Christmas wish list
Each person in the family has a list, the links live in the group chat, and reservations stop duplicate sweaters. How to set it up before December.
- Free
- Right in your browser
- Sign in with Google or Apple
In short. Make a Christmas wishlist in GIFTbase and ask your family to make theirs. Drop the links in the family chat by early December, while shipping is still fast. Parents run the kids' lists; for Secret Santa, three wishes within the budget are enough. Everyone opens the lists in a browser without an account and reserves gifts, so nothing under the tree is a duplicate.
No app needed
Your wishlist, right here in your browser
Make your list on this website: sign in with Google or Apple and start adding wishes. It's the same account as the GIFTbase app, so you can pick up on your phone anytime.
- Paste a link from Amazon, Target or any store, and the photo and price fill in on their own
- Send friends one link, and the list opens without signing up
- Friends reserve gifts, and you won't know who picked what
What changes when the family has wishlists
A list for everyone
Mom, Dad, the kids, Grandma: everyone gets their own list. Parents run the kids' lists and share them with relatives.
No two identical sweaters
Your aunt reserves the sweater, your uncle sees it's taken and picks something else. You find out which on Christmas morning.
Every store in one list
A LEGO set from Target, a book from Amazon and mittens from an Etsy shop sit side by side.
A reminder before the rush
The GIFTbase calendar reminds you about Christmas ahead of time, while shipping still makes it.
Where Christmas wishes usually come from
December lists lean on big-box stores and marketplaces: toys, cozy things and gadgets. A pasted link becomes a card with a photo and price, which makes shopping easy for relatives.
Amazon
Target
Walmart
LEGO
Etsy
Steam
Apple
Uniqlo
Tickets to The Nutcracker, a skating session or a cooking class go on the list the same way.
How to run Christmas wishlists for the whole family
The same setup works for a big family, a couple or a group of friends.
Agree in the family chat
Ask everyone to have a list ready by December 10. One line usually convinces people: “so nobody has to guess and nothing gets bought twice.”
Build your own list
Create a Christmas wishlist in GIFTbase and add 8–12 wishes by link. Make separate lists for the kids from your own account.
Pin all the links
Everyone posts their list link in the group chat. Pin one message with the whole family's links.
Reserve, then buy
Open a list, pick a gift, tap Reserve. Everyone else sees it's taken right away.
When to send a Christmas list
The biggest enemy of a Christmas list is sending it late. A week-by-week guide:
By December 10
Lists are done and shared. Relatives have time to think and plan group gifts.
December 10–18
The main shopping window. Most stores still deliver on normal schedules.
After December 18
Shipping cutoffs start to bite. Gift cards, tickets and experiences save the day.
Christmas morning
Gifts under the tree, no duplicates, nobody at the mall on the 24th.
Kids' Christmas lists and letters to Santa
A letter to Santa and a wishlist get along fine. Sit down with your kid, let them tell you or draw what they want, then find those things in stores and add the links to their list. Grandparents and godparents get the link, and the magic stays intact: Santa still brings the presents.
Kids' lists work best in three tiers: one big wish, three or four medium gifts and a few small things for the stocking. Ideas by age are on the kids' wishlist page.
What to ask for Christmas: wish list ideas
A Christmas list gets read by people with very different budgets, from a coworker to Grandma. Cover every level.
Stocking stuffers under $20
A handmade ornament, loose-leaf tea in a tin, wool socks, a pine-scented candle, a set of cards.
Cozy winter, $25–75
A throw blanket, flannel pajamas, a heated mug, a mulled wine kit, a game for the holidays.
Hobbies
Paints and a sketchbook, guitar strings, ski goggles, the next book in a series. Relatives can't guess these without a hint.
One big wish to split
Headphones, an espresso machine, a gym membership, a winter trip. Families often pool money for one big thing.
Experiences for the break
Ice skating, a spa day, a cooking class, theater tickets for the days between Christmas and New Year.
Gift finder
Gifts for people without a wishlist
Coworkers, teachers, neighbors: 10 ideas from a description
In December the list of people to buy for gets long: coworkers, a teacher, a coach, the neighbors. Describe the person and your budget in the GIFTbase finder and it suggests 10 ideas with prices and links to stores in their city.
For the office exchange, the stocking stuffer and white elephant collections below are a good start.
More holiday lists
Christmas wish list questions
Everyone keeps their own list in GIFTbase, the links live in the family chat, and parents run the kids' lists. If a couple wants one shared list, make it collaborative: invite a co-author by link and both of you can add wishes.
Start with things you use every day that are due for an upgrade: headphones, slippers, a skillet, a backpack. Add one experience for the holidays and supplies for a hobby. Five or six lines like that already make a list that works.
In the first week of December. By mid-month most gifts are bought, and shipping slows down right before Christmas.
Yes, reserved wishes are marked for everyone who opens the list. The list owner doesn't see reservations by default, so the surprise under the tree survives.
Yes. Create a separate list from your account, name it after your child and send the link to grandparents and godparents. Ideas by age are on the kids' wishlist page.
Yes: a short list of three wishes within the game's budget. Send the link to the organizer, who passes it to your Santa.
Nothing. Wishlists, reservations and shared lists in GIFTbase are free, and relatives don't need to install anything to view a list.
Updated September 30, 2026
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Make your Christmas wishlist before December
Free, for the whole family, with gift reservations. What ends up under the tree is what people asked for.
