If you're looking for Birmingham Christmas gifts this year, most options fall back on the same generic skyline print. This year, I wanted to offer something with real substance behind it. The Birmingham Colour Palette was the very first one I made, five years ago, and it's built from six colours chosen because each one means something specific to this city, with the story behind every shade explained clearly.
Here's what's behind each colour, and why I think these make some of the best small Christmas gifts for anyone with a genuine connection to Birmingham.
The Birmingham Colour Palette, explained
Old Bus Cream Taken from the classic WMPTE bus livery, cream and blue, that shaped how generations of Brummies remember getting around the city.
Mr Egg Yellow Named for the legendary Hurst Street café, a proper Birmingham institution that locals will recognise instantly and hold real affection for.
Jewellery Quarter Gold Drawn from the colour of Birmingham's world famous district, home to more independent jewellers than almost anywhere else in the country.
Tikka Red For a classic Brummie balti, and famously Tom Cruise's favourite meal. A colour with warmth, spice and a fair bit of local pride built in.
The Bull Bronze Named for the Bullring Bull, one of the city's most photographed and best loved landmarks.
Sabbath Black Dedicated to Birmingham's own godfathers of heavy metal. A deep, confident black for a city that gave the world an entire genre of music.
Why these make good Christmas gifts
Small gifts work best when they're specific to the person receiving them, not just a generic city name on a mug. That's the whole idea behind this range. A mug, magnet, coaster or sketchbook from the Birmingham palette carries six colours chosen because they genuinely belong to this city, explained properly so the story goes with the gift.
Birmingham Christmas mugs make an easy, considered present for anyone who grew up here, studied here, or has family in the city. Practical, used daily, and a genuine reminder of home each morning.
Fridge magnets are ideal for Secret Santa. Affordable, easy to post, and instantly recognisable to anyone who knows Birmingham well. A Sabbath Black or Mr Egg Yellow magnet says more than most last minute gifts manage.
Coasters work well alongside the mugs if you're looking to put together a slightly bigger gift without much extra cost.
Sketchbooks featuring the palette suit anyone creative, or anyone who'd appreciate a notebook with a bit more thought behind its cover than the usual plain option.
Easy to post, ready for Christmas
Everything in this range is designed to travel well. If you're sending a gift to someone who's moved away from Birmingham, or ordering ahead of a Secret Santa at work, these are gifts that pack flat, post easily, and arrive looking like they were chosen with care, because they were.
Christmas delivery cut off dates will be confirmed nearer the time, so if there's a specific Birmingham item on your list this year, ordering early is the safest way to make sure it arrives in time.
As the town where this whole project began five years ago, Birmingham will always be the first palette I made, and it's still one I'm proud to send out as a gift.