SIL gift. Which would you prefer?

[Elf36]

Looking for some advice for buying my SIL a gift. She is very nice but also quite difficult to get really close to so I'm afraid all gift ideas I have for her are quite generic. She goes to the gym a lot, she loves her cat, she likes plants I believe and has a sweet tooth. Bought her a jumper for the gym last year.

As generic gifts go, this is what I have so far in terms of ideas:

1. A rituals gift set (posh shower gel, candle and body cream etc)
2. A kittens/cat wall calendar and some posh chocolates
3. Nice pyjamas

Are these all just a bit crap?
Which would you prefer? Any other ideas? Budget up to about £40

Gift set of those three
How about a new water bottle for the gym or a gym towel?

I've posted this in rge wrong place 😫how😫how do I ask Mumsnet to move it to the Christmas thread or delete it?

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But to answer you question
Rituals (it's lovely)

Like this...

Images didn't add I was too quick....

You are in Christmas ,

Someone once told me, if you want to get someone a gift they would like, look at what they buy you - that's often what they like

Thank you ❤️ have done that now! 😁

All sound lovely. Does she normally hang a calendar? If not, I'd not bother with that part. Rest sound great

A nice plant pot that matches her decor.
for info, I love cats but hate cat calendars

I don't like candles or scented toiletries, so I wouldn't like the gift set, and I think the calendar is risky because I love my dog but I wouldn't choose a dog calendar. Since you know she has a sweet tooth, though, the fancy chocolates sound like a safe bet. If she has a garden and likes plants in general you could get her a Sarah Raven gift card?

I think either the gift set or the pjs would be lovely. Not the calendar.

Great advice, thank you! I do worry slightly that I have actually just come up with a list of gifts I would like myself.

OK so based on feedback so far I think the calendar is out.

Another idea is a 2025 diary.

@Elf36 noooooooooo! (In a polite way !) everyone gets about five diaries, that they would not have chosen for them self and they go in the charity bag :)

I'm probably the SIL from hell, but I wouldn't want a diary either because I'm fussy about diaries and I only use a specific one! I like the nice plant pot idea above - it's the sort of thing that's lovely to have but you feel extravagant buying for yourself. Or a really nice watering can.

Don't worry that your list of gifts are ones you'd like yourself. It is just evidence of the point. It was a colleague who gave me this advice which I hadn't ever realised myself before they mentioned. I agree, though, the calendar is out.

Great help thanks guys - no to the diary then

Feels like it's between the rituals set and a posh plant pot (maybe with some chocolates).

I personally love getting pjs but worry the choice might be a bit personal and also that not everyone lives in them like me 😂

Of those the Rituals or the chocolates feel like a safe winner.
The cat calendar sounds like something you'd get an elderly great aunt and I think PJs re very personal for someone you don't know well, given you wear them in bed.
If you're confident enough that she likes plants then that's the route I'd go. Something interesting but not too much hard work like an aglonema or an interesting pothos in a cool pot.

What’s her decor like? You can get canvases of your pets dressed as historical figures, so a cat’s head on Henry VIIls body etc. Or her etc drawn as Simpsons characters. Obviously that won’t work if she’s a fan of minimalist neutrals, but if she’s got any quirkiness in her, she might like it. This sort of thing (I’ve never used this company, I can’t recommend them, it was purely to show the photos) https://www.pawandglory.com/?tw_source=google&tw_adid=&tw_campaign=20550883428&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACQP_UDYW7BkiOwayINqxh3Kgjm2h&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxuiH9eWBigMVy2dBAh0qOjp7EAAYASAAEgIXRPD_BwE

On the other hand, she might enjoy a generic gift from you, thinking that she doesn’t need to think about bubble bath because she knows she’ll get some nice stuff from you.

What about a small terranium ?

@Elf36 if you guessed her size wrong it could be seen as a "dig" so I personally wouldn't buy clothes unless given the exact style & size

I am not against pyjamas but you would want to be very confident about what size you think she is.

I would be honestly horrified if given a historic pet pawtrait . I would think you hated me & were being passive aggressive

Is this your husband’s sister or your brother’s wife? If it’s your husband’s sister, let him sort it out.

I’d hate all of those suggestions so the charity shop would be selling them for pennies in the new year regardless of the £40 you spent.

You could just say no to the consumer fest…….?