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Gifts

what to give, and when10 stories

  • A pair of shoes left on a European windowsill on a winter evening, with incense smoke rising beside a lit candleGifts

    Who Was St Nicholas, and How Did He Become Santa Claus?

    Starting in 1427, residents of Utrecht began leaving their shoes inside the Nicolai Church on the evening of 5 December. The custom recorded there holds that...

    7 min read
  • A blue gemstone pendant resting in morning light on a windowsill, beside a folded linen handkerchief and wedding invitationsGifts

    What Makes a Good Something Blue Wedding Gift?

    In a display case at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History stands a piece of blue that nobody wears: an aquamarine obelisk taller than a...

    6 min read
  • A loaf of bread, a dish of salt and a lit candle on the bare counter of a newly moved-into kitchenGifts

    The Housewarming Gift That Earns Its Place

    A crémaillère is a notched iron hook fixed inside a hearth, built to raise and lower a cooking pot over an open fire: closer to the...

    6 min read
  • Hands choosing between small wrapped gifts on a European kitchen table in daylightGifts

    What Makes a Small Gift Worth Giving?

    A small gift can travel two directions, and Japanese gives each direction its own word. English does not. That gap in the dictionary is a useful...

    5 min read
  • A tiger's eye stone, a bracelet, and an incense stick arranged on a wooden desk in warm afternoon lightGifts

    What to Give a Father Who Says He Wants Nothing

    Choosing a gift for a father is rarely difficult because he is hard to please. It is difficult because he has usually stopped asking for anything...

    5 min read
  • Raw amethyst geode fragments and tumbled stones on a wooden desk with a brass loupe, evoking the stone's journey from mine to studyGifts

    Birthstones by Month: A Gift Guide

    Hold a faceted amethyst up to a window and watch what happens. The purple is not even. It pools and deepens exactly where the stone is...

    5 min read
  • Bread, salt, an unlit candle and a small brass vessel arranged on a wooden table in an almost-empty new flat, late afternoon light across the surface.Gifts

    Gifts for a New Home

    Every few weeks a letter arrives about the same small problem: someone we love has moved, and we do not want to turn up with a...

    6 min read
  • Twelve birthstones arranged on pale grey stone in cool natural light, each gem unset and distinctGifts

    Birthstone Jewellery: A Gift by Month

    A birthstone is a small, quiet act of knowing someone. Before you choose the stone, you have to remember the month, and that, in a world...

    7 min read
  • Hand-carved glycerin soap roses in blush and cream arranged on pale stone in soft natural lightGifts

    Soap Flowers: The Gift That Outlasts the Occasion

    A cut flower lasts a week. A soap flower, kept on a shelf away from steam and sunlight, can hold its shape and scent for a...

    7 min read
  • 8 Thoughtful Gifts for International Women's Day That Actually Mean SomethingGifts

    8 Thoughtful Gifts for International Women's Day That Actually Mean Something

    International Women's Day isn't about generic gestures, it's about recognition that's real, felt, and unhurried. We've curated 8 meaningful gift ideas sorted by the women in...

    10 min read
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