COVID Christmas: Christmas Gift Ideas For Women You Can Send By Post

Christmas is undoubtedly going to be a little different this year. The coronavirus pandemic continues to be a problem and with ever increasing numbers it is unlikely we’ll be able to meet up with all our family and loved ones in the same way we usually would. But just because we won’t be able to personally deliver the presents this year doesn’t mean we need to miss out entirely.

Every year we put together our Christmas gift guides to help give you some inspiration and ideas for when you start your Christmas shopping. This year we have focused on a range of gorgeous gifts that you can order online and send directly to your female family and friends to show them that even though you’re not there with them in person they are 100% in your thoughts. So, whether you want to shop for savoury muffins, order online books, get your craft on, or just let someone know you’re thinking of them, we’ve got you covered.

For The Bookworms

We love anything that promotes the empowerment of women so imagine our utter delight upon discovering that there is such a thing as a feminist book subscription box!

Books That Matter combine women’s writing with a collection of carefully thought out products from independent female creatives in a subscription box that feels like an exclusive, secret book club.

In these uncertain times it’s more important than ever to come together in whatever way we can and so we love the idea of gifting this subscription box to a few of your female friends and creating your own bookclub where you either come together in person each month (if your local area restrictions allow it) or host a virtual Zoom club (should you live in an area that has been locked down) and discuss that month’s book over some nibbles and a couple of glasses of wine. It’s basically the gift that keeps on giving and we love it!

What Do You Get?

Each month’s box has a thought provoking theme running through it and the book and products included all reflect upon this. An example of what you may get in a box includes: an empowering book by a female author, exclusive essay booklet by the author, guide explaining the products and info about the author, set of 3 pencils with inspiring slogans, pack of 6 wax melts, a fruit teabag, 3 quote cards, and a bookmark.

What Does It Cost?

You can buy a one off box for £17 or save a small amount if you subscribe for 3 months (£45), however there are little savings to be had should you opt for the 6 (£90) or 12 month (£180) option. That being said you are getting a lot for your money, especially bearing in mind a paperback book alone will set you back a fair whack so all in all we think it’s a decent price to pay. More than anything a Books That Matter subscription is about buying into the whole package. It’s about embracing womanhood, inspiring, encouraging, and sharing both a love of reading and a passion for female awesomeness. And we think that is pretty darned priceless.

Find out more – https://www.booksthatmatter.co.uk

For The Hygge Lovers

If you know someone who is all about the cosy hygge vibes then we can’t think of a better Christmas gift than a candle subscription. We’re obsessed with candles, particularly in the darker winter months, and because we’re all spending so much more time at home it’s nice to be able to have some small home comforts that bring just a teensy bit of joy in these strange times. Now more than ever we realise that it’s the small pleasures in life that matter and if we can pass that on by gifting a candle then we are all for that! Candles have an instantly calming effect, so when you gift someone a candle you’re not only giving them a beautiful product, you’re also giving them a self care saviour.

Jenny Betts London candle subscriptions are all about creating luxury scented candles that have been carefully selected to suit the person you are buying for. So for example your gift recipient may love flowery scents, or perhaps they may prefer more woody tones, or it could be that you simply know they adore the aromas associated with Christmas and so you’d like a candle that reflects that. Jenny Betts London will help guide you in your choice to find the perfect scented candle to give a gift that shows you have really thought about the person you are buying for.

What Do You Get?

Every Jenny Betts London candle is made from hand poured soy, which means it has a longer burn time than your average run of the mill candle. We were sent the limited edition Mulled Wine and Berries Christmas candle, which oozes style and sophistication with it’s classic black box packaging, modern sparkle glass and the sumptuous sweet scent of pretty much every Christmas smell you can think of – spiced apple, sweet berries, mulled wine, brandy, orange, clove, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla. It makes us want to snuggle up under a blanket with a good book and a box of chocolates and forget about all the issues going on in the world right now.

What Does It Cost?

Prices start at £25 for a single wicked candle as a one off gift, however we adore the idea of treating your BFF to a 3 (£65), 6 (£130), or 12 month (£250 which includes a two wick Christmas limited edition candle) subscription where a beautiful candle arrives on their doorstep every month.

