There are few posts that could become an annual tradition, but this is one of them. Last year, I realised that I was no longer confined to reading gift guides, I could write my own if I wanted to. The format is simple – 30 things, in (hopefully) a variety of price brackets that I’d happily give and/or receive.
As with last year, if you have other great suggestions for gifts, especially from independent merchants, please leave them in the comments – I *love* discovering new stuff!
1. Write till you’re hard, £4.89
This is a very slim book, but it’s a gem for anyone who wants to learn to write erotica, or who needs a reminder of why it’s worth writing about sex. If you’re particularly brave, you could buy this for a colleague with a £5 Secret Santa budget.
2. Stay Home Club tee, $26.94
The perfect gift for an introvert friend, these are printed on American Apparel tees, so they hang nicely, and would suit a cat lover, too! If your introverted friend prefers dogs, that’s also an option.
3. Cheese Sloth plate, £25
Using plates as art can go one of two ways – twee, or pretty damn cool. Personally, I think this, and the other Jimbobart designs, fall into the latter category. Alternatively, pair it up with some really good cheese.
4. Persiana and ingredients, £37.50
There are a lot of books in this year’s guide. Persiana went down really well with my mum last year, and has a properly beautiful cover.
5. ‘Laterite’ A4 print, £14
This is meant for children, but I’d totally put it on my wall because a) wolf fetish and b) the wolf has the cutest side-eyes. If you want to frame it, eBay has loads of cheap frame sellers.
6. Kitchen and Bedroom Nutella, £9.98
Personalised Nutella is back in Selfridges this year and you can have up to nine characters per label. If you’re sleeping with someone who loves it, why not give them two jars – one with a label saying ‘Kitchen’ and the other with a label saying ‘Bedroom’?
7. Tricolore pants, 75,00 €
Le Slip Français have some of the hottest male models around, which is partly why I spend so much time on their site. The other reason is that the packs of pants are lovely, and beautifully packaged.
8. V&A membership, £64
One for the writers and other creatives, I’m not a huge museum fan, but the V&A can, on occasion, provide fresh ideas and inspiration for writing even for me. Membership gets you free entry to exhibitions for a year and various other perks including previews.
9. Hourglass ambient lighting powder, £38
The idea of this powder is that it makes you look like you’re in the most flattering possible light at all times, and personally, I think it’s pretty damn good. It’s pricey, but it’ll last a bloody long time.
10. Rifle Paper Co jardin desk pad, £12
The wrong friend will think a desk planner is a shitty gift. The stationery loving friend will adore this – trust me…
11. St Germain elderflower liqueur, £19
This has just *the* prettiest bottle and makes the world’s easiest cocktails – just slosh a bit into a champagne flute and top up with fizz. Perfect for Scrooges, because it’ll remind them that Spring is on the way.
12. Moleskine postal notebook, £5.17
This would be the perfect pairing with the first item on this list – you could write the start of a story, send it to your lover, get them to continue it, send it back and … yeah, it makes me wish I had a lover right now.
13. Gold heart and black scarf, £12.99
Given its low price, this is surprisingly cute. I’ve already bought one for a scarf-loving friend…
14. Brushed silver coin earrings £17.72
This one, despite the price in pounds, may actually be better for Americans, seeing as I’ve sometimes been caught on customs fees having Elephantine jewellery delivered to the UK. It is beautiful though, and neutral enough to be hard to object to.
15. Inner Strength bath oil, £45
Super-pricey though it is, and although it’s pretentious enough to refer to baths as ‘experiences,’ I love this stuff. It fragrances not only the bath but the whole house, and some of the profits go to breast cancer research.
16. Great Pub, Great Walk, £11.66
All long walks need a good pub en route, and this has the added benefit of not needing to carry a book – just take the card you need out with you.
17. Hardback notebook, £12.50
When I’m writing by hand, and even for a notebook I mostly just keep stuffed in my handbag, hardback is hugely useful, because it doesn’t fall apart and it’s easier to scribble in on the go. Plus, aren’t these just the most beautiful prints?
18. Cassandra Yap print, £30
Cassandra Yap makes very cool erotic prints – C is for corsets, but there’s one for every letter of the alphabet. The only problem will be choosing between your initial or your kink…
19. Suede red fox purse, £30
I’m not allowed this, because it’s made of suede, and I’d want to keep my make up in it, and would inevitably trash it in no time at all. Probably one for someone tidier/more organised than me.
20. Grumpy bear, £22
I’ve already requested grumpy bear on my own Christmas list because I’m a sucker for anything with a sad face. However, these are suitable from birth, so ideal for both big and little kids.
21. Refuge/John Lewis gift list, £various
I was really pleased to be able to donate so much to Refuge after Lippie, and I think their gift list for women in their refuges is a genius idea, especially because it has so much genuinely nice stuff on it. If you’re buying for a friend who likes to do a lot for charity, consider this instead.
22. Pom-pom ballet slipper socks, £9.50
Cute, cosy, and good value – these are an example of M&S having a few little gems in their range and would work just as well for a friend as for your grandma…
23. Anne of Green Gables, $16
OK, so most people have read Anne of Green Gables, but I don’t know many who wouldn’t happily read it again, especially if they received this gorgeous edition. There are other options, too, including Heidi and Little Women.
24. Modal long lace vest, £25
I’ll admit it, £25 is a lot for a vest top. But these are fabulously long in the body, last for ages, look really cute and come in a huge range of colours. Plus, they stretch, so it doesn’t matter if you guess someone’s size a tiny bit wrong.
25. Tokyo Ghost Stories box, £34
Death to Flowers’ boxes are a bit strange, I know, but there’s a kind of joy to receiving lots of little bits, especially when those bits include good chocolate and cool stationery.
26. The Etymologicon, £12.08
If you know someone who’s obsessed with words and their meanings (*waves*), this would make a great gift. There are a couple of other titles in the series too, so you could give them all…
27. Fitzgerald print, £16.36
I’m not a huge fan of quotes as art, but I think these could be really striking in an office or study. You can also buy a set of three (there are lots to choose from) for £39.54.
28. Ours decanter set, $118
This makes me wish I drank more spirits (and had a boyfriend!). It’s expensive, sure, but it’s also *super* cute. If you’re feeling really rich, you could buy a bottle of something to go with…
29. 80s children’s books, £various
There are loads of good kids’ books out there, so there’s no reason to go back to old classics apart from the fact that a) nostalgia value and b) there were some really good books around in the 80s. The Avocado Baby is my favourite, but if you search Amazon for anything you have fond memories of, I reckon there’s a good chance you’ll find it.
30. Delancey, £11.88
I share posts relatively often from Molly Wizenberg’s blog, Orangette, and she writes wonderfully about food and relationships, so this is definitely on my list this year.
All pictures are taken from sellers’ websites. No copyright infringement is intended. If you’d like a picture removing or crediting, please do get in touch.
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Ignore that mine are all different thicknesses – I’m bad at girth
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