As thoughts now turn to Secret Santas and stocking fillers, here is our perfect Christmas gift guide for book and candle lovers alike.
Bookmark - £6.95
I’m in love with all things letterpress and Oscar Wilde so this gorgeous book quote from Meticulous Ink really caught my eye. Beautifully lettered and designed, I want/need one of these in my stocking this year, pretty please.
https://meticulousink.com/collections/books/products/bookmark-oscar-wilde
Wick trimmer - £6.99
So, controversially, I would get this wick trimmer from the big guy himself, yes Amazon. Bish bash bosh, job done. It is the same one that you can find at some fancy candle shops who charge £25. That’s £25! Who is paying that? If you’ve got that kind of cash, buy a few wick trimmers because keeping that candle looked after is the most important thing.
Candle tray - various prices
Don't even think about it, head straight to Etsy for candle trays! They’re mostly made by small independent businesses who I love to support when I can (except for wick trimmers) and I think you will find some beautiful designs there at great price points too. Here are two that I would buy in a heartbeat. One of them is a shade under £15 and the other under £17 so there’s a bit of change from a £20 note.
A secondhand book! - various prices
Let’s start to buy more secondhand books! Why not gift the book lover in your life with a classic from one of the many online sellers of used books or have a mooch around your local charity shops where I’m sure you could pick up some beauties if you looked hard enough. To get you started, check out Abe Books.
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/UsedBooks.shtml
A bookish candle - £15
Ha! I had to include one of our gorgeous candles in our own Gift Guide and surely everyone is or knows a book lover! The 180ml size cost £15 and there are 11 different scents to choose from in the run-up to Christmas. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when we launch new products or introduce new literary candles to our range.
https://commacandles.co.uk
A tote bag - £6
A Faber cotton tote bag to hold all of your lovely bookish buys would be a very useful stocking filler. And it’s £6 … if you bought two, you could double your book haul!
https://www.faber.co.uk/product-category/gifts-exclusives/literary-gifts/
Tickets for a book talk - various prices
For the book lover who has everything (is that even possible? more books are always needed!), why not look at bookish talks or festivals in your area. I’m lucky in that the fabulous Toppings in Edinburgh has a very active events calendar where I always find someone I’d love to go and see.
Or, why not arrange to visit Edinburgh for its very wonderful Book Festival! Lots of guest authors give talks but book early to avoid missing out on any favourites. The next one is happening in August 2024 https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/
Extra long matches - £10.50
Go old school with these super long matches from Archivist Gallery. Always beautifully designed boxes and something for everyone.
https://archivistgallery.com/product/santa-trains-bx44
Merry Christmas!
