Christmas will be on us in no time. So for me, getting my Christmas shopping organised and sorted early is key to me being able to enjoy those last few festive weeks in December on the lead up to the big day. We like to spend as much time as we can together as a family in December, making memories and enjoying lots of fun day trips and cozy nights watching Christmas movies together.
Making shopping for Christmas gifts as stress free as possible is a big part to me being able to properly sit back and relax in those last weeks when everyone else is stressfully trying to do last minute shopping trips. So I am hoping my gift guides (not just this years but also the ones I have done in the past) will help give you lots of great gift ideas for all the family, so you too can get a head start on your Christmas shopping and allow you to make the most of the festive season.
Plus to help save you some more time and money, if you have a little one arrive just before xmas, why not add one of these beautiful birth announcement cards to your Christmas cards before you send them. People will love receiving this joyous news in this Christmas Cards and it saves you sending the cards separately.
**Please note some items included in this guide were gifted for the purpose of inclusion in this guide and are marked with a *
Gift Ideas for Little Ones
Woodlets Alphabet Abacus *
We are big fans of wooden toys in this house, and now that Elian is in school (nursery is part time from 3 in Wales) I’m looking for toys that will be fun but also help him learn. He’s very happy with numbers but less keen on learning the alphabet, so I am hoping this colourful wooden abacus from Woodlets might help encourage him a little. The wooden tiles have letters (or numbers) on one side and a picture starting with the letter on the other.
Disney Princess Toddler Dolls *
Every little one goes through a phase at some point of loving Disney Movies. And for many the Disney Princesses are a big draw. This beautiful Disney Princess Toddler Rapunzel Doll is just perfect for the littlest of Disney fans. Its much bigger than traditional Disney princess character toys. It has a chunky appearance to it meaning its great for smaller hands and perfect for toddler imaginative role play. Rapunzel comes dressed in her beautiful gown and adorned with a tiara. Plus you can get lots of other Disney Princesses in this range (and a few are currently on sale on Very.com!)
Play Stuff Pizza and Pasta Set *
Elian loves nothing more than getting out his play dough and getting creative (…making a mess!) and luckily I love seeing him enjoying himself and getting crafty. This Pizza and Pasta Play Stuff Set from John Adams is a perfect addition to his ever growing play dough craft tools, which will no doubt allow him hours of fun (and me a few minutes peace and quiet!). And what’s great is that the box folds out to make a fun little kitchen and table play setting to encourage more imaginative play with your little ones creations. And also can help contain the mess a little too! If pizza and pasta aren’t your little ones thing there are also a number of other Play Stuff Dough sets available.
Hape Shark Fishery Game
For Elian’s 2nd birthday he had a magnetic wooden fishing game, and it has been one of his most played with items over the last year. So now he is a bit older and he is enjoying playing games properly with us I thought we could upgrade the fishing game for something a little more challenging. This Hape Shark Fishery game I found is perfect. It’ll take a little more hand eye coordination than the magnetic version and it adds a proper element of competitiveness for him to play with us or with his friends. I am hoping he will love it and we will be able to spend lots of time playing together.
Charlie the Lion Wooden Xylophone *
Noisy toys can sometimes be a bit of a pain for parents, but the problem is our kids all love them! So I try to limit the ones Elian has to ones that I secretly love to, and a beautiful wooden xylophone was one of the items on my list for him last year. This stunning Charlie the Lion Wooden Xylophone from Rex London is a gift for a friends little one this Christmas and I am sure she is going to love it as much as Elian loved his xylophone.
Aquadoodle Pro*
Two words all parents love to hear ‘No Mess’! The Aquadoodle Pro is a parents dream toy, no mess, hours of fun and educational to boot, what more could you ask for. Elian is at the age now where he has started to learn his letters and how to trace them (he’s not writing on his own yet!) so anything that is fun but also encourages him to learn is a big hit in my book. The My ABC Doodle has a full alphabet and numbers to trace as well as a dotted doodle space and space to practice your writing.