Find out more https://www.jennybettslondon.co.uk/

For The Craft Queens

We don’t know about you lot, but the arrival of the colder seasons reignites our love of all things craft and seeing as we’re not able to go out as much as we normally would we’re all looking for something to do in our spare time. IDoHandmade have created a collection of craft kits that are letterbox friendly, plastic-free, and use recyclable/eco-friendly/biodegradable packaging that we think are ideal for a crafty COVID Christmas.

Immersing yourself in a craft project is a fantastic way to take your mind off of the bigger world problems, as it allows you to switch off and focus solely on the task at hand, bringing some much needed mindfulness. On top of that, it gives your hands something to do, to stop you feeling restless, to give you a purpose and when you’ve finished creating your craft it gives a sense of achievement as well as a beautiful decorated object to display in your home that you can look at with a smile and think, ‘I made that’.

What Do You Get?

Well it obviously depends on what kit you go for as to what exactly you get, as there are a few different ones to choose from on the site – Christmas wreath, advent calendar, hand warmer, macramé plant hanger, and a block printing kit to name but a few. Each kit comes with everything you need to make the item, so for example we were sent the block printing kit and this included: 7 wooden block stamps, 6 fabric paint tubes, 6 foam paint dabbers, tea towel, zipped make up bag/wash bag, drawstring laundry style bag, tote bag, and an instruction/ideas sheet.

We love that these kits are so easy to use and think it’s a great opportunity to spend time and make things together as a family. You could even get the kids to make some of the items and then send them to granny for a memorable personalised gift from the grandkids. Or if you know someone who is self isolating, or who perhaps live on their own and are sick to the back teeth of dong jigsaw puzzles, these would make such a thoughtful present.

What Does It Cost?

The crafts kits start at a very budget friendly £15 plus p&p and to help save you even more money (because Christmas can be proper expensive can’t it!?) the lovely people at IDoHandmade have given us a 15% discount code to share with you all – ARTOFHEALTHYLIVING15

Find out more – https://idohandmade.co.uk

For The Spiritual Souls

One of the best things about receiving a gift through the post is the joy of opening the lid of the box to reveal the surprise treasures that hide inside. And the first thing we noticed when opening up the Aura Healing Kit subscription box was the absolutely stunning presentation. You can really see how much thought has gone into selecting each product and the personal touch of a hand written note and the soothing, symbolism of a simple white feather placed carefully placed on top oozes calm and tranquillity from the very moment you open the box.

These luxury self care subscription boxes from Aura are a welcome tonic to the madness going on in the world right now. They give you a reason to take some time out, to focus on you, to rebalance, reenergise, and restore your mental wellbeing. Because let’s face it, our mental health has taken a bit of a dive of late and by sending someone a subscription box such as this you’re not only giving them a uniquely different and thoughtful present, you’re also giving them permission to think about themselves for a change and that’s probably the best gift you could ever give someone.

What Do You Get?

Each month’s box is filled with a variety of natural materials and products to help you on your self care journey. The box we received included: Tigers eye crystal (for converting negative thoughts into optimistic ones), Solar plexus Chakra candle (to help with decision making and willpower), White sage smudge sticks (to clear away negative energy in the home), Juniper berry essential oil (to help with concentration and focus and to cleanse and reenergise), Positive affirmations, Lemongrass bath fizzer, and a guide to this months box.

We think this would make an ideal gift for a frazzled friend who’d benefit from setting aside some time each month to focus on how they’re feeling and to get themselves back on track by following some of the simple self care rituals that are shared in the box. Practicing meditation, learning how to do positive visualisation and by repeating daily affirmations all help to relieve built up stress, ease anxiety and clear away any negative emotions, and the Aura Healing Kits are perfectly set up to help the recipient on their spiritual path to inner peace.

What Does It Cost?

You can buy a one off box for £25 or save a few pounds by signing up to either 6 months for £145.50 or 12 months for £296. We also spotted a cheeky little discount code (SELFCARE15) on their website for 15% off your first month’s subscription box. It’s worth remembering that this is a luxury product and so the price reflects this. Each item inside the box is a high quality product and a decent present in it’s own right, so when combined together it truly is a spectacular gift.

