Stress-free gift giving

WITH THE TEAM'S BEST CHRISTMAS TIPS

Oh dear: the search for the perfect Christmas present never fails to drive us to despair. A lack of inspiration, packed department stores and the inevitable delivery delays from online shops complete the picture of what is arguably the most stressful time of year. But this time, everything will be different – with classics, surprising outings or home-cooked dinners surrounded by your loved ones. Here we present the Christmas tips from the Eric:Barbier team.

Wasn’t there something about peace and contemplation? The fundamental spirit of Christmas shouldn’t be about spending weeks hunting for presents that, if anything, will be exchanged or sold via classified ads after the holidays. Master barber Anthony agrees – and loves to give the gift of shared experiences: “After all the stress in December, you could do with a bit of relaxation. A voucher for a floatation session is perfect for that,” says the boss of Eric:Barbier. During a floatation session, you float virtually weightlessly on the surface of highly concentrated salt water. Without a care in the world, you feel as light as a feather, and your body and mind switch off completely.

Elphi or experiential theatre

For staff member Marvin, too, the wellness factor is a must under the Christmas tree. The hair whisperer prefers to give the gift of a “perfect day”, as he puts it: after breakfast in bed, it’s out into the fresh air for a romantic winter walk. This is followed by an appointment at the hairdresser’s to get ready for the grand finale with good seats at the Elbphilharmonie.

A visit to an interactive theatre also offers the best entertainment, as trainee Jesko explains in his Christmas tips: “I always give my parents tickets like this; I prefer that to material things. We then go to the theatre together, enjoy good food and drinks, varied art on stage and plenty of humour. We’re still laughing about those evenings years later.”

Gyros or kale

The second apprentice at Eric:Barbier takes a slightly more adventurous approach to Christmas: Mario sometimes even wraps flight tickets festively so that he and his twin brother can set off spontaneously for their Greek homeland a few days later. In Thessaloniki, friends, relatives, plenty of sunshine and local delicacies await the two men, who are almost indistinguishable from one another.

For barber and haircut master René, nothing beats really good food – so it’s no surprise that he’s asking for home-cooked delicacies for the festive season. He’s happy to go for something a bit heartier too; with kale, goose or duck, classic German home cooking is the order of the day for him.

Liquor or pinball

Anna also has some hot Christmas tips for anyone looking for gifts: the Japanese cutting expert recommends whisky from her homeland. Here, so-called ‘blends’ are produced in particular, by mixing different varieties to achieve a high-quality and as consistent a flavour as possible.

Original ideas just bubble out of employee Mo when you ask him for his suggestions. The St. Pauli native dreams of giving his friends a very special treat with discarded and refurbished slot machines. Whether pinball machines, digital card games or arcade games – the main thing is that the machines are colourful, loud and that the owner gets their small change back after a spot of gaming.

Classics and classic style

If Ahmed is still looking for a present, it doesn’t always have to be all “bling-bling”. The passionate barber from the HafenCity team takes a classic approach to his search: “I love giving perfume as a gift. The brand doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that it comes from the heart.”

For Magnolia, Christmas is all about style: “Cufflinks are the perfect gift for men,” reveals the barber, who caused her grandfather great delight with this surprise. When it comes to wishes for herself, however, Magnolia swears by shoes: “I have a whole collection at home.”

Vouchers or good for skin and hair

Master barber Behar likes to fall back on vouchers when it comes to gifts – and he’s not alone in this. “After the Christmas holidays, many men book an appointment in our salons for the first time because they’ve received a voucher from their family. I always recommend the Model Beard Package, where we wash, cut and style the hair and shave the beard in a classic procedure or tailor it to the desired look.” He estimates that around 95 per cent of all first-time customers from Hamburg book new appointments after this pampering programme.

“In winter, I also like to recommend care products such as our beard oil to protect the beard from the elements. Shaving sets or razors are also popular gifts,” says Behar – perfectly rounding off the team’s Christmas tips for a stress-free festive season.