Homesick Gifts

Homesick gifts

Homesickness peaks in week four, not week one — long after the drop-off day and the good-luck cards have stopped.

A care package works because it proves somebody at home is still keeping track of the calendar.

Small, postable, and nothing that needs a kitchen they haven't got: prints, badges, coasters and a card.

Shop homesick care package gifts

Prints for halls, badges, coasters and candles — all small enough to post in one parcel.

A typographic music print featuring Taylor Swift Bejewelled lyrics on high-quality paper, unframed. Best Believe I'm Still Bejewelled By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 Unframed wall art print featuring the text 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' in colourful, vibrant lettering. In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall art print with the quote 'I work hard so that my dog can live a better life' in A4 or A3. I Work Hard So That My Dog Can Live A Better Life Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful fitness wall print illustrating the HYROX competition race format with running and functional workout steps. Hyrox Competition Race Format Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 Enamel pin badge featuring the text "What Would Dolly Do?". What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 Small enamel pin badge with a funny "Chicken Nugget Club" design, perfect as a humorous novelty gift. Chicken Nugget Club Pin Badge (Small) £4.00 Small, cute enamel pin badge in the shape of a daisy flower. Cute Small Daisy Pin Badge £4.00 Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge £4.00

Shop cheer up gifts

Care package ideas

What to write

What to spend

  • £5–£10 is plenty. Cheer-up gifts work on timing, not on price. Shop this card
  • Two small things a fortnight apart beat one big parcel. Shop this card
  • Anything over £30 starts to feel like an obligation to reply. Shop this card
  • A card on its own is a real gift, not a cop-out. Shop this card
  • Group chipping in? £3–£5 a head and one card everybody signs. Shop this card
  • Spend the effort on the message, not the object. Shop this card

Funny candles

Hand-poured in the UK, with a line on the label that does the talking.

65th Cake & Candles Birthday Card For Wife 65th Cake & Candles Birthday Card For Wife £3.87

Coasters and desk pieces

Small, funny, and in front of them every day.

Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Drinks Coasters £4.50 An A4 Certificate of Bravery with a lion's mane illustration and blank spaces for name, deed, date, and signature. A4 Certificate Of Bravery £3.00 Square drinks coaster with the humorous text Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That, ideal gift for office colleagues. Relax I Have a Spreadsheet For That Funny Drinks Coaster £3.75 Pack of 6 Fun Cartoon Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Fun Cartoon Drinks Coasters £4.50 Pack of 6 Fun Geometric Pattern Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Fun Geometric Pattern Drinks Coasters £4.50 Harry Potter Wax Seal Drinks Coaster in Maroon & Gold Harry Potter Wax Seal Drinks Coaster in Maroon & Gold £5.99 Pack of 4 Powerpuff Girls Drinks Coasters Pack of 4 Powerpuff Girls Drinks Coasters £6.00 A4 novelty certificate gift for Father's Day reading World's Best Dad with gold border and seal detail. World's Best Dad A4 Certificate (Father's Day Gift) £9.99 Best Mummy in the World Drinks Coaster Best Mummy in the World Drinks Coaster £3.99 World’s Best Dad Wooden Coaster World’s Best Dad Wooden Coaster £4.00 Pack of 6 Small Cartoon Dog Drinks Coasters Pack of 6 Small Cartoon Dog Drinks Coasters £4.50 Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Sun & Mood Astrology Coasters Pack of 6 Minimalist Wooden Sun & Mood Astrology Coasters £4.50

Prints for the wall

Something cheerful for the kitchen, the hallway or the desk.

A typographic music print featuring Taylor Swift Bejewelled lyrics on high-quality paper, unframed. Best Believe I'm Still Bejewelled By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 Unframed wall art print featuring the text 'In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo' in colourful, vibrant lettering. In A World Of Grey, Be A Flamingo Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful typographic wall art print with the quote 'I work hard so that my dog can live a better life' in A4 or A3. I Work Hard So That My Dog Can Live A Better Life Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 A colourful fitness wall print illustrating the HYROX competition race format with running and functional workout steps. Hyrox Competition Race Format Print (A4 & A3) £8.00 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 Colourful typography poster featuring the text You're Gonna Hear Me Roar from Katy Perry's song, unframed music print. You're Gonna Hear Me Roar Poster (Music Lyric Print) £8.00 Graphic music lyric print featuring a giant open mouth and lyrics from Lola Young's song Messy. Cause I'm Too Messy And Then I'm Too Fucking Clean (Music Lyric Prints) £8.00 Taylor Swift Who's Afraid of Little Old Me lyric print featuring minimalist black typography on a white background. Whose Afraid Of Little Old Me By Taylor Swift Music Lyrics Print £8.00 "Let It Be" Beatles lyric print featuring a guitar illustration and song lyrics, displayed as unframed wall art. "Let It Be" By The Beatles Inspired Music Lyrics Print (Guitar) £8.00 Humorous wall art print featuring four lined-up pints of Guinness stout and the text 'line. them. up.' with a white border. Line Them up Guinness Print (A4 & A3) £8.00

Pin badges

A pound or two, posted in an envelope, and worn for years.

Enamel pin badge featuring the text "What Would Dolly Do?". What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 Small enamel pin badge with a funny "Chicken Nugget Club" design, perfect as a humorous novelty gift. Chicken Nugget Club Pin Badge (Small) £4.00 Small, cute enamel pin badge in the shape of a daisy flower. Cute Small Daisy Pin Badge £4.00 Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge Cute Cat With Pearl Ball Pin Badge £4.00 All Panic, No Disco Pin Badge For Emos All Panic, No Disco Pin Badge For Emos £4.00 Small Heart Notification Pin Badge Small Heart Notification Pin Badge £4.00 What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge What Would Dolly Do? Small Pin Badge £4.49 Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge Cute Duck In Pink Cowboy Hat And Boots Pin Badge £4.00 Cute Small Rainbow Pin Badge Cute Small Rainbow Pin Badge £4.00 You've Got A Friend In Me Pin Badge You've Got A Friend In Me Pin Badge £4.00 Third Eye Pin Badge Third Eye Pin Badge £4.00 Pointless Meeting Survivor Pin Badge Pointless Meeting Survivor Pin Badge £4.00

Cards to send with it

Add the card and it all arrives in one UK parcel.

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 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) £3.87 Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad £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 "Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card "Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card £3.87 The Eggplant Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card The Eggplant Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card £3.87 The Peach Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card The Peach Tarot-inspired Cheeky Valentines Day Card £3.87

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What do you put in a homesick care package?

Things for the room and the bag rather than the kitchen: a print, a badge, coasters and a card with a joke only your family gets.

When should you send it?

Week four of term, and again in January. Freshers' week parcels get lost in the noise.

What helps a homesick student most?

Contact on a predictable schedule. The parcel is proof of it, not a substitute for it.