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Dragonspace Christmas Gift Guide 2019
It’s heeeere, the magic season! Bells are ringing, lights are lit, and trees are strung. Now it’s time to pour yourself a mug of eggnog or a bubbling potion, and start thinking about the perfect gifts for your loved ones this Yuletide.
Below you'll find a list of thoughtful Dragonspace gift ideas for the fantasy and magic fan in your life. We’ve got a wide range of gifts available online, ready to be shipped across Canada and the USA. And if you’re in the Vancouver area, please do stop into the store on Granville Island to browse our treasures and say Merry Christmas in person! The dragons love visitors.
2020 CALENDARS AND DATEBOOKS
With 2020 right on the doorstep, a magical calendar or datebook is the perfect gift for Christmas. We’ve got a range of fantasy and spirituality themed 2020 products in store now, but a warning that these tend to sell out fast!
Some of our popular calendars include the Llewellyn Astrological Calendar, the Alchemy Gothic Calendar, and Paolo Barbieri’s Unicorns Calendar. Our Llewellyn’s Witches Datebook 2020 is also a bestseller - filled with witchy tips, recipes and reflections for the year ahead.
You can view the whole 2020 collection here.
FANTASY POP CULTURE GIFTS
2019 was a year of amazing fantasy story-telling. We had the Game of Thrones finale, the Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance premiere, and the announcement that there’ll soon be a new Middle-earth story hitting our screens from Amazon. We’ve expanded our pop culture collection in store to celebrate all this exciting fantasy content, and these products would make a memorable gift for the pop culture fan in your life.
We’ve got some incredible new puzzles in stock, featuring Labyrinth and Wizarding World themes, among others. Our swords and weapons collection feature replicas from Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. We’ve also got collectible coffee table books like Dungeons and Dragons: Art & Arcana, the Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia and the beautiful Harry Potter Wand Collection.
You can view our whole fantasy pop culture collection here.
CHESS SETS
After Christmas dinner has been eaten and gifts have been unwrapped, that’s when the games make their appearance! Playing games is a part of many Christmas traditions, so these stunning and unique chess sets are the perfect gift and activity for the holidays.
Our themed chess sets are made of solid resin and hand-painted with intricate details. The pieces each stand on a wide base lined with velvet. The more traditionally minded might like our Knights in Armour set, while those with quirkier tastes would prefer our Alice in Wonderland or Robin Hood themed sets. Note: for these sets, boards are sold separately.
We’ve also got a gorgeous King Arthur and Camelot themed board, featuring characters like Merlin, Guinevere and dragons cast in silver and bronze painted resin, complete with a beautiful glass board.
You can view all our chess sets here.
DIVINATION STARTER KIT
With the New Year approaching, this is the perfect time to give the gift of divination. Divination is the practice of delving into future possibilities to help make important decisions in the present.
Our most popular divinatory tools are our tarot cards. We’ve got tarot cards to suit every personality and preference, from fantasy-themed to animals and nature; witchy Wiccan to simple and traditional. All decks come with an instructional booklet to help get started. You can read more about tarot and oracle reading here.
We’ve also got a range of pendulums, which are another method of divining the future and helping to make decisions. The pendulum bodies are carved out of mystical gemstones and hung from sturdy chains. You can read more about the art of pendulum magic here.
Another great divination gift idea is our rune sets. Runes are an ancient Nordic form of divination, involving casting stones etched with ancient rune symbols. Our rune sets are carved into gemstone settings and come in a drawstring bag. You can read more about rune divination here.
We've also got a number of books on divination here, which would be the ideal accompaniment to any divination starter kit.
STOCKING STUFFERS
If you’re looking for some smaller items to fill stockings this year, then we’ve got a number of magical items to choose from. Our creative mini kits are small and compact gifts that offer fun activities or memorable tokens to collect. We’ve got Harry Potter and Game of Thrones themed kits, as well as quirky ideas like Finger Yoga, tattoo kits, Zen Gardening, mini crystal balls and more.
Incense is also always a popular stocking stuffer, and it makes everything smell divine! We’ve got traditional stick incense in a variety of scents, as well as incense cones, resin incense and sage sticks and smudges.
And there you have it, a few magical gift ideas to suit every budget and personality this Yuletide! This is just a small selection of what we've got in store - other popular gifts include our fantasy statues, sterling silver jewelry and our diverse New Age book collection.
If you have any questions or are looking for gift ideas, please do get in touch! And once again, if you're in the area, pop in to see our collection and our beautiful Christmas tree in person.
