We asked 17 women about the best, most thoughtful and sentimental gifts they’ve ever gifted or been given for the ultimate tried-and-tested Christmas present inspiration.
Picking a gift can be difficult at the best of times. It can be a struggle to come up with something original or to find a gift that perfectly sums up how we feel about a loved one and how glad we are to have them in our lives. Sometimes it feels like a new pair of pyjamas or a bottle of perfume simply won’t cut it.
So what do you do if you want to completely blow someone away this year with something unspeakably personal and beautiful?
We asked 17 women to tell us about the most thoughtful gifts that they’ve ever given or received to give us some creative ideas for the festive season.
From a personalised Hogwarts letter to an illustration of a beloved pet, these presents are truly heartwarming. Keep reading for some ideas that are bound to bowl your loved ones over.
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“Second hand editions of my favourite childhood books from back in the day”
“An amazing Christmas pressie my husband got me a few years back was the complete Little House series of books. He’d heard me talk about them now and again and went to a special online book dealer to get second-hand editions (the same ones I read in my childhood).
“It was totally unexpected and a really sweet, nostalgic throwback to growing up.” Anna, 38
Shop The Complete Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker at Folio Society, £105
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“A personalised calendar with my year in review”
“Every year, my best friend and I make each other personalised calendars that show the highlights of our year – kind of like a year in review.
“We pick out trips we’ve taken, our best photos, achievements, personal jokes and all that jazz. It’s such a lovely part of my Christmas time and has become a tradition I look forward to every year.” Sam, 31
Shop personalised calendar at Rosemood, £26.50
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“A four-photo vintage locket”
“OK, this wasn’t a Christmas present, but it is the best present I’ve ever received. Growing up, my twin sister and I were best, best friends with the two sisters who lived opposite us.
“They’re still our closest friends to this day, and when I turned 18 (which was over 10 years ago now), they all clubbed together to buy me a heart-shaped antique gold locket.
“Because it’s vintage it feels timeless, so even as I’ve got older I still wear it all the time. The best part is it has a fold-out photo frame inside so there’s a picture of each of us in there.” Jess, 30
Shop Friends And Family Locket by Silk Purse, Sow’s Ear at Notonthehighstreet, £38
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“A Christmas bauble that reminded me of home”
“I moved to Canada for two years and planned on spending the first Christmas out there. I went with my boyfriend, so I had him to share the day with, but I knew it would be difficult as I’m so close with my family and girl gang from school, with whom I have a lot of special festive traditions.
“One of my friends knew how much Christmas in London meant to me. We both lived there and would spend evenings in December walking around Covent Garden, staring at the tree and sipping mulled wine.
“She also knows that my family have a tradition that we buy a bauble from every place we go on holiday. So, to remind me of home, she sent me a Liberty London bauble to epitomise the festive period in the capital.
“The fact that it got to me on the other side of the world really choked me up. Having that little bit of home meant everything.” Jo, 28
Shop Liberty Tin Heart Decoration, £9.95
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“A pendant that symbolised our relationship”
“One of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received was from my boyfriend, who bought me the Pigeon Post pendant from Lylie Sustainable Jewellery.
Not only is the necklace made from salvaged silver from recycled mobile phones – a unique twist I found really special – but the pendant’s design served as a symbol of our connection during a year when we had to spend so much time apart. I’m not one for cheesy, but I absolutely loved it.” Lauren, 23
Shop the pigeon post pendant necklace at Lylies, from £95
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“Homemade cushion crafted from our grandma’s skirt”
“I work in interior design now, but I did a degree in textiles and I’m handy with a sewing machine. When my mum’s mum passed away she was obviously devastated, so when it came to Christmas I crafted a pillow from one of her old kilts.
“She loved Scotland and had collected lots of them, so it meant more that mum knew how much granny adored those kilts and what they stood for – lots of happy memories.
“Instead of being in a cupboard somewhere, that kilt is now out for my mum to see every day and I think she loves that. So, it’s not a gift I’ve been given, but it’s one that I most enjoyed giving.” Simone, 27
Shop memory cushion at Lily Grace Keepsakes, £39.95
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“A replica of my mum’s engagement ring”
“My mum always knew I loved her emerald engagement ring and spoke about how she’d give it to me when I had kids to pass it down to.
“Sadly, one day, the stone sadly fell down the sink and we couldn’t retrieve it. That following year she surprised me with my very own emerald ring. I cried; it was so beautiful and is one of the most precious things I own.” Hanna, 30
Shop Siren medium stacking ring at Monica Vinader, £100
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“My very own letter from Hogwarts”
“My boyfriend and I are big Harry Potter fans, and for Christmas last year he did the unthinkable and got me into Hogwarts.
“Well, not quite. But he did get us tickets to Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, a show that I thought I’d never end up saving up enough money to see.
