Christmas gifts in Ireland: order dates and gift ideas that keep
By Amy Byrne · · 5 min read
Half of Irish Christmas shopping happens in the last ten days, which is exactly when the good things sell out. Here are the order dates, and gifts that do not end up in a drawer.
Nobody wants to read about Christmas in August. But the people who get it right are the ones who decide early and order in November, so file this and come back to it.
Order dates for prints
| What you want | Order by |
|---|---|
| Unframed print, Ireland | 18 December |
| Framed print, Ireland | 15 December |
| Anywhere in the UK | 12 December |
| Rest of Europe | 8 December |
Those are my dates, not An Post's — I build in a couple of days for framing and for the December post being what it is. Order earlier if you can; everything ships flat in protective packaging, so a parcel sitting under a bed for three weeks comes to no harm.
For the person who says they want nothing
They usually mean they do not want more objects. A print is the exception because it replaces bare wall rather than filling a shelf, and because it is specific to them. A photograph of the beach they walk, the breed they own, or the county they are from is not clutter.
Budgets
| Who | Budget | What that buys |
|---|---|---|
| Secret Santa / colleague | €10–€20 | A 5×5″ print, framed for +€15 |
| Friend | €25–€40 | A framed 8×10″ |
| Parent / partner | €45–€65 | A framed 12×16″ or a large 16×24″ |
| Joint family gift | €65+ | A framed 16×24″, or three matching prints |
The full breakdown by size is in the print size guide, and the gifts for dog and horse lovers guide goes deeper on matching an image to a person.
Make it land
- Frame it. An unframed print at Christmas becomes a job for January.
- Say why you chose it. One line in the card — "reminded me of the road to your parents' place" — turns a picture into a gift.
- Go one size up. The most common regret is a print that was too small for the wall it ended up on.
- Three small prints given as a set look far more considered than one medium one, and cost about the same.
Prices
€10 to €50 by size, plus €15 for oak framing, excluding postage. Half of every order goes to Forever Home Sanctuary, so the gift covers feed and vet bills for a few animals as well.
Browse animal wall art, landscape prints, or the full shop.
Frequently asked
- When is the last date to order a print for Christmas in Ireland?
- Order unframed prints by 18 December and framed prints by 15 December for delivery within Ireland. For the UK order by 12 December, and for the rest of Europe by 8 December.
- What is a good Christmas gift for someone who says they want nothing?
- Something that replaces bare wall rather than filling a shelf. A photographic print of a place or an animal specific to them reads as considered rather than as more clutter.
- How much should I spend on a Christmas print?
- €10–€20 covers a small print for a colleague, €25–€40 a framed 8×10″ for a friend, and €45–€65 a framed 12×16″ for a parent or partner. All prices exclude postage.
- Do prints arrive gift-ready?
- Prints ship flat in protective packaging, and framed prints arrive ready to hang, so nothing needs assembling before it is given.
More guides
- Wall art room by room: nursery, home office and hallway
Which prints suit a nursery, a home office and a hallway — sizes, subjects, heights and colours for the three rooms people leave until last.
- How to photograph your dog (and get one worth framing)
Practical dog photography tips — get down low, use the right light, freeze movement, keep their attention, and how to tell if a phone photo will print well.
- Irish landscape photography: chasing light in a country with none
How to photograph the Irish landscape in bad light — golden hour, the twenty minutes after rain, blue hour, and which conditions actually print well.