Find out more – https://www.aurakits.co.uk

For The Beauty Babes

For The Teens and Tweens

Boxcitement subscription boxes are exactly as the name would suggest – a box full of exciting things! Now I know we’ve marked this up as being brilliant for teens and tweens, but as a bunch of 40 something year old women we’ve gotta admit we love it too and have already added it to our own Christmas lists. It’s basically a box crammed full of gorgeous feel good products and heaven knows we could all do with something to cheer us up at the moment.

The boxes arrive perfectly wrapped already, so there’s no need to worry about it not looking like a gift when it arrives. And when you open up the box it’s a bit like peeling away the layers of a pass the parcel, there’s just more and more surprises hidden away in there – honestly it’s amazing how much they manage to fit in a letterbox friendly package. And all of it’s proper decent stuff, like really, really lovely, usable stuff, none of this faddy sample stuff. In fact all of the products are exclusively created for Boxcitement by an award winning team of designers and illustrators, you literally won’t find these products anywhere else, they’re that exclusive. So unless some other bright spark has had the same idea as you, it’s unlikely your recipient will have received something like this before.

What Do You Get?

Each month’s box has a different theme and the products included will reflect upon this theme. In the past, themes have included: ‘Back To Nature’, ‘Summer Loving’, ‘Sleepy Time’. etc. We were sent the ‘Just Saying’ box, which is centred around typography meaning the products are themed around a word with a positive statement word or a wow word in different eye catching graphic colour pop fonts. Contents are varied and a lovely mix of useful day to day products as well as aesthetically pleasing feel good knick knacks, for example in the ‘Just Saying’ box we got: a ‘smile’ pack of fresh mints and pocket mirror, a ‘hello sunshine’ sun block stick, a pack of cute speech bubble post it notes, a ‘make a statement’ hand crafted necklace,  an ‘enjoy the little things’ small wooden bowl for storing, an ‘extraordinary’ cotton pouch (great for storing sanitary towels, tampons, make up, masks etc. in your school bag), and a set of 4 feel good wall prints/post cards to pop up on a noticeboard in your room. All beautiful gifts in their own right, but even better when combined together in one box.

What Does It Cost?

There’s something to cover a range of different budgets with an ongoing monthly subscription at £19.45, one off boxes for £20.40, a 3 month subscription for £55, 6 months for £105, and 12 months for £197 (that’s a saving of £3 per box by the way). As well as that they also offer the super budget friendly Mystery box for £17 which contains a mixture of different products from some of their past end of line boxes. UK postage is free and when you sign up you also get exclusive access to lots of lovely extras.

Buy this for your teens with sass, your tweens with attitude, for your young at heart female friends, these boxes are about bringing fun and joy and we’re very, very excited about that!

For The Busy Mums

Us mums deserve a blinking medal for what we’ve been through this year. What with juggling work and homeschooling, keeping the house looking vaguely decent and hygienic, as well as trying to keep some level of fitness regime going, we’re knackered, absolutely freaking knackered. So if you know a frazzled mum, who could really, really do with some feet up time, then this Love in a box personalised letterbox gift makes for the perfect Christmas gift.

What Do You Get?

This is a one of a kind box, so there are no monthly variations or subscription plans, what you see is what you get. Contents include:

  • A Personalised coaster
  • An 80g bar of chocolate (you can choose from either honeycomb milk chocolate or sea salt dark chocolate)
  • A selection of tea bags
  • A bag of chocolate honeycomb balls (although the website says you get a pack of biscuits, but I think it depends what’s in stock)
  • The website says you also get a pack of wax melts, but I didn’t get these with mine hence why they’re not in the pic.

There are obviously some slight tweaks you can make, the coaster can be personalised with your own message (we went for ‘A Cappers For Staffers’…. if you know, you know 😉 ), and the contents do vary ever so slightly depending on what’s in stock, but basically you get something for a cuppa, something yummy to eat, and something to pop your cuppa on. More than anything though, you are giving the recipient some time out, which we all know is one of the best gifts you can give a busy mum!

What Does It Cost?

The box itself costs £24.16 and standard delivery is free. There is also the option of adding extras such as a greetings card or holographic gift bag for a small additional cost.

Find out more – https://www.giftsonline4u.com

For The Eco Conscious

If you know someone who cares about the planet, someone who strives to make sustainable swaps to their lifestyle in order to be more eco-conscious and environmentally friendly then we’ve got just the gift for you. This one’s a little different to the other gifts featured in this post in that you can’t buy the box separately, it is a one off Christmas gift box that comes as part of a membership to SaveMoneyCutCarbon, but we love the ethos behind it and the uniqueness for a present idea so we just had to include it.

