10 things to buy your brother for Christmas

Buying for your brother goes the same way most years: you get to the week before, panic, and buy the safe thing he 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 brother

• 1. Something for his desk, because that's where he spends most of his week.
• 2. The upgrade on a thing he already owns cheap - headphones, a wallet, a water bottle.
• 3. A game you can both play, so the gift includes you.
• 4. Tickets to something you go to together.
• 5. A print that's an in-joke only the two of you get.
• 6. The snack or drink he stockpiles, in an unreasonable quantity.
• 7. Kit for whatever he's currently obsessed with - gym, cycling, cooking, fishing.
• 8. A photo of the two of you from years ago, framed.
• 9. A stocking filler that gets used in January, not one that gets binned with the wrapping paper.
• 10. Our pick: the 'Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That' coaster - cheap, funny, and it lives on his desk instead of in a drawer.

How much to spend

• £15 to £40 is normal between siblings, and matching what he spends on you is the real rule.
• 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

• Aftershave sets. Nobody has ever finished one.
• Anything 'for men' in gift-set packaging.
• 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 brother - 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: 'Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That' coaster
• Shop Christmas cards
• Shop all cards
• Posters and prints
• 10 things to buy your brother for his 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 brother for Christmas?

Something he 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 brother?

£15 to £40 is normal between siblings, and matching what he spends on you is the real rule.

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.