The Boy Did Good....The Best of His Christmas Gifts (that I’ve kept over the years)
Just a little close up of our kitchen island which features some of the Boys best gifts. Who needs flashy jewellery or handbags? He knows me too well!
Every year I browse so many of the ‘Best Christmas Gifts’ lists, and regardless of whether it’s high street, indie, mega bucks or bang on trend for that year, they just never do it for me. I’m always a bit ‘meh’ and rarely get the goosebump feeling that tells me I want something on the list, or that I must buy it for someone I love. There is just too much choice and it’s hard for anything to stand out in the retail madness and gift buying frenzy in the lead up to Christmas. I have been guilty in the past of buying too much for Christmas, often last minute and on impulse, and then wondering if it was the right thing to do. But I’ve got better over the years, honest. I put it all down to making MY OWN GIFT LISTS on a secret Pinterest board just for me where I can randomly save ideas I find all year round for The Boy, other people, and (no shame to admit this) for me! It comes in bloody handy when I start our Christmas shopping and selfishly, it reminds me of those gentle hints I need to drop into conversation over dinner. It’s a game changer, and I would definitely recommend it.
I was going to brag that for the first time ever we are almost done, but we still have a few gifts to finish off and I don’t want to celebrate too soon. I’ll save that for my first canapé dinner, mulled cider and Christmas film on 1st December which is the deadline we have set ourselves this year to be XMAS READY!
Our first christmas together (in my old house) started a tradition we have continued every year since: a month of watching Christmas films, indulging in Canape dinners and mulled wine/cider until it’s Christmas Eve and we watch Die Hard (Afterall, it’s not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls off the Nakatomi tower right!)
I am busy preparing a blog on some of the gift highlights I’ve saved on my secret pinboards this year so whilst that’s work in progress, here’s something very special and close to my heart which I hope you like and also get some ideas from.
My Top 10 Best Gifts I’ve ever received from The Boy!
This epic advent calendar didn’t make the Top 10 but look at that happy face. These top 10 gifts created reactions like this, and lots of screams, jumping up and down and big snogs to say thank you. I’m a lucky girl. And he’s a lucky guy!
HemingwayDesign Jug for Royal Doulton // £20
Mid Century design, orange, black, sexy pottery…tick tick tick tick.
When I first spotted this in John Lewis I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I told myself it was a future heirloom that I would keep forever, but it felt too indulgent at the time to buy it for myself.
So yes, I chose it and I think I actually bought it too, but the transaction process is just detail right. It came from the Boy and is a keeper and it’s what I call the ‘fancy crockery for best’. It’s a sexy piece and so far has been used for shallow decorative purposes only, but as I said “I’ll definitely use it as a jug one day!”
I’ve just checked and annoyingly for me (great for you guys!) it’s now in the sale and reduced from £40 to just £20!
9. Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook
Quite simply the best Christmas Cookbook I’ve ever come across and the one I use every single year and challenge myself to try new recipes as well as old favourites. It’s my best mate every December and has never let me down. Thanks Jaime! It’s also still available despite first being published years ago. I have fished out the cheapest copy I could find online for a bargain £10.94 off Amazon. (affiliate link)
In my Christmas onesie and pausing Jerry Maguire to send a bragging photo about how much I had achieved already on the 2018 jigsaw!
Gradient Puzzle 1000 Pieces // £16.99 // Amazon (Affiliate link)
It’s pretty common knowledge amongst our friends and family that we love board games. We have an old chest full of them and every year we always buy a new game to add to the collection (after much research to ensure it’s a worthy purchase and will be something we want to play again and again).
Not many people know I also love jigsaws, but only at Christmas! There’s something incredibly indulgent about those days off work between Christmas and New Year when you can eat and drink all day long, stay in PJs until midday (or even all day), watch films on repeat and take afternoon naps. This time is precious and I’ve grown rather fond of wasting more time on impossibly hard jigsaws. And, it’s actually very social to have a jigsaw on the go on the coffee table for visiting family to have a go at. People can’t resist it. This gradient jigsaw from the Boy was doable in a couple of days, and I’ve now framed it in one of our bedrooms. I’m excited already about the 2019 jigsaw. Riveting right!
This 2017 jigsaw was the hardest I’ve ever seen in my life. It was thousands of pieces making up a scene of identical puppies against a generic background. It had me gripped for weeks. Look at that concentration face! Never underestimate the entertaining value of a good jigsaw!
Le Creuset Classic Pepper Mill, Black // £32 // John Lewis (Affiliate link)
Le Creuset Classic Salt Mill, Volcanic // £32 // John Lewis (Affiliate link)
Is any kitchen complete without some inherited 30 year old Le Creuset casserole pots that have a nice tinge of brown on the inside ceramic but still work as perfectly as they did in the 80s? We’ve got a right mix of old treasures that we use all the time and luckily someone else paid for back in the day. This stuff is pricey, but it’s an investment. Who would have thought that inheriting some old pots would spark a modern day love for Le Creuset, particularly in Black, Neutral or occasionally orange. We jointly decided on the black Le Creuset utensil pot on our kitchen island, and I am pretty sure I went on and on about what else I liked as that Christmas I received a black pepper grinder and a butter dish. Next year came the orange salt mill, and an epic stainless steel roasting pan. I’m hoping this tradition keeps going and 2019 brings something to the collection!
