30 best Christmas gifts for friends 2023 UK, including funny, cheap and personalised present ideas
Christmas might seem like a long way away now, but it’ll be here before you know it, and if you are looking for the best Christmas gifts for friends then we’re here to help.
We’ve done the hard work for you, and have come up with some brilliant gift suggestions for every member of your friendship group, from your lifelong BFFs to your new office pals.
If you’re looking for the best Christmas gifts for friends, we’re here to take the stress out of gift-giving, with plenty of suggestions to make shopping a breeze.
From one-off, personalised presents to gifts that are guaranteed to get a laugh, there’s something for everyone – and every budget – in this gift guide.
Highlights include a grown-up friendship bracelet they’ll treasure forever, a chocolate selection box that everyone will love and a cocktail delivered through the letterbox.
Want to save on your shop? Sign up to TopCashback or Quidco, as these cashback sites will help you earn money as you shop – and Christmas is a great time to boost your savings.
Read on to see our best Christmas gifts for friends in 2023 – just make sure you order your gift in time.
Personalised Christmas gifts for friends
Show how much your friend means to you with a personalised present, bought especially for them.
Whether it’s a necklace with their initials on it or a humble bar of chocolate made extra-special with a personalised message, customised gifts are thoughtful and unique.
It could also be something that celebrates a special moment in your friendship, or an inside joke that only you two understand.
1. Custom Stamped Heart Pendant Necklace
Show how much you love them with this special heart charm necklace – a gift they’ll treasure forever.
It’s available in polished stainless steel or 18k gold-plated stainless steel, and you can pick what’s engraved on the charm, from initials and numbers to star signs and birthstones.
You can even add on extras such as birthstone droplet charms and chain extenders to create a totally bespoke gift.
- Custom Stamped Heart Pendant Necklace, from £69 from Abbott Lyon – buy here
2. Besties Mini Me
Be by your best friend’s side at all times by gifting them with this hilarious squishy cushion, made with your own face on it.
It’s perfect for when you can’t be there in person – and they’ll be able to give you a hug whenever they want!
Simply pick your doll design of choice and upload a photo of your face, then look forward to plenty of laughs when your mini-me arrives.
- Besties Mini Me Cushion, £29.99 from Snugzy – buy here
3. Personalised Pop Out Photo Album In Box
Our phones’ camera rolls may be filled with thousands of snaps, but sometimes you just can’t beat a good old-fashioned printed photo album.
And this nifty little gift is a great way to collate some of your best memories together into one handy little box.
Upload between six and 22 snaps and choose your text for the box for a unique gift they’ll love to look at.
- Oakdene Designs Personalised Pop Out Photo Album In Box, from £17 from Not On The High Street – buy here
4. Personalised Initial Leather Heart Page Corner Bookmark
For the bookworm bestie in your life, this cute little page marker makes a chic and thoughtful Christmas gift.
It’s made from Italian leather and available in 10 shades, with a number of coloured foils available for the initials, too.
It also comes packaged in a luxe grey pouch and ribbon-tied box (ideal if your wrapping skills aren’t that great).
- Hurleyburley Personalised Initial Leather Heart Page Corner Bookmark, £12 from Not On The High Street – buy here
5. Notecard Set
There’s something incredibly sophisticated about personalised stationery, and these pretty notecards from Papier make a really lovely gift for anyone who still values the joy of a handwritten message.
Papier has loads of different designs to choose from, including ones by top fashion designers such as Mother of Pearl and Temperley.
Who knows, perhaps you might even receive a thank you note written on one!
- Bright Wild Notecard Set, from £18 for 10 from Papier – buy here
6. Personalised Pint Glass
One for your pub pals and drinking mates, this made-to-order beer glass will ensure no one accidentally takes a swig from the wrong glass again.
It can fit a name up to 10 characters long on it, and it’s printed in a striking retro font.
You can also choose for it to be packaged in a luxury gift box for an additional £3.
- Personalised Pint Glass, £9.99 from Getting Personal – buy here
7. Quentin Alphabet Initial Travel Jewellery Box Mini
These sweet little jewellery boxes from Oliver Bones make a great Christmas gift for any fashion-forward friends who travel a lot.
