Disclosure: items were gifted to feature in this gift guide – all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Yay it is December and in the Drew household this means we can officially talk about Christmas. It is my husband Tony's birthday on the 1st of December, so I have a rule that we cannot get truly festive before then. Here I have my 2019 Christmas gift guide which includes money saving, food, cat gifts, beauty and so much more. Let's get stuck in to this gift guide!
Health & Beauty
These Philosophy Christmas bath and shower gels bring a touch of luxe to shower time. Available in six different scents, I have Snow Angel and Sugar Plum Fairy photographed. With 480ml each these will last awhile too.
Sanctuary Spa offer a wide range of products that would be great for Christmas. The Signature Heart Candle is £6 at Boots and smells divine! Or the Dainty Duo which contains a body scrub and the wet skin moisture miracle is £6 from Superdrug. Perfect for Secret Santa gifts.
Another great Sanctuary Spa option is the Shower Allsorts gift set for £14 from Boots. This comes with body scrub, body lotion and body wash.
I am lucky enough to have quite thick hair, but Tony isn't! His hair has been thinning since before I even met him, so this Nanogen unisex hair hydrator is great for him. It is a brush through fine hair expander, with hyaluronic acid gel to add shine and body whilst removing frizz. It is applied to towel dried or slightly damp hair, then after a minute you can brush it through until your hair is smooth, and then style your hair as normal. The Nanogen hair hydrator is available directly from Nanogen or from Boots for £12.50.
These 100% natural essential oil inhaler sticks from www.theGo2brand.com are just £3.99 each making them a great secret Santa gift or a stocking filler. A variety of sticks are available which help you with energy, focus, being calm or sleeping. The essential oils included are:
- Eucalyptus– promotes healthy circulation, stimulates mental focus and promotes clear breathing
- Peppermint – promotes energy and alertness
- Lemongrass – promotes blood circulation to combat fatigue
- Rosemary – boosts memory retention and staying alert
- Lime – clears the mind and encourages mental energy
- Lavender – promotes relaxation
- Bergamot – boosts the mind and eases worries
- Cardamom – calms the respiratory system and digestive system
- Frankincense – creates a sense of inner peace and contentment
- Red mandarin – has revitalising qualities and supports a restful sleep
They smell great!
If you are putting together a pamper hamper as a gift or you are looking for a stocking filler then this Cake hair mask for £2.99 is a winner. Is it packed with lux butters and oils to help replenish missing moisture in your hair and repair stressed out locks. Leave on for 3-5 minutes after shampooing for silky hair without the harsh chemicals. Oh and did I mention that it smells amazing?
Another great gift for a pamper hamper or a stocking filler is the T-Zone glitter peel off mask. The sparkles are perfect for this festive season, and the pore refining mask will keep your face feeling great!
If you want to create curls and waves easily then look no further than the Revamp Progloss Perfect Finish Brush. With a retractable brush to help you create a variety of hairstyles that will last all day. It works really well on mid-length to long hair and it even contains oils to help smooth out your hair. With custom heat settings you can use it on all hair types.
These nail polishes from Leighton Denny are the perfect festive colours, with a bit of sparkle too. The nail polishes retail for £12 each.
I love a hand mask, and Leighton Denny also offer this rejuvenate hand mask which is perfect for hands in the winter months. At £6.50 this is great for secret Santa or popping into a hamper or stocking.
The Johnson's Sleep Tight Set is a great gift for new parents this Christmas. Retailing at just £10 at Asda it includes classics including Johnson's® Bedtime Baby Bath, Johnson's® Bedtime Baby Wash, Johnson's® Bedtime Baby Lotion and Johnson's® Bedtime Baby Oil. All presented in a strong clear bag that can be reused.
Foodie & in the kitchen
If you are looking for some stocking fillers then fruit bowl have a great variety of items to choose from. We really loved the fruit peelers and they made a great snack to pop into my handbag whilst out and about. The unicorn flakes are also delicious and they sparkle! Available from supermarkets.
