Handmade Christmas gift ideas from the Baltics

Updated · Delmara Baltic Living

For a handmade Christmas, look to what Latvian homes have always used in winter: linen for the festive table, amber jewellery, smoke-fired black ceramics, willow baskets and hand-forged steel. They are made by named workshops, last for years and arrive with a story, which is what makes a gift memorable. Order early, because many pieces are finished by hand.

Christmas in Latvia

Latvian Christmas, Ziemassvētki, grew out of the old winter solstice festival. Some customs survive in many homes: dragging a log around the house and burning it to leave the year's troubles behind, hanging puzuri, geometric ornaments made of straw, and baking piparkūkas, spiced gingerbread. Riga also claims one of the first decorated Christmas trees, said to have stood in the town square in 1510.

What these traditions share is a love for natural materials made by hand: straw, wood, clay, linen. That is the spirit behind the gifts below.

For the festive table

A linen tablecloth or runner, napkins and handmade ceramics make the Christmas table, and they are used again at every celebration after it.

All linen tablecloths

Small gifts and stocking fillers

Mugs, small bowls, amber earrings and linen napkins: gifts under €50 that still feel handmade.

The gift under the tree

For the person you want to surprise: a one-of-a-kind amber necklace, a hand-forged knife or a willow lamp.

When to order

Prices include VAT. Delivery costs €8 to Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Germany, €12 to other EU countries and €18 to the UK, Switzerland and Norway, and it is free from €120. Some pieces ship straight from the workshop, so order gifts early, especially before Christmas. If you need a piece by a particular date, write to hello@delmaraliving.com before ordering and we will check with the workshop.

Questions and answers

When should I order handmade Christmas gifts?
As early as you can, ideally by early December. Pieces ship from Latvia, some straight from the workshop. If you need a gift by a fixed date, ask us before you order and we will confirm with the maker.
What is a traditional Latvian Christmas gift?
Handmade things: knitted mittens, amber, linen, ceramics and gingerbread. Straw puzuri ornaments and piparkūkas belong to the season itself.
What is a good Christmas gift for someone who loves cooking?
An end-grain cutting board, a smoke-fired black ceramic serving bowl or a set of linen napkins: all used every day, long after Christmas.