Struggling for Christmas gift ideas? Tired of meaningless material gifts? Of course, giving a carefully-chosen shop-bought item can make your loved ones feel valued. But something that has taken time and thought to prepare can have meaning way beyond its material value. With that in mind, here are five unique non material gift ideas that will delight your loved ones this Christmas.
1. A personalised Spotify playlist
With Spotify’s huge library of songs, the possibilities for playlists are endless. Create a playlist that reminds the recipient of good times you’ve shared together. Or perhaps take them back to their youth with their favourite coming-of-age tracks. Or simply assemble the songs you know will get them dancing. They – and you – can download Spotify for free, or if you want to make it even more special, you could subscribe them to Spotify Premium (the advert-free version) for around £10 per month.
2. A special IOU
This could be a home-cooked dinner, help around the house, a lift somewhere or a pampering session. Creating the ‘gift certificate’ will be fun too, and has extra opportunities for personalisation. Few things could be more valuable than the gift of your time.
3. A course or class
Having goals and challenging ourselves has been shown to be good for our mental health. So why not give a loved one the gift of a class this year, and help them pursue their passion. Whether it’s flying a plane, cooking, art or even their first driving lesson, there are courses out there to suit almost every interest and budget. Websites like Red Letter Days and Virgin Experience Days have courses available, as do discount sites like Groupon and Wowcher. Or have a look at what’s available locally through adult learning centres or colleges.
4. Help them do a good deed
Doing good deeds is a great happiness booster. So giving a gift that has wider ethical benefits will come with plenty of feel-good factor both for you and the recipient. Trust memberships are the perfect goodwill gift as they not only help a good cause, but they come with benefits like free entry into visitor attractions. Examples include the National Trust and RSPB, who have a number of sites of interest across the UK.
5. Plant a tree
The last in our series of non-material Christmas gift ideas is truly special. Via the Woodland Trust, you can dedicate a tree or even a forest to a loved one. This is perfect for the nature lover in your family, and a great way to spread the Christmas spirit of goodwill.
How will you make someone’s year with a #NonMaterialChristmas gift? Share your ideas with us in the comments section or via Twitter or Facebook.
Here at My Possible Self, we’re all about spreading the feel-good factor. To get our mental health app, download it from the App Store, Google Play or via desktop at www.mypossibleself.com. It contains clinically proven content to help you stress less, worry less and think more positively.
None of our gift ideas are sponsored by the providers mentioned above and serve only as suggestions.
