Here are some Christmas present ideas

[Mydogisscratching]

I wrote this list for absolutely no reason for my friends. Maybe there was a reason actually. I can't remember. Anyway here it is. Maybe it'll spark an idea for someone and be helpful!!

1. Mugs! You use them everyday so always think of the person. I like the Anna & Nina funny ones. Also Outlandish Creations. Gorgeous
2. Other lovely kitchen stuff. Know they need a fruit bowl? Get a lovely one. The Emile Henry bowl is good - veg in the bottom, fruit on the top
3. Magazine subscription - Private Eye, Grazia. Whatever they like
4. Anything perishable - we all have enough shit. Give something that disappears after a while
5. Cinema membership - Curzon, Everyman, Picturehouse. We all have enough shit and people don't go to the cinema enough
6. Restaurant vouchers - see above re we all have enough shit
7. You know, I'd take a voucher for a coffee shop. Takeaway coffee is so expensive now!
8. Socks - it's a classic for a reason. Cashmere
9. Candles - people say they hate giving/receiving candles. You just aren't spending enough. Buy fancy. Little luxuries don't come more lux than literally burning money

10. A print/poster from their favourite film framed 11. A copy of Private Eye from the day they were born, framed. Sadly mine had Prince Andrew on it :( 12. A really good knife - for someone who likes cooking, obvs. Maybe something random to add to their set - like the Global tomato knife 13. Lisa Eldridge lipstick and matching liner. Love her and her stuff is great 15. Art Fund/Tate membership

Stocking fillers/presents under £10

1. The milk chocolate honeycomb from Fortnum & Mason
2. Chocolate generally - needs to be one fancy thing or a really cheap selection box. Adults love a selection box too. NO LINDT
3. Cheese. Any
4. Q&A a day five year journal
5. Roger & Gallet shower gel
6. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read
7. Hotel Chocolat black forest hot chocolate (ok it's about 13 quid)
8. Rukmini Iyer roasting tin recipe book. Don't know anyone who doesn't love these
9. The Book of Form and Emptiness - it's a novel

10. Brownies - made by you 11. Nigella Lawson bar nuts - make in bulk, portion off in little bags. DELICIOUS. Have changed this one to add lemongrass and other shit 12. Silk hair ties 13. Skull teaspoons 14. Spacemasks X2 (Amazon sell singles) 15. Bamboo lids for Gu pudding pots (yes really) 16. Stainless steel tube squeezer - for toothpaste, hand cream, tomato puree. People love this shit 17. A card/board game that people will want to play on Christmas day (shit present if languishes in cupboard)

Another top tip - Pay the Selfridges ten quid a year unlimited delivery thing. Send lots of presents on nominated/next day delivery for zero pounds after that initial tenner!! They sell lots of shit and it always turns up looking relatively nice especially if you're posting direct

Side note - NO NOVELTY SHIT. No novelty mugs. No poo bingo. No bullshit buttons. No grow your own hairy beaver. Awful. Straight in the bin. So wasteful

I LOVE reading other people's lists - ok, I might not agree with everything on it (we all have SO MANY MUGS, I can't even close the mug cupboard door and I live on my own!) but ideas can lead to other ideas or even websites that you never knew existed.

There's no point in dissing someone else's ideas - you'd probably hate 90% of what I'd bought for my adult kids, but if one thing sparks an idea - it's worth it, surely?

Happy Christmas one and all.

ignoring the smug tone of the list which is what I think people are reacting against.

I am always happy to read a list for ideas.

the thing I like on here and have just ordered x2 is the roasting cookbook.
My mum bought it for my brother a few years ago and he LOVES it. I now have 2 adult kids at uni and they are both getting into cooking, so they have one each.

I really like the fruit bowl, but there's no bloody way I'm spending £100+ on a fruit bowl.

I wouldnt like any of that but a good list of ideas.

The only things I'd want from that list is cheese and/or a board game! The rest seem pointless less and needless to me.
Don't most people have mugs already?
I can make my own food, that will be to my taste, and I have enough chocolate at Christmas already thanks!
Also find smellies are very personal and I have plenty of recipe books I don't use already! 😆
Or am I just really awkward?

