Some presents are chosen in a hurry and forgotten by February. And then there is the present that makes someone go quiet for a moment, because it is about them and nobody else. A reading is that kind of present: a letter written for one person alone, about the year that lies ahead of them or the question that has been on their heart.
It also happens to be the easiest present there is. Everything from my table arrives by e-mail, so there is nothing to wrap, nothing to post, and it is never too late, not even on Christmas morning.
1 · Let them choose: the gift card
With the Ivy Veil Gift Card they choose for themselves: a reading, a ritual or a bundle. You pick a value (€11.11, €22.22 or €44.44), write a few words of your own, and choose the date it lands in their inbox. Set it to 25 December and it is there when they wake up. It works for everything at my table, and it does not expire.
2 · Choose for them: a reading in their name
If you know what they need, order it in their name. Your report arrives in your own inbox, so you can print it, fold it into a card and hand it over at the right moment.
- Year Ahead Reading: their coming year, season by season. The classic gift for the last week of December.
- Return of the Light: held on the winter solstice, Monday 21 December. One line for what they leave in the old year, one for what they carry into the new. Order until Sunday 20 December.
- Birthday Reading: for the ones whose birthday disappears between Christmas and New Year.
- Welcome Baby and New Home: for the family with a new child, or the friends who were just handed their keys.
How that works, and what I need from you, is on my page Give a reading.
3 · Something to hold: a stone
If you would like something they can unwrap, every piece in my jewellery collection carries a stone with a meaning: rose quartz for love, tiger's eye for courage, amethyst for calm. My page Which stone is calling you? helps you choose. Jewellery is sent by post from the Netherlands, so order it early in December.
Older than any of us
Looking ahead at midwinter is one of the oldest customs of the season. In the old calendars of Germany and the Alps the twelve nights between Christmas and the sixth of January stood apart from the rest of the year, and each night was read as a sign for one of the twelve months to come. Families sat together by candlelight and wondered aloud what the year would bring. A reading under the tree belongs to that same tradition. And it works the way every good wish works: when someone sees their year clearly and feels what it would be like to live it, they begin to walk towards it. What you hold in your mind with feeling, you draw towards you like a magnet.
When will it arrive?
A gift card is sent by e-mail at once, or on the date you choose. Readings are written within the hour and rituals are held the same day, seven days a week, during my active hours, also in the days around Christmas. Orders placed while I am resting are first in line when I return.
Questions about giving a reading for Christmas
Can the gift card arrive on Christmas Day itself?
Yes. When you order, you choose the date on which it is sent to their inbox, with your own message.
Is it too late to order on 24 December?
No. A gift card is sent by e-mail at once or on the date you choose, and a reading ordered in their name is written within the hour during my active hours.
Do they need to believe in this?
No. They need to be willing to read a letter written with care, about them and nobody else.
What do you need to read for someone else?
Their first name and, for a reading, their date of birth if you know it. One line about them makes it warmer. The report arrives in your inbox, so the moment of giving is yours.
What can they expect?
A reading or ritual held with care and written for them alone, with a check-in afterwards. I promise no outcome: this is spiritual guidance, offered for entertainment purposes, alongside good advice and never instead of it. Your own choices remain the strongest force.
Give the words. What they do with them is theirs, and that is the most loving part of the gift.
Ivy