If you're looking for London Christmas gifts this year, most of what's around leans on the same postcard images, a red telephone box or a beefeater print. This year, I wanted to offer something with a bit more thought behind it. The London Colour Palette is built from six colours, each one chosen for a specific piece of the city's history, culture or character, 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 London.
The London Colour Palette, explained
Double Decker Red Taken from the iconic buses recognised the world over. It felt right to lead the palette with the colour most people picture first when they think of London.
Waterloo Sunset Named for a classic sixties song often described as a love letter to London. A colour with warmth and nostalgia built into it for anyone who knows the tune.
Crown Jewels Gold Drawn from state gatherings and royal occasions, a colour that carries a sense of ceremony and history unique to this city.
St Paul's White For the spectacular icon of a defiant city, a cathedral that's stood through some of London's hardest moments and remained a symbol of resilience.
Shard Glass Represents the new skyline shaping the London of the future, a colour for the city as it continues to change and build upward.
Cab Black Like Double Decker Red before it, this asks a fair question: is there a more famous form of transport than the London black cab.
Why these make good Christmas gifts
Small gifts land 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 London palette carries six colours chosen because they genuinely belong to this city, explained properly so the story goes with the gift.
London 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 London well. A Waterloo Sunset or Cab Black 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 London, 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 London item on your list this year, ordering early is the safest way to make sure it arrives in time.
If your town isn't part of the Colour Palette collection yet, get in touch. New palettes for next year are already being planned, and requests like these are where most of those decisions start.