How I’m choosing gifts with real meaning this year

I remember the first gift I ever bought. It was a New Year’s present for my mother. I was maybe fourteen and had spent months saving money. I was determined. And then my dad, quite discreetly, joined the final round of financing (meaning: it was basically all his). I still remember the moment we walked out of the shop. A mix of joy, nerves and pride that never repeats itself. The gift was a Pandora bracelet.

At the time, their charm bracelets were already a big trend, and I believed that with that choice I simply could not go wrong. And I was right. But not because of the trend, rather because of the attention I put into it. Every charm we added later was a small symbol of an episode from our shared life. The jewelry became an album of memories. I did not articulate it that way back then, but that is how it felt.

Many years later, I stand in front of a Pandora store and realise that the essence has not changed. As a brand, they are still synonymous with love, care and shared moments. The only thing that changed is me, somewhere between tight deadlines, responsibilities and the speed of the city I forgot what a gift is actually supposed to mean. I buy anything just to cross the task off my list. And that is not enough. At one point I admitted to myself that I had drifted away from the most beautiful part of gifting, its meaning.

Pandora

Pandora as jewelry that connects generations

Since 1982, Pandora has built its reputation on handcrafted silver and gold, but what sets them apart is not only the material but the way jewelry becomes an extension of our stories. Personalisation has been essential to them long before it became an industry slogan.

The Moments collection remains the heart of the brand to this day. Bracelets that, through their charms, carry messages, feelings and symbolism. This holiday season comes new pieces inspired by the glow of the moon, iridescent glass with subtle shifts of colour, shades that feel as if they preserved a fragment of the sky from an important night. It is the kind of jewelry worn not for aesthetics but for the need to hold on to something for ourselves and someone dear.

The other side of Pandora’s identity is the Timeless collection, which I rediscovered this year. It feels like a modern version of family jewelry. Clean design, classic lines, elegance that can be worn at any moment. Pieces from this collection carry the kind of longevity we rarely find. They are not a gift meant to be fun for a short time, but something meant to last for years. As I tried them on, for the first time in a long while I thought, “This is the type of jewelry you never take off and that works with everything.”

A gift that is more than aesthetics

Pandora’s holiday offering is extensive this season too. Silver, gold, crystals in various colours, handcrafted details. However, what makes the More Than a Gift campaign special is its message. It is the same message I felt while standing in front of their window display, thinking about how many times I had forgotten the essence of giving.

Creative directors Filippo Ficarelli and Francesco Terzo sum up the brand’s philosophy in a sentence that stayed with me. “Each piece should be a reminder of what truly matters.” And truly, is that not what we need the most today?

To end, here is a simple conclusion. Choose Timeless for everyday elegance, Moments if you want a personalised story. Or combine them. That way you get perfect harmony, aesthetics and meaning. And me? This year, thanks to Pandora, I decided to give gifts again like that fourteen year old girl. From the heart.

Pandora