Gift for your aunt: what to take for masi, bua, chachi or mami, or the aunty next door, from Rs 299Gift for your aunt: what to take for masi, bua, chachi or mami, or the aunty next door, from Rs 299

Masi, bua, chachi, mami: not the same aunt

English has one word for five relationships. In an Indian family, masi (your mother's sister) is often a second mother, bua (your father's sister) is the one who expects to be remembered, chachi and taiji live in the joint house or next door, and mami is your mother's brother's wife, a relative by marriage. Then there is "aunty": the neighbour, your mother's friend, your friend's mother. Each needs a slightly different gift.

Raajkosh hand-pours soy wax candles in Jalandhar. Several of ours are flowers and festival shapes sculpted in wax, which is exactly the kind of pretty, useful thing aunts tend to put on display.

Which piece for which aunt

The Floral Candle Duo with the Lotus Candle is Rs 998, plus Rs 79 shipping. The Floral Candle Duo with the Matki Candles is Rs 1,248 and ships free (free shipping starts at Rs 999).

Carrying it in hand when you visit

In most families you do not post a gift to an aunt; you take it when you visit, after touching her feet. So order to your own address a few days before the trip, and keep it in its box in your bag. Our candles travel best in their packaging, upright, not under a heavy suitcase. If you are giving to several aunts at one function, buying the same piece for each avoids the comparison that always follows.

Five aunts at one wedding

Weddings and big pujas often mean a gift for every aunt at once. At today's shop prices:

• Five Blossom Candles: Rs 1,495.
• Five Lotus Candles: Rs 1,745.
• Five Daisy Tealight packs: Rs 2,245.

All of these ship free. For 50 or more pieces, such as return gifts for all the guests, see our corporate and wedding return gifts page for a quote.

The note that makes an aunt happy

Aunts remember who remembered them. One line is enough:

• "Masi, for the mandir. You taught me the aarti."
• "Bua, for the best drawing room in the family."
• "For aunty, thank you for every lunch box you packed for me too."

To put "Masi" or her name on the tag itself, use a custom enquiry on our custom orders page. We reply with what is possible, a timeline and a price.

When an aunt should get something else

If she would rather have a suit piece, a shawl, kitchen things or a box of mithai, buy those from a local shop near her; many deliver on the day. If she is elderly with poor eyesight, give the candle as decor and keep it unlit.

Paying, shipping, returns

We deliver across India, dispatching in 24 to 48 hours and delivering 2 to 7 days after dispatch; order early and check the delivery estimate for the pincode on the product page. Prepaid only (UPI, card, net banking or wallet); there is no cash on delivery. Shop orders can be returned on a request within 24 hours of delivery, and damage reported within 24 hours is replaced or refunded.

When she lights it: a stable, heat-proof surface, away from the mandir cloth, never unattended, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.