For those of you who haven’t quite managed to get all your presents bought, wrapped-to-Martha-standards and placed artfully around the bottom of your beautifully decorated tree, we feel your pain. If the thought of heading onto the high street and into the milling crowds makes you feel sick and all the internet shopping sites your frequent have passed their ‘last-order’ date, here are a few presents that can be bought from the comfort of home and will definitely arrive before Christmas.
A magazine subscription. For an industry that’s supposed to be in decline, there are a lot of newish magazines out there that we’ve fallen for over the last few years. The Gentlewoman, Kinfolk, Hole and Corner, Selvedge and – for middleagedad and twentysomethingsons, Fantastic Man. For the glossies, I’ve really enjoyed Harpers Bazaar this year, it’s like a mash up between The Gentlewoman and Vogue. It’s the gift that carries on for the whole year, even if all you get under the tree is a print out of an email confirming it’s coming.
Birchbox beauty delivery. I bought a couple of people this for Christmas last year and it was a really big hit with everyone. Every month a box of beauty goodies arrives, adding joy in the gloom of February, offering the perfect summer must-haves in July and keeps on supplying treats right up until next Christmas. This year they’ve done one for men too, which is an excellent move. Buy here
A subscription to The Perfume Society, where something vaguely similar to Birchbox happens, only with perfume. And there’s a fabulous scented letter to read for VIP subscribers, which is like the best perfume magazine that was never printed. it’s good value for perfume fans at £25.
What about cocktails and vinyl combined? For middleagedads going through a bit of a vinyl moment, Vinyl Me Please is a US based site which sends a monthly vinyl record specially pressed for the club (it will ship to the UK) and pairs it with a perfect cocktail. A recipe for the cocktail comes with the record. I’ve not used this site, but it sounds a perfect pairing to me.
We met the delightful team behind Bloom & Wild flowers this year, and I’ve used the service a number of times since and it’s an excellent concept. The flowers are packaged to slip easily through a standard letterbox and arrive beautifully protected from any rough handling they might receive. You can buy a three or six month’s subscription for someone to receive fresh flowers every week, neat huh?
Hope that helps!