The pink cotton exterior is paired with a lilac tassel, gold zip and multi-coloured letter embroidered on the top.
It’s the perfect size for handbags, suitcases or simply keeping on the dressing table.
- Quentin Alphabet Initial Travel Jewellery Box Mini, £14.50 from Oliver Bonas – buy here
8. Passport Cover
A stylish gift idea for men or women (or perhaps something for a group of friends to all chip in together to buy) this passport holder is a luxury gift that will last a lifetime.
Available in a number of colours and finishes and with up to four initials able to be added in gold in the corner, it will make anyone’s airport experience that little bit more exciting.
- Passport Cover, from £65 from Aspinal of London – buy here
9. Heart Beaded Friendship Bracelet
A grown-up take on a classic friendship bracelet, this piece of jewellery from Estella Barlett is made up of tiny blue beads and gold heart charms.
The packaging can be personalised with a message, too – there’s room for three lines of text to tell your bestie exactly how you feel.
- Heart Beaded Friendship Bracelet, £25 from Estella Barlett – buy here
10. Dairy Milk with Christmas Sleeve
If in doubt, a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk is sure to go down a charm with any friend – and you can make it extra special by adding your own message and photo onto the packet.
The bar’s available in three sizes – 180g, 360g and 85g – and you can add up to 27 characters of text onto the packaging.
- Dairy Milk with Christmas Sleeve, from £5.50 from Cadbury Gifts – buy here
Small and cheap Christmas gifts for friends
Looking for more budget-friendly options, something stocking-sized, or perhaps you’ve set a limit on how much to spend on each other?
Don’t worry, as these gifts will still be sure to impress – and they’re all under £20.
There’s something for everyone in this selection of small and cheap gifts for friends, from beauty treats and cute keepsakes to unique foodie finds.
1. Kocktail Single Gift Set
Say “cheers” to another year of friendship with this individual bottle of a delicious Christmas cocktail.
There are three festive tipples to choose from – classic Espresso Martini, Gingerbread Espresso Martini and Mince Pie Old Fashioned – and each box comes with a bottle of the cocktail, garnish and a recipe card, so your recipient can make the drink again themselves afterwards.
The box also fits through the letterbox, so it’s perfect if you can’t buy your pal a drink in person this Christmas.
- Single Gift Set, from £9 from Kocktail – buy here
2. Tony’s Chocolonely Tasting Pack
Chocolate always goes down a treat – and you can’t go wrong with this delicious Tony’s Chocolonely selection box.
Tony’s Chocolonely is dedicated to creating delicious chocolate that pays farmers fairly, with a mission to eventually eradicate illegal child labour and modern-day slavery in the cocoa industry.
This box contains six individually-wrapped bars of chocolate in some of Tony’s best-selling flavours, including Milk Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt, Milk Chocolate Almond Honey Nougat and Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt.
If you’re lucky, perhaps your pal will share one with you!
- Tony’s Chocolonely Tasting Pack, from Selfridges, £9.99 – buy here
3. Alice’s Curious Collection of Tea
Are you always catching up over a cuppa, or got a colleague you share the tea run with?
Next time the brew’s on you, with this perfect treat for any tea fiend in your life.
This gift box contains 30 individually wrapped compostable tea bags in six different varieties, from classics like English Breakfast and Earl Grey to the more unusual Garden Party Oolong.
- Alice’s Curious Collection of Tea from Whittard of Chelsea, £15 – buy here
4. Q+A Body Heroes Christmas Cracker
Any beauty-fanatical friends will love this little Christmas cracker of body treats from British-made brand Q+A.
Inside they’ll find three 50ml body products, all formulated with effective, results-driven skincare ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid Body Wash, AHA Exfoliator Body Scrub and Ceramide Body Lotion.
It also makes the perfect stocking filler or Secret Santa gift.
- Body Heroes Christmas Cracker, £12 from Q+A – buy here
5. Costa Coffee Gift Card
For any friends who just can’t function in the mornings without their large extra-hot extra-shot caramel latte, give them a fresh cup or two on you with a Costa gift card.
The gift card can be loaded with any amount between £5-£100, and can be emailed to the recipient on your chosen day.
