Every year I promise myself I'll be organised, and every year I'm in the shop on the 22nd of December helping someone find something for a father-in-law they've never quite worked out.
So here's the guide I'd give you if you came in and asked. Sorted by who you're buying for, because that's how people actually shop.
One thing worth saying at the top: some of what we make is handmade to order and takes a couple of weeks. I've flagged those. If you're reading this in December, stick to the sections marked as ready to post.
Under £25
Most of Christmas is small presents. Secret santas, teachers, the neighbour who takes your parcels in, the person you'd forgotten was coming.
Coasters are what we sell most of at this end. Heatproof, cork-backed, made in Yorkshire, and there are around forty designs so you can usually find one that's obviously right for someone.
Also worth a look: bookmarks with tassels for readers, tea towels, greeting cards, and wrapping paper.
All ready to post.
For someone who cooks
The easiest person on your list, as long as you avoid gadgets. Nobody wants another spiraliser. Everybody appreciates good kit they'll actually use.
An apron and oven gloves in matching designs make a proper present without costing a fortune. A serving board becomes the centrepiece of every gathering they host, and a large platter is the one to choose if they feed a crowd.
Trivets and glass worktop savers are the unglamorous things people never buy themselves and then use constantly.
All ready to post.
For tea drinkers
A category of their own, and they know who they are.
A bone china mug, a tea cosy, or one of the novelty teapots made in Leyburn by Ceramic Inspirations. Those last ones are collected, so if the person you're buying for already has a shelf of them, you're on safe ground.
All ready to post.
For dog people and cat people
You know exactly who they are. They'd rather have something with their animal on it than almost anything else you could choose.
Walkies is our dog range, across cards, wrap, bags and homeware. Whiskers is the cat equivalent. And Wild Cat covers leopard print and big cats, for someone whose taste runs bolder.
Mostly ready to post. Cushions and lampshades are made to order.
For a new home
Difficult, because you don't know what they've already got. The answer is the things nobody buys enough of.
Placemats and coasters, because every new household is short of both. A doormat, which is a surprisingly well-received present. Home fragrance, or a brick vase to put the flowers in.
Ready to post.
For someone who's moved away
Homesickness is real, and a well-chosen souvenir isn't naff.
The Yorkshire Edit for anyone who left and hasn't stopped talking about it. Colourful London for the same, southwards.
An art print of somewhere they know is the version of this that gets framed and kept.
For the person who has everything
Two honest answers.
The first is a gift card. Unromantic, but better than something they'll quietly rehome, and choosing their own colours is half the fun.
The second is the thing they'd never spend money on themselves. Everyone has a category like that, and it's usually small and slightly indulgent: a wash bag, a phone case that isn't black, a tote nice enough to leave on the back of a chair.
Ready to post.
The bigger present
If you're buying for one person rather than fifteen.
A velvet cushion or a pair, a lampshade, a luxury blanket, or a framed art print.
These are the ones to order early. Cushions and lampshades are handmade to order in Britain, which takes a couple of weeks before they even go in the post. Order in November and it's fine. Order on the 15th of December and it won't be.
For the table on the day
Not a present, but worth thinking about before the last week.
Placemats, coasters, trivets and a large serving platter will do more for how the day looks than almost anything else, and they all wipe clean afterwards, which matters more than people admit.
Let us wrap it and send it
If the person you're buying for lives somewhere else, add our gift wrapping service and we'll wrap the order in our handdrawn paper and post it straight to them.
No wrestling with sellotape at eleven at night. No posting the same parcel twice.
Prefer to do it yourself? Our wrapping paper and Christmas cards are sold separately.
Last order dates
Check our Christmas delivery dates before you order, particularly for anything handmade to order.
The short version: handmade items need ordering by late November. Everything else has until the last posting dates in December.
Or come and see us
The shop in Hebden Bridge is by far the easiest place to choose presents, because you can pick things up and I'm usually there to help you work out what someone would like.
Michelle x
Frequently asked questions
When should I order Christmas presents from Bean and Bemble? Anything handmade to order, including cushions and lampshades, needs ordering by late November. In-stock items like coasters, placemats, tea towels and cards can be ordered much later. Check our shipping page for the exact dates.
Do you offer gift wrapping? Yes. Add gift wrapping to your order and we'll wrap it in our own designed paper and post it directly to the recipient.
Can you send a present straight to someone else? Yes, just enter their address as the delivery address at checkout.
What are good Christmas gifts under £25? Coasters, bookmarks, tea towels, cards and wrapping paper. See our gifts under £25.
Do you sell gift cards? Yes, our digital gift card arrives by email and can be spent on anything.
Are your gifts made in Britain? The large majority. See how we make things for where everything comes from and who makes it.