A Which? survey of just over 2,000 UK adults found that one in five got an unwanted or unsuitable present for Christmas 2024. A third of those people got rid of it: passed it on to someone else, dropped it at a charity shop or sold it online. Marmite-scented deodorant made the list of worst gifts. So did a Tottenham Hotspur book for a Chelsea fan.
None of that happens because people don't care. It happens because guessing is hard and asking feels awkward. A shared wish list takes the guessing out. You still get the surprise on Christmas morning, you just know it'll be something they actually wanted.
The problem with guessing
You know the scene. It's mid December, you're in a packed shop, and you're trying to remember which Lego set your nephew mentioned back in October. Is it the one with the fire station? Does Grandma already have this candle? And is your sister buying the same thing two streets away?
Most of us know the answer is to just ask. The trouble is that asking ten people what they want, then keeping track of who's buying what, turns into a spreadsheet nobody wants to maintain. That's the bit a wish list app should handle for you.
If money's tight this year, our Christmas budget tips are worth a read too.
What a family wish list needs to do
There are plenty of wish list apps around. Whichever one you pick, I'd check it does these four things:
Lets you add things from any shop, not just one retailer. Kids want stuff from everywhere.
Lets relatives buy without creating an account. If Grandad has to set a password, he won't use it.
Hides what's been bought from the person whose list it is, but shows everyone else.
Works properly on a phone, because that's where the family group chat lives.
Giftwhale does all four, and it's free. We make our money from a small commission when someone buys through a retailer link, not from charging families.
How to set it up
Create a free account. Sign up at giftwhale.com or grab the iPhone app, then make a list called something like "Christmas 2026".
Add a few ideas. Paste a link from any shop and Giftwhale pulls in the picture and details, or type it in yourself. On iPhone you can share straight from Safari or a shop's app. Add a note about size or colour if it matters. It usually does.
Set up the kids' lists. Child accounts let you build a list for a child who's too young for their own login. You can invite grandparents to help manage it, and when they're older it converts to their own account with the lists moving across.
Share it. Drop the link in the family WhatsApp, text it, or show a QR code. Nobody needs an account to look or to reserve. They just pop their name in.
Let people reserve. When someone reserves a gift, everyone else sees it's taken. You don't. For sets, people can claim part of it, say two of six wine glasses.
Say thanks. After the big day, record what you got and send thank-yous from your account. Handy when you can't remember which aunt sent the slippers.
Doing Secret Santa instead?
Once a family gets past a certain size, everyone buying for everyone stops making sense. A Secret Santa is the sane option. Giftwhale's gift exchanges run the draw for you. Invite people by email or share a link, set a budget and a date, and stop couples drawing each other. Only the organiser needs an account.
Each person only sees who they've got, and they can add a wish list just for the exchange. So their Santa isn't guessing either.
Getting the older relatives on board
This is usually the sticking point. The people who say "oh, I don't need anything" are often the hardest to buy for.
Two things help. They don't need to sign up to buy from someone else's list, so all they have to do is tap a link. And you can set up a managed profile on their behalf, then fill it with things you know they'd like: the tea they always buy, the book they keep mentioning, a day out together. They get presents they'll use, and nobody has to nag them for ideas.
When to start
Earlier than you'd think. I'd aim to have lists shared by mid November. That gives people time to shop around and pick up Black Friday deals on things that are actually wanted, rather than panic buying in the last week. A list shared on the 20th of December mostly just tells people what they should have bought.
A wish list won't stop the arguments over Christmas dinner. It should mean fewer unwanted presents heading to the charity shop in January, though, and a lot less wandering round shops in December wondering what your nephew wanted.