Physical gift cards can also be bought in Costa Coffee stores.
- Costa Coffee Gift Card, from £5 from Amazon – buy here
6. 2-pack Thermal Santa Socks
Socks are a failsafe Christmas gift (after all, no one really likes buying themselves socks, do they?), and this pack of two is guaranteed to put a smile on your friend’s face.
The thermal Santa socks are sure to keep them warm this winter, and come in two sizes: UK 3-5 and UK 6-8.
- 2-pack Thermal Santa Socks, £12 from Marks & Spencer – buy here
7. Shea Hand Balm
Thick and nourishing, The Body Shop’s hand creams are a real treat for hard-working hands, male or female, and these 30ml tubes make great stocking fillers or small gifts.
The tubes are also made from 100% recycled aluminium, and can be recycled afterwards.
They’re available in a variety of fragrances, including this Shea Butter one, and expect to see some limited-edition seasonal scents launch nearer Christmas.
- Shea Hand Balm, £7 from The Body Shop – buy here
8. Strawberry Thief Lined Exercise Book
It’s a great feeling to start the year with a fresh notebook, and this one looks far more expensive than it actually is.
Created by the V&A Museum using an adaptation of William Morris’s Strawberry Thief print, this lined notebook is perfect for jotting down ideas, thoughts or important notes, and is small enough to fit in a handbag.
- Strawberry Thief Lined Exercise Book, £4.50 from Waterstones – buy here
9. Chain Keyring
Show your friend how much they mean to you with this stylish little trinket, a gold and pink keyring from Katie Loxton.
They’ll never lose their keys again!
It’s made with vegan leather and embossed with the words ‘friend forever’ – the perfect sentiment that will have them thinking of you every time they leave the house.
- Chain Keyring, £9.99 from Katie Loxton – buy here
10. Artificial Mini Echeveria Succulent in Pot
Succulents and cacti are great gifts to give to friends who aren’t particularly green-fingered – and this one’s guaranteed to live forever, as it’s artificial.
M&S has lots of other varieties of artificial succulents for sale too, so why not buy one for your whole group of friends (or one for yourself!)
- Artificial Mini Echeveria Succulent in Pot, £6 from Marks and Spencer – buy here
Funny Christmas gifts for friends
Sometimes the best thing you can give someone is the gift of a laugh, and these top Christmas present ideas will do just that.
From fun group games to silly toys, your friends will love these hilarious novelty gifts, with prices starting from just £7.
1. Get The Ick Card Game
Got a group of mates who are forever telling dating disaster stories? This fun party game is perfect for them.
The mission of the game is to guess which ‘ick’ turns your friend off the most.
Will it be seeing them write “hehe” in a text, holding their nose when jumping into a swimming pool, or seeing them wink at themselves in the mirror?
Grab your closest pals, a bottle of wine and get ready to squeal over some really cringey icks.
- Big Potato Games Get the Ick Card Game, £9.99 from John Lewis – buy here
2. Pac-Man USB Desk Lamp
For the joker, gamer or fan of retro memorabilia in the friendship group, this quirky desk lamp will be sure to light up their life.
It’s powered by USB so useful if there’s no plug socket nearby, has 12 Pac-Man game sound effects (perfect for annoying your colleagues) and the brightness can be adjusted via remote control.
- Pac-Man USB Desk Lamp, £30 from MenKind – buy here
3. Dumpling Stress Toy
Perhaps one for your most wound-up workmate, this happy little dumpling stress ball is a light-hearted way to help to relieve stress and anxiety.
Just one look at its cute face is surely enough to turn any frown upside down, but give it a squeeze when times get tough for instant relief.
- Dumpling Stress Toy, £6.99 from Not On The High Street – buy here
4. Pot Noodle Mug & Spinning Fork Set
Got a friend who just loves a Pot Noodle? Buy them this Christmas gift to make their noodle nibbling even easier!
The pack comes with an official Pot Noodle mug and a serving of the most iconic flavour, Chicken & Mushroom.
The battery-powered fork even does all the hard work for you, rotating at the push of a button so not a single delicious noodle is missed.