Pile Up Pirates Game*
Elian is a big fan of stacking games and we have a few variations already, but most are small basic wooden ones intended for toddlers. At the moment he is going through a big pirate phase so I think he will love this Pile Up Pirates Game from Tomy. Its a bit more advanced than the other balance games he has so I think it will be a little more challenging. Plus its gonna be a bit of fun that we can all play together as a family.
Matchstick Monkey Gift Set *
Matchstick Monkeys have been gaining popularity with new mums at a rapid pace over the last few years, and we are amongst their fans. Elian loved his matchstick monkey teething toy when he was tiny, as did I. They are great for little hands to hold, and have different textures for sore gums to rub and gnaw on to help overcome the pain of teething. This new Matchstick Monkey Gift Set is just perfect for any new mum, or mum with a little one in the teething phase. The set contains a soft cotton muslin with teething label, large dancing matchstick monkey teether and soft hanging monkey toy prefect to entertain little ones in the car or pram.
Make your own Space Rocket
Do you have a little budding scientist in the family? If so then this is the perfect gift for them. A build your own space rocket experiment using good old baking soda and vinegar (you’ll have to supply the extra ingredients yourself). Your little scientist will have so much fun setting up their rockets and seeing just how high and how far they can launch them.
Space Themed Bamboo Tableware Set and Rocket Cup
My little rocket loving dude is gonna be so stoked on Christmas Day when he gets this new Space themed dining set. The very cool Rocket shaped cup with spiral straw is gonna be a big hit with Elian and I love the Space Age Bamboo Tableware Set, with a plate, bowl, beaker and cutlery set included. We have a few bamboo sets and I really do like that they are a little more eco friendly, as well as always being colourful and fun.
Doidy Cup and Bowl Gift Set
If we’re thinking about the littlest members of the family then a Doidy Cup and Bowl Gift Set may be the perfect gift. If you ave a little one who is starting or in the weaning phase then the Doidy set is a great tool to help them learn to drink and feed themselves. The double handles beaker is inclined to aid self drinking, with less spillage, and the rubber style bowl has a great suction base to help it firmly attach to a table or highchair for little one to feed themselves either by hand or with a spoon.
Haribo Puck Penguin and Pip Polar Bear Sweets
What kid doesn’t like a little sweet treat, especially at Christmas. And I will say its nice to see some treats that aren’t a chocolate selection box. These super cute Haribo Christmas sweets will make a great addition to Elian’s Christmas gifts this year. The Puck Penguins are penguin shaped fruity sweets in peach & vanilla, blackcurrant & vanilla and strawberry & vanilla flavour combinations. The Fizzy Pip Polar Bears are bear and paw shaped sweets in raspberry and blackcurrant flavours. And if I’m honest I’m looking forward to stealing a few myself.
Wooden Decor
I adore little personalised touches in Elian’s room to really make it his and to allow me a little creative fun in our home decor. These sweet wooden hanging plaques from Fairleigh Crafty are a lovely little touch to add to the wall in Elian’s room (and act as a little reminder of our star Ebben) You can have all sorts of other sayings and personalisations
Personalised Christmas Eve Box *
The trend of a Christmas Eve Box seems to have become the norm in the UK now, and I’ll be honest and say as transitions go, I love it! We already have a large family box that I put our Christmas Even PJ’s in, Elian’s plate for Santa and his magic key (we dont have a chimney!) plus some xmas books. But I wanted a personalised box for Elian to include a few little treats that are just for him on Christmas Eve, some chocolates, a movie to watch, some crafts and some new bath stuff to try and make the day extra special and make bedtime fun. I love this one from North East Trophies and they have tonnes of other designs to chose from.
Great Gift Ideas for Mums
Sara Miller for Portmeirion Mug *
Portmeirion are known for their quality china and home wares, and I always adore their collections from Zara Miller. I’ve included items from her range in past gift guides as they are always colourful, fun and make for great gifts for any occasion. This time I have one of her beautiful Zebra mugs from her Tahiti collection to show you all. The mugs come individually boxed in matching boxes which means they are perfect additionally little gifts for someone.
