Unique Christmas Gift Ideas and Experiences

Are you struggling with Christmas gift ideas this year, I don't know about you but I am not sure I'm feeling very Christmassy yet, we are all waiting to find out what we are allowed to do or not do.  I very much doubt I will be dressing up much for Christmas 2020!  But the downtime has given me an opportunity to look at some unique gift ideas and share a few suggestions with you on this blog post.  I am again focussing on 'collect memories, not things' with ideas for uncluttered gifting.

I have combined three important factors in my selection - 'make memories' by gifting a day out or an experience, items that can be 'used or consumed' in a short timeframe or if not I have made sure they have 'ethical and sustainable credentials'.  And most of these gifts are adaptable for teens, midlifers, grandparents, male, female, mum or dad .... 

Three westie sisters ... Snowi, Bonnie and Katy!

A day trip or outing - how about a walking tour of one of our beautiful British cities?  My sister is an Oxford City Tour Guide and is currently offering a 25% discount off her bespoke tours until Spring 2021, you can read more on my blog post here - Oxford Walking Tours.

Afternoon tea - buy vouchers from a local tea shop or hotel.  Or how about one of the fabulous London hotels?  Have a day out, for my 50th my friends organised shopping, afternoon tea on a London bus and theatre tickets.   Some ideas on my blog include Harrods, The Berkeley Hotel, The Corinthia, Fortnum & Mason or local to me I wrote recently about Strawberry Grove (who can delivery to your home too), and there is Cliveden and Danesfield House, both make brilliant days out.

A photographic shoot - I have spoken about FYEO Portraits before, this is a really fun treat and a huge confidence booster and I can so recommend it, having my own boudoir shoot was amazing.  Buy a shoot then gift a photograph or album to your partner.  Or find a local photographer and organise a family shoot for the spring, when hopefully we can all get out and about again.  The smaller businesses will so appreciate us buying vouchers now for use later.  In the Buckinghamshire area I can recommend Jenny Kaye Photography, based in Beaconsfield.  We had planned to do some work together but Covid has put that on hold for now.

Wine tasting at home - another one for husband, dad, son or grandfather, take a look at The Wine List a monthly subscription service, they send you two bottles of wine, taste cards and all the info about the wine so you can learn more about the wines you enjoy.  You can gift 1, 2, 3 months or more, depending on your budget and the recipient can choose to takeover or cancel the subscription.  I wrote a blog post about it earlier in the summer, you can find it here Wine Tasting at Home (and there is a 30% discount code too)!

​A night (or two) away - I love finding somewhere unusual and organising a surprise trip, take a look at websites like Canopy & Stars for glamping, or how about a Shepherds Hut at The Fish Hotel in the Cotswolds, or a Beach Hut in West Sussex?  Last November (remember those normal days) we had a really fun trip to The Cotswold Distillery and an overnight stay at The Lygon Arms in Broadway, I can thoroughly recommend buying a voucher for the gin tour, read more on this link.

Gift a voucher to visit The Cotswold Distillery near Broadway.

Men's grooming - I was recently asked if my husband would like to try out some products from Thomas Clipper, and we were sent the 'Rough & Smooth' luxury soap and scrub bar.  currently on special offer, these bars are really substantial and smell wonderful.  The scrub will exfoliate after a busy day and the soap will clean and calm.  Both are handmade in the UK.  The Mountain fragrance is their flagship scent and using a solid bar has become so much more popular for its sustainability, no plastic bottles to dispose of.  My husband wouldn't do men's beauty products (are they called that) but these soaps are good for even the toughest alpha male!

Above and below left, Thomas Clipper soap and scrub bar. Below middle, Lumity ultimate self-care kit and right, B-Line Beauty hug-in-a-box and hand and body treat.

Beauty for women - and for us girls (you can send this blog post to your significant other), I have just started using Tropic products.  All natural, short shelf life, and sustainable.  Try their 'body cleansing pebble' and add in a pebble pouch (pop your pebble in it's pouch and use together to exfoliate and cleanse your body) - great gift for not much over a tenner.  Or how about the Skincare Discovery Kit which gives you the Tropic staples in handy travel sizes to try.  Tropic also offer a range of festive treats in recyclable packaging and at really good prices too.  You can read more about Tropic on my blog post here.  Or I love the supplements and anti-ageing cleanser and facial oil from Lumity, they are currently offering a range of ladder Black Friday discounts and gift bundles, like the Lumity Ultimate Self-Care Set, their products really add a touch of luxury and their award winning supplements work, plus they offer refills to cut down on packaging waste.

Stress relief and bath products - I was recently sent a Hug-in-a-Box from B-Line Beauty and we all need a hug and a bit of extra stress relief in 2020!  Their box contains a trio of gorgeous products designed to help you relax, it all arrives in recyclable packaging ready to enjoy or gift.  You can read my full review of Hug -in-a-Box here.

Manicure or pedicure - you could buy a voucher from a local salon, I go to No 21 Beauty Within near Lane End in Buckinghamshire (I can recommend their Tropic facial and back massage) and again smaller local businesses will really appreciate your support right now.  Or gift a home pampering kit, B-Line Beauty have some fantastic options, I reviewed their home pedicure products during the first lockdown.

