A Different Kind of Christmas Present

Christmas shopping has started.

Not for everybody, obviously. Some of us will continue pretending December is a distant theoretical concept until approximately the 20th.

But the organised people are already thinking about presents, and if you are buying for somebody who loves their china, enjoys cooking or has a favourite dinner service, there are rather more interesting options than another box of chocolates.

Sometimes the best present is something they will actually use.

Something Properly Christmassy

There is nothing wrong with embracing Christmas completely.

Our Christmas Plates, Tableware & Collectibles collection brings together festive pieces from a wide range of makers, including Christmas plates, mugs, serving ware and decorative pieces.

Some are designed purely for display, while others can become part of the Christmas table every year.

That is one of the nicest things about seasonal tableware. A Christmas plate, mug or serving dish may only appear for a few weeks each year, but over time it becomes part of the family ritual. Out it comes with the decorations, along with the inevitable discussion about who packed the lights away like that last January.

Gifts That Do Not Need a Pattern Number

Of course, not every present has to match somebody's existing dinner service.

Our Gifts For Every Occasion collection includes decorative and giftware pieces from many different manufacturers.

There are vases, figures, decorative plates, unusual mugs and all sorts of things that work perfectly well as standalone presents.

This is often the safest route if you know somebody loves pottery or china but have absolutely no idea whether their favourite service is Denby Imperial Blue, Poole Twintone or something with a backstamp you cannot pronounce.

The Present That Already Belongs With What They Own

For somebody who already has a favourite tableware range, however, there is another option.

Add to it.

A teapot, casserole dish, serving platter or coffee set can make a surprisingly personal Christmas present because it belongs with something they already use and enjoy.

Perhaps they have collected the everyday plates and bowls but never bought the larger serving pieces. Perhaps they inherited a dinner service with no teapot. Or maybe they have talked for years about finding the casserole that originally went with their set.

Finding one can be much more thoughtful than buying something entirely unrelated simply because Christmas requires a parcel.

Sometimes the Best Gift Is the Missing Piece

There is also the replacement angle.

Most families have one.

The plate that was broken years ago. The sugar bowl lid that disappeared somewhere during a house move. The serving dish that somebody remembers from childhood but which never survived long enough to be inherited with the rest of the set.

If you know the pattern, replacing one of those missing pieces can make a genuinely lovely present.

It is practical, certainly, but it also shows that you remembered.

And if you are not completely certain about the pattern, check before ordering. A photograph of the backstamp, together with a picture of the piece itself, can save Christmas morning from becoming an awkward discussion about why the new plate is definitely blue when all the others are green.

Stocking Fillers for China People

Not every present needs to be a full coffee service.

Some of the smaller pieces make excellent stocking fillers.

Egg cups, ramekins, butter pats, preserve dishes, small bowls and other little pieces are useful, affordable and often far more interesting than the traditional emergency pair of socks.

They are also a good way to add something slightly different to a collection without having to find a large serving piece or commit to rebuilding half a dinner service.

Pre-Loved Can Make a Better Present

There is sometimes an assumption that a Christmas present has to be brand new.

We have never been particularly convinced by that.

A discontinued teapot that somebody has wanted for ten years can mean considerably more than something newly manufactured simply because it came in a shiny box.

Pre-loved tableware has already had a life. Giving it as a present simply starts the next chapter.

It also means you can find pieces, patterns and designs that have long since disappeared from ordinary shops.

Start Looking Early

The only slight complication is that the pre-loved market does not work like normal retail.

We cannot simply order another twenty when something sells out.

If we have one teapot, then we have one teapot. Once somebody buys it, the next one may arrive next week, next year or not at all.

So if you are one of those suspiciously organised people already thinking about Christmas, now is actually a very good time to start looking.

You can browse our Christmas collection, explore our Gifts For Every Occasion, or have a look through our wider range of discontinued china and replacement tableware.

Because sometimes the perfect Christmas present is not something completely new.

Sometimes it is the piece that was missing all along.