We all have that one person in our family that is impossible to buy birthday presents for, dont we? I think it is me in our family. I am a nightmare for my family and friends and it isnt helped by the fact that I seem to have a constant wish list in my head until about a month before my birthday. Then I forget the entire list and find myself mumbling “oh gosh I don’t know” when anybody asks me what I would like. Which all got me thinking that I should, therefore, come up with what I think is a pretty foolproof list of ideas for birthday presents for people who really are impossible to buy for.
First up, food. You can never go wrong with food.
With prices from around £30 Chummy’s Bakery will deliver a box of six brownies and six cookies, or boxes of either brownies or cookies either as a one off or as part of a subscription service (with prices from just £15). Based in West Midlands the baked goodies are packed securely and delivered all over the country with a shelf life of two weeks from the time of delivery, though I defy you have them in the house for longer than two days. We recently took a couple of boxes of these to a family event and they were demolished. The brownies had a very slightly crunch on the outside but on the inside they were soft, gooey and incredibly chocolatey. The cookies were like the American ones you try to make at home and always fail, so big you can’t dunk them, and deliciously soft and packed with flavour. You can choose from a variety of flavours including white chocolate and raspberry, Kinder Beuno and Nutella when you select your box. And brownie flavours to choose from include Mint Aero, Salted Caramel, Mars and original flavours. Anybody would love to receive these and with Next Day Delivery from DPD on all orders they are perfect for those that may have left it, shall we say, last minute?
Buy them and thank me later
Toiletries
I think people often think these are just for maiden aunts at Christmas but there are gorgeous toiletries sets on the market, and one of my absolute favourites is from Arran. I mentioned them in a previous post (see here) and was delighted to see they have recently released a new scent to their collection. Called Kildonan it is the first new fragrance in a decade and in their words “is summer paradise encapsulated”. It combines Violet leaf with Orris, a botanical often used in gin as a binding agent to help all the other flavours become more stable but on its own its incredibly woody and earthy and is one of those scents I use love. It perfectly matches with the violet, which you would be forgiven for thinking would be overly floral. Combined they are a fragrance that everybody will love. Arran sell a bath and shower gel for £16 and a hand lotion for the same price which would be lovely together, or even on their own.
Dinner vouchers
Over lockdown we, obviously, had to miss some significant milestones amongst family and friends. Many of them events we would normally have all come together for over lunch or dinner in a local pub. We found out fairly early on in 2020 that our local Cook not only did vouchers that could be emailed but that you could order on line for delivery to another address, your own home, or that you order and collect. We used all of the above and even though lockdown is over we have carried on doing it when friends or family have needed a bit of a boost or something for a birthday. All their meals come ready to be put in the oven or in the microwave and when served certainly dont come with that air of “its just a microwave dinner”. They are far from that. Vouchers can be purchased in denominations from £10 upwards and delivered as physical cards, or as emails.
If you are looking for something beyond a birthday present, they even do a 10% discount for new parents that is valid for a whole 12 months whenever they order. When our granddaughter was born in 2020 I didnt hesitate in making use of this for them by dropping off a couple of bag fulls to fill their freezer. I am definitely a feeder and whilst I couldn’t physically be there at least I knew they had a nutritious hot dinner within reach and a good selection of decadent puds too!
Don’t Buy Her Flowers
One of my favourite websites is this one. As the name says, dont buy her flowers, Steph’s idea was born because the last thing a new mum needs is another bunch of flowers arriving to say congratulations. They need sorting out, and then they die which means they need sorting out again. Dont give a new mum, something else to do! Now they do beautiful gift boxes all with a theme for any occasion or you can pick your own and they all come with a handwritten gift message. As I say, I have used them several times and these are great not just for birthday presents for the impossible but for men who I find are particularly hard!
Hopefully they is something there to spark an idea if you need one but do let me know if you have any others, I am all ears!