‘Tis the season of too many things to worry about and whilst your brain is scanning through a hundred internal browser tabs of charming Christmas decorations and Pinterest inspired tableware, we all know the biggie is finding the perfect present. If you’re struggling this shopping season, here’s some ideas that won’t break the bank or your increasingly strained spirit.
Pot o’ Plans
We’ve all been there. It’s a glorious Saturday afternoon, the weather has taken a break from its residential inclemency and the world is full of possibilities…but you have absolutely no idea what to do with yourself. Everything you can think of seems more overdone than a Disney remake and you’re stuck in social quicksand. Step forth, Pot O’Plans. The premise is simple enough. Plan to fill a pot or jar with activity ideas to swap with a friend or family member. Pimp it up by adding in some cinema tickets or a voucher for your favourite restaurant and share those loving-life lightbulb moments with someone you care for. It can be as cheap or as expensive as your bank account dictates and will prove that in this case, it’s literally the thought that counts.
Yes, M’Lady
If like me, you grew up watching such televisual gold as Monarch of Glen on a Sunday night, you may also have fancied your arm as a Lord or Lady of the Manor. For £28.95, you can do just that! Visit lordtitles.co.uk to purchase your friends or significant other a bit of fun that will titivate their title. Try saying that after a mega-pint of mulled wine. You can even treat yourself to a titular upgrade by purchasing the double bubble bonus for £38.95. Packs include a legal deed, personalised certificate and five square feet of land within the Hougun Manor estate. The size of which doesn’t need to be specified when regaling your pauper friends with tales of the property you’ve acquired in the Lake District. And yes, it allows the bearer to change their honorific title to Lord or Lady on documentation. You’re welcome, M’Lord.
100 books bucket list
As an avid reader, this one is right up my Baker Street. Available in children and adult editions, these scratch off posters outline a bucket list of the 100 greatest books ever written. Check them out on notonthehighstreet.com. With prices starting at £12.99, you could even throw in a couple of the titles to start the recipient on their journey of literary enlightenment. Also obtainable in movie and travel location versions, these interactive posters set the pace for an adventure that will see a whole year through. Truly a gift that keeps on giving, it could even win you friends and influence people. You see what I did there.
In a sky full of stars
You won’t just think you’ll see them; you can actually immortalise your loved ones by assigning their name to a star in the night sky. Or let them choose their own moniker for a gift that ‘shines forever’. Giftrepublic.com packs start at £19.99 and include a personalised star deed, illustrated constellation poster and booklet that explains the history of stars. A must-have for any astrophile… or Star Wars or Brian Cox or Coldplay fan.
Workshop It
We all know a person that seemingly has everything, the one you dread pulling out of a Secret Santa ballot. Stress not, I’d wager they’ve never attended a class on cocktail making or learned how to weave their own basket. Both transferrable skills in the event of an apocalypse. On a local level, the Southwold Flower Company offer workshops in everything from Christmas bauble design to wreath making. Very demure, very mindful. Prices start from £12pp and will carry that clean girl summer vibe all the way into 2025.
Grow Your Own Way
The millennial obsession to nurture plants feels like a hangover from a childhood of raising Tamagotchis. Probably with the same varying degrees of success. But for the horticulturally-inclined the gift of a plant is a present that can potentially last a lifetime.
For those with a serious green finger, happyhouseplants.co.uk offers luxury plants (I can only imagine they thrive on the manure of racehorses and bottled Volvic) from £19.99 upwards. Or for those who appreciate some blossom-based whimsy, Etsy.com boasts an array of plant pots that include retro tin cans and Snoop Dog’s head. Prop(agation) like it’s hot. Sorry not sorry.
The internet is full of weird and wonderful ideas to elevate your gift giving this holiday season. Although if you find you’ve wandered into Bunjesus terriority, you’ve gone too far. Google it though, for the LOLs. Happy shopping, possums.
