Sure, e-cards get the job done and they’re much less time-consuming. Personally, though, and at the risk of sounding like a snob, I’ve always preferred a hand-written card.
And there’s no better time for stationery lovers than Christmas. There’s just nothing quite like writing (or making) your Christmas cards to get you in the spirit – or to make the recipient feel loved.
If, like me, you’re a fiend for a bit of fancy stationery, Papier’s Advent Calendar is your dream. Depending how seriously you take Advent, you have two options: a 24- day calendar, like last year, and a newly introduced 12-day option.
Because I already have way too many pens and notebooks to justify the 24 day option, I opted for the 12 days – which may or may not have also been informed by the fact it comes in a little house that you can keep all your bits and bobs in when you’ve finished opening it.
I have to say, I really don’t need another box lying around my house, but I’ll make an exception for this one, because it makes the perfect craft box and (I think) means the £75 for the calendar is an absolute steal.
Once you open the roof and two drawers in the house itself, you’ll find an array of delicately decorated boxes, which being totally honest I’ve kept for scrapbooking purposes, each filled with its own piece of stationery.
Immediately, I’m a huge fan of the fact Papier has thought to include all of the boxes in chronological order, meaning boxes one to fie are all in the same compartment and you don’t have to spend what feels like years sorting through the calendar to find the right day.
From the get go, the gifts tick all my boxes. Not only are they practical, but they come in gorgeous patterns and colourways, so they really feel special. There are things you’ll use everyday: a set of ballpoint pens, two mini notebooks, sticky notes, and a pencil case.
Then there are the accessories… oh, the accessories!. Think: a cool little polka dot-patterned and beaded keychain to hang from your bag, three thank you cards with dogs on them (let’s bring back thank you cards pls) in scalloped-edge envelopes, a pack of stickers, a gratitude journal, four ‘wax seals’ that have stickers on the back so you don’t have to mess around with actual wax, and enough metal book marks to give to all your friends.
With everything I opened, I was struck by the amount of detail that has gone into it. Even the backs of the thank you cards are decorated, and they’ve even thought to include one dotted and one plain notebook.
Of course, the 24-day option comes with more in it, but it’s £145, which is a little steep for stationery. For £75, the 12 days feels like just the right amount. Often, I find Advent calendars have more than you can use in them, but this one has enough that you’ll have a completely new set to start 2027 with, but not too much that your desk won’t be overflowing. And have I mentioned I’m desperate to store all of my other stationery bits in an adorable teeny house?!
Whether you’re a stationery lover yourself, or you have one in your life, this will make the perfect lead up to Christmas; maybe you’ll even get a thank you card. If you’re keen, you better get your hands on it sooner rather than later, because the 24-day option sold out last year, and there were 10,000 (!) people on the waitlist, so we’re sure the same will be said this year.