Colourful gift paper, ribbons, bows and greeting cards: yes, guys, the fateful time has come to choose and wrap your Christmas presents.

Are you the type of person who, like me, prepares time in advance for Christmas presents? Or maybe you are the kind of last-minute shopper who engages in a real race against time? 

I think that in a year as special as this one, we would all like to try to avoid crowded streets and markets, or shopping centres full of people. Therefore, planning in good time how many and which gifts we have decided to buy this Christmas I think is crucial.

Just this morning I was in my study and with this decidedly wintry and Christmassy weather I decided to dust off an old teapot of my grandmother’s to brew myself a nice hot tea (by now you know of my mad love for tea). After a bit of uncertainty as to which type of brew to choose, I opted for an infusion with cinnamon, let the teabag begin to colour the hot water and spread its aroma throughout the room, and as I started to taste it, my fingers were already running fast over the computer keyboard, introducing the story for ‘the enterprise’ on Christmas gift ideas!

A gift must be thought out and reasoned, in my opinion. Never give something as a gift just because you like it, you must always meet the needs and taste of the person who will receive it.

So… let’s stop for 10 minutes and think about what that person’s passions might be, so as to avoid giving something that will inevitably be changed (for advice on how to keep all the receipts from Christmas presents so as not to lose them, this is not the article) or will never be worn or used.

I have come up with some Christmas gift ideas for you that are both personalised and fashionable.

The jewellery of the Nageoire line. These are pendants, necklaces or earrings, organic and poetic, handmade by the young Aurora, who is inspired by the most varied and bizarre shapes of nature, plants and fish. After using her wax mould, she is able to give life and soul to her unique creations and, to make them such, each one has its own different and precise name.

Christmas gift ideas: gifts close to nature

Still talking about nature and staying on the theme of uniqueness, among the various Christmas gift ideas, I would propose a cadeaux from the Just Tuscany line: place markers, candles, room fragrances, soaps and much more, created according to the event for which they are requested, also matching the palette of the chosen botanical. A beauty, which in addition to being personally created for you, tries to save the environment, also inspired by nature, contributing to the Earth’s good breath.

This is because Federica, during an interview, told us that she was born and grew up in the countryside, amidst flowering meadows and maritime pine forests, and it is therefore from that experience that a sense of respect and protection towards nature is born. 

I asked Federica: “Fede how was Just Tuscany born?”

Federica answers me: ‘With soaps but over time it has developed. I have grown artistically and my small business has also grown and changed with me.

I like experimenting, trying things out, putting my hands to work and being contaminated by new ideas. The basis of everything remains a light-coloured material (soft white) that allows me to paint using flowers as brushes.

No longer just soap but also wax. Two perfect canvases to be painted in a thousand ways, all beautiful and intense!

Each creation can best express itself depending on how it is used. In any case, they are natural, vegetable, perfumed and colourful products.

I offer a cue, a tool that one can choose to use as one pleases. I leave it up to the buyer to place the creation where they think it best expresses itself: a cupboard, a drawer, a shelf or a wall!”

Hurray for freedom!

What better Christmas gift than a nice card with a sweet wish inside?!

For this occasion, Tuscan Lab will definitely be able to do it for you!

This year, this graphic design studio, located in the city of Arezzo (where I lived for years J) literally amazed us with its Christmas collection greeting cards!

Gloria, the art director and designer of Tuscan Lab, wanted to pay homage to a great classic with a special collection: The Nutcracker, which has always been one of the most fascinating stories linked to Christmas, recounted by Hoffmann and Dumas in their beautiful writings and adapted for the charming ballet by Tchaikovsky.

Today, more than ever, it is very topical as its plot deals with themes such as the value of gifts, kindness, diversity as richness and the importance of preserving, even when growing up, the child in each of us! This is why Gloria, the art director and designer of Tuscan Lab, wanted to pay homage to this classic with a special collection. I received them as a gift and I can tell you that I fell madly in love with them!

With your gift you would like to enter not only the heart of the person who will receive it, but also her home! Give her a floral decoration or arrangement, whether for the occasion of Christmas or for her most beautiful day, Opichina Botanica is THE suitable floral workshop. They almost always follow the seasons and are inspired and advised by the colours that nature can create.

Their source of inspiration is nature, thus adhering precisely to the naturalistic current, respecting its lines, shapes, freedom, toning down the artificial feel, and indulging in the typical simplicity of the time. The effect is that of ‘good seasoning’, which more often than not is the result of elegance of manner.

Handmade Christmas gift ideas

And if you love hand-sewn decorations that taste like HAND MADE WITH LOVE, I recommend the creations of Josephine Gift Lab. I know the owner very well because she is my wonderful mother, who has an innate talent for sewing and making each item unique pieces to love.

As a final tip for Christmas gift ideas, I would like to offer you my new idea, YOUR XMAS WEDDING BOX, which includes:

• a one-and-a-half-hour video call
• 3 targeted tips to start planning your wedding
• 1 draft event style

What are you waiting for? To request or give your box as a gift, contact me! A sweet gift to put under the Christmas tree, with my ideas dedicated only to your most beautiful day!

Christmas parcels: how to wrap presents

In conclusion, I would like to ‘give’ you some tips on how to package your Christmas presents this Christmas. 

The most classic way to wrap Christmas presents is to buy Christmas wrapping paper and customise the package with various decorations, which can also be made by DIY. From fresh branches to twine, from Christmas biscuits to handmade designs, there are plenty of original ideas from which to take inspiration to make your gift packages unique.

For those who like a minimal, rustic, industrial, shabby chic design, a wonderful idea is to wrap gifts with rough paper, fresh pine branches, pine cones and twine. 

Using chalkboard paper for presents is a very fun and creative way, as you can write or draw anything on it.

For the more creative, it is possible to make shapes out of wood, cardboard or other material and customise gift packages in a unique and original way.

For those who love the culinary arts, a wonderful idea is to wrap the presents with Christmas paper and decorate them with real biscuits, scented with cinnamon and ginger, or dried oranges.

Now that you have everything you need, what are you waiting for! 

I can’t wait to see what your gifts will be for this unique Christmas 2020!

Presents for pets

And have you already thought about our four-legged friends? They are now an integral part of the family, so why not make them happy with a nice DoggyeChristmas? Or delight them with a tasty doggy Pandoro or Panettone?

Snowballs filled with biscuits to hang on the Christmas tree are also a lot of fun. In short, the Doggye_bag line offers these confectionery items for our friends and many more!

I hope you enjoyed my tips on Christmas gift ideas. Tell me what you would like to find under the tree!