Trying to find the perfect unique and special gifts for your loved ones which are also planet-friendly? It’s not impossible. We are here to help you out with our guide to the Best Eco-friendly Christmas Gift Ideas which can hopefully help you to find what you are looking for. When we curated this gift guide, we didn’t only try to find unique & eco-friendly gifts but we are also a huge advocate for supporting small businesses especially around the holidays so we included as many small businesses as we could. Whether you are looking for stocking fillers or main gifts, we collected a wide range of different eco-friendly gift ideas which would be great for women, men, teenagers, and kids as well.
Let’s jump right into our Gift Ideas:
Gift Sets
Let’s start with gift sets. I know that these are quite controversial because they kind of got a bad reputation thanks to those awful toiletry type of gift sets. BUT, over the past couple of years, I found so many great gift sets mainly from small businesses and sustainable businesses which are thoughtful and can be very personal if you give it to the right person (with the right intention). For example, if someone tries to be more eco-conscious in their everyday lives, gifting a zero-waste starter kit set can be very thoughtful, personal, and motivating for them to take those next steps towards a more planet-friendly life.
Here are my favourite eco-friendly gift sets:
- Wakeup – Zero Waste Starter Kit – £60.00
- Linen & Stripes eco-friendly Christmas Cushion Cover Set – £117.50
- The Singing Leaf – Organic Loose Leaf Tea Gift Set – £25.00
- Shoreline – Eco shaving kit with safety razor – £29.99
- Clean U – Recycled Coconut Bowls & Spoons Gift Set – £10.45
- Alice & Peg – The Hygge Gift Box – £38.00
- Battle Green Box – Zero Waste Gift Box – £48.95
- Seed kit for kids – £12.50
Photo Credit: Linen & Stripes
House Plants
Plants make the perfect gift. Gifting live house plants to someone is thoughtful, planet-friendly, and versatile. Live plants can really turn a house into a home by creating a relaxed environment, not to mention (with the right plants) they can really purify the air in someone’s home. You can really make this present personal by picking out the perfect plant; whether they are a homebody or always on the go, minimalists or more into funky patterns, having a huge empty space in their home or must be clever to find something for a small space. You can also make it very personal by looking at plants which are symbolizing something like the Chinese Money Plant, Pilea which can wish someone good fortune.
Check out PATCH , a UK-based plant delivery service; they have a huge variety of plants basically for anybody. They also have so much info about their plants and articles to learn more. If you want to be very sustainable and low-waste, you can simple propagate one of your own plants and gift that to someone – it gives a personal touch to your gift and your loved one can watch the little plant baby grow big and strong.
Photo Credit: Patch
DIY Kits
Wanna gift someone some quality “me-time” who has a creative mind and loves to do DIY projects? Then, getting them an exciting DIY kit would be just the perfect gift especially if you know what sort of activities they love to do. Are they into tempering and a little spa day at home? Get them an eco-friendly, organic and vegan “Make your own face mask” kit. Or are they into something a little bit more crafty? Surprise them with a DIY Beeswax Wrap Kit. Maybe they love candles and turning their home into the ultimate cosy Hygge place? A Soy Candle Making Kit might just be the perfect choice.
Photo credit: Hiltingbury Holistics
Make Homemade Edible Gifts
It’s that time of the year when we are all being a busy bee in the kitchen baking yummy Christmas deserts and other bits and bobs. Why not create something edible and put it in a cute little (second-hand) container. You cannot really go wrong with something that is homemade and delicious. Crack open some books to find the perfect recipe and head to some charities to discover some gems you can put your delicious creations into. It is the ultimate low-waste and eco-friendly gift for literally anyone.
Second-hand Books
Books are always an amazing and personal gift especially if you could find pre-loved books in great condition. You can definitely check out your local charities or eBay, but I wanted to share with you this very cool website where you can browse for second-hand books; you can search for specific books or authors which makes the book hunt quick and convenient.
World of Books – WOB is a B-certified corporation who are all about supporting the circular economy and protecting the planet by providing used books & media and they also help charities.
Board Games
Wanna gift some quality off-screen to spend together with your loved ones? Board games / card games are the perfect gift then. Most board games are not particularly made of any special eco-friendly material, but because you can use them over and over again through years to come, they are more planet-friendly than you would think. If you want to find the most sustainable option, look around the internet (Ebay, Etsy, FB marketplace) & charity shops for second-hand games. Look out for materials like (recycled) paper or wood like this fun & colourful Wooden Sudoku or this pack of Recycled Paper Classic Playing Cards . Personally, I love gifting board games to my family which really brings us together during the holidays to spend some quality time with each other.
Photo Credit: Smart Kids Designs
Experience Gifts
Probably the most special, thoughtful, and personal present of it all is when you gift someone an experience, not to mention that it’s pretty much zero waste except maybe an envelope or card you physically give to explain the gift. It’s also the perfect gift for someone who don’t like or doesn’t need tangible items. I have gathered a few ideas that I would personally love to gift someone:
- Ice skating
- Coffee or wine tasting
- Comedy show
- Spa getaway
- Museum, exhibition or theatre tickets
- Escape room
- Yoga pass for a month
- Chocolate workshop
- Photo Shoot
- Weekend trip to a lovely city, countryside, or even visit another country
- “YES” day – a day when your loved one can request whatever s/he wants, and you have to say yes. Quite a fun concept in my opinion.
Photo Credit: London the inside (Van Gogh Experience)
Hope these gift ideas gave you the inspiration you needed to find the best (eco-friendly) presents for your loved ones this festive season. If you can, please don’t forget to support small businesses this festive season because you really get to support someone’s dream when you make a purchase from an independent little brand.
Author: Virág
