‘I love gifts with a bit of history and a story’

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, lasts for eight days and it can coincide with Christmas or it can be several weeks before; it goes by the Jewish calendar. As it happens, this year it falls over Christmas Day.

It is a very joyous festival. We cook, we party, we sing, we dance, we play a game with a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. I host, and we have a fantastic family gathering of my three daughters, son-in-laws and my grandchildren, then I’ll have [my son-in-laws’] parents, siblings . . . anyone and everyone really, as I love to host and if there is anyone on their own, they come too.

I will make potato cakes called latkes, which are my speciality, and sometimes I will have the children gather around as I’m cooking. They’ll go on a little step and bind the potato mix together. Another ritual I do is pushing cloves into oranges in a beautiful design, which gives this lovely heartwarming fragrance.

Hanukkah commemorates the oil burning in the temple for eight days . . . so we give gifts for eight days, though just to the children, not the adults. And every night we light a candle on the Menorah, a seven-branched candelabra.

Trifari is classic and timeless, and will hand down to generation after generation. Their necklaces fall beautifully around the neck 

Because of my background in antiques, of course I set the table with all my old china. I have beautiful Victorian compotes which make a centrepiece that looks refined and tasteful even though they are over the top. I use a lot of mismatching crockery, so it makes a harlequin effect when we sit down to dinner. It could all be blue and white, but each one will have a different pattern from a different period or factory. My home is very eclectic . . . I have a bit of everything in it: Scandi from the 1950s, Victorian dining chairs, Meissen porcelain mixed with 1970s Copenhagen.

In terms of presents, sometimes I hand on pieces of china or glassware as gifts with a little bit of chocolate or fruit. I love to give, but I’ve never been good at accepting. I’m so satisfied with what I’ve got. Although, actually, my best gift was my cosy white dressing gown with a hood, from The White Company.

I tend to get guidance for what my grandkids really want from my children. It might be books, clothes, something practical, never extravagant. And some Judaica, like a tiny vintage Star of David necklace.

However, jewellery generally is hard to buy as a gift. I’ll keep it classic and low key. And I’ll find out beforehand whether it’s gold or silver that someone likes. On the whole, if someone wears delicate things, they’re not going to want big statements and vice versa. Do they love fine jewellery or do they like costume and fashion jewellery? Some people won’t wear fashion jewellery. Are they allergic to anything? If so, I would stay clear of costume, but a fine piece of jewellery doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive; try a chain with a little charm.

If you want to impress someone who is a fan of vintage costume jewellery then go for Chanel because everyone loves it. For a more under the radar, affordable brand, if someone has classic taste then I recommend Trifari. In the 1930s the company hired Alfred Philippe as head designer, who had worked for Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. At Susan Caplan we have a lot of the 1950s pieces, such as very elegant gold-plated earrings. Their necklaces fall beautifully around the neck . . . it’s fantastic craftsmanship. Trifari is utterly classic and timeless, and it will hand down to generation after generation. Other less well-known brands that make great gifts are Napier and Monet. I’m very picky and our pieces all look like they were made yesterday.

I am also a sucker for candlesticks, porcelain, pottery. I like to have a little jaunt around Alfies and Grays antiques markets for those, and Newark International Antique Fair has acres of vintage pieces from a few pounds up to hundreds of thousands of pounds. I love vintage watches but you have to be very careful and go to someone reputable, like Doble Vintage Watches.

I love gifts with a bit of history and a story. The Lowry great coat was inspired by the fact that the artist LS Lowry sat on the steps of the Private White VC factory to paint, and, again, it’s timeless.

London-born Susan Caplan is a renowned curator of vintage jewellery. She started her own collection in 2008 featuring designs by Chanel, Dior and Givenchy, available at susancaplan.co.uk. Her collections are also sold at major stores including Selfridges, Net-a-Porter, and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

Sign up for Fashion Matters, your weekly newsletter with the latest stories in style. Follow @financialtimesfashion on Instagram and subscribe to our podcast Life and Art wherever you listen