How To Build A Cosy Night In Gift Box For Winter Wellness

British winter is dark by four and damp by five, and most of us respond by going quiet for three months. A cosy night in box is an easy way to check on somebody without making a fuss about it.

The trick is fewer, better things. Four good items in a box beats twelve sachets nobody uses.

Honest note: we make cards, prints, pin badges and our own scented candles in the UK. Chocolate, socks and specialist candles are recommendations from elsewhere.

The four things every box needs

• Warm socks, thick and unironic, the sort that go over pyjamas.
• Something that makes the room smell like an evening rather than a Tuesday. A warm-oil massage candle is the one thing that turns a bath and a face mask into something that actually feels like a treatment. It burns to a low-temperature oil you pour straight onto skin, so the scent and the massage are the same product.
• Something to drink: proper hot chocolate, a good tea, or a miniature of something stronger.
• Something to read or watch, so there is a plan for the evening rather than a scroll.
• A card saying why you sent it - Shop the range

Nice extras

• A hot water bottle with a cover that survives the wash.
• Lip balm and hand cream, because winter hands are a genuine misery.
• A notebook and a decent pen for the ones who write things down.
• A small print for the wall - Shop the range
• A pin badge for the coat - Shop the range

Building and posting it

• Use a rigid box, not a bag, if it is going in the post.
• Wrap anything that could leak separately, then wrap it again.
• Tissue paper costs almost nothing and doubles how it feels to open.
• Post early in the week so it does not sit in a depot over the weekend.
• Posted gift ideas - Read the guide

Who to send one to

• Somebody who has just moved, started a new job, or is in a new house alone.
• A friend recovering from something, physical or otherwise.
• A parent who has gone quiet since the clocks changed.
• Anyone whose birthday falls in January and gets swallowed by Christmas.
• Thinking of you gift ideas - Read the guide

Shop greetings cards

How to write it so it lands

• Four good things beat twelve small ones.
• Rigid box for posting.
• Send it in January, not December.

Where to shop next

• Candles
• Greetings cards
• Wall art and prints
• Motivational prints
• Pin badges
• DIY spa night at home
• Luxury gifts for sister
• Bridesmaid thank you gifts
• Maternity leave gift ideas
• Thinking of you gift ideas
• Self care gift ideas
• Pamper hamper ideas
• Self care ideas for a bad week
• Thinking of you messages
• Thinking of you gifts by post
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Gift Ideas
• Congratulations cards
• Good luck cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What do you put in a cosy night in gift box?

Warm socks, a candle, something good to drink, something to read or watch, and a card. Four or five good things beat a dozen small ones.

How much does a cosy night in box cost to make?

Around GBP 25 to GBP 40 in the UK if you buy four decent items. Posting a rigid box adds GBP 4 to GBP 7.

What is a good winter care package for a friend?

Socks, hot chocolate, a candle, lip balm and hand cream, plus a card. Send it in January rather than December, when it is actually needed.

How do you post a gift box safely?

Rigid box, anything liquid double-wrapped, tissue paper to stop things moving, and posted early in the week.

What should you avoid putting in one?

Anything with a strong scent the person has not chosen, novelty sachets, and anything that needs a fridge.

Do you make the massage candle yourselves?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK, and we do make our own scented candles. The NEOM massage candle is a recommendation from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.