“When he presented me with my gift, he first gave me a letter addressed to me personally, inviting me to go to Hogwarts. It was even sealed with a red, wax seal of the Hogwarts crest. I couldn’t believe it.
“On the day he crowned me with a Hufflepuff scarf (my house through and through) and treated us to champagne as the show started. A truly thoughtful execution of a lovely, lovely gift.” Megan, 29
Shop personalised Hogwarts letter at Platform 9 ¾, £15
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“A surprise film camera”
“I’ve always loved being creative, but outside of snapping my dinner for Instagram (I’m a food writer, forgive me?), I’d never considered buying a proper camera and getting to grips with photography.
“A few Christmases ago my fiance surprised me with a film camera and it has been a highlight of the last few years. It’s a gift that keeps on giving because as I’ve learned more about how to use it, the more excited and enthusiastic I have become.
“I love that I never even thought it was something I wanted, but it’s something I’ll have for years and I get to keep making memories with it.” Rosie, 30
Shop Canon AE-1 35mm SLR film camera at Film Camera Store, £299
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“A vinyl record with messages from my family on”
“My dad is a big music buff and obviously when he thinks about loving music as a teenager, he thinks of vinyl and record players – he believes it’s a crying shame that young people today don’t appreciate them.
“One Christmas he gifted me with a record player to keep in my room so I could listen to my own music and one vinyl record to get me started.
“When I put it on, it was my family singing ‘We wish you a merry Christmas’ followed by messages of why they love me. It was so thoughtful and unexpected.” Annie, 24
Shop Crosley Cruiser tourmaline bluetooth record player at HMV, £79.99
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“An engraved necklace”
“I’m really close to my two older sisters, and last Christmas they gifted me a gorgeous gold circle necklace. On one side, it has our names engraved on it and on the other, the word ‘sisters’.
“They’re both busy mums of two, and one of them lives abroad, so knowing they took the time to organise a gift really meant the world to me.” Ciara, 31
Shop Merci Maman personalised intertwined charm necklace at John Lewis & Partners, £99
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“A portrait of my puppy”
“The year my dog died, my family knew how I upset I was and so they clubbed together and had a portrait of him drawn by an illustrator.
“They picked a picture from when he was a puppy and it was the cutest, loveliest thing. Obviously, I cried my eyes out when I opened it, but now it’s something I treasure.” Laura, 35
Shop personalised pet illustration at Notonthehighstreet, £40
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“A handmade booklet of presents to choose from”
“One year my then boyfriend was away on a ski season, so he knew we wouldn’t be spending Christmas together.
“He couldn’t afford to get me a present at that point in time, but I had just moved to London for university and still didn’t have a bed.
“So, he researched all the beds he thought I would most like in his price range, printed pictures of them all and bound them together like a little book, with funny descriptions of why he thought I would like each one.
“He even included a bedding set next to each one that he thought would look good with it and gave the ‘looks’ names such as ‘princess pad’ or ‘English countryside’.
“It took six months for the ski season to end, but I did eventually get my bed and I didn’t mind waiting after he put so much effort in.” Matilda, 26
Shop personalised photo book at Papier, from £22
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“A ring with all of my family’s birthstones”
“One year my mum had a ring made for me with all my family’s birthstones in it.
“I had to go with her to help design it and have my finger measured and it made the experience all the more special that we did it together.” Alyss, 20
Shop personalised textured confetti birthstone ring at Notonthehighstreet, £125
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“A song all about me”
“One year my partner surprised me by writing and then serenading me with a song that he had written about me.
“It was both hilarious and adorably sentimental. He included some really funny lines to reference personal jokes and said some sweet things as well. It was such a surprise.” Hayley, 28
Shop Bandlab app, free
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“An artwork made from my sister’s passport stickers”
“I’ve always been a bit crafty and I love taking my time to create something special for my best friends and family. My big sister is travel obsessed and loves getting stamps in her passport, so I carefully cut out each one and backed it with felt, stitching it into a little token.
“Then I attached each one to a map of the world and stitched little lines to show where she has been, to remind her of all the adventures she’s had.
“So, it’s not a gift I’ve received, but I absolutely loved giving it.” Carry, 29
Shop crafting supplies at Hobbycraft
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“A jar of date ideas”
“My partner wrote out 25 different date ideas on strips of paper and popped them in a jar for me, promising that we’d do them all before the next Christmas came around.
“Some were really simple like watching a certain film we had kept saying we would see or trying a restaurant in our neighbourhood for the first time. Some were a little more organised like visiting Kew Gardens or booking a London bus tour. And a few were proper showstoppers with ideas for trips away or really romantic evenings that he promised to orchestrate.
“It’s smart because it gives you something to look forward to for the whole year, and although it sounds impressive, doesn’t actually take that much work to start off with!” Luna, 23
Shop concrete jar at Victorian Plumbing, £14.95
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Images: Papier; courtesy of brands
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