Quick answer: Choose a Christmas perfume gift with three questions: fresh or warm, strong or soft, and what does the person already wear? If you are unsure, start with a scent Mykonos lists for autumn and winter, such as Mykonos Senja, Mykonos Milk Drops or Mykonos Bonfire Vanilla, and consider a smaller size. Order early: public holidays and busy periods can make delivery slower than our estimates.
A Christmas perfume gift can feel like a risk: scent is personal, and you cannot see whether it will suit. This guide gives you three questions to ask first, eight Mykonos perfumes listed for autumn and winter, and plain notes on sizes and ordering time. We are an authorized Mykonos retailer for Europe; the notes, ratings and sizes below come from the brand's product data and handbook, the delivery estimates from our shipping policy.
How do you choose a Christmas perfume gift for someone else?
Three questions do most of the work. Our Mykonos perfume gift guide has the full method for any time of year; this is the December version.
Fresh or warm?
Look at what the person wears now and stay in the same family if you can: people who love fresh citrus tend to stay with fresh scents, people who love vanilla with warm ones. If you do not know, choose from the warm end. Every scent below is listed by Mykonos for autumn and winter, and each has something sweet, spicy or creamy in its pyramid, such as vanilla, praline, milk, clove or cinnamon.
Strong or soft?
The brand's handbook rates the sillage and projection of every perfume, in plain words how far the scent travels from the wearer. A strong rating suits someone who likes to be noticed on an evening out; a moderate one suits someone who sits close to colleagues all day.
Do you know what they already wear?
If so, match the family rather than the exact scent. If not, you are buying blind, and our guide to blind buying perfume shows how to read a note list when you cannot smell the bottle. Unisex scents take the guesswork out of "for him or for her": the unisex collection brings them together, and find your scent narrows the choice quickly.
Which size?
A smaller bottle is a lower-stakes gift. By our own estimate, a 50 ml bottle gives about 500 sprays, plenty to find out whether a scent suits someone. The product page shows which sizes can be ordered.
Which Mykonos perfumes make good Christmas gifts?
Here are eight, sorted by where our store lists them. All eight are extrait de parfum and listed for autumn and winter, and the ratings are the brand's handbook ratings. The groups are uneven because unisex is the biggest group in the range.
| Scent | Listed for | Sillage / projection | Longevity (brand rating) | Sizes listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invade | Him | Moderate to strong / moderate to strong | 10+ hours | 50 ml |
| Moroccan Vanilla | Her | Moderate to strong / moderate to strong | 8+ hours | 100 ml, 15 ml |
| Pink Drops | Her | Strong / strong | 12+ hours | 50 ml |
| Bonfire Vanilla | Unisex | Strong / strong | 10+ hours | 50 ml, 100 ml |
| Dark Secret | Unisex | Strong / strong | 12+ hours | 100 ml, 15 ml |
| Milk Drops | Unisex | Strong / strong | 12+ hours | 50 ml |
| Dreamscape | Unisex | Strong / strong | 12+ hours | 50 ml, 100 ml |
| Senja | Unisex | Moderate / moderate to strong | 9+ hours | 50 ml |
For him
- Mykonos Invade: pink pepper, lavender absolute and juniper, then cashmeran, cinnamon bark and caramel, finishing on amber, Madagascar vanilla and dry woods. Warm, spicy vanilla and wood for someone who likes spice with some sweetness. The brand labels it masculine.
For her
- Mykonos Moroccan Vanilla: Moroccan vanilla, Bulgarian rose, rose and lemon on top, a heart of Bulgarian rose, vanilla, lemon and sugar, and a base of white musk, sugar and vanilla. A rose-and-vanilla scent for someone who likes sweet florals. The brand labels it feminine.
- Mykonos Pink Drops: strawberry preserve, almond and caramel on top, milk and heliotrope in the heart, vanilla and white musk below. A soft, sweet, milky gourmand, listed for her although the brand labels it unisex.
For anyone
- Mykonos Bonfire Vanilla: clove, nutmeg, pink pepper, orange zest and vanilla, then smoked wood, guaiac wood and burnt brown sugar, drying down to smoked wood, vanilla, marshmallow and caramel. Spicy, smoky and sweet, listed for evenings and special occasions.
- Mykonos Dark Secret: black cherry, saffron and bergamot, then cinnamon, nutmeg, marigold, jasmine and praline, on amber, musk, tonka bean and sandalwood. Dark fruit and spice for evenings and special occasions.
- Mykonos Milk Drops: a floral bouquet and milk, then milk and green notes, on tonka bean, white musk and white wood. A creamy, floral gourmand listed for daily wear, evenings and work. The three Drops are compared in which Mykonos Drops to choose.
- Mykonos Dreamscape: mango, Italian lemon and rhubarb, then ginger, jasmine, violet, praline and pink pepper, on cedar, grey amber, tonka bean and moss. Juicy fruit with spice and dry wood, for someone who wants something lively.
- Mykonos Senja: coffee and almond, then patchouli, chocolate and milk, on sandalwood, chocolate, vetiver and cistus. A coffee-and-chocolate gourmand with woods, for someone who likes sweet and woody scents.
None of the eight is rated light. Mykonos rates Senja, Invade and Moroccan Vanilla below the others for sillage and projection. It rates longevity from 8+ to 12+ hours across the eight, and how long a scent lasts on you depends on skin and climate.
Is a 15 ml perfume a good stocking filler?
Not every present has to be a full bottle. At least 18 Mykonos perfumes list a 15 ml size, among them Dark Secret and Moroccan Vanilla from the picks above. By our own estimate it gives about 150 sprays, so it is a real perfume, not a sample. We sell no separate sample vials and no sample or discovery set, so 15 ml is the smallest size you can give, and the product page shows whether it can be ordered. Our guide to Mykonos samples and 15 ml travel sizes covers the scents that come in it.
When should you order a Christmas perfume gift?
Christmas runs from 24 to 26 December, and Advent is the four Sundays before it. If you are also buying for Sinterklaas (the evening of 5 December in the Netherlands, 6 December in Belgium) or Nikolaus (6 December in Germany and Austria), the date is earlier still.
Our delivery estimates for normal circumstances, in working days: handling takes 1–2 working days after payment (an order placed before 17:00 CET on a working day goes into handling that day, a weekend or public-holiday order on the next working day), and transit takes 2–4 working days within the Netherlands and 3–5 to the other countries in our delivery area. That makes 3–6 working days in total within the Netherlands and 4–7 to the others. Delivery to a pickup point with Mondial Relay is slower than home delivery.
These are estimates, not promises. Public holidays, busy periods and carrier delays can make delivery longer, so we cannot give a last order date; order well ahead. Shipping costs are shown at checkout before you pay, and all rates are in the shipping policy.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good perfume to give as a Christmas gift?
One that fits the person's family, season and strength. If you know little about them, start with the unisex group: Senja is the quietest of the eight by the brand's ratings, while Dreamscape and Bonfire Vanilla suit someone who likes a clear presence.
Is unisex perfume a good Christmas gift?
Often, because you do not have to guess which section the person shops in. Unisex is the biggest group in the Mykonos range, and the label is guidance rather than a rule.
How long before Christmas should I order perfume?
As early as you can. Our estimate is 3–6 working days in total within the Netherlands and 4–7 to the other countries in the delivery area, and holidays and busy periods can add to that. We cannot promise a delivery date.
What if the person does not like it?
Our refund policy gives fourteen days to change your mind on an unopened bottle; once the seal has been broken after delivery, that right ends. Choose with the three questions above and keep the bottle sealed until it is given.