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Christmas 2014: 15 best last-minute gifts
Left it a bit late to do your Christmas shopping? No fear, free next-day delivery to the rescue with these great gifts
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If Christmas has arrived seemingly unannounced, you’ve either been burying your head in the sand or you are seriously busy. Either way, you’re going to need to catch up with some Christmas shopping, pronto. Here’s our round up of the best available gifts with free next day home delivery, even at this eleventh hour.
1. Virgin Wines Châteauneuf du Pape in Presentation Case: £34, virginwines.co.uk
The mere name of this wine shouts luxury and this is a great version of the famous wine. It’s presented in a posh black box, which also includes useful accessories including a drip guard, pouring aid and corkscrew, all of which are built to last.
2. Coco Rose Brixton Rose Nude: £85, cocoroselondon.com
This genius pair of soft ballerina pumps fold in half and fit into a travel purse, making them ideal for changing into after work on the commute home or for slipping into half way through the evening when your feet have had enough of heels. There are loads of other colours and styles, but we love this neutral colour with black trim.
3. Achkiy Cuadrado Heart Necklace: £25, achkiy.com
This delicate silver pendant necklace is handcrafted, like all Achkiy’s stunning jewellery, by craftsmen in some of Peru’s most impoverished communities. Strike while the iron’s hot as this charity is only doing free next day delivery for deliveries placed before 23rd December.
4. Rite in the Rain All Weather Notebook: £4.49, gooutdoors.co.uk
Outdoorsy types will love this all-weather writing pad that means you can write and sketch away, even in foul weather, thanks to a patented, environmentally responsible, rainproof writing paper that actually sheds water, moisture, dirt and grime. Be warned – it works much better with pencil than pen.
5. Brand Outlet Ayame Flag Socks: £14, brandoutlet.com
This might seem a lot to fork out on a single pair of socks, but believe it or not they are currently half price, which gives you some idea of the quality. They are hand wash only, but it’s worth the hassle as these cotton/nylon mix socks are super soft and luxurious and look the business.
6. Monopod Adjustable Bluetooth Selfie Stick: £20, casehut.com
No self-respecting selfie fan should be without this extender wand that allows you to take just the shots you want to post on Faceook, Instagram and other social media sites. There’s no chance of anyone being left out of the picture and it works for both Android and iPhones.
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7. Kate Spade Cooper Watch: £195, watchshop.com
Kate Spade New York is known the world over for her bold and stylish designs. This stunning watch has a stainless steel case and is fitted with a quartz movement. You fasten it with a silver metal bracelet and it has a striking white dial. We love the flamboyant presentation box, too.
8. TM Lewin Blue Cashmink Scarf: £16, tmlewin.co.uk
Available in several colours, this super-soft, plush scarf is even finer than cashmere and will keep you toasty in chillier weather with no annoying itching. It contains hypo-allergenic properties, meaning it suits all skin types, and it’s water resistant too.
9. Micro Scooters Micro Sprite Limited Edition: £89.95, micro-scoters.co.uk
Here’s one for the kids – a new and limited edition two-tone scooter that is perfect for children aged five to 12. Swiss designed and engineered, it’s top quality and has 360 degree steering like a bike, as well as being lightweight and foldable. Check the website for scooter options for other age ranges too.
10. Hasbro Monopoly Board Game: £14.99, amazon.co.uk
Everyone loves a game of monopoly, especially at Christmas, but not all families have looked after games over the years – or they’ve lost pieces or money along the way. Some unusual people may never have even owned one. Either way, it’s a winning gift for all ages.
11. Field Candy Hold Your Horses Tent: £145, fieldcandy.com
The Little Campers range of tents from Field Candy is inspired, with examples including Strawberry Surprise and Blast Off themes. But we love this fairground horse one the best. Conjuring up smells of candyfloss, bright lights and spinning round on the carousel, this tent is easy to assemble, fade resistant and 100% waterproof and you can have it personally named too.
12. Moonpig Winter Gift Set: £45, moonpig.com
This gift smells as good as it looks. A beautiful red rose shrub is presented in a gold fabric gift box. Plus there’s a winter berries reed diffuser and candle, both from the ethical company BeeFayre, which donates three per cent of all profits to bee conservation. It all comes presented in holly-berry patterned packaging.
13. Garmin VivoFit: £64.49, wiggle.co.uk
This fitness band greets you with a personalised daily goal, tracks your progress round-the-clock (even monitoring sleep) and reminds you when it’s time to get moving. It’s durable and easy to use and syncs to the Garmin Connect app where you can join fitness challenges.
14. Just Sheepskin Garrick Sheepskin Slippers: from £35, justsheepskin.com
This company does exactly what its name suggests – selling 100 per cent pure sheepskin products only. There’s a good range of slippers, gloves, ear muffs and more for both genders, although our favourite are these traditional warm and comfy slippers with slip resistant sole that come in child or adult sizes and in different colours too.
15. White Stuff Camden Bag: £65, whitestuff.com
Here’s another company that’s offering free home delivery exclusively for those last minute gifts. We love their luxurious, soft leather bag that comes in a range of colours and is a practical size. It sits comfortably on the shoulder or you can wear it as a cross-body bag. It has pretty floral lining too.
16. The Artful Project Gift Certificate: from £100, theartfulproject.com
You might think a voucher is a boring pressie. Not this one, which is a poster-sized screen print to hang. Your loved one can pop it in a frame for an eye-catching addition to the wall, then spend the attached voucher – available in £100 or £300 denominations - on another piece from the site’s selection of limited-edition photographic works. Works start from £75.
Verdict:
Achkiy’s Cuadrado Heart Necklace is our firm winner this year as it’s both beautiful and ethical. Meanwhile, for kids, Micro Scooters’ Micro Sprite Limited Edition is a really special gift that is highly practical too.
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