‘Little luxuries’ gifts

[Darlinghag]

Hi all,

This week has been the week I start to consider Christmas gifts.

Does anyone have their suggestions or favourite gifts that might be considered little luxuries?

Fancy socks? Some kind of food gift? A type of book?

Any type of person, any age, or gender. I would consider anything under £100 reasonable, although for a lot of folks I probably spend £20-£50.

Interested to hear what folks have either given or received that fall in this vein!

I really like cashmere wrist warmers

Big boxes of nice (normal flavoured!) chocolates are always a luxury to me. I got a £35 box of Hotel Chocolat ones last year though which were horrible, mulled wine and christmas volcano and all sorts of weird and wonderful ways to create chocolates that made me feel blergh when I bit into them. I am not much of a fan of alcohol chocolates either or salted caramel.

Socks I really like as a gift but I like them to be everyday socks/ particularly bamboo ones. I don't wear bed socks or cashmere socks or anything hand wash so I'd be careful not to over luxury it out of usefulness.

Books are a nice gift but you have to really know the person to know if they've read it and if they'd like it. I like thrillers and horrors but got gifted a historical romance at christmas because a friend had really liked it... I've yet to read it...

One gift I personally LOVE is when I am given theatre vouchers. They don't expire, no use by, and I love treating myself to a show as they really are luxuries to me. Even if it just knocks the cost down a bit I think it's great.

If they have a favourite perfume perhaps a soap or body lotion in the same fragrance.
My brother likes a bottle of malt whiskey.
Wolford tights!

I bought some of these for a friend that always runs cold, and they're so lovely. I plan to ask for some myself this Christmas (instead of the White Company cashmere socks I usually ask for!)

I think i'd like some luxurious pyjamas, rather than the £10 sets I buy from Marks.

I also love Leonidas chocolates, and a nicer brand of scented candle or diffuser than I usually buy.

I've got a couple of friends magazine subscriptions recently and they've gone down well. One for Geographical and one for BBC Good Food.

I'm a red wine drinker so a good bottle (again, better than I'd buy myself day to day) is always appreciated.

You would have to ask, but just bought myself a long fleece dressing gown.
I wouldn't want two.

Oh yes! Pure cotton or silk pyjamas.

Really good quality hand cream and body lotion are always appreciated. Or fancy versions of my favourite things to eat, like crackers and chutney.

A friend got me some lovely le labo hand wash and lotion a couple of years ago that went well in the downstairs loo and smelled amazing. I wouldn't have thought of this as a gift myself but it was practical as well as more luxurious than I would buy for myself.

Everything from the Rituals - not expensive for natural products and they have all sorts of prezzies from bath and shower, to laundry detergent and car smells. IF you bulk buy there, they will give you a present free of charge. Their men's section is very good too.

Bamboo socks, especially BAM brand
Really nice wine
Soap/shower gel/body lotion to match their fave fragrance (works for men and women) - the Chanel soaps are amazing
One really big luxurious candle eg Neom, Jo Malone, Aromatherapy Associates
Coffee subscription from eg Colombia Coffee Roasters in Oxford www.colombiacoffeeroasters.co.uk
Bespoke chocolate selection eg from www.thechocolatebarltd.co.uk
Flower subscription from Cornish Blooms cornishblooms.co.uk the spring flower one is lovely and really cheering throughout the early part of the year

Basically, nicer versions of anything they use regularly, so yogis might like some yoga wear from BAM, a luxury mat spray, a new mat or knee pad/mat (I have this one, it's great liforme.com/products/liforme-rainbow-yoga-pad). Golfers always want balls, cooks might appreciate a really sharp knife or a meat thermometer (mine has transformed my meat & fish cookery, plus super useful for cake baking), etc

Consumables are often the answer for "hard to buy for" people! Most people don't want more "stuff"

Oh, one last suggestion, someone bought me 6 half bottles of champagne once, brilliant gift as sometimes you want or need a glass of champagne but don't want to open a whole bottle. If you get them when eg Waitrose have a 25% off if you buy 6 offer, they can be pretty economical

Some fab ideas here!! Thank you. The theatre giftcards I love especially, and anything consumable!!

I agree with the sentiment about not buying ‘luxury’ just because its fancy if it would be impractical or unwanted.

