Even as the city closed down, along with the rest of the country and the world, the wide open spaces that are such a feature of the Bush Capital meant we could stay distant and stay comfortable.

Let's celebrate this Christmas by giving a little bit of the capital back. Our Canberra gift guide has something for almost anyone with a bit of Canberra in them - a born-and-bred resident, newly minted voter, or casual visitor who found they really quite liked the place.

Show your love for the capital via your lounge, coffee table, desk or lapel - just so everyone knows!

Decorate your desk with a beautiful Canberra fog to stare deeply into as you muster your morning motivation, or give guests a comfortable geography lesson as they cosy into your couch. Or theirs!

These are pieces of the capital anyone can take home.

Locally distilled gin, hand-blended Parliamentary tea, made-in-Canberra body scrub or a Capital-branded candle? All great gifts. Also, I Love Canberra lollies, reminding us all (as if we needed reminding) that "Canberra Doesn't Suck" - it says so on the packet!

Canberra is a long-established home of amazing artists and designers, spread through the suburbs in home studios, congregating in creative hubs like the School of Art, M16, ANCA Gallery, Craft ACT and the Canberra Glassworks.

And, if you can't afford an iconic Fink water jug (put it on your wishlist), there are plenty of places to buy local art, homewares and jewellery. Check out the Curatoreum at the National Portrait Gallery and the Arboretum, the National Museum Shop, POP Canberra, Craft ACT and Hive in Braddon, for starters.

If you haven't yet stood in front of Jackson Pollock's Blue Poles, the pride and joy of the National Gallery of Australia's collection, shame on you! Get there quick - you won't be disappointed. And, as you visit the gift shop on your way out, look beyond the postcards at the range of Blue Poles-themed products. Nothing says art-lover like actually loving art (and wearing a scarf or tie adorned with one of the world's great masterpieces).

Or if historic vehicles are more your bag, look no further than the beautifully restored Propert caravan and Holden Prototype No 1 at the National Museum of Australia - and then buy some of the themed homewares on your way out. The cushion covers make particularly good gifts, and it's hard to go past a pink caravan-adorned tea towel.

Sometimes it takes an outsider to really see things differently. And you've gotta hand it to Trevor Dickinson - where many people might once have seen a dated suburban bus shelter, he saw a dead-set icon. The retro bus shelters dotted around Canberra are now festooned on a vast range of merchandise that should have all your family Christmas needs covered. A sumptuous book, playing cards, bookmarks, check, check, check.

And, over at POP Canberra, they've taken the motif a step further with socks, embroidered patches, and even some incredible 3D printed cufflinks and earrings by Suitcase Dollhouse.

It's time to bow down to the 'burbs.

Stuck for some last-minutes ideas that won't look last-minute? Those socks will go down a treat, as will a bar of Sir John Pet Soap, as named for the beloved pet of Fred Daly, who served in the House of Representatives from 1943 to 1975. The dog also ran for Federal Parliament at one stage. It's a gift that keeps on giving!

And for the knitter in the family (aspiring or otherwise), Political Ply Extra Fine Merino yarn should do the trick, from the Markets Wanniassa.

A lot has happened since last Christmas, but there is no way anyone can have forgotten the horrors of the 2019-2020 Australian summer. The South Coast - Canberra's summer playground, if you will - was hit hard. David Pope's beautiful South Coast is Calling prints are available online, and would make the perfect gift for just about anyone who has spent any time in that neck of the woods. Available at redbubble.com.

The items in our gift guide can be found at: