Christmas Gifts For The Home | 2018

This is week four of my Christmas Gift Guides and we’re well in truly into November so Christmas is in full swing. The last guides I’ve done have focused on gifts for him, gifts for her, and then some foodie-related gifts so this time I’m focusing on gifts for the home. These could be presents for someone who’s just moved into a new home or just gifts for someone you know who loves their home space. Here are some of my favourite home gifts that you can pick up.

If you’re not sure what to buy for someone, mugs are always a sure-fire win present, and this Ombre Mug Gift Set* (£35) is absolutely stunning. You get three mugs in the set each of which have been hand sprayed in two-tone colours making them the perfect matching/ non-matching mugs. They are a really great size for a winter hot chocolate as they’re large enough without being so big you could drown in it. Another thing which is a massive winner in my eye is that they’re both microwave and dishwasher safe, because who has the time to hand wash mugs?! I sure don’t.

If you know anyone who loves hot drinks be it a Latte, Hot Chocolate, Mocha, or Espresso, a great gift would be a Dolce Gusto machine. We’ve had the Piccolo Manual Machine* (£89.99) for a few months now and have got so much use from it which is great considering we’re not tea or coffee drinkers. The Piccolo machine is really compact so it won’t take up lots of room in your kitchen and it looks really sleek.

It has a manual lever so you can choose how much you want in the cup which is great if you prefer your drinks stronger or weaker as you can control this. All you need to do is add the pod in, pull down the lever and it’s ready to go. We’ve had a lot of the hot chocolate’s where you use a chocolate pod then, a milk pod and the results are so much better than anything we’ve made for ourselves from a packet.

One of the great things about this machine is how many varieties of pods there are available so you’ll have plenty to choose from.

A Bluetooth speaker is a real option for anyone who loves music and/or travels a lot as it’s something you can just take with you. The House of Marley No Bounds Bluetooth Speaker* (£59.99) is the type of multi-functional speaker which would make a great gift.

The speaker itself is made from sustainable cork so it had a natural look and feel to it plus it’s both water and dust-proof meaning you can take it to the beach or the pool and not have to worry about ruining it after splashing around. I’ve actually found this a real treat when I’m in the bath as I can put it on my bath caddy with music playing and I don’t have to worry about splashing around and ruining it. It has a massive 10-hour battery life which for a compact speaker so small is really great and it takes just 2 hours to fully charge from empty.

Once it’s connected via Bluetooth with your phone you can use it to go hands-free and take calls which is a massive help if you’ve got the speaker clipped to you and your phone is in your pocket.

If you’re looking for a gift which involves some building or making but will also look really cool in the house then the Chemist Terranium Set* (£24) is right up your street.  The kit comes with everything you need to make your mini ecosystem including pebbles, sand, coir, activated charcoal and a lab flask to create it in. Whether you’re a geek, a science enthusiast or just like decor which is a little bit unusual this is the right thing for you.

All you’ll need to do is buy a succulent or a cactus to complete the Terrarium.

If you want to splash the cash and get something truly amazing for the home check out this Corner dressing table from Happy Beds (£675) which would make any beauty lovers Christmas. The dressing table is designed in such a way that it makes the most out of the space available and is made from sustainably sourced materials. There is a lot of storage and organisational space with 5 spacious drawers which all swing out to allow you to see exactly what’s inside, there are under-dresser shelves and shelves on the top underneath the massive triple adjusting mirror with lighting.

If you want to go for a pretty practical home gift then an AnySharp Pro Metal Knife Sharpener* (£19.99) will tick those boxes. The handy device can sharpen any knife even serrated ones like bread knives so it’s really handy to have in the kitchen. It’s really safe with suction underneath to securely attach it to a flat surface and you can use it one-handed. It’s so safe even I used it with no problem!

Choose from a range of colours to match the kitchen of who you’re buying it for.

A matching partner to go with the sharpener would be a lovely knife. The Berghoff Leo Chef Knife* (13.95) is a really versatile knife which not only looks great with it’s pink look but is made from high-grade stainless steel with a non-stick ceramic coated blade. It has a really comfortable soft-touch handle so it’s really nice to hold and use and the blade is the right size to use for most cooking from meat and fish to vegetables and herbs.

Bedding might not seem like an obvious Christmas present but if you want to give someone some luxury then DermaTherapy Bedding are a great option. We have high thread count bedding and the difference having something so soft and smooth is amazing and I don’t know why I didn’t switch earlier. While really good quality bedding can be expensive you can start of with a Single Pillow Case*  (£19.95) but chances are they’ll get hooked. As a company DermaTherapy are the only brand who have been patented as available for those who have the menopause and skin conditions which can hinder a good night’s sleep so I passed this pillow case over to my Nan who is always complaining about being hot.

