The holiday season is upon us. And we know what you must be thinking: “What am I going to get my friends and family this year?”
With work projects, going to the gym, cooking dinner, and planning for the holidays, it might be difficult to put in the time to research what gifts we should get for our loved ones. This is especially true in instances where there are several gifts we have to buy in advance!
Have no fear. In this post, we share unique experiences, useful time-saving tools, fun games, and more that serve as great gift ideas that will make your friends and family love you. Best of all, none of the gift ideas break the bank!
Read on for 10 unique gift ideas for the holidays that will make your loved ones feel loved and adored:
1. Trip to the Spa
What beats celebrating the end of the year than with a relaxing trip to the spa? Even though most of us could benefit from a day at the spa, we rarely seek it out actively. This is why a gift card or a spa package is a perfect gift for a loved one that could use a de-stressor in their lives.
Where to get it: Most spas in your local city will have a gift card package that you can purchase for the holidays. Or, you can also check out daily deal websites, like Groupon, where they always have these types of deals happening.
2. Cooking Classes
Is one of your goals next year to eat in more? You can save money, learn the art of cooking, and invest the savings into other things more important to you. If you have a spouse, family member, or rooommate that shares your goals, you can offer them cooking classes to encourage them to cook at home more.
Where to get it: There are many cooking classes on daily deal websites or you can check out websites like Course Horse, as well. Another viable option is to subscribe for weekly prepared ingredients sent to your door through services like Blue Apron.
3. Private Language Lessons
If you know someone who enjoys traveling to different locations or if you have plans to travel together with them, there’s no better way to prepare than learning the language of the country you’ll be visiting. Besides, what better way to show that you care about someone than helping them improve their education and knowledge?
Where to get it: You can check out language learning websites.
4. Fun Card Games
Not sure what to do with the family over the holidays? A safe bet is gathering around to play card games together. But not just any card games, we’re talking fun (and perhaps R-rated) games that will have you on the floor laughing.
Where to get it: The card game Exploding Kittens has been all the rage online and makes for an excellent game with friends and family. Cards Against Humanity is another classic choice that you can’t go wrong with. Keep in mind that both options have a PG version that you can play with younger people, if needed.
5. Home Automation Tools
A new trend that has been on the rise is home automation tools. Google recently bought a company called Nest, which is the world’s first learning thermostat. Today, they have products for indoor and outdoor cameras and smoke detectors that you can install in your home. Another option is a smart assistant like Amazon Echo, which is an artificial intelligence system that you can ask any question to and it will answer.
Where to get it: Nest or Amazon Echo
6. Smartpots (Indoors)
Know someone that loves gardening but doesn’t have the time to deal with the headaches of gardening? Smartpots might be the perfect gift for them. In summary, smartpots is a fabric aeration container that allows you to grow anything with roots without the pain of digging up and planting a garden. Learn more here.
Where to get it: Smartpots
7. Fitness Memberships
Getting back into shape is one of the most popular goals that people have in the New Year. Help make that happen for someone by giving them a membership or gift card to a gym.
Where to get it: Classpass is a good place to start looking, as they already have locations all around North America. Their gift section allows you to digitally send gift cards to anyone online.
8. Take them to Broadway
Know someone that’s passionate about the arts and performance? You can’t go wrong with taking them to a broadway show, or giving them two tickets to take someone else.
Where to get it: Check out any ticket sellers like Stub Hub, Ticketmaster, or a broadway website, like Broadway.com, to find tickets and shows near your city.
9. Book memberships
Have a bookworm in your family or friend group? Give them the gift of learning with a book membership. Similar to Netflix, there have been a rise of services that offer monthly access to books of your choosing.
Where to get it: Scribd or Audible (for audio books)
10. Five-minute Journal
One way to increase your level of happiness is to actively practice listing what you’re grateful for. It’s even better if you can do it on a daily basis. That’s why there are journals like the Five-minute Journal. Every morning and every night (for a total of 5 minutes), you can list what you’re grateful for, how you could have made the day better, and what you’re excited about for the day ahead of you.
Where to get it: Five-minute Journal
Featured photo credit: Nina Mercado via unsplash.com