Mama Necklace
This 925 sterling silver Mama Necklace from XO and Quin is just so delicate and understated it would make a lovely gift for a little one to give their mama for Christmas or any other occassion (dads take note!). It is the perfect piece of jewellery that can be worn daily and with any outfit, to remind mama just how special she is and add a little extra to any outfit.
Leighton Denny Nail Polish *
My mum is a big fan of painting her nails, she doesn’t get them done at a salon as she likes to change the colour often, so treating her to a nice designer polish is the perfect gift. These ones from Leighton Denny Expert Nails in the shades Fedora and Kinky Boots are the perfect addition to her Christmas gifts. They would also be perfect to add to a Christmas stocking for any teens. The Leighton Denny collection has some great shades and colours your sure to find something for all styles.
Micro Star Bell Jar Light *
This lovely star bell jar light from Lights 4 Fun adds a perfect little glow to the home once the evening comes in. It would make a lovely gift for anyone who likes to add personal and delicate little touches to their home decor. Plus you can dine different light option on the website. And its on a battery pack so you dont have to worry about cables or it having to reach a plug! Perfect! For us this light has a very special place in our home in Ebben’s corner. The little stars glow every night as a reminder of his continual presence in our home.
Best in Show Make-Up Bag*
A cute make-up bag is always an easy go to gift for girls and women. We nearly all have make-up of some sort and need somewhere to keep it. And honestly we all love a make-up bag in a fun or stylish print. This Best in Show dog print make-up bag from Rex London is great for any dog lover you know. We are big dog fans in our family so I knew this would go down well with pretty much anyone (my sister was the lucky recipient in the end!). Made of a thick waterproof oilcloth fabric it is durable and safe incase of spills and leakages.
Philips Series 6000 Mens Electric Shaver*
The Philips 6000 mens electric shaver is the perfect gift for any man. This wet and dry electric shaver gives a close and smooth shave, and thanks to its anti friction coating it glides effortlessly over skin which helps to reduce irritation. And what’s even better is it comes with its own self cleaning stand to keep it clean and tidy and performing at its best for as long as possible, whilst also charging it so you’re never caught out with a low battery. Jon has been testing this one out for a little while now and is honestly really impressed with just how good it is, he often complains electric shavers don’t get close enough but this one is brilliant.
Guylian Beligian Chocolate Seahorses*
Who doesn’t like chocolate? Honestly chocolate is a pretty sure bet as a gift for anyone and Guylian is a big favourite in the Two Hearts household. This mixed bag of flavoured seahorses was a great little addition to our Christmas chocolates…me and Jon enjoyed them over a few evenings once Elian had gone to bed, far too nice to give to a 3 year old, lol! With seahorses in original praline, milk truffle, coffee, caramel, dark praline and crunchy biscuit there is something to suit everyones tastes.
Matching Santa PJ’s for all the family*
We’ve never been the family who does the matchy matchy outfits at Christmas but I thought these were too fun to pass up. They made the perfect outfits for xmas eve and xmas morning when opening presents. And I was so impressed with the thickness and quality of the fabric, super comfy and cozy! Shinesty has a whole selection of items in some really crazy and fun prints and not just for christmas time (they also have some seriously funky ski wear if your a skier)
Beanies Coffee Advent Calendar *
Ok so this one isn’t a present for Christmas Day, you’ll have to be organised to get this Beanies Advent Calendar by the 1st of December, but it really would make a sweet treat for any coffee lover (or you could just buy it for yourself!) The calendar contains a ceramic Beanies mug, a mystery flavour mini jar on xmas eve and 48 (yes 48!! Not just 24 like a normal calendar!) sachets of assorted flavours of coffee, that’s 2 a day, coz coffee drinkers know one cup is never enough!
Don’t forget to go check out some of my other guides for even more great ideas
- Great Items for the Perfect Foodie Hamper
- Perfect Gifts for New Mums
- Zero Waste Gift Ideas
- Personalised Gifts for all the family
- Awesome Etsy Gifts
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