Gonk Gift Ideas for Every Budget

Gonk gifts by budget

Prices vary between shops and seasons, so treat these bands as a rough guide.

Stocking fillers

• Mini or hanging gonks for the tree.
• Gonk Christmas cards, gift tags and wrapping paper.
• Gonk socks, keyrings and hair accessories.
• Gonk-shaped biscuits and chocolates, which turn up in garden centre food halls each Christmas.

Mid-range presents

• A sitting gonk in the recipient's favourite colour.
• A gonk mug filled with sweets or hot chocolate.
• A gonk cushion or throw for the sofa.
• A gonk knitting or sewing kit for a crafty friend.
• Gonk Christmas crackers for the family table.

Special gifts

• A giant floor-standing gonk.
• A set of three coordinated gonks in graduated sizes.
• A personalised handmade gonk from an Etsy maker.
• A light-up outdoor gonk for someone who loves decorating the front of the house.

Gonk gifts by who they are for

Babies and toddlers

Choose a plush toy gonk that is clearly labelled as a toy, with a UKCA or CE mark and an age rating to match. Look for embroidered features, no beads or sequins and no weighted filling. A "baby's first Christmas" gonk bauble is a lovely keepsake for the tree, but keep it out of reach. Read are gonks safe for children? before you buy.

Older children

Children love gonks they can arrange and play with: a small gang of toy gonks, a gonk craft kit, or a gonk for a family hiding game. Our December gonk hide-and-seek game is a fun tradition to start.

Collectors

Seasoned gonk fans already have the basics. Try a gonk for a season they don't have yet, such as a spring gonk or a Halloween witch gonk, a limited edition, or a handmade one-off. See collecting gonks for ideas.

Teachers, colleagues and Secret Santa

A small sitting gonk, a gonk mug or gonk tealights are crowd-pleasers that suit a modest Secret Santa budget. Gonks dressed for a job, such as teacher or nurse gonks, add a personal touch.

New homeowners

In folklore, the tomte guarded the home, so a gonk makes a thoughtful housewarming present. Add a card explaining the tradition from our history of gonks.

Couples and weddings

Bride-and-groom gonk pairs, Valentine's gonks holding hearts, and gonks personalised with names and a wedding date are all popular. Order personalised gonks early, especially before Christmas.

Crafters

A knitting or crochet kit, a bundle of faux fur and felt, or a book of gonk patterns. Or make one yourself with our how to make a gonk guide.

Gonk gifts by occasion

Buying for a gonk collector

The hardest person to buy a gonk for is someone who already has dozens. A few ways to avoid duplicates:

• Ask a family member to take a quick photo of their display.
• Go handmade. A one-off from an independent maker can't already be on their shelf.
• Pick a new season they haven't collected yet, such as spring, summer or St Patrick's Day.
• Buy gonk accessories: a shelf, a display dome, a storage box or a gonk book.
• Keep the gift receipt so they can swap if it turns out to be a twin.

Wrapping and presenting gonks

Gonks have awkward shapes, with long floppy hats that crease easily. Instead of wrapping paper, try a gift bag with tissue paper, letting the hat tip poke out of the top. For a giant gonk, a big bow around its middle is all it needs. For children, hiding the gonk somewhere for them to find on the day is half the fun.

Tips for giving gonks

• Check the size before ordering. A gonk that looks large in a photo might be 15cm tall.
• Order early in the autumn, when seasonal gonks sell out and handmade makers get busy.
• Keep the receipt and any tags, which matter to collectors and make returns easy.
• Add a story. A note about the Scandinavian tomte or the 1960s gonk craze makes the gift feel special.

Find gifts in our hand-picked gonk shop, or compare retailers in where to buy gonks.