December 11, 2025

12 Days of Christmas Day 7 - Desk, Diaries & Everyday Organisation

There’s a special kind of person who gets genuinely excited about a fresh diary, a crisp to-do pad, or the perfect pen cup.

They’re the list-maker, the planner, the “I’ll just make a spreadsheet” friend. Their brain feels calmer when the desk is clear, the week is mapped out, and there’s a place for everything – even if life around them is a bit chaotic.

Day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas is for them: the planners, the big-picture thinkers, the students, the business owners, the quietly ambitious. Our Desk, Diaries & Everyday Organisation collection brings together Made of Tomorrow diaries, weekly desk planners, magnetic list pads, Umbra organisers, trays and pen holders so their 2026 can feel less “where did that week go?” and more “I know where everything is, including my brain”.

For the next 24 hours, this Day 7 collection is 15% off. And because we love making December feel a little more fun, we’re also running an Instagram giveaway where you can win your choice of an in-stock item from today’s edit (details at the end of this post).

Why a beautiful planning system is such a good gift

A good planning setup does more than just hold appointments. It helps someone:

  • Get ideas out of their head and onto paper

  • See their week at a glance

  • Carve space for the things that actually matter

  • Feel a little more in control (even when the calendar is full)

Our Planners + Journals collection and Office collection are built around that idea – practical structure wrapped in design that feels worthy of being left out on the desk or kitchen bench.

If you’re buying for someone who loves stationery or secretly craves order, a diary or desk set-up isn’t just “more stationery”. It’s a way of saying, I see how much you’re holding, and I want next year to feel a bit lighter.

The heart of it all: 2026 diaries they’ll actually use

If Day 7 had a hero, it would be Made of Tomorrow.

Their 2026 diaries are designed in Aotearoa from bamboo fibre with cotton hardcovers or faux leather, FSC-certified paper and really thoughtful layouts – they’ve already had their own feature on our blog in The Art of Planning Well: Discover the 2026 Made of Tomorrow Diaries.

Some favourites for this collection:

2026 A5 Grand Daily Diary – Classic | Cream – a full page per day for the detail-lovers: plenty of space for appointments, notes, tasks and little reflections. Soft cream cover, calm layout, very “designing your days on purpose” energy.

2026 A5 Grand Daily Diary – Classic | Liquorice – the same generous format in deep, inky black; perfect for monochrome minimalists or anyone who likes their desk to skew moodier.

2026 A5 Daily Diary – Faux Leather | Onyx – a little sleeker and more structured, with a faux-leather cover that feels subtly luxe on the desk. Great for professionals and business owners.

2026 A5 Daily Diary | Graphic – Ember – same daily functionality, but with a graphic, ember-toned cover for the person who likes a pop of design.

2026 A5 Weekly Diary – Classic | Cream – a weekly view across 13 months (1 Dec 2025 – 31 Dec 2026) with monthly and yearly overviews, a vision board and goal pages; ideal for big-picture thinkers who don’t need a full page every day.

Pair one of these with a Weekly Desk Strip – Minimalist Horizontal Planner | 52 Tear-Off Pages for the person who loves both a “big rock” overview and daily to-dos.

Lists, notes & everyday paper pieces

Not everything needs to live in a diary. Sometimes you just need somewhere to brain-dump today’s chaos.

From our Office and Planners + Journals edits:

Weekly Desk Strip – Minimalist Horizontal Planner | 52 Tear-Off Pages – a slim planner pad that sits along the bottom of your keyboard or at the top of a desk, with room for each day’s essentials and a notes area. Great for work, school or kitchen command centres.

List Maker – Magnetic To-Do Pad by Write To Me (My Organised Chaos Series) – sticks straight to the fridge or filing cabinet; perfect for shared household lists, meal ideas, errands and “don’t forget” brain loops.

Daily Notes Pad by Papier HQ – for the person who loves a fresh sheet each day but still wants something pretty.

Curved Daily Notes Pad from Papier HQ – soft curves and beautiful stock for everyday lists, project notes and scattered ideas.

These look gorgeous stacked next to a diary and pen on a tray – it feels like a “planning station” rather than just loose paper floating around.

Desk organisers that make everything look intentional

This is where the organisation magic really happens.

From Umbra, Papier HQ and our storage edit, you can pull together pieces that keep pens, chargers, notebooks and odds and ends in their own homes:

  • Tortoiseshell Leopard Tray by Papier HQ – Luxe Acrylic Desk Organiser with Divided Sections – a rich tortoiseshell tray with built-in sections for pens, sticky notes, paper clips and small tech bits; perfect for the design-y desk lover who wants function and personality.

  • Minimalist Terrazzo Pen Holder – Modern Desk Organiser with Multi-Slot Design | Papier HQ – a sculptural terrazzo block with multiple compartments for pens, pencils, scissors and business cards. It’s a small piece with big “I have my life together” energy.

  • Clear Acrylic Gold Document Holder with Gold Frame by Papier HQ – Luxe Desktop File Organiser – holds notebooks, magazines, folders or important mail upright, so the “to action” pile still looks beautiful.

From the Umbra side (technically “cosmetic organisers” but absolutely desk-worthy):

  • Umbra Cascada Rotating & Stackable Cosmetic Organizer – a rotating clear tower that’s just as good for washi tape, pens, sticky notes, paperclips and desk bits as it is for beauty. The 360-degree spin makes it so easy to grab things mid-task.

  • Umbra Pirouette Rotating Cosmetic Organizer – Clear Acrylic – another great spinning option if they love vertical storage and need to keep a lot within reach in a small footprint.

  • Umbra Bellwood Storage Bin – Stackable Recycled Plastic & Wood Organizer – soft curved edges and a wood handle; perfect for corralling notebooks, tech, chargers, label makers or craft supplies on shelves or inside cupboards.

One or two of these instantly turn a “hot mess” desk into something that looks styled on purpose.

Trays & catch-alls: styling meets function

Design-forward organisers are the sweet spot for this day – especially anything that works on both desk and bedside.

Pieces to pull into Desk, Diaries & Everyday Organisation:

  • Cloud Ceramic Tray – White or Black Speckle | Sculptural Wavy Edge Dish for Jewellery, Candles & Decor – beautiful under a diary stack or keyboard for pens, highlighters and a hand cream.

  • Marble Silicone Tray | Lightweight, Heat-Resistant Marble Look Tray – great as a base for a diary, phone and glasses on the bedside table or as a catch-all for keys and AirPods on a console.

  • Bay Round Tray – Travertine Decor in Light or Burnt Finish – technically more “decor” than “office”, but perfect as a coaster-style base for mugs and candles on the desk, or to hold paper clips, pins and USBs in a tiny bowl.

These little foundations make everything else feel more pulled together (and are very photogenic if they’re the “desk flatlay” type).

How to build a Desk & Diary gift bundle

When you’re curating Day 7 gifts from our Desk, Diaries & Everyday Organisation collection, think about the kind of person you’re buying for and build a little system around how they live.

For the structured planner

This suits the person who loves plenty of writing space and a neat row of essentials within reach.

For the business owner or side-hustler

Perfect for those juggling meetings, deadlines and ideas who want their workspace to look as put-together as their plans.

For the kitchen-bench command centre person

Ideal for families or flatmates who keep life admin on the kitchen counter.

You can always layer in a favourite pen, sticky notes, or one of the affirmation decks from our Calm Rituals & Self-Care Gifts collection if you want to tie in mindset support too.

Written by Emma Walsh

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