You’ve probably realised that I adore Christmas. I love the planning, from choosing what to cook and buy to deciding what to wear on Christmas Day. But one of my all-time favourite things is taking Rollo for a walk around our estate in the dark, and checking out everyone’s decorations.
With Christmas now around the corner and the shops already stocking up with food, I’m certainly getting into the festive spirit, starting with buying gifts for loved ones.
While it’s never too early to start ticking things off your Christmas shopping list, the trickiest part can be deciding what to add to it in the first place, especially when buying for multiple people.
To help with this, I’ve rounded up a few gift ideas (including some great books, of course!).
Note: Prices can often change, so you may notice some variations on the providers’ websites. Prices and availability are accurate as of the 28th of November, 2025.
Books to read and gift this Christmas
Trees by Roger Phillips (Amazon £25.51)
If you’re fed up with buying socks for people (not that there’s anything wrong with socks), Trees is the ultimate guide for any gardening enthusiast.
This book is beautifully photographed with detailed pictures of over 650 trees with origins from around the world, complete with extensive facts and detailed visuals of leaves.
It’s a mastermind of useful information for anyone who’s ever asked, “What tree is that?”
Padella: Iconic Pasta at Home by Tim Siadatan (Kindle £11.38, Amazon £20.53, Bloomsbury £25.00)
I absolutely love pasta – it’s my go-to meal for most occasions – and Padella in Borough Market is an absolutely great choice to get your pasta fix.
Based on the popular restaurant, this wonderful cookbook is crammed full of pasta pairings I would never even have thought of putting together, and I’ve discovered I’ve been cooking pasta incorrectly all this time! This is a real treat of a cookbook for all foodies.
Fawlty Towers: Fawlts and All by John Cleese (Kindle £14.99, Amazon £10.00)
Celebrating 50 years of rotten service, this is John Cleese’s own story of how Fawlty Towers came to life. Cleese tells us all about writing Monty Python and who his model was for Basil Fawlty.
Crammed with photographs, cartoons, and pieces of scripts, this would be a wonderful gift for any Fawlty Towers fan who has ever fallen off the sofa laughing.
For me, it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve watched these episodes; I still laugh uncontrollably!
To The Sea By Train: The Golden Age of Railway Travel by Andrew Martin (Kindle £9.99, Amazon £14.49)
There’s something so decadent about sitting in a first-class carriage, eating and drinking. I’ve only ever been lucky enough to do that once, when my crazy old aunt, visiting the UK from New York, booked us onto a steam train to travel down to Exeter St Davids. I must have enjoyed it, since I’ve never forgotten it.
And so for the train-loving members of your family, this is a definitive record of all those trips by train, including reproductions of many beautiful travel posters. What a gift of a book!
Boleyn Traitor by Phillipa Gregory (Kindle £7.99, Amazon £9.99)
I just love Phillipa Gregory’s Tudor novels – she’s one of the finest writers of the genre. And, here is the story of Lady Jane Rochford as she becomes one of the spies of Thomas Cromwell, Chief Spymaster to Henry VIII.
Jane rather enjoyed being a spy, weaving her way between all of Henry’s wives and becoming the power behind the ladies. Most of us know what happened to both Cromwell and Lady Rochford, but in case you don’t, I won’t spoil it all. What a wonderful gift to find under the Christmas tree.
Let The Bells Ring Out by Millie Johnson (Kindle £5.99, Amazon £8.73)
There’s something so irrepressibly romantic about taking one of those old-fashioned trains as it chugs through a wonderfully snowy landscape – and here we have Millie Johnson, one of our most-loved romantic writers, choosing it as her Christmas theme.
Here, we have seven strangers going home for Christmas, until a heavy snowstorm hits, and all plans must be abandoned.
Elizabeth is in a taxi, driven by the wonderful Vincent Diamond, the highly presentable owner of the cab company. Then, there’s Jane, a pensioner, thanking her lucky stars that she’s wearing her trusty snow boots. Husband and wife, Frank and Grace, are stranded on the way to a cottage in an effort to save their marriage. And Roo has reluctantly accepted a lift from her neighbours, whilst Tom’s Jeep breaks down.
All seven of them turn up at Derringbury Station, before the most beautiful of trains, The Yorkshire Bell, rolls in. Pulled by a steam engine, a guard in a resplendent uniform insists that the passengers climb aboard, not into one of the gorgeous old-fashioned carriages but into a shabby third-class compartment coupled onto the last carriage.
