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Handy tips to make a gift more thoughtful

Make it more thoughtful – Accessorise your Christmas Gifts.

Make it more thoughtful: Often, shoppers can get all too caught up in ticking off shopping lists near Christmas. You may look at lists and piles of pressies to be wrapped and look at quantity and total value, “Have I been fair to everyone?” etc.

But scaling back to make thoughtful bundles per person or family is not only more cost-effective, but also helps to make it more thoughtful. Less about the next present being opened, or what’s stacked in your pile things forgotten already, and more about treasuring thought put into one gift. Often you’ll find that buying lots of little unnecessary things is more expensive than one larger gift with a few clever and loving touches to make it more thoughtful.

We’ve suggested a few gifts of varying budget and taste, along with a few tips or ideas to make them even more special in a thoughtful bundle or hamper.

The Baking Bundle – Cook up a treat

This one is great for the bakers in the family. Bundle up a blender, or similar kitchen appliance with some lovely cooking ideas. Whether going for a premium “brand” mixer like the KitchenAid we have, or a lower priced equivalent. John Lewis is a good place to start due to the fact they automatically give two years warranty. They will price match most other places with their “Never Knowingly Undersold” policy.

Accessorise the mixer with cute cookie cutters, cupcake cases, cupboard baking ingredients like spices and then finish off with a recipe for sometime festive. If the person you are making this for loves cooking with others why not bundle is with a recipe book for cooking with children like the lovely Bake Me A Story book by Nadiya Hussain. Basic aprons, napkins and tea towel will add to the effect and make it more thoughtful. Try adding in our Savvy Dad mince pie recipe, or better still baking some to add in yourself.

 

The Photographer Bundle – Capture those moments.

For budding photographers, or for people in your family who might be looking to blog like us. Maybe consider a new camera? Again stay to your budget but often investing in a camera that will last you longer is more cost effective. I can very highly recommend the new Olympus PEN E-PL8 It has all the bells and whistles to really make your photos sing and tell a story. I bought mine from John Lewis two months ago and love it, just look at the photos in some of my posts for the clarity of the camera.

Again, bundle it up with accessories to make it more thoughtful. A list of things to do next year with photos opportunities, a photography book to fit the interests of the person you are gifting. Or even better, a discounted digital photography learning course. Other suggestions are buying them an inexpensive domain name and leaving a certificate of ownership for them (somewhere to upload their photos). Memory cards/sticks, empty photo albums and even travel mugs shaped like camera lenses can be added to again make it more thoughtful.

 

The Coffee Lover Bundle – An aroma of thoughtfulness.

For a coffee connoisseur? Why not bundle up a new coffee machine or cafetiere. We, yet again bought a Delonghi Magnifica coffee machine a year back when moving into our new home. I’d always wanted one and the Magnifica, again from John Lewis, has been brilliant for everything from standard grinds to frothed up lattes.  Make it more thoughtful by adding mugs, stencils, sugars, syrups and some beans. We often buy the Starbucks beans in supermarkets as the bags often have a voucher for free lattes in their outlets too. If not https://eightpointnine.com/ is a good place to make a personalised blend to add in.

The Bathroom Bundle – Relaxation

Make up a home bundle for the bathroom using lovely, soft Egyptian cotton towels for your basis.  Include relaxing candles, bubble baths and scents. Plus,  maybe some homemade body scrubs. Our peppermint candy cane recipe will do the trick!

Ingredients

  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 12-15 drops peppermint essential oil
  • Jar to keep it in
  • Drops of green food colouring

Instructions

  1. Melt coconut oil in a medium bowl in the microwave for about 1 minute and let cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in sugar and essential oil until evenly combined.
  3. Package up into air-tight jars, like Kilner jars.

The Night Off Bundle – Give the gift of rest

As all parents will know, you have very little time to yourselves in the space of the day with the kids running around. However make those calm moments when the children are finally in bed extra special by making this bundle. You could include a “Night Off” voucher, giving your loved one the chance to go out and have some “me time”. Or, if they prefer relaxing at home on the sofa, a Kindle device . Make it more thoughtful by bundling it together with marshmallows, hot chocolate, and for mums, a copy of The Unmumsy Mum  or The Bridget Jones’ Baby Diaries either in paperback or for the Kindle. 

The Muso Bundle – Let your gift sing!

The Music Tech UE Boom 2  is a great place to start for music lovers on the go, plus add in a playlist service like Spotify or Deezer and your audiophile friend or family member will be in heaven. Personalise it even more with your own playlist made up to their likes. Think old-skool mix tapes! Added bonus is the Boom 2 speaker is waterproof so it literally can go anywhere with you and you don’t need to worry about dropping it in the bath while listening to tunes.

I hope you find some of these ideas useful, drops us an email or comment if you try them at home. Maybe you even have some suggestions for improving the bundles? Main idea is to remember to make it more thoughtful, without breaking the bank.

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