Sending Christmas gifts across borders as an expat

Living in Melbourne with the family in Ghent, or in Lisbon with parents in Leeds, turns a simple Christmas exchange into a logistics project. Shipping costs more than the gift, customs adds a surprise bill, and the parcel posted on 5 December arrives on 9 January. A few decisions made in October keep most of that away.

Pick gifts that survive the trip

Heavy, fragile and perishable things do badly in international post. A box of Leonidas pralines sent to Australia arrives as one large praline. Choose gifts that are light and sturdy and still mean something.

Digital gifts get rid of the problem entirely: a year of Storytel, an online course, a streaming subscription, a gift card for a shop in their country. For physical gifts, a paperback, a scarf, a piece of jewellery or something made where you now live, such as a small ceramic bowl from the market, travels well and brings a bit of your new home with it.

If your team runs a Secret Santa across several countries, set one up with a budget that allows for international postage, so nobody spends less on the gift than on sending it.

Customs and shipping costs add up fast

Look at shipping options early. Economy post takes two to four weeks, while express takes three to seven days and costs three times as much. Compare carriers, and check whether sending everything in one box is cheaper than three separate parcels. It usually is.

Then there are the duties. Depending on the destination, customs and VAT can add 10 to 30 percent to the value of the gift, and since Brexit a parcel between the UK and the EU is treated like any other import. Mark the customs form honestly as a gift and declare the real value. A parcel with too low a value on it gets held, and then the recipient pays.

Check what the destination does not allow before you buy. Certain foods, cosmetics and anything with a lithium battery can be restricted or need paperwork. If in doubt, ask the carrier.

Start earlier than feels necessary

International delivery times double in December, and delays get more common the closer you get to the 25th. Work backwards from the date the gift needs to arrive. For something to land by 20 December by economy post, it has to leave in the last week of November. Write that date down and treat it as the real deadline.

Plenty of expat families give up on the exact date and celebrate twice: once locally on the day, and again whenever the box from home turns up. It takes the pressure off, and the gifts get opened properly, over a video call, with everyone paying attention.

Wishlists have to work in two countries at once

A shared wishlist counts for more when the family lives in two countries. It shows exactly what you would like, what they can buy locally and have delivered within your country, and which items are worth sending across the world.

When you create a Christmas list, go for items sold in both countries, and paste links from shops that deliver to where you live. That avoids duplicate gifts and things that do not work at your address, like a kettle with the wrong plug or a Kindle locked to the wrong store.

Put the things you miss on the list too. If a brand is not sold where you live, or you would love a particular tea, a jar of speculoos spread or the local newspaper's yearbook, add it. Family tend to love sending those, and they weigh next to nothing.

Cheaper options that still work

An experience often beats a parcel here. A video call with a board game everyone can play online, a film watched at the same time on two continents, a restaurant voucher booked in their city.

Buying locally works as well. A sibling can buy the gift near home and you send them the money. Or send the family something from your side of the world that they cannot get, like a bag of coffee from the roaster round the corner. For a bigger gift, several family members can chip in together on one item on the list, so one parcel travels and four stay home.

Sort out the postage dates first, then make a Christmas list with links that work from both countries, and have it ready before the November posting date comes round.