We all love a sentimental gift and if we're lucky enough, the odd expensive gift. But isn't it nice to open a gift and think, "why on earth have you bought me this?" - but it also ends up becoming your pride and joy.
An unusual gift is the gift we didn't know we needed, but turns out to be good fun anyway. Because who doesn't need a potty piano, right?
Make gift giving fun again, with an unusual gift for your loved ones, that they'll enjoy for Christmas and beyond.
From the downright weird, to the fun and quirky gift, we've rounded up some of the best unusual gifts you can buy for Christmas this year.
Best unusual Christmas gifts for 2019
1. Ceramic Jungle Head Vase
These ceramic vases are shaped like jungle animal heads and that's all we needed to know.
If you know someone who likes to jazz up their spaces with cool accents this is the perfect present. It's a fun way for someone to add a botanical touch to their home, the animal heads are statement pieces alone - but would look just as chic in a group.
Even if you don't fancy adding any greenery to them, they make a fun accessory that will instantly add a sense of personality.
Price: £36, Not on The High Street - buy here now
2. Potty Piano
It's exactly what it says it is. Whilst scrolling through social media or catching up on email's are among the top ranking activities to do on the toilet, who could resist a sweet tune as well?
Play a tune on the loo. With a songbook included you'll be on your way to making music magic on the throne in no time.
All jokes aside, this gift is great for parents who are potty training and can help to encourage confidence, for children still learning the toilet ins and outs.
Yes, great for the children.
Price: £17.99, Find Me a Gift - buy here now
3. Funky Veg Kit
If you've got a novice gardener in the group who is interested to get some green fingers, this Funky Veg kit is affordable and easy to use - even for kids.
The pack includes five biodegradable pots, five peat dishes and five different seeds - along with instructions for you to grow a colourful array of veg like you've never seen it before.
From purple carrots, to yellow courgette's and red brussel sprouts, this kit is an exciting way to make mealtimes healthier and more visually exciting.
Everything is 100% non genetically modified. At £14.99 these are a complete bargain and could make a great gift for multiple members of the family.
Price: £14.99, Amazon - buy here now
4. EcoSphere - Small
From creating your own funky veg, to creating your very own Ecosystem. This special little gift is the world's first completely closed ecosystem created by scientists at NASA and impressively, the smallest size is under £100.
The Ecosphere comes equipped with micro-organisms - tiny little shrimp and algae that are housed in filtered sea-water. You don't need to feed the little shrimp or clean the water. All you have to do is find a safe space for your little world to stay and provide plenty of indirect natural or artificial light.
This really is a gift that keeps on giving. Although the lives of Ecospheres can vary; they are said to be able to live for anywhere between one and three years. Now that's a lot longer than a pair of socks.
Price: £99, Prezzy Box - buy here now
5. Meerkat Encounter for Two
This gift is great for animal lovers who like to get up close and personal with our wilder counterparts.
Treat two people to a unique encounter with some of the most social and inquisitive critters - a mob of meerkats.
The informative experience includes a guided tour of a meerkat enclosure, with the chance to hand feed the amazing animals and let them climb on you.
Just think of all the meerkat selfies.
Price: £49, Find Me a Gift - buy here now
6. Crosley Cruiser Deluxe Vintage 3-Speed Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable
For the music lover that you know, this gift is one they can listen to their favourites on and cherish forever.
The retro looking gadget is a three speed record player, shaped uniquely like a suitcase and finish in a cool slate grey. The player has an NP6 needle and is capable of playing 7", 10" or 12" records.
It has built in speakers so wherever you go, the party can always go on - it's also bluetooth enabled if you aren't the record type.
Price: £129, Amazon - buy here now
7. Personalised Lea and Perrins Bottle
We all know someone who loves cheese on toast. Why not treat them to a personal bottle of their own Lea and Perrin's bottle, personalised just for them.
For a limited time only you can personalise a bottle of the famous Worcestershire Sauce. Exactly 1837 bottles will be available for people to make their, celebrating the year when Lea & Perrins was first created.
But there is a catch, whilst you'll need to hurry to secure your order now; in order for the ingredients to mature to their genuine flavours - the lucky recipient will have to wait until June 2021 to receive the finished bottle.
So on Christmas day, essentially they'll only have a personalised certificate of authenticity to show for it. But we're sure it'll be well worth the wait.
Price: £6.50, Lea and perrins - buy here now
8. Molecule-R Cuisine Gastronomy Chemistry Kit
Scientific culinary skills have taken the world by storm, if you know someone likes to whip up unusual flavours or having there food twitch and tremble, this is perfect.
Included in the pack are five pre-measured food additives, five specialised molecular tools and a hand DVD that contains 50 different recipes to create weird and wonderful dishes.
Heston who?
Price: £39.95, Amazon - buy here now
9. Tank Paintball Battle
Nothing says Christmas like.. going into a paint ball battle in a tank, right?
For the adventurer and keen activity person of the group or family, this three hour experience will nurture the adrenalin junkie in them. Take full control of a turreted FV432 combat tank and work as a team to navigate the difficult terrain to defeat the enemy.
Price: From: £115, Red Letter Days - buy here now
10. Pet Snack Launcher
Potentially a very long source of entertainment for you and your beloved pet. Combine two of the essentials: eating and playing, without ever moving a muscle.
This pet snack launcher is a great gift that can be used inside the home or when out and about. Simply load the launcher with snacks, aim and fire.
The launcher comes with a wrist string attachment for convenient carrying. It also isn't battery operated, so you and your pet can enjoy it for a long time to come yet.
Price: £5.99, Prezzy Box - buy here now
11. British Library Membership
If you want to treat your loved one to a truly special Christmas gift, why not treat them to the gift of endless knowledge?
This membership to the British library will open up doors to their imagination and allow them to immerse themselves in new worlds.
As well as access to all of the books at hand you'll also get free entry for you and a guest to British Library exhibitions, priority booking for events and up to four free event tickets each year as well as, 20% off in their public restaurants, cafés and shops and more benefits.
Price: From: £80, British Library - buy here now
12. Learn to Drift Half Day Drifting Experience with 6 Passenger Laps
It's not your conventional Christmas gift, but the speed junkie in your life will definitely be happy about this one.
Treat the racer in the family to a fun half day of drifting. Learn the basics in a drift car, finish off the experience with a passenger ride with a driver who competes in one of the many national or international drift series - we can feel the adrenalin from here.
Price: £69, Track Days - buy here now
13. Bloody Classic 6 Pack
If you know someone who loves a bloody classic, treat them to a glorious six pack of bloody classic goodness.
Enjoy a six cans of the much loved Bloody Mary, the traditional recipe has a slight twist - indulge in ingredients like tomato juice, vodka, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, a dash of soy, celery salt and a specially curated hot sauce, made with habanero peppers and birds eye chillies for a kick.
This unusual gift will make a lovely surprise for a lover of classic drinks.
Price: £22.50, Bloody drinks - buy here now
14. 23andMe Health + Ancestry Service
This gift is a bit of a strange one, it's essentially a plastic tube in a box that the lucky recipient then has to spit into, charming.
Using the saliva collection kit from 23andMe, in as little as three to five weeks you'll have access to a host of information - including health and wellness reports.
Simply register your kit following the online instructions, spit, send and then wait for your results to go live.
Price: £99, 23andMe - buy here now
