Gifts For Impossible People To Buy For - Part 2

Homewares, Culinary gifts, Menswear & The Best Things I’ve Ever Found for the Most Difficult People on Earth.

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You’re kidding me, right?

When I was a young boy, Christmas morning always held great wonder and excitement, but with a good dose of dread in equal measure. Would I get what I had politely asked Father Christmas for? I’d been such a good Christian boy. Or, would it be yet another year where the jolly fat bastard (who I secretly thought was a sadistic drunk with a penchant for making young, slightly feminine boys want to cry) ignored my wishes for a Playdough Barbershop, Girls World and Easy Bake Oven and fob me off with a racing car, or worse, a cowboy outfit? Only time would tell.

The thing that made it so disconcerting was the sinking feeling that my parents were in on it, like evil elf accomplices! They made us wait torturous hours to open our presents. We would walk for miles to the local Catholic Church first for Holy Mass (is it me, or was it always snowing back in those days?) and then wait what seemed like an eternity for my parents to finish wishing the parish priest, every bloody nun that could walk and half the elderly population of the village a very merry christmas. It was always gone 11.30am before us four boys sat down with our stockings (don’t think they were fancy, it was usually a spare bed pillowcase) and for what? A friggin’ football? Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you’ve got to be kidding me!

So dear friends, please if you do one thing this year, make sure you buy what the person actually asked for if they asked for it. Never divert on the main gift unless you have full reign and they have not specified. You can go a little crazy with the extras, but disappointment is a bitter blow come christmas morning and one that gets remembered.

As a grown man I have somehow retained my childlike joy of the season despite the conveyer belt of butch gifts and I think that is partly to make sure that Christmas morning is as jolly as can possibly be and that everyone is content with either happy surprise or warm, fuzzy ‘I got what I wanted’ vibes.

It’s hard though. There are some people who are almost impossible to buy for and every year the task seems even more difficult. I don’t think online shopping helps that much either. The problem is, very often the way that most websites are set up with ‘Gifts for Him’ and ‘Gifts for Her’, oddly makes it more difficult because somehow they seem so stereotypical and generic. Click on male gifts and a barrage of novelty mugs, whisky paraphernalia and aftershave assault your eyes. No man will thank you for a Lynx Bodywash set I can assure you, just as no woman will want to kiss you under the mistletoe after you’ve bestowed lavender bath salts upon her.

As I said in Part One of this guide, I don’t do the whole male and female gift guide thing as I’m not into pigeonholing gifts. You can decide who gets what and if your boyfriend really wants that fabulous Double Kanza Wand that’s coming up in the ‘Paid’ part of this guide, then I think his wish should come true!

But, before I reveal my list of goodies, I must just tell you what Mr. C’s mum, bless her, used to do because it’s hysterical. He would buy something he thought was so perfect for her, usually from Marks & Spencer, but when he wrapped it up he would always put the gift receipt in just in case she wasn’t keen. On christmas morning everyone would be tearing through their presents and when she opened his, she’d hold it up with mirth and delight and say she loved it. But, it wasn’t the gift he’d bought her. She had a habit of opening them in advance and if she didn’t like it she’d exchange it for what she actually wanted and then wrap it back up again. Her excuse was that she didn’t want him to be upset on the festive day because she didn’t like her gift. Altruism at its most fortuitous.

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I’ve made sure that over 50% of this post is available to all and free to read. There are no affiliate links here, just things I’ve bought, tried, or want (hint hint). But, as I’ve saved some of my best ideas till last, the remainder is for paid members only, as a special perk. To see my extra special presents for the most impossible people ever (believe me there are some amazing gadgets and finds here for all genders) and my fabulous Men’s Apparel Gifts you’ll need to upgrade, but there’s 20% off right now, so why not treat yourself, or gift someone an annual membership?

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Everything was still in stock as of late Saturday night whilst still editing, so please don’t shoot the messenger if you are disappointed when you click!

If you want amazing Gardening Gifts, Experience Gifts and my first batch of the Most Amazing Gifts for Impossible People, then that’s all in Part one.

