Our Top 5 'Alternative' Christmas Gifts for 2017

The most wonderful time of year can, at times, be the most stressful time of year. There is so much to love about Christmas: the food, the decorations and the opportunity to play elf and love actually on repeat for an entire month, but there’s always that niggling thought at the back of your mind... What am I going to get everyone for Christmas?

Christmas presents, depending on the person, can be incredibly easy to find or incredibly difficult. What do you get the person who has everything? What do you get that relative that never comes up with an actual Christmas list? How do you avoid that accidental duplication of presents?

‘Unique’ Christmas presents have, with the growth of internet shopping, become much more popular and much easier to get your hands on over the past few years. Online stores like Not on the Highstreet, which specialise in the unusual mean that you can easily find that something special and a bit more personal without having to scour stores for hours on end. However, with endless choices and possibilities it can still be hard to narrow down the ever growing lists of gifts to that one perfect present to open on Christmas Day. The choice is yours, but from us here at the LW Blog here are top five favourites…

OUR TOP FIVE ‘ALTERNATIVE’ GIFTS THIS CHRISTMAS

Image courtesy of blinddatewithabook.com

1. Blind date with a book

Blind date with a book takes the idiom “don’t judge a book by its cover” literally, wrapping the book in brown paper tied with string to hide the contents. No cover. No title. No author. Each package contains a short bullet point list which alludes to the genre and overall plot of the book meaning that, until the package is opened, the actual identity of the book is a mystery. The perfect gift for any book lover, Blind date with a book not only provides both the person giving the gift and the recipient with a surprise, it also creates the potential to find a hidden gem that might get ignored in a regular bookstore.

Image courtesy of oliverbonas.com

2. One line a day diary

If (like me) you always like the idea of keeping a diary but lack the discipline to write a long entry every single day, then the one line a day diary is the perfect gift. The diary requires minimal commitment, just a quick sentence summarising your day whilst maintaining the same effect as a regular diary of recording the important details of your life or just funny and memorable things that have happened. From people who are sentimental to those who are forgetful to those who enjoy writing and everyone in between, the one line a day diary is compact and long-lasting, catching snippets of someone’s life over a five year period. Whilst there are many on the market, Chronicle books in particular create an array of beautiful diaries and the celestial version in particular, which can be found in Oliver Bonas, is one of my favourites.

Image courtesy of bloomtown.co.uk

3. Build your own eco-luxury hamper

Who doesn’t love a hamper at Christmas time? From food to drink to beauty, Christmas hampers add a little bit of wow factor to present giving, with each component being its own stand alone gift. The beauty of this hamper, in comparison to pre-made hampers, is that you can tailor it specifically to the person you’re buying it for; including all the products you know they’ll love and excluding those ones you know they’ll never lose. Not only that but eco products, particularly in terms of beauty, are becoming increasingly popular and are, on the whole, much kinder to your skin than some high street products. With choices ranging through everything from lotions to candles, this gift is the perfect ‘pamper hamper’, to give the recipient that perfect sense of spa day relaxation but at home.

Image courtesy of thenightsky.com

4. Star Map

This one is my personal favourite and is the ideal gift to capture a precious moment or memory for that someone special. The star map is both a stylish addition to your wall and a symbol of an important date in that person’s life. All you have to do is type in the date and the location of your special event, be it an anniversary, a birthday or something else and the website does the rest, plotting the accurate constellations in the night sky from the information you provided. This gift is not only beautiful to look at but the fact that it links to a momentous and special occasion makes it an even more meaningful present. I think the beauty of the star map is that it’s unique, there are very few things that commemorate such a special occasion quite like this.

Image courtesy of smartphoneprojector.co.uk

5. Smartphone Projector

The smartphone projector is the perfect gift for any on the move film buff or youtube fanatic, who loves playing videos and films on their phone but would love to be able to easily watch it on a larger scale. The smartphone projector is compact and the perfect travel companion, particularly if you’re keen on watching a film whilst away without having to drag your laptop or a television with you. Simple to use, all you need to do is your phone and a wall to project on to. For someone who is always on the move, but doesn’t have the space to spare, this gift is perfect.