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A Calmer Christmas Gift List for the Whole Family
25
items One list for everyone you're buying for this Christmas: the children, mum, dad, the grandparents, and the aunties and uncles who are always so hard to shop for. These are the useful, lovely things I would actually give, in soft creams, warm wood and ...
Sections
5
For the children
For mum
For dad
For the grandparents
For aunties and uncles
For the children
Gifts that get them building, playing and making things together, away from a screen. I chose ones that still look lovely when they're left out on the floor.
Our kind of family game: easy enough for the little ones to join in, but clever enough that the big ones (and the grown-ups) actually want to play. Chunky wooden tiles, quick rounds, and no screens in sight.
MindWare Qwirkle Board Game for Kids Ages 6+ Strategy Tile Game for Family Game Night 2-4 Players with 108 Wooden Tiles
A wooden croquet set with little fox, bear and rabbit hoops that works on the living room floor or out in the garden. It packs away into its own canvas bag, which is half the reason I love it.
Tender Leaf Woodland Indoor Kids Croquet Set
The softest beige Jellycat bunny with little floral ears, and the kind of cuddly toy that gets carried everywhere for years. A lovely stocking topper for any age.
Jellycat ® Blossom Petal Beige Little Bunny Kids Stuffed Animal
A proper wooden weaving loom that keeps busy hands happy for whole afternoons. Swap in some cream and oatmeal yarn and the finished pieces look lovely on a bedroom wall.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Multi-Craft Weaving Loom: Extra-Large Frame (22.75 x 16.5 inches)
Ten little wooden sea creatures with their own shelf, which in a house of five matters more than you'd think. The younger ones play with them and the older ones end up telling stories with them.
Tender Leaf Wooden Coastal Creatures Kids Toy Set
For mum
Small comforts for the woman who usually buys everyone else's. Soft things, a calmer bedtime and a few minutes that are only hers.
A cream silk pillowcase is one of those small luxuries mums rarely buy for themselves. It's kinder on hair and skin, and it makes the bed feel like a hotel.
Standard Silk Pillowcase Natural - Casaluna™
Plush oat-coloured slippers for the school-run-to-sofa part of the day. They're warm, soft and pretty enough that she'll actually wear them.
Double Sided Faux Fur Slippers
A little burlwood tray for rings, earrings and the hair ties that end up everywhere. It's small and useful, and it makes the bedside table look calmer straight away.
Burlwood Catchall Tray
A proper red light mask for a mum who never buys the big treat for herself. It only takes ten minutes, it's the one dermatologists trust, and it looks like a gift rather than a gadget.
Contour Face Antiaging Red and Near Infrared LED Mask - Omnilux
A lovely little pot of eye cream with a gold lid, the sort of thing a mum would love but rarely put in the trolley herself. It brightens dark circles and feels like a treat every morning.
The Brightening Eye Cream - TATCHA | Ulta Beauty
For dad
Useful, well-made things for slow weekend mornings. Coffee, music and somewhere to drop his keys.
A small, waterproof speaker that clips on anywhere: the garage, the garden, the kitchen while he cooks. It's a clean white design and properly good sound.
JBL Clip 5 Portable Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker - White: USB-C, Wireless, Rechargeable Battery
For the dad who takes his coffee seriously: a glass pour-over with a cork band and a reusable filter, so there are no paper filters to remember. It looks lovely on the kitchen counter, too.
Bodum 8 Cup 34oz Pour Over Coffee Maker: Permanent Screen Filter, Cool Touch Handle, Dishwasher Safe
A leather tray for the keys, wallet, watch and loose change that otherwise live on every surface. Practical, handsome, and it gets used every single day.
Grant Leather Catchall
The other half of his Bodum. You set the exact temperature, the gooseneck spout pours slowly, and it holds the heat while he hunts for his mug. It turns a rushed coffee into a small Saturday ritual.
Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Electric Tea Kettle in Matte White
Mum's slippers have been on this list since day one, so he gets his own. Sheepskin lined and easy to slide on for the bin run, and they look better after a year of wear.
UGG® Scuff Slipper (Men)
For the grandparents
Warm, quiet gifts for the people who have everything, plus a few that make room for more photos of the grandchildren.
Pop in a favourite photo of the grandchildren and this is the gift that ends up pride of place on the mantelpiece. The deep off-white mat makes even a phone snap look like a proper print.
Brushed Antique Bronze 5x7 Picture Frame
A soft, handmade-looking white teapot from Portugal, made for a slow pot of tea at the kitchen table. Pair it with a couple of nice mugs and it's a ready-made gift.
Marin White Stoneware Teapot
Classic white mugs with a pretty beaded edge, made for the morning cuppa. They're simple, a little bit special, and they go with everything.
Emma Beaded Stoneware Mugs
A wonderfully soft faux fur throw for the grandparents' favourite chair. In ivory or oatmeal it looks lovely and keeps them warm all winter.
Cascade Faux Fur Throw
Fill the first few pages before you wrap it and leave the rest blank. Grandparents always ask for prints of the photos we only ever keep on our phones, and this album will last for decades.
Leather Bound Clear Pocket Photo Albums
For aunties and uncles
Easy wins for the people who host, bring the games and stay up late. Pretty enough to give and useful enough to keep.
Three gold cheese knives that make any cheeseboard look like the effort was made. A lovely little gift for the auntie or uncle who always hosts.
Gold Cheese Knives, Set of 3
Our favourite after-the-kids-are-in-bed game: quick, clever and very funny once everyone's competitive side comes out. Perfect for the auntie or uncle who loves a games night.
Czech Games Edition Codenames Game: Social Skills, 4+ Players Party Board, Card Holder, 15-Minute Play
Thirty pairs of cooling eye patches for the auntie who is always so hard to shop for. Easy to wrap, and they'll actually get used after a long week.
Bouncy & Firm Hydrogel Eye Patches for Dark Circles, Depuffing, & Wrinkles - LANEIGE
The stocking filler every auntie actually uses. Pure mulberry silk, so no kinks or snapped ends, and the box is pretty enough that you don't need to wrap it.
Light Brown Pure Silk Skinny Scrunchies 4pc Set - Slip | Ulta Beauty
The candle I'd happily take to my sister's on Christmas Eve: warm, earthy and beautifully boxed, so it's ready to hand over. It works for aunties and uncles alike.
Apotheke White Vetiver Boxed Candle