ISSN: 0004-7163(print)

Three weeks out is the moment to decide what kind of gift you are giving. A boxed collection of chocolates suits a father who likes something to sit with after dinner. A share selection works if the day is spent together and the box is opened at the table. This is also the point to check whether you are posting the gift or handing it over, because postal orders need the longer runway.

Father's Day in the UK falls on the third Sunday of June. It is not fixed to a date the way a birthday is, so it moves each year, which is why it catches so many people out. In 2026 that lands on 21 June. Ireland marks the same day, so a gift crossing the Irish Sea has the one deadline to meet.

A hand-finished chocolate collection suits this moment well because it does not need to be tied to a specific festive theme the way a lot of December gifting is. A collection or a small hamper works as easily in January as it would in any other month, without needing seasonal packaging that would look out of place once the tree has come down and the decorations are away.

For an individual gift, a smaller boxed selection does the job. It suits the teaching assistant, the music teacher or the coach who might otherwise be overlooked when the main present goes to the class teacher. Individually wrapped pieces work here too, because they are easy to share around a department.

Two weeks out is the window to order. Ordering now leaves room for the delivery to travel and for you to change course if the first choice is out of stock. The chocolates are handcrafted in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, where Mary Ann O'Brien started the company in 1992, and a boxed assortment carries that finish well through the post.

Find out more at Easter chocolate hamper.

ISSN: 0004-7163