It’s hard to say which gift has been my favourite. There’s the sentimentality of a piece of jewellery passed down from a family member, or the touching moment a friend had remembered an offhand comment about my favourite perfume. But then there’s the excitement I felt one Christmas morning, aged about six, when I tore open the wrapping paper to reveal an oversized Barbie head – which, looking back, sounds a bit frightening. I spent hours playing with that doll: practicing make-up, doodling tattoos and eventually cutting off all of its hair, bar a few strands. Those of us familiar with the Barbie film will recognise my masterpiece as “Weird Barbie” – and I adored her.
Vogue’s best gifts under £20 at a glance:
To help shape my gift guide suggestions, I gathered insight into the gifts that have brought friends and colleagues the most joy – it’s a question I dream of asking some of the world’s more prominent A-listers. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Jennifer Lopez received a jewel-encrusted toilet seat from Ben Affleck as an engagement gift in 2003. And of course, there’s the private jet that Jay-Z supposedly bought for Beyoncé – all gifts that we can safely assume fall outside the £20 limit for this gift guide.
I suppose I allude to such frivolities in order to highlight that the bar can get a little lost when gift giving. It can become difficult to gauge what constitutes too much or too little, or whether a higher price-tag can ever surpass sentimental value. Granted, there are some things worth splashing out on, like a piece of kitchenware or quality cashmere, but a thoughtful present should never be defined by the price. While some might see a spend cap as a hinderance, I urge you to approach it as an exciting challenge. It also makes the search somewhat simpler knowing that an Hermès bag or, say, a jewel-encrusted toilet seat is out of the question. Repeat after me: good gifts don’t need big budgets.
Whether you’re looking for stocking fillers, a secret Santa gift, or a main present for the man, woman or anyone else in your life, I’ve had a good scour of the best bits that won’t break the bank. We’ve even got a section for unique gifts under £20, if you’re in the market for something that they won’t be expecting.
Below, Vogue’s edit of the best gifts under £20. And no, a private jet is not included.
Gifts for him under £20
Unique gifts under £20
Stocking filler gifts under £20
Gifts for her under £20
Secret Santa gifts under £20
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