Christmas care package basics
A care package can be a box brimming with things you know someone needs or loves. Or the contents can come together to tell a story. Or give your friend all the elements of an experience. Whichever way you go, here are some go-to gifts for holiday Christmas care packages.
- Treats: Start with their favourite beverage, cookies, candy or snacks.
- A way to treat themselves: Throw in a gift card to their favourite restaurant, shop, theatre or online service.
- Something helpful or useful: Give a holiday wine stopper with that bottle of wine, a pretty plate with cookies or a cute card wallet with a gift card.
- A little comfort: Add cozy socks, a candle with a relaxing scent or a chunky mug.
- Personal touches: Include a gift or keepsake that tells a story or adds a personal touch, like an ornament or picture frame (picture included).
- The card: Because there’s no better way to tell them how much they mean to you.
Christmas Care Package Ideas to Make a Present Personal
We all know someone who could use a little extra care at Christmas: maybe it’s a friend going through a tough time or someone who can’t be with their loved ones during the holidays. Or maybe it’s a family member who would love a military care package or a teacher or healthcare professional who deserves a big thank-you. A Christmas care package is a personalized gift with some extra thought that can really brighten spirits.
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A themed care package is the perfect way to show you truly appreciate your friends’ favourite hobbies or interests.
The Hallmark Channel Fan
If you know someone who’s all about Hallmark Channel, surprise them with a gift bundle that speaks right to their happy-ending-loving heart:
- A cozy long sleeve shirt that’s perfect for Hallmark Channel movie marathons.
- Cute leggings to match their cozy shirt while getting cozy with their someone special. *wink wink*
- A Hallmark Channel mug for Hallmark Channel’s number one fan!
- A merry popcorn bowl to add some salty goodness to their movie marathon.
- A Be Merry Video Card (coming soon): Nothing says “happy holidays” like sharing a festive video!
- A Christmas sweater and hat for your wine bottle: Ummm yes, please! Do you really need a reason?
- A bag of joy to spread some Christmas cheer with loved ones.
- A couple of holiday house gift boxes that can be repurposed to decorate the mantel.
The Happy Hour Pal
For the friend who knows where to get the best cocktails and which
restaurant has the best charcuterie platter, bundle their favourites:
- A bottle of wine or liquor
- A cutting board and charcuterie board ingredients: cured meats and cheeses if you’re gifting locally, or gourmet crackers, good jams or mustards and a jar of olives if you’re not
- Funny cocktail napkins
The DIY Fan
If you know someone crafty, give a DIY bundle with the supplies to create their own:
- Wooden ornaments
- Felt stockings
- Snow globes
- Modern wreaths (here’s a free printable for personalizing)
- Macramé keychains
- Woven wall-hangings
The Pet Lover
The Cat Mom or Daddy. The Dog Mom or Dog Father. You know them—and their pets. So why not make a care package for both?
- Pet treats and toys
- Human treats
- Matching pet and human outfits
- A coffee shop gift card (for a latte and puppacino)
- A Keepsake Ornament (for photo ornaments, add a picture from their social media account—you know there are hundreds to choose from)
- A cozy blanket to snuggle up in
The Peanuts Fan
Have any Snoopy-heads in your life? Know somebody who can quote Linus’s whole speech from A Charlie Brown Christmas? Treat them with these lovable Peanuts gifts:
- Festive socks for a Peanuts top fan!
- A cozy blanket featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang enjoying the snow.
- A notepad bundle for those last-minute gifts to add to their list.
- A floppy plush Snoopy for snuggling while watching the Peanuts Gang, of course!
- A cute little snow globe-like figurine featuring a sledding Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
- A sweet, simple mug perfect for sipping hot chocolate from all season long.
- A Snoopy and Woodstock Better Together plush set for the little ones.
- A pop-up Peanuts Paper Wonder card (coming soon) big enough to double as decor and share Christmas joy.
- A Peanuts gift bag to hold all their Peanuts goodies!
Delivering your holiday care package
To make sure your gift of Christmas cheer arrives on time, think about where, how and when to send it.
- Where? And how? If you’re carrying presents across the street or across town, a festive gift basket, bag or box stuffed with tissue might be plenty. If you’re shipping it across the country or across the ocean, you’ll obviously want to package for safety. Think about ways you can make the padding part of the gift: socks, mittens, scarves, wraps and throws all work for cushioning fragile items.
- When? Lower your stress level by building buying, baking, packing up and dropping off into your busy holiday schedule. Check shipping times (along with prices and other info) with Canada Post.
There’s nothing like the holidays to bring family and friends together. Help your loved ones make lasting memories with a care package full of cute keepsakes and group activities.
Lots of Sweetness for Littles
Christmas is an incredible time of year for kids. That said, it’s a LOT of time off from school, and including every cute thing you can to keep them busy will earn you major brownie points with Mom and Dad:
- A little elf apron and hat set so the kiddos can be merry and stay (sort of) clean while they help you bake Santa’s cookies.
- A copy of the recordable storybook “At Christmas and Always, I Love You” (coming soon!) to create memorable moments with the kids or share a story from far away.
- A Gnome for Christmas Keepsake Ornament (available October 14)—because honestly every Christmas tree needs an ornament this cute.
- A Squealing’s Greetings interactive plush pig to add some humour to the holidays!
- A Santa’s Milk and Cookies Better Together plush set for the sweet tooth in the family.
