#1 All the ingredients for a cocktail together with the recipe written / printed out, preferably stylishly

#2 If you’re a film buff, a list of great films (old and new) and a subscription for Lovefilm

#3 Tickets to see a film at an arthouse cinema (preferably a licensed one with sofas like this one)

#4 A Yoga Nidra CD (honestly, try it – you can’t not like it) and a nice candle (or an oil burner, essential oil & tealights)

#5 A cake that you’ve baked yourself, inside a fabulous tin. Like one of these, or go retro and special with one of these

#6 A DVD or 2 of your favourite films (you’ll have to subtly find out first if they’ve seen it/them) or series. Personally, I would suggest ‘Jeux D’Enfants‘ (Love me if you dare) or ‘Breaking Bad’

#7 Something that might inspire the receiver to get into a new hobby. Think: an origami set, a flower press, a sketch book and pencil, a camera

#8 Something that might inspire the receiver to get into fitness. Careful with this one for obvious reasons. Think: a gym membership or day pass, a bike. Or just a skipping rope

#9 A board game. Like scrabble. Let’s face it, most of us seriously need to step away from the computer / TV these days

#10 An ‘itinerary’. Tailor a day or afternoon out and write / print it out with care. We all get fed up with trying to think of ‘things to do’ and it’s always nice to do things on personal recommendation

#11 A nice book (try not just to buy something you fancy reading) – or a coffee table book. Be sure to write an inscription inside, this is as important as the choice of book

#12 A USB stick with some great tunes on it, hand picked by you, for them

For new parents:

#13 Something to amuse any elder siblings: sticker books, craft materials and so on. Try Paperchase or The Natural History Museum / Science Museum shops. Chances are they’ll only be too grateful to have something to keep them busy whilst the new baby is getting a lot of attention and the new parents are feeling frazzled. And let’s face it, babies don’t really appreciate gifts

#14 A gift for themselves (pampering stuff for the mum, a bottle of whisky for the dad, or a new CD – not that they’ll get a chance to listen to it but it’s a nice thought. Or a really posh candle / something else equally decadent and unnecessary) instead of for the baby

#15 A load of really nice thank you cards (try here) and stamps. It’s one of those things they’ll feel they ought to do but might be a hassle to get together, during those first few weeks

For those with kids:

#16 If you’re long on time but short on money, give friends-with-kids a ‘token’ for babysitting (make sure you agree a date there and then or follow it up). Only really a good idea if they have okay kids. Who sleep a lot

For kids:

#17 Biscuit cutters, like these, together with a recipe and the ingredients. I’m slightly obsessed with biscuit cutters (even though I rarely make biscuits)

#18 Mars bars, Rice Krispies, golden syrup and some cake cases to make their own Mars bar krispie cakes

As a leaving / retirement gift:

#19 A handkerchief on a stick filled with £1 coins (like in the cartoons / Enid Blyton films when someone’s running away from home – know what I mean?)

#20 A travel book (100 things to do before you die, or similar. That’s not meant to sound morbid by the way.)

Helpful at all? I hope so.

xx Nomad Thief xx

#1 Metallic bag, super cool. £14.99 from H&M

#2 Not that I’m obsessed with animal heads or anything, but, this mirror from this online shop is quite special. Thanks Amelia for letting me know about it. Am really tempted, but I think it might be pushing my husband’s patience – what with the huge wild boar’s head already staring down at us..

#3 Cropped jacket, £34.99 from H&M. A cheap (but effective) way to get the Lahore look.

#4 Now the photo doesn’t do this justice – apologies – but I promise you it’s worth checking out. A cross between a cardigan and a coat, this piece is super wearable, and mixes edgy with femininity brilliantly. It feels lovely on, and the zips are heavy and nice quality. £95 – Warehouse.

#5 All that shopping surely calls for a snack. Tyrrells popcorn. The sweet and salty one (I haven’t explored the others). You can get it in Waitrose. Seriously, try it. I got through 3 packs within a couple of hours last week. That’s roughly 15 servings. It’s seriously good, and seriously addictive. That’s way too many seriouslys.