Get them an allotment
There is no fresher gift idea than giving someone a piece of land. And because that won’t really be possible, there are allotments. Yes, there is a waiting list, but if you get the ball rolling for the loved one who longs for their own patch of soil, this is a brilliant and thoughtful start. Contact your local council to apply. What you will need is a bit of theatre to deliver your deed, plus a photo of the eventual allotted spot. Put together a green hamper with tools, seeds and a gardener’s almanac – items that will make the cut from window box to miniature meadow.
The buddy wine tour
What could be better than spending a slow day walking in the countryside, stopping for the odd glass of fizz? English viticulture has gone pop over the past 10 years, with new skills and creativity driving the growth of vineyards across the land. Your gastronome will be abreast of this and delighted to receive a wine experience as their gift. It’s just a shame you’ll have to go too. Search UK vineyard tours at englishwineproducers.co.uk.
Deliver their food resolution
For January detox devotees, you can’t do better than booking healthy food to be delivered to their door. Whether they like to turn over a new leaf and go vegetarian for a bit, or favour detox-style packages that provide a total eating regime (snacks included to fend off the temptation to indulge after lunch), the UK’s food concierge boom means you/they will be spoilt for choice. It doesn’t have to be a specific package either. Set up a delivery account with some credit and help jumpstart their healthier, happier new year. For vegetarians, try allplants.com, for health junkies, go for detoxkitchen.co.uk, or for gourmet deliveries try mindfulchef.com.
The baby chill pill
Looking for a present to give a new mum or dad? Lock down a couple of baby yoga lessons. Supersize this gift to Tuscan-retreat level by combining the experience with a baby-friendly spa day. Either way, top with a cute bundle of multi-coloured striped joy from Gap, comprising booties, £9.95, romper suit, £19.95, and a cute sweater, £18.95.
Be their voice coach (sort of)
What to get the muso in your life? They’ll only sniff at your behind-the-curve downloads, so gift a cool choir membership instead – start your search at choirs.org.uk. If London’s Some Voices is anything to go by (“choir without the boring bits”), the musical lineup will consist of pop-meets-indie hits from Blur to Beyonce, and the group energy will be contagious. Show off your own skills by going the extra mile to wrap up a new outfit for their first performance too. Hint: Gap’s military or velvet styles hit the right note this season – like the women’s band jacket, £69.95; women’s front snap jeans £70.95; and men’s velvet blazer £89.95.
365 days of culture
What’s not to love about a membership that keeps the culture thirsty and families busy every weekend in 2018? The National Art Pass from Art Fund delivers entry to more than 240 museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK. There are also over 500 beautiful spaces to visit with membership of the National Trust, and more than 400 inspiring spots to explore with English Heritage. Plus, you can wrap this one up after about a minute spent online. Experience the celestial glow of helping your friends or family build some meaningful memories this year.
Go bespoke with denim
We all want to belong and be unique at the same time. It can take years or a lifetime to get the hang of this from a psychological point of view, but from a wardrobe angle it’s now a cinch, with customisation of our daily denim uniform. Not only can you get jeans hemmed while you wait, in 30 UK and Ireland Gap stores, the free Denim Addict service means clothes can be uniquely styled for you by an in-house expert, using studs and patches, all for free. And the creative play is not just for grown-ups – personalisation is offered across baby and kidswear, which spells happy faces for the whole family come Christmas morning.
Book a night at the museum
It’s arguable who benefits most from this kind of event gift – sometimes literally, when parents can’t agree on who will get to sleep underneath something extinct or in a warship beside their munchkin. Choose from the Natural History Museum’s dino snores event, HMS Belfast’s kip in a ship event, or find any number of cultural overnighters via museumsatnight.org.uk. But remember, you’ll still need something for under the tree, since delayed gratification is best left to the kidults. Wrap up some themed goodies – such as these festive T-rex pyjamas, £29.95, or a dinosaur crewneck sweater, £24.95, and a jurassic-themed toy or book – into a pass-the-parcel game, to give them clues to the main present.
Put them on the front page
This is the present they’ll still be talking about next Christmas. Edit some photos – maybe charting your friendship from day one – pull together a few words, and upload to one of the small newspaper publishers that will turn around a one-off print edition (or more), from around £15. You’ll have a new (addictive) hobby before you can yell “Hold the front page!”, while your giftee will need a G&T to digest just how wonderful you are. Now that’s the spirit. Get started at newspaperclub.com
