Early bird perks

If you're planning to send a holiday package home, getting your gifts early is one sure-fire way to get it delivered on time, before all the end-of-December rush and potential delays. Better be on the safe side and then, if your parcel gets delivered early, you can always ask your loved ones to only open it on the dedicated day – maybe on a video call with you as they do it. 

However, even if you aren’t planning to rely on international postal deliveries this holiday season, completing your gift-shopping early has its benefits: you skip the lines and the hustle of last-minute shopping; if you are ordering online, you don’t have to worry that the delivery will be rescheduled or comes too late and has you resorting to back-up options. Additionally, many shops still have their Black Friday deals going, so you are likely to get your gift-shopping done at a discount.

Credit: micheile henderson on Unsplash

Credit: micheile henderson on Unsplash

Gift ideas by category

Brief disclaimer: all of the categories below can also be shopped online; the most popular online marketplaces in Russia are Ozon, Wildberries, and Yandex Market – find even more options here.

Books

Apart from the obvious approach of giving something by the author the recipient likes, you can give someone your year in books – and spend the next year discussing these finds. 

Where to shop: 

Hand-made gifts

From ceramic mugs and figurines to scarves or embroidery – when you are planning early, you still have time to complete your creative projects with no rush and give your friends the most heart-warming gifts. 

Here’s where you can get your supplies (all stores with multiple locations in the city):

  • Leonardo
  • Krasniy Karandash
  • Iskusnitsa

Russian souvenirs 

You can take the traditional approach and look for caviar, candy, and ushankas, or you can assemble a box of essentials of your Russian experience to show your day-to-day to your family – the foods you enjoy (that could last), some merch from your favorite place in the city, a small accessory you see everyone wearing on the street, etc. 

Traditional gift shopping: 

  • Souvenir stores
  • Krupskaya Confectionery Factory (multiple branches throughout the city)
  • Imperial Porcelain (multiple branches throughout the city)
  • More ideas here

Stock up on their favorite item

Chocolates, caramel, pasta or noodles, socks, even something as “cringe-y” as toothpaste or hand cream – if you know there is a thing your loved ones are obsessed with, why not stock them up on it for the foreseeable future? Apart from taking some cares off their shoulders in the new year, you’ll also be showing them that you care and you do notice what they enjoy.

Where to get:

  • Bulk orders are best placed online on the marketplaces mentioned above.

Digital gifts

From all kinds of streaming services to fitness or learning platforms and creative workshops – there is definitely no shortage of digital gift options. Even though they can make perfect last-minute gifts, shopping for them early can be beneficial in terms of catching a pre-holiday sale. Just make sure you are giving something your addressee will appreciate. 

Ideas of what it could be:

  • Streaming or music services
  • A seasonal ticket (abonement) to the St. Petersburg Philharmonia
  • Book services
  • Podcast platforms (Arzamas), etc.

Personalized items

Is your friend a coffee lover? Get them a personalized to-go cup with their favorite character or quote. For a bookworm, one recent online trend is getting a personalized home library stamp. For your coder friend, it could be a sticker pack with their photos or favorite memes that they’ll put on their laptop. Here, again, thinking ahead can give you enough time to polish your idea and make sure it gets completed in time. 

Where to get your items personalized:

Hang-out coupons or itineraries

If you and your friend are both busy bees, a fun gift option could be an analog or digital calendar with booked dates of meetings for some time ahead. To go with it, you can buy open-date cinema tickets or a certificate to the theater. It could also be hang-out coupons with different activities that you both have been craving to do together but the timing was always “wrong:” it could be visiting a certain coffee shop, going to the Botanical Garden, or exploring a museum; the more personalized the list feels, the better.

Presentation ideas: 

  • Make a digital calendar with apps like Adobe Express, Figma, or Canva
  • For a paper-based option, see crafts stores above
  • For coupons, use a jar or a box filled with notes to be picked at random

Looking for even more ideas? Look no further than our dedicated tag.