Bath bombs etc - Vari Cosmetics is a brand local to me and Verity is a lovely young lady, she founded Vari Cosmetics in 2018 to create a range of bath bombs that were both kind to skin and look and smell amazing and she has succeeded.  Vari Cosmetics have an extensive range of bath bombs, bubble bars, bubble bath and home fragrance and arrive beautifully packaged in a recyclable box, ready to gift.

Above, spa bath from B-Line Beauty, bottom left, Mapiful home print, middle, sustainable cotton poncho and arm knitted recycled snood from Creative DeZigns and right, The Wine List.

Aromatherapy - Scentered is really fabulous aromatherapy brand and I love their balms and candles and they are so easy to use on the go.  I have recently been sent the I want to DE-STRESS gift set to try out and earlier this year I was sent their I want to SLEEP WELL gift set.  Or how about an aroma diffuser, humidifier and mood light from Smellacloud to use with 100% essential oils for relaxation and beautiful calming scents? 

Magazine subscription - maybe a subscription to a favourite magazine?  One year I was gifted Positive News which even more so this year is very welcome, we need positivity.  I also have a subscription to Woman & Home and I always look forward to receiving it.  Remember to recycle magazines after you have read and enjoyed them!

Ethical knitwear and accessories - Creative DeZigns offer a really gorgeous range of knitwear and accessories that would delight a gift recipient.  All their items are such good quality and classic design that they last and last.  I love their jewellery or one of their organic cotton knitted ponchos, like the ecru one here or their arm knitted snoods using up-cycled yarn would be a super gift (see .photo above).

Left and centre - scarf from Wild at Heart Gifts, trainers from Hotter Shoes and right Never Off Duty Mama Life London, necklace from Mooch in Marlow.

Slogan Tee or Sweat - fast becoming an icon of slogan tees, I love the Never Off Duty tee from Mama Life, a great gift for your girlfriends (see above).  Or for the man in your life Tors & Co offer fun, sustainable and ethical clothing with great slogans and it is all 'circular fashion' so they recycle everything, when a Tors & Co tee wears out, send it back to them to receive a discount on your next purchase.  Tors & Co sell mens, ladies, kids plus accessories and bags too.
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​Personalised wall art - I really love my 'Home' print from Mapiful, you can choose from various designs all based around the recipients location and they come framed or unframed.

Chilly's bottles - these come in so many fun colours and designs and so much better for the environment to have a refillable bottle.  And they keep the contents cold or hot!  Take a look at the Chilly's range here.

Books - I do love a good chick-lit novel!  I have just finished 'don't bother to dress up' by Maly Sale, which was such an easy read, with a huge relevance to my life right now, I loved how Maly tackled current topics in midlife, and all with humour and empathy.  Another really fab one I just bought my husband is The Great British Bucket List (Utterly Unmissable Britain) by Richard Madden.  Why not gift the book and a voucher for one of the days out in the book?  The book is split into heritage, experiences, gardens and nature, outdoor activities and festivals, landscapes and rainy days.  I was contacted this week by a reader of my blog (I always love to hear from you so do get in touch) and she told me about her own book - 'An Officer, Not a Gentleman - the inspirational story of a pioneering female fighter pilot' by Mandy Hickson so I have added it to my wishlist, how cool and an inspirational read for the younger generation too?  Find out about Mandy's incredible journey to become one of the UK's first female, fast-jet, pilots!

I still prefer a 'real book' I've tried a Kindle and a Kindle App, I do listen to Audible sometimes but if you are like me don't hang onto books once you have enjoyed them, pass on or donate to a charity book shop.  Walking in my woods this summer I came across a book swap box, what a fab idea.

Do you have any other ideas to add?  Do share in comments.  Or for more inspiration you can take a look at this blog post written by Jo from Less is More.

Don't forget that I have some discount codes currently running on many of these gift ideas and I will list them all below to help you find what you are looking for.

Lots of love
Michelle xx
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​Disclaimer: this blog post does contain gifted products but it does not contain affiliate links.  I was sent gifts throughout the year from Thomas Clipper, B-Line Beauty, Scentered, Smellacloud, The Wine List, Mapiful and Lumity.  I was under no obligation to share anything on my blog.

Current Discount Codes:

​25% Off Walking Tours of Oxford
30% Off The Wine List
20% to 40% Off Lumity
20% Off Baavet Wool Duvet and Bedding
​10% Off Vari Cosmetics (for new customers use code VARI10)
​10% Off Smellacloud (use code smellacloud) or Black Friday 24th to 27th November)

Underwear set from Pour Moi and cosmetic bag from The Wendy House.

Pretty lingerie is always a beautiful gift but ask the recipient what they'd like first!  Us women are very individual and our underwear choice very personal.  I am currently loving Pour Moi, I still love Victoria Secret's (oh how I miss Bond Street) and on my Christmas gift wish list is a stunning set from Marie Jo.  Make-up bag is from The Wendy House.

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