6. Avocado 3-in-1 tool
OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Tool // £7.50 // M&S (Affiliate link)
Staying on the kitchen theme, this tool was a genuine surprise in my stocking one year as Will was fed up of watching me use a kitchen knife to de-stone avocados with fear I would miss the stone and slice an actual finger off. I did once miss the stone with a swift forceful chopping action and hit the squidgy part of my palm. It killed and it bled everywhere. After that I changed my technique to poking and stabbing with the sharp end of the knife. Again, mixed success and some cuts were had. Hence the tool, which is actually very handy and most importantly, safe.
Marie Mini Pendant Charm Necklace Set // £130 // Monica Vinader (Affiliate link)
The Boy has a mixed success record with buying me jewellery. One year he got it absolutely spot on and bought me a classic pearl bracelet from Tiffanys (thanks to the approval from my best friend) and the next year he got it wrong and a necklace was received with love and thanks on Christmas Day but later exchanged for a mini mulberry bag. I am not sure he will ever buy me expensive jewellery again (for clarity, I am also including any future engagement ring in that statement) but despite my shallow exchange of something he genuinely thought he had got right, he did buy me a charm necklace a year later which I absolutely love and wear most days. We’ve learnt from this he needs to stick to simple, affordable stuff and not go all out. It’s highly unlikely he will have another tiffany pearl bracelet moment. He knows his limits now, bless.
4. Waffle Maker
I’m a kitchen appliance whore and nothing excited me more than opening something I never knew I needed - a waffle maker! This was a moment of genius from The Boy and actually gets a lot of use in our house. We’ve even taken it away with us on weekends away so we can cook up a breakfast feast for friends together with Aunt Jemima’s finest ready to use mix and her iconic (cheap but delicious) syrup. You can buy that on amazon too you know.
VonShef Waffle Maker // £24.99 // Amazon (Affiliate link)
We bring Aunt Jemima back from American in our suitcase when we visit family, in enough quantities to last all year! But now it’s on Amazon too!
And that my friends is an epic Christmas breakfast that looks far fancier than it actually is. The cheap spray cream is highly recommended too!
3. Calligraphy starter kit
I love nothing more than starting a new hobbie and getting all the kit. I don’t just start something on a whim though, I try to only learn the crafts that I think I actually have a chance at. I don’t mean getting to an expert level, but I’d like to get beyond the stage that looks like it was done by a child. Two years ago I gave my Sister in Law a Calligraphy workshop ticket and starter kit for her Christmas present and little did I know that the Boy also did the same for me so we could learn the basics together. This was another surprise and don’t even get me started on the little gadget to help you write in straight lines - it’s one of my favourite little tools!
More than just a book - this is a workbook with clever practice pages so you can learn the technique and trace over the professional writing until it becomes natural and less wobbly …I’m still learning but definitely advocate practise really does make you get better on this.
I saw this idea on a You Tube video where a very talented Pro Calligrapher used a laser line to write in straight lines on paper without needing to either draw lines or use a light box to trace over guide paper. I immediately showed the Boy, and despite not being a pro or actually ever needing to mass produce anything hand-written, he remembered and included it in my kit. What a guy! This little gadget has been used for so many DIY projects that I think it could have been a contender for its own spot on the Top 10.
BLACK+DECKER BDL120 Manual Laser Level // £21.90 // Amazon (affiliate link)
2. My first ever Christmas present
OK, so technically this was my second present but I am choosing to forget the stunt the little shit played on me on our first Christmas. I was so in love and all fuzzy inside that I actually opened a knife block and was so happy (about everything, not the knives) that I didn’t notice it was my only present. He kept me hanging all day thinking that cheap knife block was all I had and that he had misunderstood we were getting each other nice gifts. I forgave him (remember, I was still in that gushy new relationship stage) but did wonder how he could only buy me a knife block.
Little did I know that waiting for me at my Brothers house (much much later!) was the biggest box ever. A bloody Kitchen Aid! The whole family had kept it a secret and watched me squirm and put on a fake smile all day. That moment made our first Christmas. He would never get away with this now though, and he knows it!
Luckily, he didn’t try and make a decision on colour and kept it simple and timeless with white - it’s also a hell of a lot cheaper too!
KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer, 4.3 Litre, White // £299 // Amazon (affiliate link)
Helping me get better at something I love
I started taking photos of my interior style and home projects for Instagram last year and have loved every minute of creating something, then sharing and talking about it with people who have the same passions. But I was starting to get really frustrated that I just couldn’t take decent shots and wanted nothing more than to improve. I had a wonderful surprise on my birthday this year with a Nikon camera (which I still need to learn how to use to its full potential) but last Christmas I had another ‘welling-up moment’ when I opened a tripod and light box. I never would have thought such cheap pieces of equipment would make me so happy. But they helped me get better at something I loved and were a sign that despite him claiming he hates Instagram, he does listen, and he does make me a better person. (Shall I pass the vom bucket?)
Nikon D3500 // £329 // Amazon (affiliate link)
Softbox Portable Photography Lighting Kit // £31.99 // Amazon (affiliate link)
You’ll notice most gifts are from Amazon - that’s because this is the only place Will shops. These are all the products he has bought which I love and highly recommend. I have used affiliate links (where available) which enables me to get a little 1-2% kick back if you also buy. I would not use affiliate links on a product I have not bought and loved myself.