Christmas Gift Guide | 5 Affordable Gifts for Him/Her

 

Hey my lovelies, hope you are all well and welcome back to another weekly Friday blog post. So I asked you all over on my Instagram what content you would like to see from me this week, and the majority asked for a Christmas Gift Guide! As per your wishes, I have gone ahead and accumulated a list of 10 Christmas gift ideas (5 for her, 5 for him) that are affordable and can be purchased online or from local supermarkets to make sure you can shop safely this Christmas. Just a mini disclaimer, obviously all of the gifts in this post can be for anyone, not necessary just for women/men. I have just categorised them this way for the purposes of today's blog post.

I would also like to take this opportunity to urge you all to shop locally/via small businesses this Christmas, as now more than ever they need our help and support! All of the gifts included in this post can be brought from independent, small businesses via sites such as Etsy and Not On The High Street, or can be put together yourselves by buying supplies and gifts from your local supermarkets. Before we get into todays post, make sure you are sat comfortably with a hot beverage and snack of your choice and lets get Christmassy over here on Faith, Trust and Lots of Books!

5 Affordable Gifts for Her

✨ Cute Candles - Kicking today's post off with one of my favourite gifts to receive at Christmas time. Who doesn't love a fresh candle to burn on Christmas night? You can purchase these from pretty much anywhere, but especially this year I think it makes it even more special to shop from smaller businesses. My lovely friend Tia from University has started up her own candle business called Creative Candles (@creativecandles_x on Instagram), where she sells the most stunning handmade, vegan and cruelty free candles and wax melts. She's even created a Christmas collection with all your favourite Christmas scents, so perfect for this time of year. Make sure to give her a follow on Instagram to hear more about her business and share some love this Christmas ❤️.

✨ New PJ's and Slippers -

Another classic but one you can never go wrong with. Christmas is the perfect time of year to treat your loved ones to some fresh pyjamas and slippers. Again, shopping for these can be really easy via online websites, or you can shop from smaller more independent businesses on Etsy and Instagram. They're really easy to come by if you type ideas into Google and will leave your loved ones with a huge smile on their face this Christmas. I've mentioned them before but I'll say it again, Angelle Collection have some really beautiful pyjamas and loungewear sets and even though they are slightly more pricey, they are a smaller business that you can support this year. 

✨ Books - Now, I couldn't do this post without mentioning a good old book or two could I? If your family is anything like mine, you can guarantee that every year they will have a new book or two added to their Christmas lists. I think books can make a really special gift for someone, and is something a lot of people are often reluctant to buy themselves and spend their money on. Instead of buying my books on Waterstones or Amazon this year like I normally do, I'm going to be shopping on websites like Hive.co.uk and Bookshop.org. With online stores like this, you can support your local bookstores whilst sat at home in your PJ's, as Hive will donate a percentage of each sale to an independent bookstore of your choice. 

✨ Pamper Hamper - A gift where you can exercise your creative side. I think a pamper hamper is the perfect gift for someone who may not have anything specific on their Christmas list this year, but you can create a beautiful hamper made up of all of their favourite things for them to enjoy on Christmas Day. You can either purchase these ready-made on Etsy and Not On the High Street, and even get them delivered straight to your loved ones doors. Or, you can get the materials and gifts yourselves and make it super personalised, with chocolates, shower gels, moisturisers, face masks, fluffy socks, tea/coffee sachets and maybe a couple of ready-mixed gins in there too (if they're of drinking age, of course). 

✨ Letterbox Flower Subscription -

Letterbox flower subscriptions are something I've only recently discovered in 2020. With lots of my female family members celebrating their Birthdays during lockdown this year, it made it difficult to take them a bunch of flowers like I normally would, so instead I've been using letterbox flower delivery services like Bloom & Wild and Serenata to make sure my loved ones can still receive some beautiful flowers on their special days. If you have someone if your family who particularly loves receiving fresh flowers (and let's face it, who doesn't?) then you can purchase subscriptions of 1, 3, 6 and 12 months, where your loved one will receive a fresh set of flowers through their letter box each month. Plus, it's one of those gifts that just keeps giving, even when Christmas is over!

5 Affordable Gifts for Him

✨ New Wallet/Card Holder - Every guy and gal needs a nice wallet or card holder to keep their prized possessions safe, so why not treat your loved one to a new one this Christmas? These don't necessarily need to be fancy or expensive, as you can find really beautiful quality ones online that you can add a personalised touch such as someone's name or their initials. I think it's a great choice if you're struggling for ideas this year. 

✨ Pamper Hamper - Who said pamper hampers are just for women? I know for a fact that the men in my life love a good old face mask and moisturiser here and there. I think a fab idea is accumulating all of their favourite products, from favourite scents to snacks and drinks, and putting them all together in a hamper or basket for them to enjoy over the next few months. Like I said before, it's a gift that keeps giving and one your loved ones can enjoy over a period of time. Plus, they'll always think of you when they use something from the hamper!

✨ Personalised Drinking Glasses/Shot Glasses - A great idea for any older men in your family is a personalised drinking glass. These come in all different shapes and sizes, which means you can tailor it to if your loved one is a beer, wine, spirit, or even a coffee drinker. You can personalise it with their name, a special message, the date and year, and I personally think these personalised touches really do add that special something to a Christmas gift. Even better, by purchasing gifts like these you are normally supporting someone's smaller, independent business which again makes the gift even more special. 

✨ Gift Cards - Simple but a classic. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a gift card at Christmas time. Whether you get one for their favourite store or restaurant, or maybe their favourite activity like going to the cinemas, they're always an excellent place to turn if you're struggling for ideas. I think they also make nice stocking filler presents, like a £10 River Island or JD voucher for your partner. It means they can use the money towards something they really want and will find useful. I also think by getting a restaurant or experience gift card this Christmas, although difficult to enjoy under the current circumstances, you are still supporting your local businesses during a really tough winter.

✨ Something Sentimental - Now I wanted to add something a little different to this Christmas gift guide that I haven't seen in many other peoples this year, and that is to actually create something, hand made, for your loved ones this Christmas. I know it sounds cheesy but I really do believe that these are the most special gifts of all. It shows your family/friends that you have taken time to hand craft something specifically for them, and that you know them well enough to design something you know that they'll love. Whether this is a photo of your favourite memory with them in a frame, or maybe a scrap book of some of your favourite times together, they can be created on a budget and exactly to your taste. Maybe you can create your partner a date night jar, filled with date night ideas that you can dip into for the next twelve months, or a takeaway dice featuring all of your favourite types of food that you can roll when you can't decide what to have for tea on a Saturday night. The options are endless and places like Pinterest and Etsy are great to scroll through if you fancy doing something like that this year and want to get some extra ideas. 

So there we go my lovelies, my top five Christmas Gift Guide ideas for both him and her. I hope this post was useful to you in some way  if you have been struggling to think of Christmas present ideas for your loved ones this year, or even wanted some ideas to add to your own Christmas lists. Also, I hope it has encouraged you to shop more independently and from smaller businesses this Christmas. I know this year has been an incredibly difficult one, so even if you and your family aren't doing gifts this year, I hope you all manage to celebrate it safely and I'm sending you all the Christmas wishes and love in the world ❤️. Lots of love xoxo