Kitchen/Culinary Gifts

Sprinkle this on everything from pasta, risotto, potatoes, scrambled eggs… the list is genuinely endless. Better than a truffle oil if you ask me. The Truffle Guys - Signature Truffle Dust. £10.35.

Coco Mixing Bowl - Anthropologie £56 with an extra 25% off at checkout.

For Thai cooking lovers - This gift pack contains one of everything from the Payst range of 10 products - 6 curry pastes and 4 dipping sauces. The Big One - Payst - £47.50.

We have a couple of the Kenwyn brushed wine cooler from one.world. They’re the best we’ve found as there’s a separate compartment for the ice so the bottle can be fully immersed in the chilled water - £79

So cute! Avocado dip bowl Sass and belle - £15

I want this! The Hazel truffle tree’s roots are growing in a symbiotic relationship with the native Summer Truffle fungus (Tuber aestivum uncinatum), an underground mushroom which is a highly prized delicacy worth more than its weight in gold! The truffle fungus will slowly mature with this Hazel tree and, as the precious truffle nuggets ripen, in 4-5 years, they can be foraged every summer for the next 50 years. The Present Tree - £55.

I have this and love it. Various size bowls, a sieve, strainer and measuring spoons all in one. Unfortunately, just before publishing this colourway went out of stock, but the blue and various other options are still available. Joseph Joseph Editions Mixing Bowls & Measuring Cups Nest Set, 9 Pieces, Sky - £54

I would never use this as an actual T Towel, but I do love it. T Towel watercolour swatches - Life of Riley - £16

I like the idea of having a fun night with this Dipping oil set from Not on the Highstreet - £35

Joseph Joseph Editions Milltop No Spill Salt & Pepper Mills, Set of 2, Blue - John Lewis - £45.

Dinner bowls perfect for pasta dishes - Our Place £55

Utterly iconic Brass salt and pepper mills from Hudson Home - £89.60

Fortnum & Mason champagne bucket - £75. It’s just the bucket, but it’s Fortum’s!

Thermal lunch bag - Burrows & Hare - £17.50

I truly believe a glass of wine, or champagne tastes better from a beautifully thin elegant glass. My favourites are called Maxima and are by Villeroy and Boch. A set of four of the crystal Maxima champagne flutes is only £41.50 at the moment. Makes a great gift with or without a bottle of something fabulous, preferably with though, just sayin’.

I do think Carluccio’s Panettone are the best and this Limoncello variety looks utterly delicious - £28.

Home Gifts

This may look familiar to some as we have one of these. Framed Mr & Mr vintage playing card art - £145 - Mr and Mrs and Mrs and Mrs available.

Brontë by moon 100% Merino lambswool multi-coloured ribbon throw - £85

Humble Waterproof Firefly Rechargeable Table Light Smoked/Bronze - Beaumond £159.

Brushwood Blossom taper lampshade at Quince and Cook - £88

Pack of two Eucalyptus silk pillow cases from Aeyla with 50% off now down to £24.99.

I know one friend who would love this! Framed vintage playing card art - £145 - Absofuckinglutely

Holly & Co Ikebana Christmas Bauble - £28

I love the way this basket separates light from dark clothes. Just requires the family to be willing! Rattan Laundry Basket - Silver Mushroom - £180

Quince and cook Welsh blanket tapestry draught excluder - £32

Baba Recycled Glass Lamp - Burnt Amber - Small Wide - Nkuku £88 with code: GIFT20. Shade sold separately.

Frida Kahlo Fruit Cushion - House of Disaster - £37.50 - use code:EXT20 for an extra 20% off site wide.

In my opinion this is the best 100% linen bedding on the market. It’s what we use at our holiday home The Harbour Deckhouse. It’s expensive, but worth it. Chalk Pink Linen Company Natural Gingham bed linen bundle - from £300.

I have this chandelier but in aged brass, which I don’t think they do anymore, but this silver one is a bargain! Pasteur Square Test Tube Chandelier - Culinary Concepts £82.45

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To see the rest of my top picks and believe me, there are some corkers coming up, you will need to upgrade to a paid membership. There’s currently 20% off an annual subscription taking it down to only £41.60 a year and it will never go up as long as you stay subscribed. Or, why not gift a subscription to a friend you know would love to be part of our community?