- Christmas colouring sheets and Crayola crayons for full holiday expression.
- Holiday stickers (coming soon). (I mean…who doesn’t love stickers?)
- Santa Claus wrapping paper (coming soon) to keep things jolly.
- A mini Just Because card (coming soon)—because even the smallest heart can be touched by a Christmas wish.
Fun With the Family
For someone who loves spending time with family or goes on regular road
trips, a family-focused care package could win Christmas.
- A photo frame Keepsake Ornament for a family picture (add one you find on social media)
- A fun family puzzle or game
- Supplies for decorating sugar cookies or making a gingerbread house (or a kit to do either)
- An Advent or countdown calendar
- Shareable snacks
- Hot cocoa, candy canes for stirring and mini-marshmallows
- The link to one of our Spotify holiday playlists
Think about all the folks who make your life better and easier all year long: teachers, coaches, healthcare professionals, delivery folks, mail carriers and your hair stylist. One stop at the Appreciation Station in your Hallmark Gold Crown store will help you say thanks to all of them—and is the perfect start for a personalized holiday care package. You’ll find cards and ornaments designed for all of them.
- Teacher care package suggestions: Grab a gift card, their favourite treats, a teacher ornament, some good pens and pencils, notepads and stationery, helpful classroom supplies and a handwritten card from your kiddo.
- Coach care package ideas: Pair a sports-themed ornament with a card for your coach. For a sweet addition, fill a water bottle with wrapped candies and wrap it all in a box with a lanyard for a bow.
- Neighbour care package ideas: Start with a holiday card and cute neighbour ornament and add a batch of cookies or (and?) a bottle of wine. More ideas: fairy lights or candles or garden tools, gift cards to local coffee shops, or a cute keychain.
- Hairstylist care package ideas: Say thanks with a card and a stylish Signature ornament. Doubling the usual tip is the traditional gift for a stylist, but a gift is an appropriate substitute if you know what they like. Consider a box of gourmet chocolates, a bottle of their favourite adult beverage or a gift card to a nearby lunch or dinner spot.
Who doesn’t need a little comfort and joy during the holidays? If your loved one is missing someone, has a hall in need of decking, is feeling more stressed out than usual or could use some Christmas cheer, try putting some of these gifts together.
Homebody holiday spirit
One of the best parts about the holidays is getting your home juuuuust right for all the merry moments to come. Here are some gifts ideas to help them do just that:
- A fresh pine 3-wick candle that’s sure to fill their home with wintry magic.
- A nutcracker tea towel for adding a touch of Christmas spirit to their kitchen.
- Nutcracker juice glasses to make holiday breakfasts merry and bright!
- Nutcracker nested bowls for seasonally appropriate snacking.
- A nutcracker mug—because cocoa tastes even better when it’s sipped from something this cute.
- A Mouse King nutcracker figurine: Honestly what mantel doesn’t need this?
- These candy favour boxes for the kiddos! (Adults can have some, too.
) - And finally, this nutcracker card (coming soon) to add a little nostalgia to the Christmas wishes you send their way.
Hot cocoa for two
We have the best recipe for hot cocoa. Are we a little biased? Maybe, but it’s still delicious. We’d also like to point out that the whole “for two” thing is totally just a suggestion. Not a rule.
Cozy Snowman Fun
There’s nothing like the holidays to bring family and friends together. Help your loved ones make lasting memories with a care package full of cute keepsakes and group activities.
- A snowman blanket that’s sure to inspire all sorts of fun winter activities.
- A snowman mug to add holly, jolly joy to every sip.
- A sugar-cookie-scented 3-wick candle—because who doesn’t want their home smelling like warm cookies?
- Snowman string lights to add some frosty magic to any room—especially a kid’s room!
- A itty bittys® Snowman (coming soon): A great snuggle companion for little ones.
- A piano-playing 20th Anniversary Snowman interactive plush to celebrate two whole decades of winter wonder and joyful laughter.
- The matching Let the Snow Begin book (coming soon) to bring that piano-playing snowman’s story to life!
- A photo card to send a personalized wish for Christmas peace, love and joy.
- A big holiday gift bag in a cozy knit print to hold all these gifts and anything else you want to send to make their season bright.
Sweet Holidays Care Package
Remind someone you think they’re sweet with sugary surprises:
- sugar or gingerbread cookies (or mix) and supplies to decorate them
- hot cocoa with candy cane stirring sticks
- Christmas candy—or any candy
- snowman peppermint bark
- milk-and-cookies-scented candle
Deck the Halls Care Package
Help someone festive-up their office, dorm room or apartment with some of these:
- Garlands
- Stockings
- Ornaments
- Bottle-brush trees or a mini tree
- Pop-up Christmas cards
- Wreath-making supplies (here’s a free printable for personalizing)
- Snow globes
Cheers to Christmas
We call this one the “holiday survival kit”:
- Gather the ingredients for a holiday cocktail: Orange You Glad It’s Christmas or the Butterscotch Coquito or the Holiday Sparkler
- A pair of stemless wine glasses
- Cocktail napkins
- Crackers or cookies or chocolates or all of the above
Once you’ve assembled all the items for your Christmas care package, add an extra touch of holiday wonder by arranging and wrapping your package in a festive way and handwriting your message in a holiday card. You’ll end up with a gift that’s not only unique, but really shows you know someone and care about them.