If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
Gift giving should be just as rewarding as shopping for yourself, but sadly that’s not always the reality. The quantity of Xmas aftermath junk can be disheartening which is why it’s important to step into the shoes of the lucky gift recipient and think – what do they really want?
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not socks with penguins on. So here are some brilliant ideas to help you discover fun, practical or enriching gifts for those who are notoriously difficult to please. Nothing here that works? Check out our main guide to Christmas gift ideas, plus our tech toy gifts, subscription boxes to send as gifts and Made in Britain gift edits.
It's Prime Day 2023, so we've uncovered the top discounts. Check out the best Prime Day deals in the UK here.
Fungi and foraging isn’t for everyone, but there’s no denying that the curious network of mushrooms living symbiotically with human life is fasinating. There are few better ways to start your own journey of discovery than picking up the late Roger Phillips' book Mushrooms – a beautifully illustrated encyclopaedia which contains both the botanical and common names and plenty of ecological info for those wanting to delve a little deeper.
Price: £16 | Amazon | Waterstones | Wordery
Fancy Dyson vacuums, clever robot vacuums and swilling stick vacuums are all well and good but what about tiny spillages and clusters of mess. Eufy has a space-saving option for those little clean up sessions. The H11 Pure is a pint-sized handheld cordless cleaner that’s around the size of a wine bottle. As well as its pocket pick-up chops, it can act as an air purifier when not in use too.
Price: £44 | Amazon | Currys | Eufy
Prepare for someone to get on their high horse about what’s age appropriate, but let it be known that Lego specifies this is a ‘set for adults’. The Adidas Originals Superstar Set will make for an excellent way to spend Boxing day and the weeks that follow. While top-end sneakers might be over your gift budget, this 731-piece kit is going to be the show-stopper of any shoe collection. The box is designed to look just like the iconic blue Adidas originals shoe box too and the bricks are even wrapped in tissue paper. Genius. [Prices vary between retailers, some are £50+].
Price: £45 | Argos | John Lewis | Amazon | LEGO
There’s nothing more infuriating (and dangerous) than a rubbish kitchen knife. Make an amateur chef happy with this 18cm Japanese style kitchen knife made from tough X50 stainless steel containing 0.5% carbon and 15% chrome. Its scalloped sides help finely sliced food fall away from the blade as you cut and it’s thick enough to slice through larger ingredients too, like gnarly butternut squash.
Benjamin Franklin famously said that the two certainties in life were taxes and death; he missed out the third one – rain. Promising 100% waterproofing and durability, this PVC jacket isn’t unstylish in options of yellow, orange or khaki. The storm flap zipper cover keeps you dry and the adjustable hood makes for a personalised fit. There are two pockets which should be protected from the damp and any recipient will be glad of a genuinely practical gift.
Price: £36 | Helly Hansen Workwear | Activewear Group | Amazon
Nudient makes the best slim iphoness cases you can buy but, while it offers its thin case in a wide-range of colours, there really wasn’t much going on there in terms of design. With its new bold range, it opted for a set of more pastel-like colours on a case that sports a ridged back—offering improved grip and a new look.
Price: £33 | Nudient
Many of us missed out on the lockdown pastimes of baking bread and starting an etsy business, there was too much good TV to catch up on. However, with the Pasta Grannies kit and recipe book, there’s still a chance to dabble in haute cuisine. Bring Italy into the kitchen and impress guests with homemade pasta and have a lot of fun while doing it. The tapered rolling pin, 00 flour, semolina and good quality extra virgin oil give you all the basics to get started.
Price: £40 | Sous Chef
Disposable cameras have really lost their charm, wouldn’t it be better to buy something that lasts? It’s just as well then, that Ilford, the Cheshire photographic company famous for making film, have tried their hand at creating a reusable 35mm camera which pays homage to the original 35 Sprite released in the 60s. It features a 31mm f/9.0 fixed focal lens and a fixed shutter speed at 1/120s and weighs just 122g. Gifting a tool for creativity is a yuletide charm.
Price: £36 | Amazon | Wex Photo Video
Every coffee expert will tell you that the secret to good coffee is freshly ground beans. The italian family-run business De’Longhi is synonymous with stylish kitchen appliances as well as coffee-making gadgets. This easy-to-use burr grinder machine is as close to pro as you’ll get at this price-point, with 16 grind settings. The cup selector means you only grind the quantity of beans you require and the soft-touch buttons are a doddle to use. You can grind enough coffee for up to 12 cups which is plenty for caffeine-fuelled festivities.
Apple’s range of Mac accessories are all well and good but they aren’t cheap. Satechi produces a wide-range of Apple-focused accessories, often at a much lower price. This small mouse is made to work seamlessly with MacOS, with optical sensors and a 1200 DPI for precision performance too. Unlike Apple’s Magic Mouse (£65), it’s charging point is not confusingly placed underneath. Instead, it’s at the front, meaning you can continue to use while topping it up.
The best gifts are the ones that keep on giving and that’s exactly what you get with an Apple AirTag – an accessory that’s certainly not just for Christmas, but is exclusively for ioses. The disc-shaped tracker will emit a beep when you fail to locate an item, and on more recent iphonesss, will provide detailed directions on where to find the lost item. The Find My app network can also reunite you with a lost AirTag, for the completely hopeless.
Price: £29 | Apple | John Lewis | Amazon
Most reusable bottles are just fancy receptacles for H2O, but the Wake up UV bottle made from matt black stainless steel, is a little smarter. The UV-C technology housed in the lid claims to take a mere three minutes to zap all bacteria, viruses and mould on the inner surfaces. A boon for camping and travelling when you’re unsure on the water quality, the 550ml bottle will also keep liquids cold for 12 hours and hot for 4 hours. The USB rechargeable battery will last for up to a month.
Price: £45 | Wake Cup
Logitech gets plenty of praise for its high-end MX productivity line but it’s also offering clever multi-device options at a more reasonable price too. This K380 keyboard can store three different devices for easy switching and is compatible with Windows, Mac, ioses, androids and, even, Apple TV. It comes in four colours, each with an added pop on those all-important switching keys, donning a different shade to the rest of the keyboard.
Price: £33 | Amazon | Logitech | Argos
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
