Being cold is not a preference, it is a permanent condition of some people and a running joke in the households they live in. It is also the easiest thing in the world to buy for, because the problem never goes away and nobody ever solves it properly for themselves.
They own blankets. They own a dressing gown. What they usually do not own is one good heavy thing, because a good heavy thing costs more than a person will spend on their own comfort.
The one that matters
A sherpa throw blanket has actual weight to it, which is the difference between warmth and the feeling of warmth. It is the present that gets used every evening from November to March and then reappears next winter.
If they already have something heavy, a fleece throw blanket is the lighter one for the sofa - the one that gets taken to the other room rather than lived under.
The rest of the cold
Cold is not only the body. A room that is dim and blue-lit at six in the evening feels colder than the same room at the same temperature with warm light in it.
A set of outdoor LED candles does that on a balcony that is otherwise abandoned from October. An aroma diffuser does it indoors, and the warm-smelling oils - cinnamon, sandalwood - are the winter half of what it is for.
Mornings are the worst part
Getting out of bed in a cold flat in the dark is the specific moment this person dreads. A sunrise alarm clock brightens the room over half an hour before it makes any sound, and the room feels warmer for it even though nothing has changed about the temperature.
What not to buy
Not a heater. It is their electricity bill and their decision. Not slippers, unless you know their size and their taste, which almost nobody does.
If you are shopping rather than reading: Gifts for better sleep is what we stock for dark mornings, cold rooms and bad nights.
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Common questions
Is a heavier blanket warmer?
Not necessarily. Warmth comes from trapped air, not from weight. A brushed flannel and sherpa throw holds heat without pressing on anyone.
What size throw covers two people on a sofa?
Look for seventy-nine by ninety-one inches. That is more than twice the area of a standard American throw, and it is the difference between sharing and negotiating.
What else helps besides a blanket?
Hands and feet first. Anything that warms the room quietly — a lamp with a low warm light, a diffuser that moves — changes how cold a room feels before the thermostat does.
