· 6 min read
A gift for someone abroad, without the customs bill
Four ways to get a gift to someone in another country, and the one that usually means they pay no fee when it is delivered.
Gift ideas and advice
What we have learned about choosing a gift that lands: how to read the person, when to spend more, and what to do when nothing comes to mind.
19 articles · Show all
· 3 min read
Eighteen deserves more than an envelope
Turning eighteen is a big milestone, but no traditional gift goes with it. Here are gifts that mark it well.
· 4 min read
Three good things beat seven bits of tat
Under £15 and still worth wrapping. The problem with small gifts is how they are chosen, not the budget.
· 4 min read
New baby gifts that aren't another muslin
The baby already has plenty in newborn size. The parents usually receive nothing. So buy something for the parents.
· 4 min read
Skip the over-the-hill joke. They've heard it
A joke card about getting old is not a gift. Here is what a milestone birthday really needs.
· 3 min read
Grapes are a reflex. Comfort is the brief
Most people send flowers and grapes without much thought. What someone who is ill really needs is comfort and distraction.
· 5 min read
A birthday gift's going rate is set by your circle
There is no national rate for a birthday present. The right amount is what your friends, family and other parents already spend. Here is how to find it.
· 3 min read
There is a right number, and it is not the cost of your seat
Everyone searches for this number online, but nobody asks it out loud. Here is a calm answer, with real figures.
· 3 min read
An engagement gift is not a small wedding gift
An engagement is its own occasion, with its own tone and usually a smaller budget than a wedding.
· 4 min read
Set the Christmas gift budget per person, then add it up
An average Christmas spend tells you what other people did. A budget built from your own list tells you what you can do.
· 6 min read
Paper, cotton, leather - and what to give instead
Paper, cotton, tin. The anniversary list is a starting point, not a rule. Here is what the list is for, and when to ignore it.
· 5 min read
Teachers keep the card. The gift can be something they use
What teachers actually use at Christmas: a card with one true line, something that gets used up, and a tin the whole staff room can share.
· 4 min read
The four o'clock whip-round, and how not to buy it
A last-minute office collection usually ends in a rushed gift and a card full of 'good luck'. Here is how to plan it properly.
· 3 min read
Her birthday is one day. The gift has to work on all the others
'For her' says who the gift is for, but nothing about her. Start with how she spends an ordinary week, and the birthday gift becomes much easier to choose.
· 3 min read
The wedding list is the couple telling you the answer
You can buy a gift that is not on the wedding list. Here is when that works and when it does not.
· 4 min read
Leave the people you love until last
Gifts for fifteen people in one afternoon, with no panic in the third week of December. Start with the people, not the shops.
· 6 min read
Everything in the Secret Santa drawer, and how not to add to it
Most Secret Santa gifts at £10-20 are thrown away by January. Here is how to spend that budget on something they will keep.
· 3 min read
The house is theirs to decorate. The gift is yours
They have boxes everywhere and clear ideas about how their new home should look. Here is what to give them.
· 4 min read
Everyone's bringing sweets. Bring something they'll remember
Sweets and diyas are the safe choice, but people often forget them. Here is what to give at Diwali if you want your gift to be remembered.