The Life's a Beach water bottle from ProCook not only looks great and helps to tackle single use plastic usage, but sales from the Life's a Beach range mean that 10% is donated to charity, a win win! This will keep cold drinks chilled for up to 24 hours and hot drinks warmed for up to 12 hours.
Kids and grown ups do indeed love it so – and Haribo have come out with a range of delicious Christmas and winter themed goodies. Tony is looking forward to enjoying films with the sweet medley in particular. Available from supermarkets.
Another thing we love to do over the festive period is to snuggle up under blankets and watch Christmas films. This personalised retro sweet jar makes a great gift to enjoy with Christmas films! With 12 different types of sweets in this jar (or 24 in the larger jar) there are plenty to enjoy. My favourite is the Rainbow Drops (wow they've changed!) and Tony liked the really, really sour lollipops. Did I mention that they are REALLY sour?
If anything says Christmas it is definitely gingerbread men! These Salter limited edition Gingerbread men digital kitchen scales are great for anyone who loves spending time in the kitchen. Salter have been seeing you through years of baking and cooking. Featuring an easy to read large digit display, and a slim design for neat storage, this limited-edition Salter Gingerbread Digital Kitchen Scale is ideal for every kitchen this festive season.
With many of us trying to be more environmentally friendly these glass straws from Vaso make a great gift. Available in a variety of lengths including a box with mixed sizes (seen here).
For the beer lover in your life, Best of British Beer have a 6 pack Christmas themed beer selection for £22.99. Beer52 also have exclusive discounts on their beer here.
Is it Christmas without some tiffin? The Holland & Barrett Tiffin Selection Box is available online or in store for £4.99. The rocky road is bursting with Belgian chocolate, cherries, sultanas and vegan marshmallows, cranberry and orange square, and original tiffin square. This is vegan, as well as wheat, gluten, egg and dairy free!
Daim bars are my favourite chocolate, so I feel for this gigantic chocolate Daim very easily! From the description: “The most important rule in life: chocolate is good, and even more chocolate is better!”. This huge box is shaped like a giant Daim bar, and inside you will find 20 packs of 3 Daim bars. Enough to keep someone going until at least 1st January 2020!
Is it actually Christmas if you aren't enjoying the Opies range? The cocktail cherries and lemon slices are something we buy every year, and I am definitely looking forward to the apricots in Jim Bean – yum! Available from most supermarkets.
I have been looking at getting a food dehydrator for ages so that I can make my own vegetable crisps and I also wanted to try making my own biltong in one. This one is available from Cool Stuff and it going to help us save so much money by being able to use up fruit and vegetables that might go to waste.
Baileys is another Christmas favourite in the Drew household, and these Baileys truffles combine delicious chocolate with Baileys – what more could you ask for? There are loads of other gifts for her from Cool Stuff.
Boxing Day in our house is all about the cheese and crackers, and Lancashire-based Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses have range of delicious farmhouse cheeses to make the perfect cheeseboard. Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses can be found in Booths, Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and independents across the UK.
Is it Christmas without some luxury Belgian chocolates from Guylian? This delicious assortment has something for everyone, making it a great gift for couples or families. You can find them in store at Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Another great gift for anyone looking to cut their single use plastic usage are the Abeego beeswax food wraps. This kit comes with a variety of sizes of wraps to use.
The Tower Scandi rapid boil kettle is a great gift for someone who has moved into their new home this year, or enjoys a good cuppa. The design is sleek and would fit in with most kitchen decor, and the rapid boil function makes a quick cuppa.
Games & Fun
Christmas is definitely a time for board games in my family, and we are really excited to play Beat That! – The Bonkers Battle of Wacky Challenges. Suitable for 2 – 8 players over the age of 11, Beat That! is known as the world's wackiest party game. There are 160 challenges that are a variety of funny, tricky and outrageous. We cannot wait to get stuck into this over Christmas!
Of course we can't leave the cats out, and if you are looking for a Christmas present for cats then you can't go wrong with this cat scratching DJ deck for your fur babies. Easy to put together without any glue needed, your cat or cats will be coming up with some tunes quickly. Cat not included!
