’s record can be purchased via his website.
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Chopin Perfumes, photo: chopinperfumes.com
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Our next recommendation is also music related. The Polish brand Chopin manufactures… (surprise!) amazing men’s perfumes inspired by the timeless music of the celebrated Polish pianist and composer Frederic Chopin. Currently three scents from Chopin are available, all of which reference certain works by this outstanding artist.
Inspired by a series of preludes, the scent Op. 28 composed of fruity and marine notes is meant to harmonise with the morning time, or the prelude of the day. On the other hand, Op.9, which references a collection of nocturnes and boasts resin aromas, is supposed to be appropriate for the night-time. Op. 25, meanwhile, is a nod to a series of etudes and, thanks to its woody and citrusy notes, should be suitable for the late afternoon. All the perfumes from Chopin are made from top-notch ingredients and come in elegant bottles. You can order them at Chopin’s website.
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Cover from the book 'Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi: Poland in 100 Words', text: Mikołaj Gliński, Matthew Davies, Adam Żuławski, illustration and book design: Magdalena Burdzyńska, published by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, 2018; photo: Grażyna Makara / Culture.pl
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Last, but not least, we have Culture.pl’s book Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi: Poland in 100 Words, co-created by our very own Sylwia Jabłońska, Mikołaj Gliński, Matthew Davies and Adam Żuławski. In this unique publication you’ll find stories about various Polish words like miłość (love), wolność (freedom), or imieniny (name day). Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi offers a great opportunity to get in touch both with the Polish language and Polish culture in general.
The book, richly illustrated by Magdalena Burdzyńska, was deemed one of the Most Beautiful Books of 2018 by the PTWK, a leading book publishing association in Poland. This year Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi was made available for purchase in the US and Canada where it is distributed by Consortium Book Sales & Distribution. In these countries you can find it in the book stores of selected art galleries and museums, and on Amazon. For more information about where to purchase the book check out: Where to Buy the Book 'Quarks, Elephants & Pierogi: Poland in 100 Words.
Culture.pl sincerely hopes you find these recommendations helpful; we wish you the best of luck on your hunt for Christmas presents and, of course, a merry, merry Christmas!
Written by Marek Kępa, Nov 2021