However much I love technology I still like putting pen to paper so this Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019 journal* (£14.99) feeds that happiness inside of me.  There is plenty of space inside not just to write your to-do lists but it will help you create a vision and plan for 2019 through a series of questions and exercises throughout the journal. There are quarterly check-ins to help you keep track throughout the year and make sure you’re on the right path to achieve your goals.

I love anything which asks you about your dreams and gets you to think ahead so this planner has been right up my street and the illustrations inside are really pretty without taking too much away from the planner itself.

At Christmas, we always buy at least one new play with the family after dinner and I think it’s a great gift to give someone as it’s something they can take home and enjoy with lots of people. The Great British Taxi Game* (£25) is a family-friendly game for all ages where you test your local and general knowledge on the go. You can ‘sound off’ on a variety of subjects just like any black cabbie would do and during the game, you build up fares and tips with the winner being the person who earnt the most during the shift.

I can’t wait to bring this out after dinner and get the whole family involved as that’s what Christmas is about, having fun with those you love.

We’re going through the process of updating the items in our kitchen as a lot of them I first bought when I moved into my flat 7 years ago and this Cast Iron Casserole Dish* (£39) from ProCook is a great addition to anyone’s kitchen. As it’s Cast Iron it is very weighty so it feels really solid and fantastic quality, for the price I definitely wasn’t expecting this level.

The Dish is 20cm round with a massive 2.7L capacity so it’s the right size for a big hearty stew or a deep dish pie which I’ve been loving cooking in it. The Iron not only makes the dish really strong but it helps to ensure even heat distribution which is something I’ve definitely noticed. You can use it on all hob types including induction and it’s oven safe to 260C which means you can use it regardless of what oven or hob you have. Another purely cosmetic thing which I love is the brass handle at the top which makes it look even more elegant.

As you start to get older Christmas presents tend to get a bit more practical and you can’t go wrong with some Tea Towels* (From £7.50) especially when they look as good as these ones from Sous Chef. I picked up a Bourdeaux Wine towel and a Champagne bottle style as my parents are wine lovers so they’ll work well in their kitchen. They’re really well made with beautiful embroidery so you don’t need to worry about them wearing down after a few uses.

The tea towels are 100% cotton so they’re easy to clean and maintain.

Slippers are a bit of a staple Christmas present in our household but they can get a bit boring which is where Baabuk come in with their handmade wool slippers.  These Light Grey slippers* (69.90€)  are 100% wool with flexible rubber soles so they’re really comfortable and flexible when you put them on and not at all restrictive. I’ve had lots of slippers in the past where they just weren’t all that practical for walking round the house in.

The material makes them very warm so they’re a great investment if the weather is going to be anything like it was earlier this year. The slippers themselves are made in one piece and don’t have any seams meaning they’re super slick.

As Christmas is a time for giving back I do always like to support local, and small business’ which is where Taylor and Belle come from. The team behind the company liked giving gifts and it’s as simple as that, with plenty of support from friends and family they developed a brand designed to provide people with gifts to make people feel special and loved. That’s exactly what this Compass Moto Keyring* (£12) does.

A friend of mine is taking a leap of faith just after Christmas and leaving the UK for a new adventure and this keyring is going to be a great gift to remind her to never stop exploring and to give her a little something to remind her of home. That’s what makes gifts so special is the meaning behind and not just the money spent on it.

Photo frames are always a nice present but it gets to the point where my family have so many and they don’t know where to put them which is what I loved about this Personalised Wooden Photo Cube* (£19.99) as you can add five different photos around the sides and the top but it doesn’t take up a lot of room so it’s great for bedside tables or just smaller spaces.

I am a huge fan of personalized items so I got this made up for my Nan as she’s always mentioning that she doesn’t have any up to date photos of her grandchildren and their other halves so I’m going to get some photos done to put inside and I know she’ll love it. The frame itself has a good solid feeling about it and for the price, I was pretty impressed with that.

Calendars seem to be a bit of a tradition in our family, while the younger generation doesn’t have them anymore because we’re so obsessed with the calendars on our phones our parents and grandparents are still stuck in tradition. This Great British Bake Off Family Calendar* (£9.99) not only has space to write all the families whereabouts and meetings on but it also has a monthly bake so you can find 12 amazing recipes throughout the calendar.

If a larger wall calendar is just too much for you a nice desk calendar can be a great way to bring some personality to your work desk or just a little something to your desk at home/ university. This Harry Potter Desk Easel Calendar* (£6.99) doesn’t take up a lot of room but has space to write things on and plenty of great artwork to keep your desk looking nice.

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