Do you have a Christmas gift tradition for the neighbors? Annual Christmas cookies, bread, or perhaps a bottle of wine? Every year I try to make cookies for the neighbors along with a practical gift. Even though the season is hectic and neighbors are typically an afterthought, a practical Christmas gift is a fantastic way to introduce yourself to the neighbors, make new friends, or simply make their day.
Homemade cookies are a popular Christmas gift choice, but they take a long time, especially those perfectly iced ones. My Christmas cookie of choice is the peanut butter kiss but even those are out this year since I can’t find Hershey kisses local anywhere in the UK. And imported at £7 ($9) a bag on Amazon just seems silly when I know they are $4 in the USA.
That leaves me with practical. Though it might seem odd to give a practical gift at Christmas time, it’s a clever way to help someone you don’t know well or at all. In fact, going door to door last year with Christmas gifts for our British neighbors is exactly how we met ours, nearly 2 months after moving in.
Whether you haven’t met the neighbors yet or have known them for years, what better way to help a neighbor than to gift something they’ll need during the busiest time of the year.
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6 Practical Christmas Gifts For Neighbors
Whether you have a lot of time getting ready for Christmas or barely scraping by this holiday season, don’t forget the neighbors. It’s a wonderful and thoughtful way to get to know your neighborhood and with these easy 6 ideas, it’s hard finding a reason why not to.
1 – A Bundle Of Wood & Festive Matches
Wood can be tricky to find when you’re in a pinch. It’s something we never seem to have when we want it, or ever enough when we need it. And if you haven’t ordered, made that special stop to the local hardware store, or remembered to check the local grocery, it’s likely to get passed over on that long shopping list and impossible to find last minute.
Wood, kindling and even fire starter logs are a great gift for any neighbor. I mean, who doesn’t want chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Throw in fun matches to top it off and it’s a great Christmas gift for the neighbor.
2 – Wrapping Paper & Tape
Have you been there before where it’s Christmas Eve and you’re finishing up the wrapping into the wee hours of the morning and run out of paper or tape! It’s the worse. I swore that I would never run out of tape again, or not wait till Christmas Eve to finish wrapping.
Naturally, I’m still wrapping presents the night before Christmas. I mean, who isn’t? But at least now I’m stocked, and I do my best to help out my neighbors with this as well.
Buy extra fun Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon. Top it off with a fun riddle, like this one here to download and print. Your neighbors will appreciate the fact they have a wrapping backup plan.
3 – Prosecco & Pomegranates
A bottle of wine is nice, but prosecco with a few pomegranates is far more festive. And with expected and unexpected guests during the holidays, it’s always better to have more than not enough. At least that’s what my hubs always says.
Prosecco is universally accepted and at least in the UK, aside from gin, seems to be a preferred beverage of choice. In addition to its vast acceptance, it’s perfect for nearly any situation. From celebrating Christmas morning to coping with unruly guests or overcooking the turkey.
No matter what the situation, a bottle of Prosecco with pomegranates is a gift any neighbor would appreciate receiving at Christmas time.
4 – Games & Puzzles
Christmas time means family time. And if you love spending loads of time together under one roof, then it’s super important to have things to do as a family. A movie marathon is fabulous but at some point, the tv will go off for game time.
A new game or puzzle for the family to put together not only puts everyone on an equal playing level but also burns time together when you’re not quite sure what else to do. And games gifted by others are the best because they are typically ones never prior played or heard of.
Try these fun favorites: Monopoly Deal, Ticket To Ride, or this London Jigsaw Puzzle.
5 – Paper Plates & Utensils
It sounds totally lame but how many times have you reached for paper plates and realized you didn’t have any? Or forgot to run the dishwasher after the Christmas brunch or Christmas dinner? No one likes spending Christmas day in the kitchen.
Give something totally useful by wrapping plates, cups, napkins, and utensils in a gift bag. Throw in some sweets to add some fun to it. Add a riddle to the tag: “Sending you our best wishes, For a Christmas with a lot less dishes!” Nothing is more practical than that.
6 – Christmas Crackers
It’s totally a British Christmas tradition but after my kids experienced their first Christmas lunch and cracker at their new school, the fascination hit home and they started begging for me to buy some for our own Christmas dinner last year. At the time I thought it was silly and hadn’t quite adjusted to expat living, so said, “No”.
But then, just a couple of days before Christmas I changed my mind. I realized the importance of celebrating old traditions and new ones would have on our first Christmas abroad. And that participating in local traditions helps with the expat life adjustment, particularly for kids.
I dashed out to Tesco to purchase a box. Slightly panicked, the shelves that were previously overflowing were empty. Lucky for me, I found some on an end cap on the way out.
And Christmas in the UK isn’t Christmas without Christmas crackers. The best ones are those with photo props inside. Serves two purposes in one big happy box for the whole family on Christmas day.
Tip: My favorite places to shop for Christmas Crackers in the USA are HomeGoods and TJMaxx. They sell brands made in the UK.
Final Thoughts On Useful Christmas Gifts For The Neighbors
If you weren’t sure about what to do for the neighbors this year and there is no time or patience for baking, then consider one of these useful gifts: a bundle of wood with fun matches, a bottle of something bubbly, a board game or puzzle, Christmas crackers, festive paper plates with utensils, or wrapping paper with tape.
Be Santa’s little helper. Give a practical gift for the neighbor and save Christmas. With or without cookies.
Looking for more gift ideas?
- 17 Going Away Gifts For Friend Moving Overseas
- 11 British Gifts For Americans
- My Top 6 British Hampers That Ship To The USA
3 comments
These are great ideas!
Thanks Tim!
Love these gift ideas, especially the riddles attached!!!!