Christmas Sweet Gifts 2026: Our Sweet Shop Gift Guide

There is something about a paper bag of sweets that makes people smile, whatever their age. Whether you are buying for a grandad who still talks about the corner shop, a friend who lives on fizzy cola bottles, or the colleague who has everything, a sweet shop gift is personal, nostalgic and very hard to get wrong.

Here is our guide to the best sweet gifts for Christmas 2026, all hand-packed at our sweet shop in South Shields and posted anywhere in the UK.

Order by Friday 18 December for Christmas

Every order is weighed out and packed by hand, so please give us a little time in the busy weeks. Order by Friday 18 December and we will do our very best to get your parcel to you before Christmas.

Orders are usually packed and sent within 3 to 5 working days. See our delivery information for the full details.

The classic: Build Your Own Sweet Box

Our most popular gift by a mile. Choose any 8 bags of sweets from the jars and we will pack them into a gift box for £15.95. It is the closest thing to standing at our counter and pointing at the jars you want.

A few combinations that always go down well:

• The nostalgia box: Pear Drops, Cola Cubes, Rhubarb and Custard, Sherbet Lemons and Chocolate Limes.
• The chocolate lover: Chocolate Brazil Nuts, Milk Chocolate Peanuts, Fruit and Nut and Chocolate Mice.
• The fizz fan: Fizzy Cola Bottles, Fizzy Cherries, Sour Tongues and Fizzy Sour Apples.

Start building your box

For the North East exile: Jesmona Black Bullets

If you are buying for someone who grew up in the North East, this is the one. Jesmona Black Bullets have been made since 1906 and were a pocket staple for the region's miners and shipyard workers. The classic striped tin (£6.99) makes a brilliant stocking filler, and you can buy them by the bag too.

Read the full story in our post on the history of Black Bullets.

The gift that keeps giving: a sweet subscription

The Mr Swainstons Sweet Subscription is a bumper, hand-picked box delivered every month for £14.95, filled with treats you won't find on our website, including our Christmas special editions.

Subscriptions are billed on the 15th of each month and sent out from the 20th. If you want something to unwrap on Christmas Day itself, pair the subscription with a small box or a gift card.

When you can't decide: a gift card

Not sure if they are a humbug person or a jelly baby person? A Mr Swainstons gift card, from £10, lets them choose for themselves, online or in our shop on Fowler Street.

Stocking fillers under £5

Every 100g bag on our website is a perfect little stocking filler. Our team's favourites for Christmas stockings:

• Chocolate Mice and White Mice, a stocking tradition for generations
• Mint Humbugs, the proper striped kind
• Jelly Babies, still the nation's favourite
• Liquorice Allsorts, for the grown-ups
• Assorted Toffees to share after Christmas dinner

For the superfan: the knitted John and Sean dolls

Yes, really. Our hand-knitted John and Sean dolls (£49.95) are the most unusual gift on our shelves, and they have become a bit of a collector's item.

Christmas sweet gift questions

When is the last day to order for Christmas?

Please order by Friday 18 December. After that, we will still pack and post your order as quickly as we can, but we cannot promise it will arrive before Christmas.

Can I send sweets straight to the person I'm buying for?

Yes. Just enter their address as the delivery address at checkout.

Do you deliver outside the UK?

We currently deliver within the UK only.

Can I visit the shop instead?

Of course. We are open 7 days a week at 128–130 Fowler Street, South Shields. Plan your visit.