Hello and welcome to my annual Christmas gift guide! This year is all about Christmas gifting made easy. Rule number 1, don’t leave it to the last minute! Read on for more helpful tips.
Buying Christmas gifts can be difficult. People seem to have it all, which makes finding a meaningful – and affordable – gift a challenge. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of overthinking. After all, you want your gift to be something they will like, right? Rather than tell you what that might be, this post is aimed at helping you figure it out. Here’s my step-by-step, easy-peasy approach to Christmas gifting.
Make a list and budget
The first step is to write down a list of names of who you’re buying for (family, friends, colleagues) and assign a budget to each name. Next, add up the amounts to calculate the total. If it’s too much, go back and make some changes until you’re happy – whether that’s reducing the budget or dropping some names off your list.
Being aware of the total amount before you start shopping is the best way to control your spending. It’s so easy to get carried away wanting to buy everyone nice things without realizing how quickly it adds up.
Look for gift inspiration
Now that we know how many gifts we need and our budget, the next step is to look for some gift inspiration. For some people on your list, you may already know exactly what to get them, but for others, start by browsing the Christmas gift sections of online stores like Amazon, John Lewis, or Not on the High Street.
I also recommend reading a few Christmas gift guides. Most are categorized by recipient, such as for her, for him, for mum, for kids, for grandparents, etc. These categories are really useful when thinking about what to buy each person on your list. For your significant other, check out my Couples Christmas gift guide.
Other categories to think about are the gifts themselves, from fashion to technology, home, kitchen, travel, toys, games, garden and sport, to name a few. But remember, your gift doesn’t have to be a thing. It could also be an experience (read post).
Top Gift Trends for 2018
Gifts for the home are one of the biggest trends this year, with many high street brands recently jumping on the home interior design bandwagon. Following in the footsteps of Zara Home, both H&M and River Island have launched their own home decor and small furniture ranges. It’s interesting how despite having the lowest home ownership, millennials are shaping up to be the most house-proud generation yet, making even rented properties feel like home.
Plants and succulents – both real and fake – are another trending gift as people rediscover the joys and benefits of growing their own indoor gardens. In London for example, worsening air quality is also driving an increase in plants for the home to help purify the air. Patch and Bloombox are two fantastic online start-ups selling a range of interesting home plants and vases with a lot of useful information on how to keep your plants alive and healthy.
Finally, socially responsible gifts with a purpose are a great choice for Christmas. With brands such as TOMS shoes or Nordgreen watches (read my review), a charitable donation is made with each purchase. Or look for companies that focus on sustainability and the environment, for example, Allbirds, the popular sustainable footwear company, or LUSH cosmetics, with their famous package-free ranges (see post).
Look for deals and wait for discounts
There are a lot of opportunities to grab a bargain in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The most famous day being Black Friday, which is coming soon on the 23rd November. However, many Black Friday sales will start a week earlier.
Nearly all retailers participate, offering huge discounts on and around this day. If the ensuing shopping chaos is a little too much for you to handle, shop online! You should by now already have your shopping list, so all you need to do is add to basket and checkout…
For More Christmas Gift Guides…
The Millennials Christmas Gift Guide
The Couples Christmas Gift Guide
Great guide ! Thanks for sharing such a great informative post it really helpful and amazing so keep it up and all the best.
Great guide Lara. I have to confess this year I made my list early and I have everything except one gift! Now got to start the wrapping as were not here for Christmas, tbought organisation is paramount!
Author
Well done! I’ve got everything but one too and have even finished the wrapping. Feels good to be organised! 🙂
Great advice! I think the most important thing is making a list!
Author
Thanks Laura! I agree, I usually leave the Christmas shopping until the last minute and don’t make a list and overspend every time. But this year I’m on it!!