History Heroes: WOMEN is an award winning card game for anyone between 8 – 80+. You play the game by guessing the famous women in history to win the card. The pack includes 40 of the greatest women in history and you can even choose your level of fact from easiest to hard using the green to red system.This is for 2 – 6 players.
Is there anything better than receiving a hand made gift from a loved one? This Christmas LoveCrafts are encouraging you to make your own gifts this festive season, or gift someone everything they need to start a new hobby in 2020. For example a hobby like knitting is a nice relaxing activity that can form part of your self-care routine. Pictured is everything needed to create this Lia scarf – the wool and the needles.
I don't know what it is about Christmas that means all the board games come out, and Interaction is a great game to enjoy this Christmas. What's new about this game is that you use an Android or iOS app to play, giving you thousands of tasks and questions which you can change based on age and location. There are give different categories (knowledge, creativity, sports, social and games) for everyone to enjoy. Even better there is WhatsApp support included if you get stuck! This new way of gaming is a trendsetter!
The Geomag Mechanics Challenge contains 95 pieces for every active imagination to assemble the pieces to make a launcher to shoot onto the targets. A great activity for children ages 7+
My Dad loves doing jigsaw puzzles so when I saw this World's Smallest jigsaw puzzle from Cool Stuff I knew that it would take my Dad awhile to crack! There are plenty of designs to choose from, from all around the world, but I went for Tower Bridge for him. Once assembled it is less than 50cm and I know he will love it.
The Geomag confetti range gives you amazing fun with an explosion of colours. These magnetic rods mean that you can build just about anything your imagination can dream up. With 68 pieces included there are hours of fun to be had. For ages 3+.
Practical gifts
Is it really Christmas if you aren't giving someone socks? This year why not give a gift of socks with a conscience? These socks are made from beautifully soft bamboo and cotton and 20% of your purchase will go towards helping save lives of critically endangered animals.
Pen Heaven have a great selection of pens, stationery and more – great for finding Christmas gifts.
When it comes to notebooks you can't beat a classic Moleskine can you? Pen Heaven also offer a variety of Moleskine notebooks in different colours and layouts. This gift is clean, classic and useful.
I love practical gifts and you can't get more practical than a PowerBank for when you are on the go. This one from GP Batteries gives you an extra 2 phone charges for your phone and costs just £17.99. If you are looking for more they also have models with 4 charges and 6 charges for your phone.
My Dad has finally joined the iPhone club so that we can Facetime each other, and I loved getting to make this personalised phone case for him from Vistaprint. It took just a few minutes to choose a design I liked, upload a photo and get the phone case ordered for him. The photo captures his expression when he saw then screen that showed that I was using a filter on us and I feel like it sums up his personality perfectly.
I love personalised items, and this is the perfect gift for any newlyweds this Christmas time. These personalised love heart coasters can be personalised for any occasion, so we chose our wedding date and venue. There are 4 slate coasters included, and each slate is cut into a heart shape from a single piece of natural slate, giving them a rustic look. Each coaster is roughly 10.5cm by 9.5cm.
This Cook's Diary is perfect for the foodie in your life. It has a unique week-to-view diary which includes:
- Weekly recipes
- Cook's info
- Notes pocket
- Diary stickers
- Lie-flat design
Available with a variety of stunning covers too!
Celebrating Christmas without a loved one is really hard, and doesn't get easier as the years go by. Norma & Dorothy have come up with a stunning ‘in loving memory' personalised candle. You can choose from 5 different scents for your candle, and add the name of a loved one along with the years required. This is a great way for us to remember my mum over the festive period.
These days having a dash cam on your car is getting more and more important to help out with insurance claims and give you some peace of mind. This Nextbase 322GW dash cam is the world's first bluetooth connected dash cam. This means it will alert emergency services to your location in the event of an accident. Other key features include 1080p HD resolution at 60 fps, 2.5” HD IPS touch screen, 140° viewing angle, 10Hz GPS Module, AutoSync, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi via MyNextbase Connect and PC/Mac software – MyNextbase Player.
