From Dunhill’s beautiful backgammon set to Revo’s ingenious new radio – don’t leave your satisfaction to chance this festive season.

Are you ever struck by the lack of imagination that loved ones put into your gifts? Oh, I saw him reading once, let’s give him a book! He has two feet, why not a pair of socks? If this logic were applied to us, an oil tanker brimming with single malt would dock at our flat on Christmas morning. Sadly, no such luck. Even Saint Nick is considerably better at meeting the demands of children than he is at satisfying the wishes of discerning men. So we’ve put together a cheat sheet you might leave someplace conspicuous, marked with a Sharpie. Once your nearest and dearest spot the handmade board games, the latest digital cameras, the Swedish colognes or the Italian luggage, no hints will be required. There’s only one way to guarantee that Santa brings you what you want…

The English grooming brand Penhaligon’s has been around since 1870, so it was born in the heyday of the Victorian beard. Its Beard & Shave Oil can be used by the hirsute to condition a beard, or the clean-shaven man to prep his face for his morning ablutions. The hair pomade is a must as well, and Want Les Essentials de la Vie’s simple sponge bag is the perfect accompaniment.

The Swedish company Hasselblad supplied the cameras that went to the moon. The company took another giant step when it recently launched its Stellar compact cameras, which are aimed at the consumer market. The cameras are beautifully made with Carl Zeiss lenses, aluminium bodies and padouk wood handles.

Designed by Mr Hedi Slimane, Saint Laurent’s French creative director, this Italian-made pebble-grain leather holdall is a luxurious choice whether you’re heading to the gym or taking off for the weekend. Its all-black interior gives it a minimalist appeal, and it’s as discreet as it is stylish.

In 2013 Mr Ben Saunders became the first man to successfully complete Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s famous route to the South Pole. He did so with a Bremont Terra Nova watch on the outside of his coat sleeve. However, with its titanium case and GMT function, the watch is equally appropriate for your more modest journeys.

These Lanvin cufflinks are a modern accessory from the Parisian brand that has defined male elegance for the past decade. Their form is pleasingly simple, a rhodium-plated circle with an easy-to-use T-bar back, but the ingenious mother-of-pearl inlay can be switched from white to black when you’re heading out for the evening.

The impression made by a woollen tie is remarkably different from the one made by a silk tie. The mood is more casual, the feeling is freer and the vibe is relaxed, rather than businesslike. These ties will dress down a suit, or dress up a blazer, and they’ll do it with panache.

What do you give the man who has everything? How about a set of wooden Russian dolls by Maison Martin Margiela, handmade in Russia? The white painted finish gives the dolls a very modern blankness, but the real attraction lies in the tactile pleasure they give when you fiddle with them – they are, in German, a handschmeichler.

A man’s aftershave is such a personal choice because it seems to say something about how he sees himself. This modern take on classic cologne by Byredo, founded by Swedish perfumer Mr Ben Gorham, is fresh, citrusy and crisp, and thus perfect for everyday wear – it’s the olfactory equivalent of a white Oxford shirt.

Described as “not-yet-ready-to-wear”, Sleepy Jones’ hip pyjamas are designed to be worn in bed and around the house. For this navy blue pair the brand enlisted the help of film director and graphic artist Mr Mike Mills. He came up with the sleeping pill print, which complements the snow-white piping.

The radio is evolving into a fully connected entertainment station capable of playing what you want, when you want it. Revo’s new SuperConnect is the best reviewed, and best-sounding example of this, and it’s superbly complemented by these substantial audiophile-quality headphones by Master & Dynamic, crafted from grain leather and stainless-steel.

Smartphones are ubiquitous but a man can still make a statement with his writing instruments, and few statements will be as eloquent as the one made with notebooks from a Roman stationer, and a Japanese brass pencil sculpted in the shape of an oversized bullet case, both of which will be available on MR PORTER in December.

Every day, week and month, MR PORTER writes, photographs and creates the web’s most stylish content (pat on the back to selves intended); and once a year the best of that content is collated into The MR PORTER Paperback, the third edition of which has just been published. It looks its best, however, as part of this three-volume box set.

The pleasure afforded by a game of backgammon is predicated just as much on the elegance of the board as it is on winning the match. With this logic, losing on Alfred Dunhill’s leather-bound, wooden-framed set with its aluminium checkers will be almost as much fun as winning on a less handsome set.