Christmas Gift Ideas 2022

I know we’re in the depths of a cost-of-living crisis, and I’m not massively into buying tat for the sake of it. I have hoarding tendencies so get a bit nervous about accumulating even more stuff. I’m a fan of shopping local and buying experiences with tickets but sometimes I head for internet shopping for the convenience and choice.

My sister made the excellent suggestion to do a Secret Santa for my siblings and our partners, which will make a big difference budget and time wise. Strong recommend this approach for big families. I also love the something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read approach, so here’s a mishmash of suggestions!

SOMETHING YOU WANT

It’s giving me flashbacks to that flirty girl in Love Actually who turned Alan Rickman’s head saying “get me something I want, not something I need”, but we all know what she means. It’s about a treat, about something that shows the giver knows the receiver inside out.

Scriball

For a football loving kid or a kid who just loves colouring in, these Scriballs are perfect. At £10.50, they won’t break the bank and they definitely don’t need batteries. There are a few different designs out there, I bought a Star Wars one last year for a nephew because I got bored looking at sporty things and got excited about a ball that comes with its own colouring pens.

buy a scriball now

Head Jog 25mm Hair Tongs

A real-life professional hairdresser recommended these to me as they’re the tongs used in her salon. I’d never heard of the brand but she knows her stuff. If you’ve got a tween, teen or adult who’s desperate for curling tongs, these are incredibly good value for a main present at just over £30 full price but closer to £24 at the moment. You can also get a 32mm version. I needed a little practice as I’m used to using a bit of a different style, but these create a lovely loose wave.

buy hair tongs now

Tickets

The ultimate gift with no obligation on the receiver to find a space in their house for it, no adding to all the stuff. This can require a bit more research but I love getting tickets that I can use for a show, concert or gig later in the year. It’s a Christmas treat that brings joy later in the year.

There are so many options, and it obviously depends on the tastes of the person you’re buying for but aside from the sold out tickets (sad face for missing out on PULP in Cardiff but happy face that I got my Self Esteem at the Tramsheds ticket in time), there are some great shows to be seen in 2023.

I came up with such a long list that I’ve bunged some ideas in a whole separate blog post so click on the button below if you want some suggestions.

Check out the tickets ideas here

Local Spirits

Not the spirits of Christmas past, present and future but the delicious boozy kind of spirit. I’m talking about Gin 64’s range of Penarth Gins, Barry Island Spirit’s Rum, Gin and Vodka, Bont Gin in Cowbridge and Hensol Castle Distillery’s wide selection and distillery tours. With prices for a 75cl bottle around £30-£40 these are a real treat and support local makers.

buy barry island spirits

buy bont gin

buy penarth gin

buy hensol castle gin

SOMETHING YOU NEED

This is a bit trickier and potentially boring, but I tend to think about their hobbies and sports, and all those extra bits that they need through the year. Or something that you need for the home but getting a jazzier version for Christmas saved trawling the shops for it.

Music Bag

My youngest’s working on his trumpet exam at the moment and he looks like Buddy (little 90s school book reference there for you) with his carrier bag of music. The bag for life does the job but without breaking the bank, this fun little personalised music bag is even better.

Buy a music bag now

Boot Buddy

It’s that time of year where many of us are stood in the rain every weekend while our kids run around in the mud chasing a ball. Whether they play rugby, football or if you just want to clean up your wellies after a winter woodland walk, the boot buddy has been brilliant for us. Less than £20 and really handy for scrubbing muck off their studs.

Buy a boot buddy now

A Fancy Flask

Sure, there are prettier flasks out there but for the person in my life who loves camping and having a hot drink after driving his fork lift truck, I go function over form. That said, this is a classic design and does the job it’s meant to do. It’s cheaper and better for the environment to take a massive flask on a journey if you’re travelling with work or maybe it’s just an upgrade for the picnic lover in your life.

Buy a fancy flask

SOMETHING TO WEAR

Disco Daps

These rechargeable trainers were a huge hit with my youngest and his penchant for jazzy footwear. The perfect party daps for the festive season, you can change the colour of the lights or set them to flash. There are a few different versions out there for around £25-£30 but they’re worth it as he wore them until he outgrew them.

