Christmas list ideas for the home, from lights to slow cooker

You are hosting on the 25th, the living room lights are the same string that came with your first flat, and the oven cannot fit a turkey and a gratin at the same time. A wishlist for the home answers the question "what do you two want this year", and it beats another pair of slippers.

Decorations for the tree, the door and the stairs

Start with lights, because they date fastest. Warm-white LED fairy lights on a mains plug for the mantelpiece and doorways, and a weatherproof set for the balcony or the front hedge. If the tree itself needs replacing, put one thing on the list: either a good artificial tree (the realistic ones with moulded branches cost more but last a decade) or a heavy stand with a water reservoir for a cut tree. A tree that leans by the 20th spoils the whole room, so the stand is money well spent.

Then baubles in one or two colours instead of every colour, a topper you can see from the door, a wreath, a garland for the banister and a few lanterns for the hallway. Ornaments with a story (the one from a trip, the one the kids made) go on the tree regardless, so they do not need to be on the list.

Textiles that get used all winter

A chunky knit throw on the sofa, two cushions in bottle green or dark red, and a wool rug for the cold bit of floor in front of the television. Anything in this section should still be in use in February, and these are. A Christmas tablecloth with matching napkins is worth listing if you host every year. If you host once every three years, a plain linen cloth does the job and does not sit in a box for eleven months.

Kitchen kit for cooking for twelve

For a host, a slow cooker is the most useful thing on this list. A 5 or 6 litre Crock-Pot is not expensive, keeps the mulled wine warm through a whole evening and makes the Boxing Day stew while everyone is out walking. A stand mixer is the other big one. A KitchenAid Artisan is a big-ticket item, which is exactly why it suits a list where several people can chip in together instead of one person paying for all of it.

For serving, add a large wooden board for cheese, a decanter and a cake stand tall enough for the Christmas cake. Leave the hot chocolate machine and the ice maker off. Milk in a pan and an ice cube tray do the same job, and both machines end up in the garage by Easter.

Smart home comforts

A smart thermostat (tado° or a Nest, the price depends on the model) heats the living room for the evening while the bedrooms stay cool, and it is the one gadget here that can pay for itself on the gas bill. Smart bulbs in the living room save a lot of crawling behind the sofa to switch the tree on. A robot vacuum such as a Roborock is worth its price in the week between Christmas and New Year, when the floor is covered in pine needles, crumbs and glitter from morning until night.

Skip the air purifier with a built-in scent diffuser. If the house needs to smell of cinnamon, simmer some orange peel and two cinnamon sticks in a pan on the hob for twenty minutes. It costs nothing.

Outdoor things for a cold garden

Only list outdoor kit if the garden gets used in winter. A fire pit or a chiminea is the better pick. It gives the New Year's Eve crowd somewhere to stand and costs less to run than a patio heater, which burns through electricity or gas for a few metres of warmth. Add a set of outdoor cushions and two throws that can handle a bit of damp. For the front of the house, LED icicle lights along the gutter and one lit figure on the lawn are plenty. Three reindeer and a sleigh is a style, and the neighbours will have opinions.

Create a Christmas list for the house, put the slow cooker and the thermostat at the top, and have the link ready for when both families start asking, before anyone buys slippers.