It's The Thought That Counts
2025 Christmas Gift Guide (Part 1)
I love Christmas gift guide season. I know some of you will be saying “no, go away, it’s too early!” but I have two responses to that:
if you’re paid monthly, you probably only have one more payday between now and Christmas (sorry)
if you want to buy from small businesses, or have anything to post to recipients… sooner is absolutely better than later…
That being said, I’m going to take a leaf out of
’s gift guide from last year (by the way, Ella’s new book,* which you will absolutely see featured further down today’s guide, came out this week!) and give you some general descriptions of the kind of people you might be buying for… and what I’d be buying for them.
A note on sources: I do the vast majority of my Christmas shopping from bookshops and from Marks and Spencer’s, with smaller businesses and specialist companies dotted around. M&S aren’t paying me to say this (I wish!) but they’re genuinely a very good one-stop-shop - and I’m also a huge fan of their ‘gifts and hampers’ section, where you can have beautifully wrapped presents sent directly to the recipient. I use this so much, for birthdays, promotions, and get-well-soon presents - and yet most people I mention it to have no idea that it exists!
And a disclaimer I have to give - anything with an * after it is an affiliate link. The retailer will charge you the same amount they would otherwise, but they’ll give a very small percentage of that price to me, if you choose to use one of those links - thank you in advance! Also, this is a long post, so if you’re reading it in your email inbox, it’ll cut off - to read the full thing, click through to your web browser.
For your sporty city brother
Inspired by my brother’s request for ‘useful gifts only,’ I think sports consumables are a great choice for this person. If, like all the cool Gen Z folk seem to, they play padel, get them a top-up of padel balls.* For golfers, I’m told Srixon AD333 balls* are good, and that a packet of tees is always handy. And for any sports, upgrading their socks to Darn Tough merino should win you their gratitude.
For your bosom friend, the kindred spirit you could gossip all day with
As mentioned above, Ella Risbridger’s new book comes out today. Titled In Love With Love,* it’s a book all about why we turn to romantic fiction when the world is A Bit Much - a love letter to the genre. Pair it with a box of Waitrose’s incredible cinnamon knots (Dutch krakeling biscuits), a romance novel of your choice, and some cosy socks to curl up in. They’ll thank you when they have an excuse to steal away from the holiday season melée.
For your stylish gay friend
The vibe here is elegant. Spa vibes, calm, luxury. We’re going for a fresh new dressing gown, sophisticated smellies or hand cream, perhaps a fancy shaving kit, and a good gay book that they can read in a coffee shop when the online dating apps aren’t working.
To zhuzh up your mum or grandma’s (who’s been buying the same things in Boots for as long as you can remember) washbag
I love doing a ‘show and tell’ of nice new things in my washbag when I go home to visit my mum. To refresh her make-up bag, it’s always good to get some mini-sized products - and keep an eye on Boots’ £10 Tuesday for the next few weeks! Help her dip a toe into K-Beauty with Erborian’s BB cream, or nourish her winter skin with a lovely “100-hour” hydration cream from No7. And then for some fun coloured products, Ole Henriksen’s Peptide lip balm has been everywhere this year - get your mum in on the trend. Finish off with a mini Benefit or Rare Beauty blush.
For your board game nerd friends
Diamant and Just One are perfect games to play with non-board-gamer family after the dinner dishes are cleared away and, as such, ideal Christmas gifts, in my opinion. If they’re going to be travelling around the country over the festive period, Monopoly Deal is wonderfully portable. Alternatively, if they haven’t yet got a copy of Ticket To Ride (my favourite game)… you can fix that.
For your friend who’s outdoorsy, in a ‘climb three mountains before breakfast’ kind of way
For the second time in this guide, I’m going to recommend Darn Tough socks - their hiking socks are so cosy and I highly recommend them. For more wool, I can’t say enough good things about the RNLI/Finisterre collaboration beanie. It’s super cosy, naturally water-resistant (wool is magic, honest!), and has the nice bright orange stripe for a bit of extra visibility on the hills. Looking ahead to the summer, thin sun-blocking hoodies and layers have crossed the pond to become popular in the UK and Europe lately - I have the Kathmandu one (also in men’s), which is at a very good price point - a great gift to keep your outdoorsy pal safe and burn-free. Last, you may know that Nerds Gummy Clusters are a cult favourite for hikers and ultra-runners - what a great way to bulk out a gift… even if they don’t make it past the end of the day!
