UK Gifting Trends

We draw and print our own cards and prints in the UK and post them ourselves, so everything below is written from the inside. Where a deal isn't worth chasing, we say so.

We can only speak to what we see from a small UK print shop, so this is observation rather than market research. No invented statistics.

Four shifts worth knowing before you buy.

Letterbox-sized cards, prints and badges

Everything we make posts flat, so nothing needs collecting from a depot.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Her £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Strongbow Dark Fruits Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card) £3.87

Shop cards and prints

Letterbox gifting

  • Flat, letterbox-sized gifts avoid the missed-delivery problem entirely.
  • Prints, cards, badges and postcards all fit through a standard door.
  • It matters most for people who work out, live in flats, or don't want a card left in a bin.
  • A flat gift and a card in one envelope is often better received than a parcel that needs collecting.

Smaller, more often

  • People are sending more small things rather than one big present.
  • A card mid-week for no reason lands harder than an expensive birthday gift. Shop this card
  • Thinking-of-you sending has grown well past bereavement and illness.
  • Budget splits across the year rather than piling into December.

The card doing the work

  • Where the gift is smaller, the message carries it. Blank insides get used properly.
  • Handwritten beats printed verse for anyone over about thirty and under about twelve.
  • Humour has moved from a niche to the default for friends and colleagues.
  • Keepsake wording - first Christmas, new home, a name and a year - gets kept for decades.

Buying earlier

  • Seasonal buying keeps moving earlier, with November now doing December's job.
  • Sale weeks have pulled Christmas card buying forward by weeks.
  • Earlier buying means earlier posting, which is the only real defence against Second Class taking five days.

Shop cards and prints

Prints that post flat

A5, A4 and A3 art prints, drawn in house and printed in the UK.

All You Need Is Love / Love Is All You Need Print (A5 - A3) All You Need Is Love / Love Is All You Need Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 Look At The Stars Song Lyrics Print (A5 - A3) Look At The Stars Song Lyrics Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 Music Sounds Better With You Music Print (A5 - A3) Music Sounds Better With You Music Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One (A5 - A3) 99 Problems but Excel Ain't One (A5 - A3) £8.00 12 Days of Christmas Lyrics Print 12 Days of Christmas Lyrics Print £6.00 Play That Funky Music Print (A5 - A3) Play That Funky Music Print (A5 - A3) £8.00 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard 99 Problems, Prompting Ain't One A6 Postcard £3.00 Play That Funky Music Print A6 Postcard Play That Funky Music Print A6 Postcard £3.00

Pin badges

Enamel pin badges that slip into a card or a stocking.

Sunflower Push Pins (10PCS) Sunflower Push Pins (10PCS) £2.95 Enamel pin badge shaped like a red cowboy boot with the text What Would Dolly Do. What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 Star Trek Lapel Pin Badges (Set of 3) Star Trek Lapel Pin Badges (Set of 3) £7.49 Enamel pin badge featuring an illustration of a charming pigeon. Charming Pigeon Pin Badge £4.00 Enamel pin badge featuring the Dunder Mifflin Paper Co logo from The Office. The Office Dunder Mifflin Paper Co Pin Badge £4.00 Enamel pin badge featuring detailed pink cowgirl boots and a bright red cowboy hat on a plain background. Cowgirl Boots & Hat Pin Badge £4.00 Funny enamel pin badge featuring the words "Granny Panty Club". Granny Panty Club Hilarious Pin Badge £4.00 Round white enamel pin badge with the retro text "Honorary Gilmore Girl", pinned onto a denim jacket. Honorary Gilmore Girl Pin Badge £4.00

How to write it so it lands

  • Flat gifts avoid missed deliveries entirely.
  • Smaller and more often beats one big present.
  • Write the card properly - it's doing more work than it used to.

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What are letterbox gifts?

Gifts flat enough to fit through a standard UK letterbox - cards, prints, postcards and pin badges - so nothing is missed or left with a neighbour.

Are people spending less on gifts in the UK?

From what we see, spend is being split into smaller, more frequent gifts rather than cut outright, with the card and message carrying more of the meaning.

Is it better to send a gift or a card?

A card with a real message beats a generic gift almost every time. A small flat gift tucked in with it is the strongest combination.

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