Buy Disco Daps now

Fizz Goes Pop

A local fave of mine, Fizz Goes Pop makes incredible statement jewellery, handcrafted in Cardiff. Whenever I see one of those dainty adverts saying something like “the perfect gift for your mum/wife/generic woman in your life” I think NO! It’s only perfect if it’s your thing and it’s not my thing. Fizz Goes Pop however, is very much my thing and I’ve been lucky enough to get a few pairs of earrings over the years from her. So support local and make someone look fabulous in the process. (photos by Cara Heath photography)

Buy from fizz goes pop now

Isolated Heroes

I love Isolated Heroes, their clothes and accessories are extra AF. Sequins, froth and fabulousness. They’ve recently launched an incredible range of personalisable denim jackets for kids and grown ups. They’re not cheap but they’re made sustainably and by an indie company in Scotland. For just a touch of bling, how’s about this glorious sparkly headband? The dream!

buy something sparkly now

SOMETHING TO READ

Press Here by Hervé Tullet

Press Here and Mix It Up by Hervé Tullet are a couple of my favourite board books for arty little kids. There are some weird negative reviews from adults who assumed something different from an interactive book but ignore them, these are both delightful and engaging. My boys enjoyed the books when they were little, and my younger nephews were glued to the experience of going through the pages. It feels magic when they’re invited to press a yellow splodge of paint and turn the page to see what’s happened to the splodge.

Buy press here now

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover? The very thing that reflects the themes, genre and general vibe of the writing within? Maggie O’Farrell’s new release The Marriage Portrait is gorgeous. I’ve not read it but I enjoyed her previous novel, the much awarded Hamnet. This would make a beautiful gift for the fiction lover in your life. Griffin Books in Penarth recently hosted an evening with the author which sold out. More from them in the next idea.

Buy the marriage portrait now

Signed Books

A book signed by the author elevates the gift to super special status. The fabulous Griffin Books in Penarth has an amazing online selection of all sorts of books with the autograph of the writer. There’s something for everyone, including YA, science, autobiographies, history, fiction, children’s books. Gift ideas that jumped out at me that you’ll find on Griffin Books’ online shop:

• Meanwhile Back on Earth by Oliver Jeffers £16.99
• Colours, Colours Everywhere by Julia Donaldson and Sharon King Chair £14.99
• Dawnlands by Philippa Gregory £17
• Dear Dolly: On Love Life and Friendship by Dolly Alderton £16.99
• Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley £25
• Black Holes by Brian Cox and Jeffrey Forshaw £25
• Undoctored by Adam Kay £20
• The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore £35
• The Final Whistle by Nigel Owens £20
• Nadiya’s Fast Flavours by Nadiya Hussain £22
• Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson £17

buy a signed book now

Amazon Affiliate: a girl’s gotta eat and in a bid to help pay for my own Christmas, I’ve taken the plunge and joined Amazon Associates. This just means that if you buy through a link on this blog, I get a little (very little) monetary thank you from Amazon. It won’t cost you any more than just googling in the first place. Do support local where you can though!

Cheapskate Top Tips for Theatre Trips

It’s that time of year when finances feel stretched by the urge to splurge on personalised Quality Street tins or extravagant advent calendars. I’ve been pulling together another post of family friendly theatre highlights for the festive season but when you’ve got fancy food and Christmas dos competing for your pennies maybe a family trip to a show has fallen off your list.

I’m here to say (in the words of Celine Dion) “think twice” and to share some of the ways you can cut the cost of tickets this Christmas.

1. Groups

Most theatres and arts centres offer group ticket deals. It can take a bit of organising but it can be so worth it. Could you arrange it with a group of families from your children’s school or a sports club that they go to? Deals and offers vary but don’t ask, don’t get. If you ask, some theatres can send extra flyers to promote a group trip. If you’re a theatre keeno it’s a great time of year to share the love and persuade other families and friends to join you for a social at a show.

2. Go small

The biggest and most expensive productions can be a real treat but lower price and smaller venue don’t mean it’s any less of a treat. We saw a show at Chapter one year for only £5 each and it was AMAZING. Take a chance on a company you’ve not heard of before or try out a more local arts centre rather than trek to town to the massive venues.