For your foodie uncle/ aunt/ friend
Firstly, Samin Nosrat has a new cookbook out, Good Things* - I would follow Samin anywhere in the kitchen, and this will make a wonderful gift. Accompany it with The Garlic Farm’s combined salt-pepper-garlic seasoning grinder - this is my all-purpose best friend in the kitchen. Especially good on scrambled eggs! If they’re a cheese fan, Michael Finnerty’s The Cheese Cure* looks perfect for reading in the days between Christmas and New Year, and will give them lots of facts to share over the various cheeseboards that accompany this time of year. As an extra treat, I love to get people a Jellycat or Palm Pal (a bit cheaper!) of their favourite food!
For your friends’ children
I went straight to Bath indie toyshop My Small World for ideas here - it’s a glorious emporium of fun. We’ll start with cult classic Kitpas bath crayons and then move to a beautiful knitted cotton puffin handpuppet - ideal for telling stories to little ones, and then letting their imaginations go wild as they get a bit older themselves. To help pull kids who are a little older away from their screens, try origami paper planes (complete with pilot stickers!) or a kite for blustery winter days. Lastly, what kind of Bristol resident would I be if I didn’t recommend some Wallace & Gromit merch?
For your friend who’s outdoorsy, in a Hobbit-y kind of way
This is based on an internet meme which distinguishes ‘ranger hiking’ from ‘hobbit hiking’; the goal here is “a three mile loop to go look at pretty things and then a huge brunch after.” We’re going to start with a delightfully cosy sweatshirt from the Wildlife Trusts’ online shop or some recycled cashmere fingerless gloves, which you can colour-match to an Aladdin Barista insulated tumbler* (it’s dishwasher-safe and leak-proof! I love mine). Last, for a sit down and a coffee break during a walk, a small egg-box style sit mat is ideal; it keeps your bum warm and dry, and provides a little bit of cushioning.
For your chronic illness bestie
Okay, maybe this is just what I would want; what can I say, the combination of hypothyroidism and this autumn’s bout of Covid has been hitting hard… Some days are dressing-gown days, and if they’re still wearing the one they bought at Primark as a student, they’re due an upgrade. I treated myself to the Seasalt ‘hushing gown’ when I moved house a couple of years ago and I’m so glad I did - it’s an oasis of cosy softness. Bubble bath in a beautiful bottle (they can decant Radox into it after it’s empty, no-one will know!) is a great excuse to get away from the chaos of a busy Christmas period… perhaps with a mug of Yorkshire Tea’s bedtime brew. Or keep it simple and send them a box of chocolatey treats - ideal if they’re stuck at home feeling too poorly to get out in those dark winter days.
For your cousin who’s just moving out of the family home
A pair of Victorinox tomato knives are a great gift - I use mine for all sorts of small chopping and food prep tasks. Plus, they’re small enough to put in a normal cutlery drawer and to pack away easily when it’s time to move house at the end of the year. A cousin who’s just setting up by themselves might be starting to build up their own collection of Christmas decorations - get them a Percy Pigs bauble to hang on the tree or on their pinboard. This book might get a bit of an eye-roll, but reading Meg Jay’s The Defining Decade* was hugely influential to me and I wish I could hand it to all my early-twenties pals - wrapped up with a bar of Tony’s Chocolonely to (literally) sweeten the pill a bit. While we’re talking food, get them hooked on Forest Feast’s peanut butter and chocolate covered dates. Alternatively, for a treat that’ll help pull them away from their screens, and give them an excuse either to spend time with their family or to get some time by themselves, the Lego kit for Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon is absolutely adorable.
And finally…
If you’re completely stumped, go to the ‘customise’ section of Rapanui and get an in-joke or favourite quote on a t-shirt or tote bag. Last year, I got my dad a t-shirt with “Better a bad day on the water than a good day on Microsoft Teams” printed on the front, and a picture of him on his boat on the back. I use Rapanui a lot (in fact, their platform business, Teemill, is the supplier for the Wildlife Trusts and Wallace and Gromit merch I linked above, as well as being the home of the merch we have for the Quiz Society at uni); unlike some print-on-demand suppliers, they have really strong environmental and sourcing practices.
And, breathe.
If there’s anyone else you’re struggling to shop for, do let me know in the comments or by replying to this email, and I’ll put some recommendations in a Part 2 of this email…
Or just share this post with someone who’s shopping for you 😉
Speak soon,
Lily
To the loyal audience: I, for one, recommend the Lily Christmas gift selection service! She's helped me out of some pretty difficult gift-related problems for several years now.