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What was I thinking when I decided to get 21 birthday presents for Caity’s birthday?! Alongside deciding I would get 50 for Mr B who turned 50 five days later? I must have been mad. But actually thanks to the internet I managed to get all of them without even leaving my desk.
These are some of my favourites that I got Caity
Now this might not be the sexiest of presents but it is probably the most practical. Just after her birthday Caity was heading off to a hotel abroad for the first time. Complete with ipad, iphone, and all of the things you can’t really replace easily on holiday like a passport if they get lost. Or stolen. I have heard stories of hotel rooms being broken into in the middle of the night, and items stolen right from under sleeping noses. Not with this clever piece of kit. It stops your door being opened whilst you are inside. As I say, not sexy, but damned clever.
New suitcase
Along with the holiday came the cry of “I haven’t got a suitcase” . There is so much choice with suitcases these days that it is hard to know where to start. I always say to pick up an empty suitcase and see how heavy it is when it is empty. It might be a great looking suitcase and incredibly sturdy but if it weighs 5kg with nothing in it then you are going to have to ditch a few pairs of shoes to get under the weight restrictions. Sainsburys do a great range of bags and rucksacks, and most of them comply with cabin size regulations so if your airline charge a small fortune for checking a bag in you can take it with you too. It has an extendible handle if you want to wheel it, and a padded one to make carrying it up escalators etc easy too.
You can never have too many smellies. Especially when you are 21. I hadn’t come across Baldwins before which is surprising as they have been around since 1844. All their products are natural and beautifully packaged. I have fallen in love with the bath oils (yes I may have got one for myself too). They leave the skin beautifully soft without feeling like they are clogging the pores.
Caity is a huge fan of Uno, and poker. The less said about the latter the better really. But with a flight ahead of her and then time on the beach doing nothing I thought it would be fun to have a new game to play. There are various packs available from this company, all with a view to you “sussing out” your opponent. Great fun with a crowd!
You can’t go wrong with Yankee Candles. They all smell amazing. I have several of the larger pots dotted about the house and knowing that Caity has inherited my love of smelly candles I knew these would go down a storm. You could literally have a different smell every day of the year. This one is a firm favourite as it really does smell like a beach holiday and can remind you of that last holiday every time you light it.
Well hello. No selection of presents for a 21 year old could be complete without the odd bottle of wine Or three. We are huge fans of Lindeman’s, especially the whites and so we did a case of these for Caity. In the hope of course she might share one or two of them. Of course. It really is like liquid sunshine
We really pushed the boat out on this one but if your budget wont stretch to all the elements that we managed to cram in then you could certainly adopt the idea and do a scaled down version. It doesn’t even have to be London, it could be a town nearby. There are bound to be a huge selections of hotels (though if you can get to London and can book the Cavendish, you are guaranteed to be spoiled) for all budgets, and restaurants where you could maybe find a great deal. It’s always fun to be a tourist in your own country and to maybe explore places you haven’t been before.
We included a discount rail card in the package so that Caity and Dan can maybe do a few more trips over the next year, and remind themselves of their special weekend away.
We were sent some of these items to include in a gift guide. All opinions are our own
Photo of a present at the top is courtesy of Shutterstock