Women’s gifts for Christmas 2022: best present ideas for mums, wives or sisters, from jewellery to books
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The cardinal rule of gift shopping for women is to remember - first and foremost - that they’re people. There’s no magical ceremony that happens that means they’re instantaneously interested in nothing but flowers, smellies and aprons for the rest of their life (though there’s nothing wrong with any of those products, well chosen).
How to find a thoughtful present for a woman
Essentially, the key to shopping for your woman is the key to shopping for anyone - think about what they enjoy doing when they’re not busy running their lives. Mothers, sisters, and wives come in every mode: book lovers, bikers, fitness freaks, keen cooks, outdoor explorers, homebodies, all of the above and more.
We’ve rounded up a selection of gifts designed to pamper, entertain and delight - there’s something here to delight every type of mother, wife, or sister this Christmas.
For more present ideas, check out our guides to the best women’s pyjamas and The Body Shop Christmas gift collection.
Please note - there are some gifts, such as the White Company PJs and the Vieve red lipstick, that have been kept in from last year’s gift guide for women. Classics are classics, these are our favourite examples of the items we have found, and we feel no need to come up with a newer version for the sake of modishness. They’re brilliant - they deserve continued inclusion.
It’s a crowded market, the world of gym gear, but when it comes to style, comfort, and high performance, we always reach for our Public Rec leggings.
Yes, they’re not the cheapest option, but they’re far and away the best: comfortable, with no roll-up or bunching at the waist. Flattering on every kind of figure. Soft as lambskin to pull on, sweat-wicking, and can withstand a HIIT workout as easily as heavy weights session. If she’s a gym rat, she’ll adore these.
Know a lady who loves music, or tuning out to a great podcast? Be it for commuting or a trip to the gym, these noise-cancelling wiresless earbuds from sound experts Sennheiser will provide her with excellent sound - and block out unwanted noise.
Your options are endless when it comes to wireless earbuds, but Sennheiser is marked out by one thing - sound quality. It’s outstanding. Whatever the genre, our tester was blown away by how good everything sounded. Playback is incredibly crisp and balanced. Pump up the volume and there’s markedly little distortion.
Even cooler: Sennheiser Momentum 3’s active noise cancellation is adaptive. The earbuds’ have built-in microphones, which are used to automatically adjust the ANC levels depending on how loud your surroundings are. An impressive set of earbuds.
A gift card, you say? How revolutionary. But look, sometimes there are people - a sister-in-law you don’t know well yet, a colleague - you want to get a little something for without having a fair idea what.
The reason the One4All Gift Card warrants inclusion is that it can be spent in over 50,000 outlets, and by over 130 high street brands. That means whatever her tastes or interests she’ll be able to find something to tickle her - from the likes of Boots, John Lewis, H&M or Argos. The amount on the card can be checked online and you can load it up with between £10 or £120.
Google trends shows that the Dyson Airwrap continues to be THE hotly hunted after hair tool - but let us let you in on a secret, having tried the Dyson Airwrap: the Shark FlexStyler is cheaper - and better.
Yes, you heard it. Quieter, lighter, and with more reliable results, we adore our FlexStyler. It comes with five attachments - to dry, straighten, curl and boost volume. First and foremost, it’s a high-tech, fast working hairdryer - impressively fast at drying our long tresses - but with a press of a button it transforms it into a hot brush, curler or diffuser. And it packs neatly into a compact box. What’s included? In detail:
- The base styling wand (which converts into a hair dryer)
- Auto-wrap curlers
- Oval brush
- Paddle brush
- Concentrated nozzle (for drying)
- Diffuser (for defining curls)
As a hairstyling idiot, it took precisely 10 minutes for us to figure out - the curling barrels take a little knack. But once you master it, it’s as easy and reliable as can be. Luxurious, beautiful, lightweight, multi-tasking, quiet, reliable - it may look pricy, but this a very, very sound investment.
If she adores literatures, these lovingly rendered annotated manscripts will delight. Independent publisher SP Books produces luxury manuscript editions of classic texts - so she can read her favourite work of fiction in the author’s own handwriting, with gorgeous illustrations and notations. SP Books’ extensive back catalogue of literary classics, including Mrs Dalloway, Jane Eyre, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Great Gatsby, and Oliver Twist.
Stunning.
