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Ten years ago and newly married, I was invited to spend Christmas with my husband’s extended family. “We’re not doing gifts this year, there are too many of us,” my husband told me in early December when I queried who to buy for.
So, I showed up with a roll of novelty Christmas pudding bin bags and wine for the hosts. Imagine my embarrassment later that day when his aunt, uncle and cousins all handed me gifts so beautiful and thoughtful I still use them today. I resolved then to never enter the festive period without an arsenal of last-minute gift ideas in my back pocket – and also not to take everything my husband says as read.
The Christmas delivery window might be closing faster than that big stone door in Indiana Jones, but our last-minute Christmas gift guide should help you avoid similar embarrassment over that aunt/godchild/husband you’ve forgotten to buy for. We have ideas from tickets for next year’s cultural highlights to monthly food subscriptions (olive oil, coffee, brownies) that will be the gift that keeps on giving well into 2026. If you do still want a physical gift, we’ve also included retailers who will take orders right down to the wire.
You also can’t go wrong with a stash of spare homemade presents. My sister-in-law makes little tins of her delicious brownies; I make my family “chocolate crunch” recipe (a spin on tiffin) wrapped in brown paper and tied with a velvet ribbon. An artist friend paints tapered candles: surprisingly simple to do with cream supermarket candles and non-toxic acrylic paint; stick to dots or stripes if you’re a beginner.
Discover instant Christmas kitsch
If you’re not the sort of person who gets their decorations up by 1 December, you may also want to give your home a last-minute Christmas zhoosh. According to interiors brand Ruggable, Google searches for “nostalgic Christmas decorations” are up 200% this year; I grew up in a household decorated with my grandfather’s 1960s crepe paper streamers each Christmas, so I’m all for a classic homemade paper chain. It’s a good use for awkward leftover strips of wrapping paper, too. Paper snowflakes are another lovely thing to do with kids for a bit of instant Christmas kitsch: fold a circle of white paper three times to make a triangle, cut out a pattern of your choice from the edges and unfold.
A few years ago, when I didn’t have room for a tree, I filled a tall vase with bare winter branches and hung glass bird decorations on them (these are similar) – you can also add twinkly battery-powered lights or ribbons. Nini Torres, co-founder of Bimba Floral Studio, suggests baking thin slices of orange in the oven until they’re dry, then stringing them together to make a fragrant garland for your mantelpiece or table: “Each slice will dry differently from the others, which makes it feel really organic.”
She also suggests making a tree-shaped centrepiece from clementines (there are lots of tutorials online), using sticks to secure them to a foam base and filling the gaps with rosemary. Otherwise, she says an arrangement of pine stems in a vase can be mixed “with berries or cascades of ivy” for an instant Christmassy look. (Read our guide to hosting the ultimate Christmas dinner for more table-decorating ideas.)
And what about last-minute guests? Chef Ben Slater says a good corner shop blini alternative is toasted wedges of crumpet: “Load them up with something creamy, something smoked and something herby to make the ultimate last-minute canape.” On The Table co-founder Lucy Mee suggests cocktail sausages with a dip of chilli jam or squares of puff pastry baked with honey, charcuterie and cheese (full instructions here). Chill the wine, whack on a Christmas playlist and you’re good to go.
This week’s picks
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The best LED face masks, tested: 10 light therapy devices that are worth the hype
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How I Shop with Jo Malone: ‘I like my bed steamed every day’
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The best flower delivery for every budget: seven favourites, freshly picked
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‘Firm, snappy texture’: the best supermarket crackers for cheese, tasted and rated
Editor’s pick
Drinks writer Joanne Gould’s testing is never for the faint-hearted – in the past year for the Filter, she’s tasted 65 gins, 50 whiskies and, perhaps most heroically of all, 60 low- and no-alcohol drinks (not to mention 40 tinned drinks, and a selection of spritzes and festive drinks). She’s now put two of 2025’s most fashionable spirits – tequila and mezcal – to the test, trying 40.
Monica Horridge
Deputy editor, the Filter
In case you missed it …
If you’re travelling home or away for Christmas, upgrade your comfort with one of our favourite travel pillows, as tested on buses, trains and arcade machines. (You could even take a travel mug of your favourite hot drink for extra cosiness.)
Get involved
What thing has helped you maintain good habits? Whether it’s the water bottle that helps you hydrate, the alarm clock that finally gets you out of bed or the shoes so comfy you’ve been walking more, we want to hear from you. Let us know by replying to this newsletter or emailing us at [email protected].
