Polish Christmas Gift Guide

Still looking for the perfect present for someone of Polish heritage or just love all things Polish?  Read on for some late ideas for friends, children and partners. They’re not in any particular order, but a few I’ve found online and  particularly love. Though I prefer to shop in person with small businesses, many of them sell online so join me from my sofa for some classic and more modern Polish gifts.

On trend Pottery 

Bolesławiec pottery is created in the Śląsk region of Poland. It is quite unique yet easily identifiable. Most popular today is the white or cream colored ceramic with dark blue, green, yellow, brown, and sometimes red or purple motifs. The most common designs include dots, abstract florals, speckles, “windmills”, and my favorite “peacocks eye”. Now available in the UK through Polka Dot Lane Pottery base in the North.  A mugs will set you back £2o – £30, but they are long lasting and very desirable. Most people build up a collection over several years.

Wild Honey and Sweet Polish Kitchens

As a British food writer of Polish descent, Ren Behan is inspired by both her heritage and the fast-changing food landscape in Poland. One recipe book is jam packed full of wonderful flavours and will take you through the day from breakfast to evening meals with desserts and home-flavoured vodkas to finish with. The other full of delicious cakes and sweet delights. The pleasure is all the greater for reading about her family traditions and when they eat particular dishes. Well recommended and if you’ve never tried Polish food it’s a good beginner’s guide as well as having ideas for those more experienced From £20 or less in good bookshops and online.

Folk Tablet/IPad cover

Polish folk patterns are all the rage and this online retailer Felt Folk Art has this innovative design priced at £20.75 plus postage.  It’s on Etsy.com and dispatches from Poland, but look around at other folk-inspired items from small sellers.

Christmas carols 

These are an absolute classic, recorded by the two best professional folk song and dance ensembles in Poland, Mazowsze and Śląsk, they feature the most popular carols in Poland such as „Bóg Się Rodzi” or „Jezus Malusienki” . We play them during Wigilia (Christmas Eve Feast) for maximum atmosphere and are available in many editions either on CD Mazowsze Koledy Polish Christmas Carols – Mazowsze and Śląsk (2014) or download through your streaming service.

Old polish legends

When the wind howls and snow covers the landscape, an old Polish Fairy Tale knocks at your door, to wrap you up and whisk you into a world of mountains and magical characters… an amazing book, written in English, it touches on lots of moments in Polish history and delights with its tales of old capitals, sleeping knights and trumpeters.  Illustrated with wood engravings it was originally written during the Second World War in Scotland and is no longer in print but available used, through second hand bookshops such as Abe Books at various prices £20-£30

Ski / Icz surname endings

I love this bit of fun – a T shirt with your surname ending or a “Polish wife happy life” slogan. Get these and other items about Pierogi from Zazzle  and Cafe Press   – various similar items for £21 plus. As a Polish wife to an English husband I find this amusing, as he (has to!) always says Polish wives are the best, given we like to cook hot meals every day from scratch. Surely that is an absolute given?

Żubrówka or Krupnik

Some people adore Żubrówka, (buffalo grass vodka), made with a blade of grass from the Białowieża forest. It’s quite herby in taste but an absolutely premium vodka. Another is Krupnik, my personal favourite, a honey vodka with spices, which has roots dating back to 1300. It has an amazing warming effect and alcohol has never quite been the same since I first tasted it. Żubrówka is available in all good supermarkets and specialist shops, whilst Krupnik is harder to find, though available online. Both are about £20 a bottle.

Trail of Hope – General Anders’ Army

This is the book for all history buffs, written by the famous historian Norman Davies. Charting the incredible journey of Poles deported to Siberia during WWII who became a fighting force. A brilliant tome of a book which, for those of you from Siberian Exile families will give you an insight into what those soldiers and their families went through and for others, a fascinating story of incarceration, release and bravery in war, a Polish story that should be known more widely.  From £15 for online versions and sadly in printed form only in secondhand bookshops.

Plums in chocolate

I’m not sure I know many people who don’t love these chocolates. My friends cannot get enough of them and beg me to buy them as treats. There are two types – one where the plum is just dipped in chocolate and another with a truffle layer in between.  Available at your nearest Polish shop, in some larger Tesco’s and online. They’re not cheap but incredibly moreish and delicious.  From £3 depending on the size (190g or 300g gift box).

Proud to be Polish at Heart

And there’s also my venture – English tea towels with a Polish twist: a 50% linen 50% cotton union for the best of both worlds, this quirky tea-towel is perfect for a stocking filler. Available now at my Etsy shop.

I hope this list has helped with some of your Christmas dilemmas, or at least given you some ideas. Happy Shopping!

You may like some of my other posts:

Joyous treasures: Polish Christmas Carols

Are you making traditional Polish Christmas decorations?

This post, first compiled in 2017 is updated every Christmas!