BEING PRESENT
CHRISTMAS FOR HOLLY GOODMAN IS ALL ABOUT SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY AFTER A BUSY LEAD UP FILLING ORDERS FOR HER HAMPERS FROM HER CATTLE PROPERTY IN TAMWORTH, NSW.
Tamworth’s Holly Goodman has Christmas all wrapped up, thanks to her gorgeous range of luxury hampers.
CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS start early for Holly Goodman, who hand-delivers or posts hundreds of festive hampers and gifts through her business, The Good Gift Co. This is to ensure her beautiful boxed hampers, decked with grosgrain ribbon and leather tags, arrive in plenty of time to be popped under the tree.
“I love Christmas time, creating gifts that people will be giving, knowing they will put a smile on someone’s face,” says the 29-year-old, who launched her online business in 2017. These days, she dispatches up to 100 parcels a week in the lead up the big day from the tiny country post office down the road from Glenore, her 279-hectare sheep and cattle property 30 kilometres south of Tamworth, in north-east New South Wales.
While Holly is in Christmas mode months beforehand, when it comes to organising the festivities for her husband Ben, 33, and their two young sons, three-year-old Alfie and one-year-old Huxley, that begins closer to the big day. The boys each decorate a bauble and the family dress the tree with gold and timber ornaments. This year, the presents are wrapped in brown paper with a mix of striped and gingham ribbons and the home is filled with foraged greenery and hand-made wreaths.
This time is precious for the Goodmans, who take Christmas as a moment to press pause, relax, and savour good food together. Holly and her mother and sisters will serve salads, seafood and a mix of hot and cold meat for Christmas lunch. And then they work off all the Christmas excess as Ben’s work as a partner of Ian Morgan Livestock eases off over the break and the family spend more time outside, taking the boys for rides on the Welsh pony and drafting cattle at the yards. It’s the same kind of outdoorsy, country childhood both parents enjoyed; Holly grew up on a beef property in the Southern Highlands while Ben is from Bathurst. They met at the Sydney Show, where Holly was showing hack horses, while they were both at high school and have been together ever since.
“We love the property, having space and fresh air,” says Holly. “I think raising our kids like Mum and Dad raised me – on a property with the calves and horses – is wonderful.”
They moved to Glenore in 2015 and built a new home, as well as fenced and watered the property. Most weekdays, Holly processes and packages orders from a repurposed shipping container near the house. She started the Good Gift Co after struggling to find luxury products locally.
“I noticed there was a need for gifts within the hospital and for new babies, as well as corporate people wanting luxury gifts,” she recalls.
What began as a hobby from the kitchen table quickly escalated into a thriving online business after Holly went >
“I think raising our kids like Mum and Dad raised me – on a property with the calves and horses – is wonderful.”
on maternity leave from her teaching role in Tamworth. Although she loves teaching, her new business became her focus. She introduced a small product range and added to it with homewares, jewellery and gourmet goods available both individually or in hampers. The Beach People bath towels, Grown Alchemist skincare and Greenwood Designs earrings are just some of the gifts that can be customadded to a hamper, while ready-made hampers take the guesswork out of ordering.
“People’s day-to-day at the moment is so busy, so to help someone with their gifting is important,” Holly explains. “People are happy they can get a good gift to someone without having to do all the work.”
Baby hampers are particularly popular, as are the market baskets Holly designed and launched last year, which can be customised with a monogram stamp. The raw timber boxes are made locally by the Men’s Shed in Tamworth and the stamped leather tags are made by Millie of Tamboon Leather Co. “I’ve tried to get packaging that can be reused,” Holly adds. “All the bags and smaller products come in drawstring bags.”
Last year the Good Gift Co was featured in the Buy from the Bush campaign, which gave a welcome boost to her business leading up to Christmas.
“People want to support small businesses at the moment, which is lovely,” says Holly, who’s always on the hunt for Australian-made products to add to the hampers.
It all adds up to a busy life, especially in the run up to Christmas. But checking the animals at the end of the day is a well-loved ritual. The boys love being outside, feeding the animals and rugging the horses, or heading off for a drive in the buggy to check on the cattle.
As ever, Christmas is a good reminder of the important things in life. “I’m looking forward to winding down and enjoying time with our close family and friends over the Christmas break,” Holly says.
For more information, visit thegoodgiftco.com.au or follow Holly on Instagram at @thegoodgiftco