From Dragonspace, wishing you all a very merry and magical holiday season and looking forward to an enchanted 2020!
If you liked this blog post, you also might enjoy:
Gift Ideas for the Twelve Zodiac Signs
Magical Gift Guide 2017
The Pagan Origins of Christmas
Gift Ideas For Every Magical Creature
Yuletide is almost here, that magical, merry time of year! The world feels all the more enchanted during the festive season, and so we thought we'd put a mythical spin on our gift ideas this year.
Most people have a magical creature that they feel most connected to—whether it's the fieriness of the dragon, the earthy energy of the fairy, the playful spirit of the mermaid, or the mystery of the unicorn. We've collated a list of Dragonspace gift ideas based on each of these four magical creature personalities. So read on to find out what to get for your mermaid-sister, unicorn-nephew and all in-between!
FOR THE DRAGONS
Dragons are known for their fiery nature. The dragon-lover in your life will probably be drawn to fire as an element, so celebrate that by gifting them with some distinctive candle-holders or incense to burn. In particular, our Dragon and Sword Candleholder will look perfect in a dragon's lair, and our Dragon's Blood Incense is ideal for protection and banishing negative energy.
Dragons also love treasure. There's sure to be something in our sterling silver jewelry collection that your dragon will want to add to their treasure trove. Our Celtic Band Rings are popular among men and women alike, or perhaps some Dragon Earrings fit for a dragon queen.
Dragons are fierce. Our sword and dagger collection will appeal to dragon-lovers who enjoy tales of battle and glory. We've even got replicas of Game of Thrones swords, such as Jon Snow's "Longclaw" and Ned Stark's "Ice" Dagger.
FOR THE FAIRIES
Fairies are strongly connected to nature. Have a look at our range of nature-themed jewelry for the fairy-lovers you know, such as this Tree of Life Pendant or this Butterfly Ring.
Fairies are often believed to have magical divinatory powers. Help the fairy in your life divine the future with a divinatory tool like our range of pendulums and runestones. Our Amethyst Pendulums and our Rose Quartz Runestones are always popular.
Fairies are powerful feminine figures. We have a number of books that celebrate magical women in our collection. The Priestess and the Pen takes a look at powerful priestess figures in history and mythology, and Avalon Within explores the mysteries that have inspired women through the ages, such as Arthurian legend.
FOR THE MERMAIDS
Mermaids are creatures of emotion. Mermaid-lovers will likely be highly in touch with their emotions and creativity, so would appreciate a meaningful journal or notebook. This special Mermaid's Mirror Journal features quotes from poets and artists inspired by mermaids, while this vibrant Imagination Journal is perfect for the dreamer.
Mermaids are playful. They'll love rising to the challenge of one of our fantasy-themed jigsaw puzzles, such as the intricate 1500 Piece Flight of the Fablemaker Puzzle or the elegant 550 Piece Gift of Love Puzzle.
Mermaids are known for their self-love, sometimes mistaken for vanity. So a mermaid would have no qualms about having statues of herself in her home! We've got a range of lovely mermaid statues and figurines, like our Mermaid in a Pond and our adorable Mermaid Baby.
FOR THE UNICORNS
Unicorns are mysterious creatures. The unicorn-lover in your life will likely be intrigued by the mysteries of tarot and oracle, and we've got a large range of decks in stock to choose from. The stunning Oracle of the Unicorns and the mystical Shadowscapes Tarot in particular would be a perfect fit.
Unicorns are pure. A gift of sage smudge sticks or resin incense will help your unicorn to cleanse and purify their life and surroundings. Our White Sage and Cedar Stick is perfect for smudging, and this Forest Blend Resin creates a fresh earthy aroma perfect for forest-dwelling unicorns.
Unicorns are legendary. Your unicorn friends will enjoy reading about other myths and fairytales, like this beautifully illustrated Classic Fairy Tales collection by Berlie Doherty. And for the little unicorn in your life, you can't go past the charming tale of Thelma the Unicorn.
So there you go...a little something for every magical creature in your life! Here's hoping you have an enchanted Yuletide with your loved ones and we look forward to supplying you with more mystical and mythical wares in the New Year.
The Pagan Origins of Christmas
Christmas has well and truly arrived at Dragonspace, with fantastical ornaments, magical gift guides and plenty of sparkle adorning our physical and online stores!
Since we're fans of mythology and ancient cultures, we wanted to delve into the old origins of this magical season. Popularly regarded as a Christian holiday, Christmas as we know it can actually be traced back to Pagan roots, from the revelling Romans to Celtic Gods.