- Pot Noodle Mug & Spinning Fork Set, £20 from Prezzybox – buy here
5. ‘Needed Another Candle’ Candle
For the friend who always seems to have scented candles burning around the house, who has hoards stashed away in drawers and who can’t walk past The White Company without buying another, this comedy candle is for them.
Whilst originally a joke present, the candles do smell great, and are available to buy in four scents: Chilled Vibes, Secret beach Club, Pink Blossom and Midnight Queen.
- Mischief Candles Funny ‘Needed Another Candle’ Candle, £15.99 from Not On The High Street – buy here
6. Mobile Phone Jail
For the budding social media star or the friend who’s always glued to their phone at social occasions, this gift will be right on point.
Alright, it won’t actually make their phone inaccessible to them, but perhaps it might give them the hint to put their tech down for more than a minute.
- Mobile Phone Jail, £7.99 from I Want One Of Those – buy here
7. Wine Glass Bottle Stopper
Give a whole new meaning to the phrase “just one glass” with this novelty wine stopper, which is perfect for parties and guaranteed to get a laugh.
Simply screw the product into an open bottle of wine and then drink straight from the bottle, while technically still drinking from a wine glass.
Cheers indeed!
- Eflying Lion Wine Glass Bottle Stopper, £12.99 from Amazon – buy here
8. Hangover Cure Shower Steamers
Perfect for the party season, pop one of these cubes on the shower floor the morning after and let the invigorating scent of eucalyptus and peppermint perk your pal back up.
While we can’t promise they’ll erase all symptoms of overindulgence the night before, they’ll at least give a short spa-like moment in the shower before facing the day.
- Hangover Cure Shower Steamers, £8 from Prezzybox – buy here
9. Oversized Blanket Hoodie
We’re all conscious about the cost of heating nowadays, and so this giant hooded blanket not only feels soft and cosy, but may also save your friend a few pennies in the long run too.
Sure, it might not win any points in the style stakes, but it’s super snuggly and comes in loads of different colours (prices vary slightly between styles).
- Lushforest Oversized Blanket Hoodie, £29.99 from Amazon – buy here
10. Sasspot Cat Yellow Ceramic Mug
One for the crazy cat lady in your friendship group – or perhaps the person with the most (c)attitude – this mug bridges the gap between cute and comedy.
Made from glazed ceramic with a mustard yellow body and pink handle, this mug makes the perfect excuse for catch-ups over a cuppa.
- Sasspot Cat Yellow Ceramic Mug, £12 from Oliver Bonas – buy here
How much should I spend on Christmas gifts for friends?
It’s really up to you how much you spend on your friends at Christmas – a small £5 token can be just as thoughtful as a more expensive gift, or you may want to splash out a little more.
If you’re buying for a number of friends, it might be a good idea to all set a budget in advance, to avoid any awkwardness when you come to exchange presents.
Alternatively, doing a Secret Santa is a good way to give gifts within a larger group of friends – check out our guide to the best Secret Santa gifts.
Whatever you decide, be mindful of not spending more than you can afford this festive season.
Where to buy Christmas presents for friends
If you’ve left enough time to shop before Christmas Day, there are plenty of places to look for the perfect gift for your friend.
The high street stores are full of lots of great options, or if you prefer shopping online, you’re spoilt for choice.
Just be aware of delivery charges and last delivery dates before Christmas, to avoid the risk of your gift not arriving in time.
What should I get my best friend for Christmas?
If you’ve decided to get your best friend a Christmas present this year, this is the perfect time to show them how much they mean to you.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune – there are plenty of lovely gift ideas above for as little as £5.
Looking for the perfect gift for your girlfriend? Here are our top picks.
If you’re having to shop for younger people, we’ve got lots of suggestions for teens and for kids that they’ll love.
For loads of great ideas for all budgets, check out our gift guides for her and for him.
And if you’ve left it late in the day to do your Christmas shopping, don’t worry as you’ll find lots of last minute gift ideas here.
Want to find more savings on your online shopping? Then head to Sun Vouchers where you can get discounts and voucher codes from hundreds of top retailers including B&Q, Boots, Iceland, Lookfantastic, DunelAdidasdas and more.