Fun items

Sorted for the hen do or stag night

Most of what sits in this category ends up at a hen party, and the basics are easy to get right. The bride or groom gets a sash and a headband. Everyone else gets a straw and a part in the game. Party games do the hard work when half the group has only just met, because they give people something to laugh about straight away.

Our tip: order a few more straws than you have guests. Someone always loses one, and someone else always wants a spare for the taxi home. A handful of confetti on the table does more for the photos than you'd expect. If the maid of honour likes to dress up, there's also a novelty apron and a costume.

Gifts that get a laugh, not a blush

For a birthday, Secret Santa or leaving do, the trick is a joke attached to something useful. Lighters, drinking bottles and cheeky piggy banks keep getting used long after the card has gone in the bin. Saucy sweets are the safer choice when you don't know someone's sense of humour very well.

Read the packaging before you give edible gifts. Ingredients, allergens and the best-before date are all printed on it, and that matters more at an office party than the joke on the wrapper.

A night in for two

Couples tend to skip the straws and reach for games. Kheper Games makes card and board games built around a pair, with prompts that keep things light instead of awkward. Secretplay and Play Wiv Me add a few more playful options. If you'd rather not pick pieces one by one, the couple kit bundles the idea into a single box.

Pride, festivals and packing light

The PRIDE range covers rainbow flags in medium and large sizes, a pennant, flag pins, temporary tattoos and a small purse. Pins and tattoos weigh almost nothing, so they slip into a festival bag or a jacket pocket without a second thought. The large flag is the one to bring if you want to be spotted in a crowd.

Going away with a toy in your suitcase? Pack spare batteries or a replacement charger. A flat toy on the first night of a holiday is a small disaster nobody plans for.