6 Last minute Christmas gift ideas

By Olivia Kellett & Safia Minney

Introduction

With only 9 days left until Christmas, you might still be thinking of someone special who you’d like to buy a last minute gift for. Maybe you want that gift to reflect your or their values. Here, Olivia Kellett and Safia Minney have put their heads together to come up with some thoughtful, experiential, pro-social, zero-waste and eco friendly gifts to give this Christmas, that everyone will love – and that won’t cost the earth.

1. Exercise Classes

Something you can’t wrap is an experience. The perfect gift for the friend who’s New Year’s resolution is to be more active, buy them yoga, dance or Zumba classes at their local community centre or gym.

2. Cooking Course

Cooking courses are a great gift for everyone. Individuals can learn new skills whilst also building an awareness of how and where food is sourced. The perfect gift for someone who only eats microwave meals, someone who wants to put their health first or reduce their meat consumption. Or all three!

3. Art & Museum Membership

Give the gift that inspires. Perfect for students or anyone living in a city, annual art and museum memberships are a fantastic gift for anyone. Some great passes are the V&A, Tate Modern and the National Art Pass.

4. Online Language Course

Online language courses are a fantastic gift for anyone who wants to learn a new skill. Babble and Rosetta Stone are highly rated, and give the user the means to learn wherever they are and whenever they can.

5. Charitable Donation

Make a donation in a loved ones name to a good cause. Choose Love have several packages, where you can choose to donate to women’s shelters, educational facilities and mental health counselling, for refugees. if you’re outside the UK, you may like to find a great charity close to you.

or...

Parents in Denial on climate change? Perfect gift for your father-in-denial. Tell him you have donated, in his name, to Extinction Rebellion, the global activist group fighting for system change, through promoting awareness, media reporting on the climate emergency and holding political leaders accountable. Tell him that you’ll watch “the Talk” with him over the Christmas break.

For more information on donating to XR click here.

or...

With homelessness effecting over 8,096 people in London alone (according to CHAIN), the work of the Crisis charity could not be more important. Everyone deserves to feel safe at Christmas, and for just £28.87 you can gift a person in need a Christmas dinner and the opportunity to rebuild their life with the help of the organisation.

For more information click here.

6. REAL workshop

Gift someone a place on our February 6th workshop, lead by REAL founder Safia Minney. With the goals of sustainability and carbon zero now front and central for businesses, the leadership for sustainability workshop offers you bold support to lead your team.