My aim in going this kind of direction is also about reducing the volume of what I buy - mostly because I want to free up brain space around the selecting of gifts and also minimise the time it takes to organise/wrap/send them! I think as well, even though reducing my budget is not a motivator in what I spend, it will naturally reduce that because I’m not buying all those little bits to try and even up gifts when buying multiple things for one recipient, or feeling like things looks cheap/not enough.

keen to hear if anyone has anymore ideas so we could build up a good directory 😁

I like Brazilian bum bum cream but at about £35 it's a luxury I shouldn't buy myself

Aromatherapy Associates atomiser and oils

Chanel soaps

Kew Gardens handwash

Cashmere scarf /wrist warmers

Stationery - too much to mention (!)

Potted hyacinths

David Austin Rose

Kindle Paperwhite - Black Friday offer

I always buy people L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil. I only ever buy it from Amazon when it's £16 ish as it usually retails at around £20+
For me atleast, it feels like a luxury and the scent lingers on your skin for a while afterwards.

We have started making our parents hampers for Christmas and they love it! We go to a “posh supermarket” and buy nice chutneys, teas biscuits, oils etc and some lovely shower gels etc. this will be our 3rd year doing it and they look forward to it each year!

Clarins shower gels
Charbonnel & Walker chocolate truffles
Cashmere ski socks
Older edition of a favourite book
Fortnum & Mason iced biscuits
Fortnum & Mason marzipan fruit
Daylesford Organic hand wash and hand cream
La Mer skincare
Jo Malone or Diptyque candles
Velvet hot water bottle
M&S big tin of amaretti
Local honey

Not rituals it's the modern day soap and glory

Aesop hand wash. I would never buy it for myself but various lovely relatives have bought it for me a few times and it makes every bathroom trip a little luxury!

I think a luxury version of something is an ideal present so love this thread! I agree that it still needs to be tailored to the recipient and there can be an upper ceiling on what they would actually use (I use cashmere wrist warmers but not socks for example).

Food/drink:

Glassware (a nice whisky glass, a couple of gin balloons, riedel wine glasses), a good bottle of olive oil, coffee, fancy salt, a salt pig, jam (I'd say a luxury version of a normalish flavour personally but that's just me!), cheese, wine, spirits, have a look at Delli and Sous Chef.

Aesop is a great shout, I would love handwash or body moisturiser from them, and also special versions of favourite books (early editions, first editions, folio society editions etc) is a good one too.

A friend has bought me a couple of bits of handmade pottery; a little pot holding matches, and a beautifully shaped espresso mug. I've also been given hand made wooden crochet hooks, good fabric scissors, gorgeously designed and put together kits (hannah bass needlecraft kits, the stitchery embroidery kits) but all of that is obviously very specific!

Celtic and Co slippers
Muji wool stoles (I don't know that these are luxury as such but they're soft and cosy to wear and really useful. They come in lots of colours in season
https://uk.muji.eu/products/wool-large-stole-13353?_gl=1p2xm6m_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwko21BhAPEiwAwfaQCK-qxt4deZ51hoR5PFjir3Ph0fQ0vxoCHdKtBZrXODRClacbDW2IsxoCG6kQAvD_BwE

A reading spa! Very niche again but utterly fabulous
https://mrbsemporium.com/gifts/?_gl=1o9ttqh_up*MQ..&gclid=CjwKCAjwko21BhAPEiwAwfaQCFolWwp-LlrGOxLkT5UzHcDlSodhMCShDF9ogicZ8DUMV69XLx5sZBoCLM8QAvD_BwE#reading-spas

I don't know if there is a one size fits all option really, I tend to think consumables fit the bit most closely though.

A sleep tee from Oodie

theoodie.co.uk/collections/oodie-sleep-tees

So comfortable, keep you cool and wash really well. They often have sales where you can pick them up for about £20-£25. Come wrapped with a ribbon too.

Necessaire body serum. Crazy expensive but amazing!

I was going to say this! It smells amazing and feels very luxurious on the skin.

Also cashmere beanies. Fancy foodstuffs: chocolates, cheese, olives depending on their tastes.

If they drink, the wooden spoon company does lovely fruits steeped in alcohol. One of those gifted with a bottle of fizz and they have the ability to whizz up delicious festive bellinis. My favourite is the apricot with amaretto

https://www.thewoodenspoon.co.uk/bottled-fruits/