Gifts & Stationery

Finding your way around gifts and stationery

Shopping usually starts with a question rather than a product, so we have grouped this page to match. The gifts side gathers stocking fillers, Secret Santa gifts, party bag fillers and gardening gifts. The stationery side runs from notebooks, pens and pencils to erasers and greeting cards, and the bags and travel side covers what you carry, from bags to keyrings. If you know who the present is for, begin under gifts. If you know what you need, such as a notebook for school or a wash bag for a trip, go straight to that section.

Small gifts for stockings and party bags

A good stocking filler is small enough to tuck in, quick to unwrap and fun or useful afterwards. We stock toys, games, craft kits, temporary tattoos and hair accessories alongside the stationery, so you can mix something to play with and something to keep.

For party bags, shop with the whole guest list in mind: where a product page lists a set or a box of pieces, you can share it out so the bags match. If a present is for a very young child, check the warnings on the product page before you buy, as they settle whether it suits that child or an older sibling.

Secret Santa and gardening gift ideas

A Secret Santa present for a colleague works best when it is useful whatever their taste. A notebook, a storage tin or a kitchen accessory they will reach for is a safe start. If your office goes for joke gifts, keep it kind: something they can laugh at and still use.

Gardening gifts suit the friend who talks to their tomatoes. We also stock a few indoor plant pots, handy when the growing happens on a windowsill. Many floral designs run across the page too, and a gardener rarely tires of flowers.

Choosing notebooks, pens, pencils and erasers

Look at the paper before the cover. Some notebooks are lined, which keeps handwriting tidy for homework and meeting notes. We also stock a few sketchbooks for anyone who draws more than they write. Most of the journals are leather, a good fit for a daily diary.

With pens and pencils, small details decide it. A few ballpoint pens hold a choice of ink colours in the same barrel, useful for colour-coding revision. Some highlighters have a chisel tip, which marks a broad band or, turned on its edge, a finer line. As for erasers, some sit on the end of a pencil, so they are harder to lose. A few come in playful shapes and make a small gift in their own right.

Greeting cards and other stationery

Some cards are blank inside, which leaves the whole message to you. Several come with an envelope, so there is nothing else to hunt for. A few are debossed, with a pressed design you can feel.

The wider stationery section covers the extras that complete a desk or a pencil case. We also stock some wrapping paper by the sheet, which saves buying a whole roll for a small present.

Bags, wash bags and travel accessories

Decide what the bag has to carry. Some backpacks have a front pocket for the small things that sink to the bottom. A few lunch bags are insulated, the better choice for a packed lunch with something chilled inside.

For travel, a wash bag needs room for full-size bottles, while a make-up bag can be small enough for a handbag. Most make-up bags are quilted cotton, soft to the touch. A few wash bags are oilcloth, which you can wipe down after a leaky bottle. Keyrings and bag charms make easy stocking fillers too. We also stock a few luggage scales, so you can weigh a case at home before you reach the check-in desk.