What Do You Get?

So basically this is a membership club which allows you to make savings on everyday eco products to help you to take practical steps to be more sustainable as well as offering advice on ways to save money on home utility bills and to reduce your carbon footprint. As part of the membership you receive a code that when redeemed gets you a laundry egg, detox tablet and an LED bulb, plus there’s the sustainable swap box we mentioned as well.  The box is packed full of lovely little swaps that you can easily make at home that will help you to help the planet in your own small way. And as we all know it’s the small changes we make that make for the big changes.

Contents include – a bamboo toothbrush, compostable bin liners, bamboo plasters, beeswax food wrap, bamboo cotton buds, water flow bag, compostable sponge cloth, and an antibacterial cleaning drop. Our fave product has to be the compostable bin liners, because anything that helps towards the fight against single use plastic is worthy of a medal in our eyes and these are made from natural vegetable starch so they break down way, way quicker than standard plastic liners would (plastic breaks down anywhere between 20 to 1000 years depending on the type of plastic it’s made from – crazy!)

What Does It Cost?

As we said, the swap box itself comes as part of the membership club and so cannot be purchased in it’s own right. Membership to the SaveMoneyCutCarbon home club costs £4.99 a month or you can go for the annual membership at £49.90, so you’re basically getting a couple of months for free. Not your usual Christmas gift admittedly, but what we love about this is that it’s a whole package, it’s a lifestyle change for the better and the eco-loving women in your life are gonna love it.

Find out more – https://www.savemoneycutcarbon.com

For Those Who Just Love A Bit Of Cake

And if all else fails… CAKE! Yep what better way to make someone’s day than by sending them some homemade cake in the post every month. I mean, it works for us!

The Cake Tasting Club sell a range of cake subscription boxes that are filled with yummy handmade cakes and brownies and carefully packaged up in ethical Vegware packaging. The cakes reflect the current season and are all made using free range eggs and are 100% vegetarian. Plus they guarantee that if you take out a 12 month subscription you’ll never taste the same cake twice – so that’s a lot of different cake to try out.

What Do You Get?

There are a whole heap of boxes to choose from, based on how much cake you think you can eat each month and whether you prefer brownies or slabs of cake, plus there’s a vegan option too. When choosing what to go for we’d suggest having a good old think about who you’re gifting, or perhaps play it safe and go for a tasting box so they get to try a bit of everything.

In terms of the type of cakes you might get, we were sent the Classic box from October, which included: Spiced Pumpkin Cake, Apple and Almond Loaf, Salted Caramel Pretzel Brownie, Mint Chocolate Cookie Bars, and can vouch that every single one of them was a taste sensation – we particularly loved the Spiced Pumpkin Cake… man it was good! The box also includes either a tea or coffee gift (we got a teabag) and tasting notes or recipe card. It’s a fantastic way to try out lots of different cake and we can imagine it going down an absolute treat with your mum or gran, especially if you’re unable to visit them at the moment – virtual afternoon tea anyone?

What Does It Cost?

Prices range from £8 for a one off Taster box (3 mini portions of baked goodies) up to £26.50 for a one off Sharing box (8 portions of mixed cakes and brownies). There is also the option to take out a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription plan for each box, which gives you a slight saving per box each month. Delivery is free and the packages are letterbox friendly so there’s no need to worry about whether your recipient will be at home or not.

Considering the time and effort that goes into making a cake, as well as how costly ingredients are these days, cake subscription boxes are a convenient way to send cake to your loved ones this Christmas. Plus cake, arriving on your doorstep, every month… what’s not to love? I think we’ll buy one for ourselves!

Find out more – https://www.thecaketastingclub.com

COVID Christmas Shopping Sorted!

We hope this has given you a bit of inspiration for some slightly different Christmas gifts for what is likely to be a slightly different Christmas this year. All of these gifts can be ordered online and then sent out directly to your fave female friends and family members and what we love is that not only do we get to treat our loved ones, but by buying products from small independent businesses we are helping them at a time when they need it too.

*all products gifted for review


We’d love to hear what’s on your Christmas shopping list this year, so get in touch!

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