Christmas gifts for around the home

You know there are gifts you really want to buy but you can’t decide on who to give them to?  They are more a joint present or things you want for yourself so maybe buy for a partner on the pretence of them being to share – or for the home!

These are my top picks of gifts for the home, or in other words gifts I want to buy for myself but it’s Christmas so that’s not really the done thing.

I have a huge problem in my house, I am always the one to get up with the children in the mornings, no that’s not the problem – the problem is that Paul is still asleep and therefore if I wasn’t to get dressed it’s dark and I’m not organised enough to get my clothes out the night before.

Getting dressed in the dark is relatively easy however finding the clothes I want to wear is next to impossible.  These lights would be the answer to my problems.

With no wiring and with batteries lasting for around 8 months even I could put these up.  Just screw the plate into place and slide in the light, these are sensor light so come on when the wardrobe or drawer is opened and turn off when the door is closed again.

These can be charged via USB when the battery finally runs out so are cheap to maintain.

We love to bake, I enjoy it and the kids love it too.

This lovely set includes a 1.6L mixing bowl, essential kitchen scales and 3 mini shaped cookie cutters.

Available in Red or Mint this is a very cute gift for all cookery lovers.  This really would make a lovely gift for a parent and her children to use together, with a non-glass bowl it is great for little fingers and won’t break if accidently dropped.

The scales come with batteries included so you are set to go, weighs up to 5000g/11lbs

Priced at £38.50 and available from www.brabantia.com

Perfect stocking fillers for the kids (and me) – why not design your own notebooks using your own photos.

With many options available from on picture using the whole front of the book or little pictures as above, or you can even create a collage effect with many photos – the possibilities are endless.

Personalised with names, dates or even messages.

Available with lined or plain paper and costing £5.99 each – from www3.snapfish.co.uk

This is a rather different type of gift, an old tradition which is returning and with it brings good luck for the next year.

From the heart of a British Forest comes www.certainlywood.co.uk rather traditional present – perfect as a gift for any host this Christmas.

A seasoned, kiln-dried Yule Log, gift-wrapped and with a limited edition scroll outlining the history behind the Yule Log together with some eco-friendly Flamers – twists of wood wool dipped in wax, handmade in Herefordshire. The Yule Log is lit on the first of the 12 days of Christmas and then a small portion burnt for the next 11 days to bring abundant luck in the forthcoming year.

The remainder is then stored and used to light the Yule Log the following year. Priced at £25

The first of its kind, this original and innovative dual platform kitchen scale can weigh ingredients from as small as 0.1g to as large as 10kg, giving you unparalleled precision in the kitchen.

For the keen baker in the house – not for the kids this time.  If you are serious about cooking then these are what you want.

“Successful baking depends on precision.  If you prepare carefully and measure correctly, you should get great results every time.  My new dual platform precision scale makes weighing-out simplicity in itself, no matter what the amount or ingredients.” – Heston Blumental

Features:

Priced at £49.99 and available from John Lewis

I love the different smelling soaps you can buy in nice department stores, not the everyday bar type you pick up cheaply in the supermarket with your weekly shop, the hand made ones.  The ones with actual fragrance to them, pieces of petals contained within – you know the type, your Nan use to have it put away for special guests who came to visit.

This set from G Baldwins & Co lets you play around and make your own soaps in the comfort of your own home.

With all the equipment and ingredients you need beautifully packaged in a lovely presentation box you can set about mixing the fragrances and making your own wonderful creations to use yourself or to then give away as gifts .

The kit contains 6 Bar Silicon Soap Mould, 1kg Organic Soap Base, 1 x 10ml Essential
Oil of Lavender (or you can choose tea tree oil, Rosemary oil or Ylang Ylang oil instead), 25g Lavender Flowers, 25g
Rose Petals, and our Organic Cotton Apron.

Available for £66.79 and available from www.baldwins.co.uk

This Wi-Fi smart scale connects wirelessly to calculate your BMI and percentage body fat. Available in black or white, the Aria can register up to 8 users so is a gift for the whole family. It will help you get back on track after the inevitable over indulgence this Christmas.

They say the scales don’t lie – well these definitely won’t.  They connect up the your computer or smart phone wirelessly via the WiFi to give a true picture of your weight, you can input your age and height and it will tell you your BMI.  By using the app on your computer or your phone you can see your weightloss progress in front of you in a chart form – set your self goals, earn badges for your achieved goals and losses and you can even input your food intake into your phone/computer to gain a more accurate understanding of your achievements.  Use in conjunction with a fitness tracker and an exercise routine and you will hit targets in no time.

Priced at £99.99 and available from www.fitbit.com

I actually have these on my birthday list (shhh it’s my birthday on Sunday).

I am a coffee lover, it’s my drink of choice during the day and my favourite is a Caramel or Vanilla Latte made using my Tassimo – can you see my love affair with Costa shining through there?  Well I need to make my own as I don’t have a local one near me – not having a car during the week really does have it’s downfalls.

The next best thing to a coffee shop visit is to make my own and what better way to enjoy it than in one of these 4 cute Christmas mugs!

Priced at £7.95 each they are available in Costa Stores throughout November and December while Stocks last.Festive fragrances from Febreze

Get your senses tingling and ready for the Christmas fun – we all know that Christmas brings the wonderful cooking smells from the kitchen but what about when you burn the pigs in blankets? – You don’t? Must just be me then!

A festive air freshener will help mask the burnt smell and other aromas which comes from too many rich foods and Brussels spouts!

And what about a candle for in the evenings to relax you and keep the festive feel around for longer?

Febreze have introduced a scent for all including – Vanilla Latte, Apple & Spice, Warm Cedarwood, Winter Garden and Festive spice.

I’m personally loving the Apple & Spice range.

Disclaimer:  This is a collaborative post.  I have included some affiliate links for convenience.

All prices correct at time of posting.