Don't know what to get your loved one for Christmas? This is a guide to gifts that will make you hot, spoiled and laugh
Some people wait for Christmas for the carp, others for the presents. And then there's us, looking forward to sitting in a glitter sweater all December long, drinking a cinnamon bun and watching Christmas commercials that make us cry before the logo even appears. But while commercials often serve us a heteronormative image of a "happy family," the reality of a queer Christmas is more colorful. And much more fun.
To save you from searching for last-minute gifts this year (or to give you an excuse to do it again), we've put together a selection of ideas that don't slip into boredom, aren't "for everyone", and most importantly - are about you. About you. The three of you. Or simply about the love you live.
1. An experience together that will leave you wanting more (maybe even without clothes)
When you say "experience as a gift", many people automatically think of something flashy, disposable and slightly forced - a hot air balloon ride, an adrenaline voucher or a course that neither of you will ever actually enjoy properly. But a real experience as a Christmas present works differently. It's not about performance, it's about proximity. It's not about what you tick off, but what you remember.
A shared experience can be surprisingly ordinary, yet powerful. A weekend in a hotel where no one knows you and where you can afford to just be yourself often has more charm than an exotic vacation. A room where you don't have to deal with cleaning, no obligations, no schedule. Just the two of you, slow mornings, breakfast in bed, long showers and the feeling that time has slowed down for a while. And if that includes a bathrobe, room service, or phones turned off, all the better.
A private sauna or spa can be similarly intimate, where it's not about relaxation per se, but about space. A space to be together without words, without rushing, without clothes and without masks. Relationships often deepen most in silence, when you don't have to explain yourself and everything flows naturally.
But the experience doesn't have to mean escaping the city either. Sometimes all it takes is one evening that you consciously create just for yourself. A concert featuring a song that's been with you since the beginning of your relationship. A movie you've both seen a hundred times, but this time you watch it together, without distractions, with wine and your head resting on each other's shoulder. Dancing in the living room while it's snowing outside. Or just a long night walk through a city that's suddenly quieter and more personal in December.
The experience as a gift has one more important quality: there is no comparison. It doesn't have a price tag to measure if it was "expensive enough". It doesn't matter how much it cost, but how it made you feel. And that's what makes it so liberating. It's not a competition, it's not an obligation. It's an offer. An offer of time, attention and presence together.
2. Sexy lingerie
Let's face it: Christmas is the perfect opportunity to gift someone with underwear that's mainly meant to be taken off again as soon as possible. Whether you're after a sheer bodysuit, velvet harness, lace, jockstrap or silk pyjamas with "property of" embroidery, there's no limit to your imagination.
Playful, sexy or subtly kinky lingerie is not about taste, it's about energy. And it certainly doesn't say "I bought you this because you don't have anything better". He's saying, " I love the way you look. And I want to unwrap you." (Just be careful not to hand it over to your grandmother.)
3. A romantic voucher on your terms
A romantic voucher is perhaps the simplest yet most personal gift. It doesn't require money, just a little time, an idea, and effort. It could be a morning cuddle without the phone, a dinner you prepare in just your shorts, or a whole evening where you just put on some music and let the atmosphere take you away. The way it works is that you create your own language - a private system of little wishes and promises that only make sense to the two of you.
Such a voucher can be handwritten on a piece of paper, in an envelope hidden among the books, or it can be digital, perhaps as a QR code with a link to a video, a voicemail or a love playlist. It's the perfect gift for those who have jokes, gestures and rituals between them that look subtle on the outside but are actually the biggest bonding factor in a relationship. And the beautiful thing is that you can set your own rules, too. Some vouchers can only be "redeemed" tonight, others a month from now. Or whenever you need a reminder that love doesn't have to be bought, it just needs to be wrapped up nicely.
4. A home-made gift with soul (and style)
No, you don't have to be a Pinterest queen to make a gift that impresses. The people who love us don't expect perfection, they want something from the heart. Baked cookies with a funny name, a candle with your cat's name on it, an illustrated "guide to our love," a memory game made from your photos, or just a playlist for every mood you get on tape (yes, there are people who can do that!).
A DIY gift is like saying, "I took the time. And I thought about you for more than five minutes."
5. Cosmetics you've been secretly borrowing all year
Is his perfume your guilty pleasure? Does his hand cream always disappear or do you secretly spray his hair fixative? Christmas is the perfect time to confess the colour, and get him his favourite product... plus "yours" that you "accidentally" confiscated last year*a.
Cosmetic gifts don't have to be boring. There are niche perfumes that smell like "first kiss in the morning", lipsticks that will survive a New Year's Eve kiss, or shower gels that promise to "make you as fresh as a French lover". Choose well. Maybe then they'll let you use it, too.
6. A small gift with a big meaning
Not all gifts have to cost thousands. In fact, it's the small, unglamorous ones that often make the biggest impact. Maybe it's just a pendant to remind you of your first holiday together. Maybe it's a T-shirt with a slogan that only the two of you understand because it refers to a situation that wouldn't make sense to others. Or a book with a dedication on the first page - quietly funny, awkward or downright tender. The bracelet you bought at the market the morning after your first night together, when you decided not to admit to anyone how quickly you fell in love.
These are the things you won't find in the "what to get your partner for Christmas" selections. Because they're not universal. Quite the opposite - they only work between you. They have a code that only you two know. Gifts that carry a memory, an emotion or just that special feeling that this is ours age differently.
Bonus: Don't give anything at all. And just be together.
In a time when it seems like everything has to be recorded, displayed and packaged in content, perhaps the greatest luxury is just being. No obligations, no expectations, no regrets. To take time off instead of presents. To watch a movie instead of wrapping. Instead of exchanging boxes, to exchange touches, glances, and peace.
You can have Christmas brunch in your pajamas. Play games all day. Drink coffee in bed and read aloud from a book you never finished. You can watch Christmas porn and laugh at it. Or just be together.
Love doesn't count in the number of presents you get. In the end, what matters most about Christmas is not what's under the tree, but who's sitting next to it. And if it's someone you love, you may already have everything you really need.