I think Lindt is the o my chocolate I'd be happy to get! Oh, or Ferraro Rocher! I'm posh, me. 😉

Yes please to coconut Lindt if you can find it.

I never give calendars - I find people are very particular as to the style they like - layout, size of squares, size of actual calendar! And why do I need one with pictures of where I live on it? I can go and see them in real life!

Also, who buys stocking fillers at £10? Anything in stockings here is about £3 or under!

I think you’ve misunderstood - I’m talking about my local area to send to someone who doesn’t live there. If you have older relatives who don’t live nearby and might not ever visit then they can “see” a bit of your locality and better envisage your daily life.

You can usually get beautiful cut glass ones from charity shops for less than £5
I then fill them with hyacinths from sainsburys- £3 a pot at the moment. 2 pots fit in well

They are then left with the bowl and the hyacinths can go in the garden for next year

I dont know anyone who uses a calendar any more except my parents in their 90s.

Hmm, still unsure on it! I think I'm just not a fan of scenic calendars in general, but I am lucky to live in a lovely bit of countryside - probably different if you're in a big city!

We have enough mugs, I only drink out of thin China mugs not pot, I am not Pete and Sophie off Gogglebox

I never like scented candles, however expensive. Not at all

I prefer Lindt to Hotel Chocolat which isn’t sophisticated just because it misses off an e.

Chocolate Oranges go in the Food Bank. 2 so far this year.

I admire your confidence OP, but for me, I like a bottle of wine if anyone is ‘stuck’ . It will not go to waste, I will enjoy it.

@Dogwithagammyleg I use a Gruffalo family calendar - have had one for a few years now. Up on the kitchen wall, everyone can see what is happening and I can put birthdays, school clubs etc on it.
Much easier to keep track of what everyone is doing.

What's wrong with Lindt? Definitely better than a cheap selection box!

Nothing wrong with the list - I'm very proud of my many random mugs in my cupboard. I do have a proper set but the random quirky ones are far more fun!!

I love Lindt. Also enjoy reading random lists, seeing what other people buy, going off down rabbit holes which just sometimes come up with something perfect for someone awkward.

I don’t really buy for people far away but if I did I’d use the Selfridges tip, they sell all sorts of stuff, plenty of it is not hideously expensive, but look swanky arriving in selfridges packaging!

Also those skull spoons would suit me for stirring liqueurs in to coffee, no spooning required.

Save money on Gu pot lids.

https://www.facebook.com/1360720157399547/posts/pringle-lids-gu-dessert-pots-a-perfect-little-pot-with-a-lid-a-number-of-communi/2122605144544374/

Agreed. I was grateful for the list and took some ideas from that I wouldn’t have thought of.

Lindt is fabulous, Hotel Chocolate is tasteless and expensive.

@ohdamnitjanet LOL I thought it was just me! Bought some Hotel Chocolat for someone else one year and got a sneaky extra for myself. Entirely disappointing. Give me some Thorntons, Lindt or even Dairy Milk any day.

I know! Horrible texture. Last lot I was given went in the bin. Lindt or Toblerone!

i personally hate vouchers - I find them stressful as I am always convinced there will be small print that means they won’t work or will expire
so instead I put a small sealed envelope with the cash inside with the gift description on the outside of the envelope
so
“dinner money”
“haircut money”
“car wash money”
”spa day money”

perfect - no stress!

@ruthieness vouchers (for regular popular retailers) are easy to use.
If using in store - just hand over to the sales assistant.
If using online you just type the card number in for "payment method".
My aunt send my 15 year old a M+S voucher just the other day.
It took her approximately 4 and a half minutes to find a Pokémon top she liked and order it via their website.
Edit : obviously that's just vouchers for retailers. A bit different for things like Spa Days. Although don't things like that usually have to be booked online? Cash would be a pain because it's almost impossible to deposit actual cash into a bank account because physical banks and ATMs are becoming rare.