The best Christmas gifts 2023: your guide to the 25 top presents on everyone's wish list this year (2024)

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Unlike reed diffusers, The White Company electronic diffuser’s scent can be switched daily if you so desire. At this time of year, we lean towards the woody Highland Escape (£10). The diffuser has four time settings and doubles as a home ornament.

For men, Fitbit takes the spot of the most desired Christmas gift of 2023. It’s not cheap, but it combines around 10 gadgets in one; it’s a watch, heart rate, sleep and fitness tracker, GPS, fitness coach and voice assistant.

A squeezable, squishy plush toy that’s en route to becoming a collector’s item. Ideal for toddlers and tweens alike.

For a secret Santa present, you can’t go wrong with chocolate. (Especially if you don’t know your secret Santa recipient very well.) This box of reindeers is made from high quality 40 per cent chocolate.

If you’ve left your present-buying until now, you don’t have that many options, but you can still get a floral centrepiece for your loved one’s Christmas dinner table. Interflora’s flowers aren’t sent out from a central depot: they come from your nearest florist, who can hand-tie and hand-deliver a Christmas arrangement tomorrow (or today, if you order from their same day range by 3pm). Who says you weren’t planning it all along?

Yes, we are allowed to recommend our own gifts. So would you, if you’d seen the loving care that Blower puts into squeezing an entire year’s worth of events into this 300-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle and the 1,000-piece card one. Did we mention he’d been awarded Political Cartoonist Of The Year?

These from Etsy prove that dog tags don’t have to be boring - they’re etched with your dog or cat’s name or your choice of text. Decide between silver, gold, rose gold or black and choose from 30 possible illustrations.

Jo Malone’s aromatic Pine and Eucalyptus candle is our pick of the best Christmas scented candles this year. Housed in a limited edition glass design with a green and white striped ribbon on top, it floods the room with aromatic pine and fresh eucalyptus. Each 200g candle provides 45 hours of burn time.

This small cross body pouch in chromium-free leather is recommended by Telegraph fashion director Lisa Armstrong who calls it, “the perfect dress up accessory for evenings.” It can also be worn as a clutch. For more ideas, see Lisa’s guide to the best Christmas gifts for women.

A seriously good value coffee machine that’s often on sale, Nespresso’s Vertuo Pop makes at-home barista-ing a doddle. It comes in blue, red or white and takes any of Nespresso’s 30 types of vertuo coffee pods. Truly delicious coffee at the touch of the button.

This gift is recommended by Telegraph men’s style editor Stephen Doig: “From the Florentine apothecary that’s the oldest of its kind in the world, this scent is as handsome as its packaging.” For more ideas, see Stephen’s guide to the best Christmas gifts for men.

At this price it’ll be a fantasy gift for most, but there’s clearly a market for a toaster lovingly decorated by Dolce & Gabbana to look like a treasured piece of crockery from an Italian nonna’s kitchen. This has already sold out almost everywhere (including at SMEG’s own site), as have the matching kettle and coffee machine, but John Lewis and Harrods still have a few.

This gift is recommended by Telegraph design and interiors editor Jessica Doyle, who says: “A cosy blanket to warm up the bed or sofa on chilly evenings, in one of this season’s hottest shades.” Another very popular gift this year is an electric heated throw for snuggling on the sofa. We recommend a good one on our guide to the best electric blankets. For more ideas, see Jessica’s guide to the best home Christmas gifts.

This gift is recommended by The Telegraph’s Anna Tyzack, a mother of four. “There are a host of new Lego Star Wars sets out for Christmas suitable for children aged 4 and up,” Anna says, “and no wonder, given that the range is the brand’s most popular. This Yoda’s Jedi Starfighter set is aimed at children aged around nine. It’s poised to be a sell-out, so move fast.” Harry Potter Lego sets and Marvel Lego sets are almost as popular. For more ideas, see Anna’s guide to the best kids’ toys for Christmas.

These shrunk down versions of vinyl collectibles Funko Pop! are also recommended by Anna Tyzack. “They’re affordable, collectible, cute and they make perfect stocking fillers,” she says, “plus there’s a range for every child. This set includes Harry, Malfoy, Dobby and a mystery Bitty Pop!” You might prefer to go for a collection from Marvel or Disney.

This gift is recommended by Telegraph food columnist Xanthe Clay, who says: “A proper wicker hamper feels luxurious and this one is a great price, with three kinds of biscuits, chocolate florentines and wine, plus the obligatory jar of chutney.” For more ideas, see Xanthe’s guide to the best food Christmas gifts.

Xanthe also recommends this Japanese-style cross back apron, which she says is elegant and easy to wear, with no ties to knot. She says, “These ones, made from pure Irish linen, have deep pockets and the cranberry red is warm and winter-friendly.”

This set of Glencairn glasses comes highly recommended by The Telegraph’s wine correspondent, Victoria Moore, who says, “Packed in a smart black box, these Glencairn glasses are the classic whisky tumbler.” For more ideas, see Victoria Moore’s guide to the best alcohol Christmas gifts.

Victoria Moore also recommends this tawny port for a classy alcohol gift. She says, “Beautiful aged tawny, which tastes of toffee and roasted nuts, in a bottle inspired by the 18^th century ‘mallet-cylinder’ bottles.”

At £7.50, these hot chocolate stirrers are perfect for any sub £10 secret Santas. The solid chocolate blocks are filled with three different flavours: milk chocolate, salted caramel and marshmallow. All you need to do is stir them into hot milk and watch it form into a perfectly crafted hot chocolate.

This mini terrarium is more than your average, boring keyring. It houses your very own cactus. There’s the option of a white or orange spiked cactus, personalisation and gift wrapping, with the most expensive option only costing £10.50.

These Niwaki secateurs come highly recommended by gardener Sarah Raven. She says, “Light and nimble, for small and chunkier stems, these secateurs are amongst our favourites at home. The tools from this brand are — in my experience — pretty much all fantastic.” For more ideas, see Sarah’s guide to the best Christmas gifts for gardeners.

If you’re wanting to gift seeds for the garden, Sarah Raven recommends this box from Bee Border in collaboration with Seed Pantry. She says, “Selected to be stacked full of nectar or pollen for bees, this collection of seed from the Cambridge Botanic Gardens are perfect for the beginner gardener/seed sower, whatever age.”

A padded jacket with a luxurious tartan lining and practical rip-stop fastenings, recommended by dog owner Anna Tyzack. It’s machine washable and available in three sizes. For more ideas, read Anna Tyzack’s guide to the best gifts for dogs and cats.

For more than 40 years, the natural rubber Kong toy has been chosen by dog owners (like Anna Tyzack) and recommended by vets: Fox-Pitt suggests stuffing their meal into it to stop them bolting their food, but they can also play games of bounce or fetch with it or chew it in peace. It’s made of natural rubber.