TK Maxx Christmas gifts

Where is the one place you can pick up those really unique gifts for all the awkward people in your life? The secret santa with the tiny budget, the mother who only likes extremely practical kitchen utensils (she has requested a bread knife this year, for real, and last year it was scissors), the discerning husband plus your friends, kids and dogs? That place, my friends, is TK Maxx.

You know I am a big fan all year round but I genuinely think they upped their game for Christmas, not just in stores but online too. I popped in to my local store to discover a great range of big gifts at small prices, ideas for everyone and every budget. In my mind the best plan is no plan – and by that I mean, make a list of who you want to buy for, just get in there and get hunting. Part of the thrill for me is that you never really know what goodies you might find but that makes for the best pressies, unusual, unique, thoughtful gifts that nobody else thought of – there is always a huge assortment of big names, designer labels and one-off gems. Scroll down to see what I got my sticky little elf mitts on…

You can probably see that my haul is… extensive… and varied… I mean, I think I got everyone sorted now. I found a pretty fancy bread knife at £15 (instead of £40 – score) and gorgeous wooden board for my mum for £17 (£8 off the RRP) in the home department and whilst I was in there I had to grab that amazing copper kettle for my house proud friend which was a steal at just £25. A quick squint round the children’s book shelves and picked up that gorgeous book library; I had some of those books when I was little and loved them so much and this was only £35 (and the RRP was £140, seriously).

In need of a little inspiration I took a wander round the gifting section and found myself picking up a beautiful panettone because, I don’t know about you, but I always like to have an inexpensive ’emergency’ gift under the tree just in case. There’s always one isn’t there? You know, the unexpected guest that turns up with a gift? And I am primed and ready now, ‘Oh yours is here, just under the tree’. Of course, if the emergency panettone remains ungifted at the end of the season, I’ll be delighted to give it a home (in my belly). They had a whole bunch of them, all different and all so pretty for around a tenner but you know they won’t hang around for long so if you see one you love, grab it.

I had a quick nosey online when I got back home too and think I found the pièce de résistance for the husband… a golden turntable for fifty bucks. Yes. To sit by the roaring fire with the man candle I had to get him – what? A man candle is totally a thing… it’s Warm Tobacco Pipe. Don’t worry if you’re not as organised as me (ahem, my mother is rolling her eyes right now, ‘ORGANISED?!’), TK Maxx receives fresh deliveries several times a week, right up until Christmas Eve so this is the place for you. And I might have been feeling so chuffed with my haul coming in at under £150 that I treated my elf, sorry… myself, to a properly festive pine garland for just £10 – for years I have been dreaming about draping my mantel above my open fire with Christmas garlands and this year… it’s happening.