Let’s take a look at how some modern Christmas traditions were inspired by the nature-worshipping religions of old.
The Plants
Pagan festivals are always closely linked to the seasons and the natural world. Look around you at Christmas time, and you’ll see leafy green and berry red everywhere - Christmas trees, glittery wreaths, holly and more! Not just pretty decorations, many of these plants carry important symbolism.
Mistletoe was a sacred plant for many ancient cultures, particularly the Ancient Romans. The Roman festival Saturnalia - honoring the God Saturn - fell in mid-December. During this festival, "fertility rituals" took place under sprigs of mistletoe...leading to the more modest "kissing under the mistletoe" tradition.
Holly is a plant with ties to old Celtic cultures. The Holly King, a nature spirit, is said to rule the natural world in the winter, while the Oak King reigns in the summer. The Christians also consider holly an important plant, with the spiky leaves reminiscent of Christ’s crown of thorns.
There are also aesthetic reasons for the greenery that bedecks homes at Christmas, of course. As Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere falls in the dead of winter, early Pagans decorated their homes with evergreen trees and other hearty foliage to bring a touch of natural brightness to the bleak winter spaces. This tradition paved the way for the modern day Christmas tree and hanging wreaths.
Carol Singing
Music plays a big part in Christmas traditions, whether it’s an old-fashioned carol or a pop hit. Singing and dancing in general always feature in Pagan Wheel of the Year festivals, like dancing around the May Pole at Beltane. Music is considered a way of outwardly paying respects and bonding with the community.
While we’re more likely to hear carols on the radio these days than at our doorstep, the tradition of carolers serenading their neighbours has ancient origins. In the old Pagan times, wassailing was the tradition of going door to door, singing and drinking to the health of your neighbours. Singing was said to drive away bad spirits, and hot wine and cider were seasonal drinks for health and merriment.
Mythical Figures
Santa Claus is a jolly icon of Christmas, appearing in folk tales and pop culture as a bearded old man who brings gifts to children around the world. There's a concrete contemporary mythology surrounding Santa, traditionally including a toy factory in Lapland, elf helpers and a fleet of flying reindeer. Most origin stories trace the myth back to a religious figure known as Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. But there may have been other influences.
Pagan religions often gave a human form to intangible concepts, like the Holly King personifying winter or the May Queen personifying spring. It was a form of ancient storytelling, bringing an air of imagination and excitement to festivals and helping children understand things they couldn’t physically see.
There have also been links between Santa Claus and the Norse God, Odin. Odin was often depicted as a strong old man with a white beard, like Santa. He rode a great eight-legged horse called Sleipnir, and would leave gifts in children’s boots by the fireplace during winter - sound familiar?
Santa's helpers often appear as magical elves, clearly derived from the "little folk" or "fairy folk" of the old Celtic and Scandinavian cultures. While the original fairy folk were ancient and powerful figures, modern interpretations often seen them down-sized to diminutive cartoonish figures, like Santa's elves.
Ornaments and Festive Decor
If you’re a modern-day Pagan, chances are you have an altar in your home. We wrote about altars a while back, which you can read here.
Christmas is a time of year where many non-Pagans craft a version of an altar in their home as well. Symbolic ornaments decorate Christmas trees, from animals and toys to personal trinkets and mementos. Pine-cones, festive fruits, ribbons and stars might form a centrepiece at a Christmas table. And greeting cards containing well-wishes and photos of loved ones take pride of place. All of these elements are reminiscent of a religious altar, which is a powerful site of positive energy and seasonal reflection.
Yule Logs and Candles
Fire plays an important role in Pagan rituals, whether in the form of votive candles, boiling cauldrons or fragrant incense. Fire is one of the four natural elements and represents heat, light, the sun and more. Candles are often lit at Christmas-time in symbolic colours like red, green and white, keeping with the Pagan tradition. And the fairy-lights that adorn Christmas trees and house exteriors carry the same connotations of warmth and light.
But perhaps the most important festive fire symbol is that of the Yule log. The Yule log is a folk custom across Europe, where people burn a giant log upon the fire during the Winter Solstice to celebrate the impending return of the sun. In the cold dark months of winter, it’s only natural that beautiful bright things like fairy lights, candles, glitter and hearth fires feature so prominently.
The old spirits are always well and truly alive at Dragonspace, and we love that Christmas is a time where they trickle into the mainstream world as well! Let us know your favourite Pagan festive traditions in the comments below. And be sure to check out our 'Top 20' gift recommendations to find the perfect gift for your loved one from our magical treasury!
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