Christmas presents: a wish list the whole family can use

In a Belgian family the two big present-giving moments of the year come close together: Saint Nicholas first, then less than three weeks later Christmas, on 25 December. For parents that means choosing twice. For grandparents and godparents it mostly comes down to one question: what does the child actually want?

Split the roles between Saint Nicholas and Christmas

Many families make a distinction. Saint Nicholas brings the toys the child asked for; under the tree there are more often presents for the whole family, such as a board game for the table or a large puzzle, along with the presents from relatives the child sees less often. It is not a rule, but deciding it in advance stops everything being unwrapped at Saint Nicholas with nothing left to look forward to at Christmas.

A wish list that actually helps

“Something with horses” is a start, not yet a list. A wish list only helps when an aunt or a grandfather can use it without having to ask anything else. Three things make the difference.

Specific. For each wish, note a product, or at least a brand or a kind of toy. A link to the product page leaves no room for misunderstanding.

Several amounts. Put wishes on it from different price bands, from Under € 10 to € 50 and up, so every giver finds something within their own budget.

Shared. One person keeps track of what has been bought. A short message in the family group — “the puzzle is from Grandma” — stops the same parcel ending up under the tree twice.

The wishlist in the shop

Products in the shop carry a heart. Tap it and the article goes on your wishlist. The list stays private until you create a share link: anyone who gets that link sees the list with today’s price and availability. That way you send one link to the whole family instead of ten separate messages, and you can switch the link off again once the holidays are over.

Choosing without a list

Not every child writes a list, and not every giver gets one. The Christmas range is gathered on the Christmas page, and Find a gift brings age and budget together in two questions. Do not leave it to the last week: processing and estimated delivery times are on the shipping page, and in busy periods they get longer.