Taryn de Vere shares her tips for choosing the best subscription or advent calendar for your loved one - or making your own.
Advent calendars are no longer the preserve of the chocolate and beauty industries. You can now buy advents themed around any interest - not to mention make your own bespoke advent calendars to show your loved one just how much you know them.
The delightful calendars also doesn't have to run for the full 25 days either, and if you're handmaking them you can tailor the duration and presents to the person receiving it. While, yes, we're just a few sleeps away from the big day itself, there's still time to craft a one-of-a-kind advent calendar for someone special.
If pre-Christmas gifts aren't your cup of tea, consider gifting someone a subscription instead, that’s a gift that keeps on giving. Here are some of my favourite buys of the season, with some make-it-yourself options included.
Cheese Club
The first rule of Cheese Club is - eat all the cheese (well, that’s the rule I suggest anyway). Each month cheesemonger Kevin Sheridan of Sheridans specially selects four to five cheeses to be included in the box. Sheridans bring in rare and unusual cheeses for subscribers to try. Each cheese is accompanied by Cheese Club notes with detailed information about each cheese. One, three, six or twelve month options available.
Prices start from €45.
Cheese Box DIY option: Pick up a chopping board or cheese knife, add a few blocks of local cheeses and you have a lovely present for a cheese fanatic. You can tailor the cheeses to suit the person you’re buying for.
12 Day Whiskey* Advent Calendar
The idea behind this Jameson box set is to start opening it on Christmas day, with a lovely tipple to celebrate the special occasion. The set comes with four 50ml whiskey bottles, a tasting glass, copper measuring cup and more.
Costs €110.
Drinks Taster Kit DIY: Buy an assortment of small bottles of whatever takes your fancy, be it alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and wrap them all individually. Pop them into a box or basket with a bottle or two of mixer and you have a lovely present.
Creativity Box subscription
Give the gift of creativity to your adult friends with these Craftiosity workshop kits delivered straight to your loved ones door each month. Some of the projects include punch needling, embossing and macrame. One, three or six month options available.
Costs £26.95 and £5.65 postage, roughly €32 and €7 postage.
Creativity Box DIY option: Make your own box of creative supplies for a loved one. Theme the box around a particular craft and perhaps include a magazine or book with how-to instructions, or print off some crafting information to include. People who work in craft shops are very helpful and knowledgeable, so don't be afraid to ask them for advice and help.
Book subscription
Paperback Down offer a range of book subscription options, including a package that adds a hot drink and/or locally made gift along with the book. They have a specific focus on Irish and Northern Irish authors, however you can choose what style of book you’d like to be sent to the recipient.
Prices start at €29.95 per month.
DIY Book subscription: Choose a selection of books you think your loved one will like, wrap each individually and mark them with a different month. It’s up to you if you want to give them all at once or if you let them know it's a subscription-style gift.
