Home  ›  Family  ›  Gifts

"I switched it on and both of them went completely silent": the little gift that made bedtime the best part of a visit to grandpa's

Every year it's the same: you find a gift, they open it, and five minutes later it's on the floor and the tablet is back out. This is the story of the one that didn't go that way.

I have two grandchildren, and I love having them over. But I'll be honest: for years, gifts were the part I dreaded.

You stand in a shop, trying to guess what's popular this year. You pick something, they say thank you, they play with it for a few minutes — and then it's put down and the screens come back out. And with two of them, there's always the other problem. Whatever one gets, the other checks whether it's bigger, better, or more.

1. A small projector, and a box of picture discs

I came across STARLY more or less by accident. It's a little projector on a bendable neck. You slide a picture disc into it, plug it into a USB charger, press the button — and whatever is on the disc covers the ceiling. A galaxy. The northern lights. The ocean, with a turtle swimming across it.

No app. No Wi-Fi. No remote. I'm not a gadget person, and that's exactly why I trusted it. One button, I can manage that.

2. I bought two, on purpose

Here's the thing I've learned: one gift for two grandchildren is one argument waiting to happen.

It arrived at my door, so I could wrap them myself and give them in person — which, for me, is half the point of a gift.

3. The night I switched it on

They were staying over. Pyjamas on, teeth brushed, the usual negotiation about "five more minutes". I told them I had something to show them, turned off the big light, and pressed the button.

The ceiling filled with stars.

I've given a lot of gifts. I don't think I've ever actually watched one land like that. Their faces, lit up blue from the ocean on the ceiling — that's the picture I keep.

4. Now they fight over who sleeps over

Bedtime at my house used to be the bit of the visit nobody looked forward to. Now it's the bit they ask about in the car on the way over. Which disc tonight? Can we do the northern lights again?

It's the only gift they didn't put down after five minutes — because it isn't something you play with once. It's something they switch on every night, and every new disc is a new world.

5. Why it works as a gift

• One for each child, identical — nobody gets "the better one"
• Six picture discs with every projector: galaxies, northern lights, the moon, the ocean
• One button, USB-powered: no app, no Wi-Fi, no batteries to hunt for
• Flexible neck — points straight at the ceiling above the bed
• Ships free and tracked to your own door, so you can hand it over yourself

6. Christmas sorted in two minutes

This year I didn't stand in a single shop. I ordered a set with one for each of them, and that was Christmas sorted for both grandkids in two minutes.

If you've got two grandchildren, the "One For Each" set is the obvious one. There are sets of three and four as well, for bigger families — or for the cousins who'll hear about it and want one too.

1. 1Pick your setOne projector for each grandchild — every projector comes with its own six discs.
2. 2It comes to youFree, tracked shipping. Orders ship within 5–7 working days.
3. 3Lights off, press onceAnd watch their faces.

ONE FOR EACH — 2 PROJECTORS + 12 DISCS

$51.95$159.80

The set most people choose. Free tracked shipping on every order.

Choose your gift set →

Covered by our 60-night money-back promise.

The gift set

STARLY™ Star Projector — Gift Set

• One projector for each grandchild
• 6 picture discs with every projector
• One button, no app, no Wi-Fi
• Free tracked shipping to your door

Choose your set »

This story is written by the Starly Journal team to show how STARLY is used as a gift.