There are Christmas gifts, and then there are Christmas hampers—the kind of overflowing wicker fantasies that arrive with the promise of decadence, comfort, and unapologetic joy. In our house, hampers have become something of a holiday love language. This year, my husband and I decided to skip the guessing game and simply exchange our dream lists.
His, unsurprisingly, reads like a Michelin-approved pantry: traditional puddings, artisanal chutneys, British cheeses waxed to perfection, truffled crisps, cured meats, potted pâtés, smoked salmon, and enough tea, coffee, whisky, Champagne, and Burgundy to satisfy even the most ambitious festive appetite. In short, the £800 gourmet hamper — and a very merry man he will be.
My own wish list is a little sweeter—quite literally. Selfridges’ most indulgent Christmas curation: giant chocolate bars, spiced caramel crackers, gleaming hanging baubles filled with brownies, cranberry-orange biscuits, Classic Christmas Pudding, Panettone, mulled wine, Marc de Champagne truffles, hot chocolate, festive jams, honeycomb, salted pecan caramels, and a musical biscuit tin I absolutely do not need but desperately want. Naturally, that comes to £800 as well. Balance restored.
Both hampers guarantee happiness, although with one small complication: Selfridges’ luxury wicker isn’t delivered overseas. Fortunately, flights to London are plentiful, and honestly, collecting a hamper in person feels delightfully old-world. Empty nesters really do have the best Christmases.
And if the children decide to fly home after all, we’ve already planned the ultimate peacekeeping measure: a £800 British Hamper Company feast, complete with Dom Pérignon, two bottles of Taittinger Brut, vintage cheddar truckles, Stilton, charcuterie, salted biscuits, praline truffles, artisan coffee, shortbread, curds, preserves, ginger cookies, fruitcake, nuts, olives, drinking chocolate, and more. Enough to keep everyone cheerful, full, and quiet.
Just to be safe, we’ll also pre-order a second hamper—the Champagne Splendours—because one should always be prepared for surprise guests and festive enthusiasm.
If you’re ordering to the U.S., The British Hamper Company delivers within 4–5 working days. Order by 15 December to ensure your holiday table is properly—and luxuriously—set.
As for the £5,500 Ultimate Harrods Hamper…
It’s magnificent, excessive, and positively outrageous.
But perhaps we’ll leave that one for next Christmas.
After all, even indulgence has its limits.
(Well… sometimes.)