A few minutes later, with the snow ever heavier, the train screeches to a halt, and the guard disembarks to go and get help. The passengers are left sitting in the freezing cold, with snow piling up outside, gazing numbly at each other.
What happens next has to be a Christmas miracle, and if you have even one romantic bone in your body, you’ll absolutely love this.
The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan (Kindle £8.99, Amazon £8.73)
Also irrepressibly romantic is the latest from another well-loved romance novelist. Lost book hunter Mirren – whose name I love – finds a priceless antique novel in her great aunt’s attic and donates it to the British Museum.
Following this discovery, the laird of a Highland clan, Jamie McKinnon, hires Mirren to help him track down a rare, valuable book from his family’s own collection that could save their entire estate. He sends Mirren a train ticket to his family’s crumbling castle in the Scottish Highlands, and she’s delighted with the prospect.
But before she can even get on the train, Mirren’s phone is whisked out of her hand by a bicycle thief. In tears, she’s helped on board by the conductor, who walks her to a private carriage where rival book hunter, Theo Palliser, happens to be sitting. Mirren knows better than to think this is a chance meeting – Theo has an uncanny ability to appear wherever there’s treasure to be found.
When the pair eventually reach the castle, a thick blanket of snow covers the Highlands, cutting them off from the outside world. With nothing left to do but search for the missing book, Mirren, Jamie, and Theo get to work. But they quickly realise that there’s more to this mission than first meets the eye…
The History Gossip by Katie Kennedy (Kindle £5.99, Amazon £7.99)
I’ve given up trying to find anything for my cool grandson, who’s still celebrating his GCSE results. But I’ve seen a couple of books that I’m going to wrap up for him. He’s doing History for his A levels, so a round-up of quirky facts will – hopefully – be useful.
Either way, this is a fun and interesting read for anyone interested in history or looking to impress at the Christmas dinner table!
Christmas gifts for all the family
Sephora Blush & Go Trio (£23.95) and Mini Cleansing Set (£13.99)
Fourteen-year-old Victoria keeps sneaking into her mum’s bedroom and making off with her expensive makeup brands, which, as a typical teenager, she uses once, then leaves lying around. So, I figured that gifting her some makeup sets of her own might be a good idea.
I’ve chosen Sephora’s Blush & Go Trio, which comes in a cute little zip case that you could easily hang on the tree.
It’s also important to teach them that cleaning off their makeup is something they should be doing, and so I’ve paired it with Sephora’s Mini Cleansing Set, which makes a wonderful starter collection. Both can be purchased on their website.
Kayali Discovery Layering Set (£25.00)
Vic’s also started wearing perfume – and nagging her Mum and me about what we’re wearing. Neither of us wears anything suitable for a 14-year-old, and so I’ve selected Kay Ali’s Discovery Set 05, a travel-friendly mix of eight perfume vials with wonderful names, all of which are suitable for layering.
I particularly like Fleur Majesty Rose Royale, but I know Vic’s going to have great fun choosing her favourites.
Chartwell Books Romantasy Stenciled Book Edges Kit (£17.99)
For youngsters who are deep into their ‘romantasy’ reading and love arts and crafts, this Romantasy Stenciled Book Edges Kit could be a delight.
Win!
Courtesy of Chartwell Books, one lucky reader can win a Romantasy Stenciled Book Edges Kit. Simply enter your email address into the form below to be entered into the competition.
Terms and conditions
The giveaway will close at 11.59pm on 7th December 2025, and the winner will be chosen at random in a prize draw on 8th December 2025. The winner will be connected by Janet via email for the fulfilment of their prize.
Fold-Out + Play: Doll's House (£11.39)
I always wanted a doll’s house. Sadly, I never got one, and so I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when this package dropped through my letterbox.
Published by Nosy Crow and featuring four rooms – bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom – there are stand-up characters, press-out furniture to build and loads of brilliant stickers to decorate to your very own style.
There’s even a sturdy keepsake drawer that’s just right for keeping all those bits in once you’ve started playing with them. I adore it, and what a wonderful gift for a little one (or Janet!).
For further inspiration, head over to our gifts and products and books, literature, and writing sections.
Are you planning to use any of these gift ideas? Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.