3. Early Bird

Some venues offer early bird ticket deals so it can make money sense to book as soon as you can.

4. Sherman 5

For people living close to or in Cardiff, Sherman 5 can help remove barriers to going to the theatre, maybe you’ve never been before, can’t afford it or want to join one of the Sherman 5 Communities like their Deaf Theatre Club or Theatre of Sanctuary: their Refugee and Asylum Seeker Community. I’ve joined as part of a community group to introduce new families to the theatre. They put on extra experiences, pre show events as well as making tickets far cheaper at £5 for adults and £2.50 for kids. shermantheatre.co.uk/sherman5

5. Time Credits

If you’ve not heard of Time Credits, look them up. They’re a voucher type payment for volunteering and can be “spent” at a wide range of places around the UK so could help offset the cost of a theatre visit. Check with the theatre first as they don’t all accept them and sometimes they’re limited to certain shows. timecredits.com

6. Gifted

Instead of paying for tickets and presents, make the trip a gift experience. Last year my granddad gave me money to get something for the children. Instead of using it all on more toys and tat that we have no room for, I bought them tickets for a theatre show at Christmas. They knew it was from their great granddad and it was a lovely treat. I know very young kids can fail to really get the gift experience concept but if you’ve got relativesasking you for ideas for Christmas presents, either tickets or maybe a voucher for your local theatre would be a good idea.

7. Hynt (Wales only)

Have you heard of the hynt card? Hynt is the national access scheme for theatres and arts centres in Wales. It’s a card scheme for people who need a carer at the theatre and they’ve got listings of shows with accessible features. If your kid or anyone else in your family needs additional support, go and apply if you haven’t already as membership gives you free tickets for carers. If anyone in your family needs captions, BSL interpretation, audio description or touch tours check their listings page. Same goes for Relaxed and Dementia Friendly performances. It’s an Arts Council of Wales initiative so it’s only in Wales. hynt.co.uk

8. Concessions

Concessions are basically discounts for all sorts of reasons. Don’t ask, don’t get. If you’re taking anyone over 60 with you, ask about discounts. Not every show or every venue will have this concession but they do exist. Not heard of any reduced tickets for people on statutory maternity pay (the poorest I have ever been in my life) but lots of theatres also have discounts for students, unwaged people, under 16s, under 25s and even under 30s.

9. Plan ahead

This is the stuff that can get a bit boring but you can save by doing a bit of prep. I’m useless at this. I’m a last minute Larry. Car parking can cost a fortune, especially if you’re going to a city centre venue. Some theatres have deals with car parks (Wales Millennium Centre for example) but if they don’t their box office staff should be able to advise you on the cheapest car park. This is the kind of thing you need to arrange when you’re booking. We’ll sometimes leave extra time to find free or cheaper on road parking and a bit of a walk rather than spend a fortune in a rip off NCP multi-storey. I don’t always have the car so we’ll get public transport.

10. You don’t have to buy everything

Theatres need to make money to carry on existing. Fact. Most of the theatres and arts centres I’ve worked with in Wales are registered charities with incredibly tiny budgets. If you have lots of money and you’re feeling flash then feel free to splash that cash but if the cost of Christmas is already making you twitch it’s OK to limit your secondary spend. Especially at the larger venues. It’s common sense but you don’t have to buy drinks AND ice cream AND sweets AND a programme AND some crappy flashing spinning thing. It can be lovely to have something as a memento but we’ve kept tickets or a flyer to put in a scrap book instead. I’m a cheap skate  and proud of it. Get drinks OR ice cream. Some venues let you pre book ice creams for a discount when you’re ordering tickets. Don’t get a noisy rustling packet of sweets each, get one to share and pop some little cups in your bag to share them out. It saves the fuss of passing the bag up and down the row during the show (if it’s the kind of show where you sit in a row).

Talk to the staff in Box Office about any deals on offer, competitions and membership schemes that all help save money on tickets too.

A lot of this is common sense and I’m cringing a bit at potentially teaching you to suck eggs. It’s a lovely time of year to have a theatre trip as a treat but I know it can seem like an expensive experience. I’ve written this list to show that there can be ways of making it work and if it pokes just one extra person into going along to a live performance this Christmas then my work here is done.