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, pin badges, coasters and a card.

Shop homesick care package gifts

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

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 Derby County Pride Park coaster Derby County Pride Park coaster £5.00 Tranmere Rovers FC coaster of Prenton Park Tranmere Rovers FC coaster of Prenton Park £5.00

Shop cheer up gifts

Care package ideas

  • A print for the bare wall in halls.
  • A pin badge for the tote bag.
  • Coasters for the shared kitchen nobody cleans.
  • A card with a family in-joke in it.
  • Something posted in week four, not week one.
  • A second parcel in January, which is the worse month.

What to write

  • "Week four is the bad one. It passes."
  • "Your room is exactly as you left it. Unfortunately."
  • "Ring whenever. Reverse the charges, if that still exists."
  • "Nobody feels settled yet. They're all pretending."
  • "Something for the wall so it looks like somebody lives there."
  • "Home whenever you want, no questions."

What to spend

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

Coasters and desk pieces

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

Derby County Pride Park coaster Derby County Pride Park coaster £5.00 Tranmere Rovers FC coaster of Prenton Park Tranmere Rovers FC coaster of Prenton Park £5.00 Newcastle United coaster of St James' Park Newcastle United coaster of St James' Park £5.00 Brentford FC drinks coaster of Brentford Community Stadium Brentford FC drinks coaster of Brentford Community Stadium £5.00 Aston Villa Coaster of Villa Park Aston Villa Coaster of Villa Park £5.00 West Bromwich Albion F.C. The Hawthorns coaster West Bromwich Albion F.C. The Hawthorns coaster £5.00 Chelsea FC Drinks coaster of Stamford Bridge Chelsea FC Drinks coaster of Stamford Bridge £5.00 Liverpool FC coaster of Anfield Liverpool FC coaster of Anfield £5.00

Prints for the wall

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

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

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

Enamel pin badge shaped like a red cowboy boot with the text What Would Dolly Do. What Would Dolly Do? Pin Badge £4.49 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 Star Trek Lapel Pin Badges (Set of 3) Star Trek Lapel Pin Badges (Set of 3) £7.49 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 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 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

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 pin 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.