10 things to buy your auntie for Christmas

Buying for your auntie goes the same way most years: you get to the week before, panic, and buy the safe thing she already has three of.

These ten are here because they either get used weekly or they mark something. UK prices, one pick from our own range, and the card sorted at the end.

10 Christmas gifts for your auntie

• 1. A tote she'll take to the shop weekly instead of buying another bag for life.
• 2. A print for the kitchen or hallway.
• 3. The good version of her regular tea, coffee or chocolate.
• 4. A plant rather than cut flowers.
• 5. A framed family photo she isn't in enough of.
• 6. A book by the author she keeps recommending to you.
• 7. Something for the garden if she has one.
• 8. A voucher for a local independent she already uses.
• 9. A stocking filler that gets used in January, not one that gets binned with the wrapping paper.
• 10. Our pick: the 'Ride Your Own Way' canvas tote - designed in house, printed in the UK, and used for the weekly shop rather than kept for best.

How much to spend

• £15 to £30 is plenty, and something usable beats something decorative.
• Pooling with siblings or friends on one bigger present beats three separate medium ones.
• A £15 thing used weekly beats a £60 thing kept in a cupboard.
• If money is tight, give time with a date attached instead - it isn't a lesser gift.

What to avoid

• Bath sets. She has a cupboard full.
• Ornaments she'll have to dust.
• Anything that's really a hint.
• Gift sets you'd be embarrassed to receive.

Getting the timing right

• Anything personalised or printed needs ordering by early December.
• Last UK posting dates land around 18 to 20 December - order the week before.
• Buy the card with the gift, or it becomes a 23 December problem.

Don't forget the perfect card

• The gift gets opened in a minute. The card sits on the shelf for weeks and in a drawer for years.
• Write something only you could write about your auntie - one specific thing from this year.
• Sign it properly. A name and a real sentence beats 'love from all of us'.
• Every card we make is designed in house and printed in the UK, and it posts in the same parcel as the gift.

Shop Christmas cards

How to write it so it lands

• Specific beats expensive - the best gift is the one only you would think of.
• Order the card with the gift so they arrive together.
• Write the card before you wrap, while you still have something to say.

Where to shop next

• Our pick: 'Ride Your Own Way' canvas tote bag
• Shop Christmas cards
• Shop all cards
• Posters and prints
• 10 things to buy your auntie for her birthday
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What should I buy your auntie for Christmas?

Something she uses weekly or something with a date attached - a print for a wall, the good version of an everyday item, or an outing already booked. All three beat a gift set bought in a hurry.

How much should I spend on your auntie?

£15 to £30 is plenty, and something usable beats something decorative.

What should I write in the card?

One specific thing from the last year, then how you actually feel about it. That single line is remembered long after the present has been put away.