Frequently asked questions

We deliver every order free to UK addresses, and there is no minimum spend. The only option at checkout is Free Standard Delivery, at £0.00.

We take 1–3 working days to prepare an order, and delivery to most UK addresses then takes 3–7 working days. A working day is Monday to Friday, not counting bank holidays. The longest usual total is 10 working days.

Our delivery area is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are outside it for now.

Parcels for the Scottish Highlands and Islands and for Northern Ireland can take a little longer. Delivery is still free. If you are ordering for a particular date, allow an extra week.

Your tracking number arrives by email when the parcel leaves us. Use the link in that email, or see our Track your order page for what each tracking status means. The first update can take up to a day to appear.

If your tracking has not moved for five working days, or 10 working days have passed since you ordered, write to support@maysparlour.co.uk and give your order number. We trace the parcel and, if it cannot be found, send a replacement or refund you.

To be safe, order by Wednesday 9 December 2026. That date is our suggestion, not a promise: it allows the full 1–3 working days for preparing your order and the full 3–7 working days for delivery, which together come to 10 working days and end on Wednesday 23 December 2026. The full working-day calendar is on our Christmas delivery dates page.

No. We give an honest suggested order-by date based on our usual delivery times, but carriers are at their busiest in December and we don't promise delivery by a particular day. Ordering earlier than the suggested date is the safest plan.

A working day is Monday to Friday, not counting bank holidays. In December 2026 the bank holidays are Friday 25 December and Monday 28 December, and Friday 1 January 2027 follows. Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December 2026, is a normal working day.

Earlier than everyone else: we suggest Wednesday 2 December 2026, a week ahead of our general suggestion, because parcels to these areas can take a little longer.

Yes, the shop stays open all year and you can order at any time. An order placed after the suggested date may still arrive before Christmas, but the chance of it arriving afterwards rises with every day, so please do not rely on it for a present.

The 30-day returns period starts on the day your order is delivered. A present delivered in the middle of November reaches the end of its returns period before Christmas Day, so if you think it may need to go back, order a little later or check it when it arrives.

Returns are free for 30 days after delivery, provided the item is unused and still in its original packaging. Email us and we send a prepaid returns label; you don't have to give a reason.

Write to support@maysparlour.co.uk, quoting your order number and listing what is coming back. A prepaid returns label and instructions follow within 1 working day. The steps are set out on our Returns page.

No. For 30 days after delivery, returns travel on a prepaid label sent to you by email, whether you have changed your mind or something was wrong with the order.

Three kinds of item are not accepted back unless they are faulty: food, drink and personal care products once opened or unsealed; personalised items; and gift cards.

Refunds reach your original payment method no more than 10 working days after your return arrives. Your bank or card provider can need a few extra days to display it.

If anything arrives damaged, faulty or different from what you ordered, we put it right: send us your order number and a photo by email and we replace the item or refund it. That includes fragile pieces such as glass baubles that are broken on arrival. The broken pieces can stay with you unless we ask to see them.

The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 let online shoppers cancel most orders during the 14 days after they receive them. Our 30 days of free returns go further than the law requires, and your statutory rights are not affected. The details are in our Refund policy.

Prices are in pounds sterling (£), and any applicable taxes are already included — nothing is added at checkout. With delivery costing nothing as well, the figure shown beside a product is the whole amount you are charged for it.

The payment methods we accept are shown at checkout. Payment is taken when you place your order.

Yes: 10% off with code WELCOME10 (one use for each customer). Enter it in the discount box at checkout. One code can be used per order.

Write to support@maysparlour.co.uk as quickly as you can. An order that is still being prepared can be altered or stopped. One that has already left us cannot, but it can come back to us free under the 30-day returns promise.

No. Guest checkout needs only an email address. Signing in simply lets you see your orders in one place.

Yes. We email a confirmation when you order and a second email with your tracking number when the parcel leaves us. If nothing arrives within an hour, check your junk folder and then get in touch.

Measure your ceiling height and subtract about 30 cm, which is our rule of thumb for a tree topper plus a little headroom. Then check the width at the base against your floor space. Our Christmas tree calculator does the sums for any height.

As a rule of thumb, about 100 LEDs and about 12 baubles per foot of tree gives a classic, evenly dressed look, so a 6 ft tree takes around 600 lights and 70 baubles. The Christmas tree calculator shows lighter and fuller options.

Mains electricity in the UK is 230 volts. The power type of every set of lights, whether mains plug, low-voltage adaptor, battery, USB or solar, is given on its product page; please check it before you order.

Only if the product page and the instructions say the lights are made for outdoor use. Look for the IP rating on the product page, and plug outdoor lights into a socket protected by an RCD. Our Christmas Guides explain the ratings.

Electrical Safety First advises switching Christmas lights off and unplugging them before you go to bed or go out. A timer makes this easy to remember.

Christmas decorations are not toys, and many have small parts or are made of glass. Keep them out of the reach of young children unless the product page says an item is suitable, and look at the recommended age given there.

Wrap glass baubles individually in tissue paper, coil lights loosely and keep everything in a dry place away from damp and extremes of temperature. Artificial trees keep their shape better in a storage bag or their original box.

We need them to fulfil and deliver your order and to answer your messages, and we handle them in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The full details are in our Privacy policy.

Only if you sign up for them. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link, and you can also ask us to remove you by writing to support@maysparlour.co.uk.

Write to support@maysparlour.co.uk and we will help. If you are unhappy with the way your data has been handled, the regulator to contact is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Customer accounts sign in with a one-time code sent to your email address, so there is no password to remember. Enter your email address on the sign-in page and use the code we send.

May's Parlour is an online Christmas shop for UK homes, open all year. It has twelve departments covering trees, lights, decorations, wreaths, table and kitchen, stockings and advent calendars, gift wrap, gifts, jumpers and crafts. You can browse them all from Shop by department.

No. We sell online only, at maysparlour.co.uk, and deliver within the UK.

Support is by email at support@maysparlour.co.uk; replies go out within 1 working day (Monday to Friday). There is no phone line, which means every conversation is in writing and easy to refer back to. The form on our Contact us page reaches the same inbox.

The May's Parlour Editorial Team. Every guide carries its last-updated date and a source list, drawing on bodies such as GOV.UK, Electrical Safety First and London Fire Brigade. The guides are general information rather than professional advice.