Christmas gift ideas

11 November 2026

A good personal Christmas present is one made around the person opening it. Our brands make two kinds: a real star named after someone, and a personalised letter from Santa for a child. Both are made by Crowther Creative Products, a UK company, and both can be sorted in time for Christmas Day, even at the last minute.

Why give a star for Christmas?

Most presents are used up, worn out or forgotten by spring. A star is different: a real, catalogued star is recorded under the name you choose, and it stays in the register. It suits people of any age and is often the answer for the person who already has everything.

Winter is also the best season to go looking for it. The nights are long and dark, so a clear December or January evening with a pair of binoculars turns the present into something you can do together.

We run two star naming brands, each with its own register, documents and website.

The Star Naming Co.

The Star Naming Co. names a real, catalogued star after someone and sends it as a digital gift or as a printed gift pack. See naming a star for Christmas for this year’s options.

• Printed gift pack. Five A4 documents, printed on fine cream stock and posted free in the UK: a personalised certificate, a welcome letter, a co-ordinates sheet with a sky chart marking the star, the story of its constellation and an extract from the register.
• Digital gift. Ready within minutes of ordering, on any day including Christmas Day. It can be sent as an e-gift reveal by WhatsApp, email or text, and the documents can be printed at home.
• Two stars together. The Twin Star Gift Pack names two neighbouring stars in the same constellation, for brothers and sisters, grandparents or best friends.

Intergalactic Star Database

Intergalactic Star Database registers a star from the Hipparcos catalogue under the name you choose. Its gift pack holds a Certificate of Registry, a Star Area Co-ordinates Sheet, a welcome letter and a fold-out star chart, posted ready to wrap. There is also a print-at-home version that is ready as soon as you order. Read more about a star to give at Christmas.

A letter from Santa Claus

For children, nothing beats a letter from Santa himself. Letter from Santa Claus is our new Christmas brand: a personalised Santa pack, printed and posted, or ready to print at home.

• The letter. A personalised letter from Santa, Father Christmas or Santa Claus (you choose what your child calls him), using their name, age and town, and the presents they have asked for.
• Personal touches. Add something they did well this year, a pet or a brother or sister, and Santa mentions it.
• The rest of the pack. A Nice List certificate, a Christmas Eve treat sheet, a door hanger to cut out, a page for the window and, on printed packs, an envelope from the North Pole addressed to your child.
• A Christmas Eve story. Every pack comes with an online story starring your child.

For more Christmas ideas for children, see how to write a letter to Santa, Christmas Eve traditions and how to keep the magic of Santa alive.

Who is a star a good Christmas present for?

• Someone who has everything. They will not already have a star with their name on it. See gifts for someone who has everything.
• Grandparents. A star named by the grandchildren, with the certificate framed, is the kind of present that is kept. More in gifts for grandparents.
• A first Christmas. A new baby, a new marriage or a first home together: a star marks the year it began.
• Remembering someone. For a family missing someone at Christmas, a star named in their memory gives them a place in the night sky.
• Children. A star of their own, and a reason to go outside on a dark winter night and look for it.

When do I need to order for Christmas?