2024 Gift Guide Goes Budget-Friendly: It's the Stocking Filler Section!

Everything's less than €40 – and most are less than €20!

I’m so sorry this post is too long for email – so you’ll need to click through to read it directly on Substack.com or in the app. I feel like gift guides need pictures included, so I wasn’t willing to compromise on that, or on having them be big, so you can actually see what you’re looking at!

I’m making this post free, in the spirit of Christmas – and helping out with last-minute gifts! – but I would really appreciate it if you’d consider signing up for a paid subscription, or gifting one to a friend this Christmas. (If you do, let me know and I’ll even record a little bespoke video greeting, welcoming them to the fold!)

And finally, a heads up: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning I get a teeny tiny % of the sale price if you do decide to make a purchase. It makes no different to the price you pay (although I do recommend using Honey, the browser extension, for your online shopping needs, because it’ll frequently pop up and tell you where to get something cheaper than you’re currently browsing, and you get points back on your purchases!)

The Head Plan Journal (€35)

I personally have given up on journals (although I am considering buying new refills for my Filofax, comparisons to Margaret Thatcher be damned), but any time I ask Instagram for journal recommendations, my inbox is absolutely flooded with people saying they swear by The Head Plan Journal, an Irish product launched in 2019, which has now sold a whopping 100,000 copies. It was designed and developed by a certified life coach and combines mindfulness practices with goal setting and “goal-getting”. I particularly like the leopard version.

A Lamy fountain pen (£21.48)

Perfect for writing in your journal, Lamy fountain pens give a very smooth writing experience and make almost anyone’s handwriting look 17% better. My sister Beatrice swears by these pens, owns several and says, “I think the medium nib is perfect – the fine is almost too fine and anything above medium tends to look a bit messy”. She also says that you absolutely cannot buy one of these without supplying at least one little box of cartridges to go with it.

Fidget Push Pop game (€4.99)

I know these pop it fidget toys have been around for a hundred years in kid time, but ours are still big fans and will frequently fight over who gets to play with it. Now, to be clear: these games are annoying. They make noise and, like I said above, they’ll cause fights BUT this is less than a fiver and will definitely occupy them for at least… oh, eight minutes? If you want something that keeps them busy for longer, this is a more involved pop it board game (currently $18 on Walmart) that everyone in our family loves playing (although Atlas does keep trying to rob the Presto guy from the middle, so bear that in mind if you have a toddler hanging around).

Citrus lip balm by Oxmantown (€7)

An Irish brand with some lovely products, Oxmantown’s citrus lip balm is the perfect size for popping in a bag or a pocket (but beware the softening effect of a warm pocket on a little lip balm) and the perfect price for popping in someone’s stocking. Plus, you know you’re buying from a natural, ethical and environmentally friendly skincare company based in Stoneybatter in Dublin. A win-win (win)!

Red tree coffee mug by Brookwood Pottery (€22)

As you know, I’m a sucker for nice pottery, although this mug by Brookwood Pottery is a lot more affordable than my last foray into ceramics. (Gulp.) This mug is handthrown in the Brookwood Pottery studio in Dublin, and dishwasher- and microwave-safe to boot.

Hungry Caterpillar matching cards (£5.89)

If you have an Eric Carle fan in the house, these matching cards are very cute – and very affordable – and will be sure to offer at least a few seconds’ entertainment between Christmas-Day fights and tantrums. We also picked up this Hungry Caterpillar soft baby book for the new baby (when I realised, with great horror, that Santa would have to have something in a stocking for him) along with this baby dino wubbanub pacifier and this little newborn set I’m sure he’ll be only thrilled with.

This colour-changing toaster lamp (€8)

The major bonus of this frankly adorable lamp is that it’s €8! Was this specifically designed for stockings?! It must have been! LOOK HOW CUTE IT IS! It’s available from Flying Tiger Copenhagen, so check out a Tiger shop near you – or get it online. Shipping is free with orders of €50 or more.

Cheap things I would buy to bulk up my cart: these food-themed erasers (our kids are obsessed with tiny, kitschy things like this); a €12 fondue set; this comic book kit; a matching fish bowl and plate; and this incredible stack-your-own candles set, which is a kind of cutie dupe for the Anthropologie cut glass candle holders I want but cannot afford.

The Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit in Boss (€36)

This red lipstick is, I swear to God, the new Ruby Woo, aka, the red lip that suits everyone and which everyone should be wearing. I bought it for Bea last Christmas and not a day goes by without my regretting giving it to her instead of keeping it for myself.

Qwirkle, the board game for everyone (£18.44)

…and I do not say that lightly. Qwirkle (available here on Amazon, but I’m sure you can find it in, dare I say, ethically better places?!) is an incredibly simple game that works on the basis of colours and shapes. There’s no spelling involved, very little strategy (and no, Mum, hiding tiles up your sleeve is not a “strategy”) and just loads of fun (and frustration). It’s currently on offer for £18.44 (it’s usually £25.61).

Our World: Ireland (€10)

I’m very interested in books that will teach my children about Ireland – we’re big fans of Chris Haughton, and Atlas loves both The President’s Dog and The President’s Glasses, by Peter Donnelly – and this little board book, with adorable illustrations by Fuchsia MacAree, is gorgeous and a great price.

A candle by D8 Design Co (€33.50)

So the bad news about candles from D8 Design Co is that they all seem to sell out in mere seconds (this Nighty Night candle, with lavender and chamomile, is still available on their site), but you can also get them from shops around Dublin – I know Flowerpop, in Inchicore, has some, and there’s a small selection available on Faerly.ie.

I know candles can sometimes be a bit of a dud gift – no one wants a set of sickly vanilla or pumpkin spice candles, truly – but some are really gorgeous and special and these Irish-made candles fit the bill.

Green Elephants Match Box (€14)

Again, matches could be a dud gift, right? But if you know someone loves candles and lights them frequently, having long (and cute!) matches is actually incredibly handy (unless they have an electric lighter, which is also incredibly handy and great). If your giftee isn’t into elephants (weirdo), they have a variety of options on the Arnotts site.

WTF notebooks (from £12.99)

Can you guess which of the above three notebooks I would like for myself?! 😂 WTF notebooks have a massive number of different slogans and honestly? Almost all of them are hilarious. They’re also just a really handy size, great for popping in a medium-sized handbag and make good stocking fillers-slash-random gifts. Just beware: if you have any writer friends, they may have a massive surplus of notebooks (but they’ll probably still like this one).

Squirrel Play 50 piece wooden building blocks (€10)

No, I’m not sure how these 50 wooden building blocks are just €10 either, but they are. Anyone with a baby or a toddler will be grateful for this gift for their child – they can build things up! Knock them down! These building blocks don’t make noise, and they won’t start randomly moving when you’re not expecting it and almost give you a heart attack! (Can you tell I’ve been personally triggered by many of our noise-and-movement-heavy toys?!)

Linen lavender sachet by Jupiter Red (€7.50)

This Irish linen sachet is screen printed by hand, features original designs by Janet McNamee and is perfect for the frequent traveller to pop in their suitcase (or, see above, the do-my-clothes-smell-bad person we all have in our lives). There are five adorable patterns to choose from, each filled with aromatic lavender (so they’ll make your Christmas stocking smell great, too).

How to Piss Off Men by Kyle Prue (£9.55)

This book, which was bought for me by my nephew, who saw it in Barnes & Noble and said, “let’s get this for Rosemary!” (should I be insulted that he thinks I live to piss off men, or that I don’t know how to do it on my own?!), is the kind of book you see and think, bathroom book. You know what I mean. But this is a bathroom book that is genuinely funny and includes useful suggestions like telling a man in a sports jersey, “I love your cosplay”. When he responds, “it’s not cosplay”, you say, looking confused, “well, it kind of is… you’re not really a basketball player”. LOL.

Clean Slate room spray (€17)

We all know someone who exists in a permanent state of paranoia about the smell of their house. In my friends’ and family’s cases, that person is me. “Do you smell dog? It smells really doggy. Does it smell really doggy to you?” are my most-uttered phrases. A lovely room spray is a godsend for moments like these – and these scents by Irish brand Clean Slate are right up my street. Buy three of them and get free shipping (on orders €50+), or snap up a lovely candle or two instead.

If you’ve found any particularly amazing stocking fillers this year that you’d like to share, please do so in the comments! I’d love to see what you’re getting your nearest and dearest!