Christmas gifts for your girlfriend: 40 ideas for every stage of dating
Forty Christmas gifts for your girlfriend, sorted by how long you've been together.
40 ideas ·
The right Christmas gift for your girlfriend depends a lot on how long you've been together. Two months in, a big gesture can feel like too much; three years in, a scented candle can feel like too little. Either way, what she'll remember is whether it shows you've been paying attention.
So these 40 ideas are sorted by where you are: gifts made of words, gifts for a new relationship, your first Christmas together, gifts for when it's getting serious, dates to give her, cozy things she'll use all winter, stocking stuffers and last-minute ideas.
If you'd like words to go with the gift, borrow from 100 things I love about you, or let the free reasons generator draft ten from your own memories. For the card, here's what to write in a Christmas card.
Make it a book: Reasons I Love You This Christmas holds fifty reasons, one per page, written from your memories and illustrated to look like your people. Start yours
Christmas gifts for your girlfriend made of words
Whatever stage you're at, nothing beats being told, specifically, why someone likes you. It costs very little, and she'll keep it longer than anything else in the box.
- A book of reasons you love her: fifty of them, one per page, written from your memories, with the two of you illustrated in the snow on the cover.
- A letter about the first time you saw her, and what you thought before you'd even said hello.
- A handwritten list of the little things you've noticed: how she takes her coffee, the song she always skips, the face she makes at bad parking.
- A playlist of the songs from your time together, with a note about where you were for each one.
- A card with three specific things you love about her, tucked in with whatever else you give.
If you've just started dating
A few months in, the right gift is thoughtful, not huge. Aim for something that shows you remember what she's told you.
- The book she mentioned on your second date, with a note on the first page.
- A candle or bath set in the scent she said she loved, not whatever's on the end of the aisle.
- A small framed photo from one of your first dates.
- Tickets to a show or a game in January, so there's a plan on the calendar.
- Good gloves or a knit hat, because she's always cold on your walks home.
For your first Christmas together
Your first Christmas only happens once, which makes it worth marking. Our First Christmas is a book of fifty reasons from your first months together, from the first date to the first tree.
- A book of reasons from your first months together, from the first message to the first Christmas tree.
- An ornament with both your names and the year, to hang every December from now on.
- A small jar holding the ticket stubs, the cork and the receipts you've secretly kept since you met.
- A new tradition, promised on a card: the same walk, the same movie or the same breakfast every Christmas Eve.
- A printed photo book of your first year, even if it's only a few months long.
When it's getting serious
A year or more in, you know her well enough to get it exactly right.
- A piece of fine jewelry she can wear every day: a thin gold chain, small hoops, a bracelet with your initials.
- A weekend away somewhere you've talked about going, booked and wrapped.
- A framed print of the city where you met, with the spot marked.
- Something for the home you share, or will: the record player, the good knives, the reading lamp she keeps sending you links to.
- A book of fifty reasons you love her, the kind of gift that says this is going somewhere.
Dates to give her
Time is the gift most people say they want and least often get. Wrap it up.
- A dozen dates for the new year, written on cards in a box, one for each month.
- A cooking class for two, in the food of the place she's always wanted to visit.
- Ice skating, hot chocolate and dinner, planned right down to the time you'll pick her up.
- Tickets to see her favorite band, with the hotel booked if it's out of town.
- A night in a cabin with a fireplace in January, when everyone needs something to look forward to.
- Love coupons for the small dates you'll actually do: breakfast in bed, a movie of her choosing, a walk somewhere new.
Cozy gifts she'll use all winter
- Really soft pajamas, or a matching pair for the two of you if she's into that.
- A chunky knit blanket for the couch, big enough for two.
- Slippers lined with shearling, because her feet are always cold.
- A good travel mug, already filled with her coffee on Christmas morning.
- A hot water bottle in a knitted cover, for the nights you're not there.
Stocking stuffers for your girlfriend
- The candy from her childhood that she still talks about.
- A nice hand cream and a lip balm: the stocking classics, done properly.
- A photo-booth strip of the two of you, or a tiny printed photo for her wallet.
- Fancy socks with an inside joke on them.
- A mini bottle of her perfume, for her bag.
Last-minute Christmas gifts for your girlfriend
Left it late? These are ready in minutes or bookable today.
- The digital book of reasons, ready minutes after you approve it, sent as a link on Christmas morning.
- A date booked online tonight, with the confirmation printed and folded into a card.
- A gift card for her favorite bookstore or coffee shop, with a note about the first time you went there together.
- A video from her friends, collected on the group chat by Christmas Eve, each saying what they love about her.
How to choose a Christmas gift for your girlfriend
Match the gift to where you are. Early on, keep it thoughtful and small, because something too big can feel like pressure. After a year or two you can go bigger, but the thought still counts for more than the price.
And whatever you give, add a few words. A scarf is nice. A scarf with a note about the night she lent you hers is the one she'll wear every winter.
If you'd like the words to be the gift, Reasons I Love You This Christmas asks about your time together and turns your answers into fifty reasons, one per page, with the two of you illustrated in the snow on the cover. For a newer couple, there's Our First Christmas. The digital book is $12 and the hardcover is $49. For a printed book in the US, order by Wednesday, December 2; the digital book works right up to Christmas morning.
Shopping for the rest of the list? See our 40 sentimental Christmas gifts, Christmas gifts for your wife and last-minute Christmas gifts.
Questions people ask
What should I get my girlfriend for Christmas?+
It depends how long you've been together. Early on, something small that shows you listen, like the book she mentioned or a candle in her favorite scent. After a year or so, jewelry, a weekend away or a book of fifty reasons you love her.
How much should I spend on my girlfriend for Christmas?+
There's no right number. In the first few months, keep it modest so it doesn't feel like pressure; as things get serious, spend what feels comfortable. A thoughtful gift with a note beats an expensive one without.
What is a good first Christmas gift for a girlfriend?+
Something that marks the start: an ornament with both your names and the year, a small photo book of your first months, or Our First Christmas, a book of fifty reasons from your time together so far.
When do I need to order for Christmas?+
For a printed book delivered in the US, order by Wednesday, December 2. The digital book is ready minutes after you approve it, so it works right up to Christmas morning.
