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Not everybody wants to wake up on Christmas morning to some carefully-wrapped parcels filled with shiny, pretty things (can’t relate personally, but then my love language is gift giving).
Some people prefer real-life experiences to possessions, and some people simply buy themselves the products they want or need, making your well-intentioned presents seem fairly redundant.
For these people, an experience gift is a good idea. It allows them to make memories to treasure, or to make something in a class or workshop that they can also treasure – and either one of these is better than a pair of socks.
Like a physical gift, it’s still the thought that counts, so you should still aim to tailor your choice of experience to their interests and tastes,
Luckily, there are a whole host of options available, from flying to food to falconry.
Read on for our favourite experience gifts to make your loved one’s Christmas.
The Whiskey Thing Experience
An amazing experience for whiskey fans, featuring tasting and blending your own unique bottle (Picture: The Distillery)
Taking place in the newly launched Malt Room in West London’s The Distillery, guests at the three-hour Whiskey Thing Experience sip their way through a diverse selection of drams from around the world.
They are then given the opportunity to blend their own 70cl bottle of unique, ‘one of one’ whiskey to take away and enjoy at home.
Book for £122 per person at The Distillery.
Kintsugi Workshop
Celebrating imperfections to come back stronger is one of the lessons Kinstsugi can teach (Picture: The Indytute)
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery in a mindful way that highlights the cracks with gold paint and is a soothingly slow-paced skill to master.
These two-hour workshops take place in Kensal Rise on a monthly basis and The Indytute will provide all the kit needed to take home a beautiful testament to patience.
Zombie Apocalypse Training
Let’s hope this is a scenario that remains solely in our imaginations (Picture: Into the Blue)
If the person you’re buying for prefers Jack Skellington to jolly old Santa, this experience gift will let them know you truly ‘get’ who they are.
Within this Bear Grylls meets The Walking Dead experience, your giftee will be taught what to do if civilisation collapses (perhaps a bit too on the nose for anyone who fears actual impending doom).
They’ll take part in a zombie shooting session in woods near Calverton, Nottingham, using rifles, crossbows, and axes to tackle zombie-like targets and see how they’d fare if things went all Resident Evil.
Book for £48 at Into The Blue.
The Ginstitute Experience
Cocktails are also provided throughout the day (Picture: The Distillery)
One for the ginfluencers and the die-hard G&T purists, this experience – held at The Distillery on Portobello Road – lasts three hours, and takes guests through the history of the spirit followed by a tasting led by an expert gin instructor.
After this, they’ll be able to blend their own one-of-a-kind 70cl gin, the exact formula of which can be saved so they can reorder the bespoke bottle again and again.
Book for £120 per person at The Distillery.
Swimming with Crocodiles for two
The crocs you’ll meet here are named Ali-g, Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily and Gidget (Picture: Virgin Experience Days)
Apparently you don’t need to go to Florida or Queensland to get up close and personal with crocs. These days, you can pay homage to the late, great Steve Irwin in Gloucestershire; Bristol to be exact.
See how the friendly crocodiles interact and get a souvenir photo as part of this experience for two that’s a great gift for adrenaline junkie couples.
They can also see venomous snakes and crocodiles, handle reptiles, and get a photo with an alligator. Who need’s I’m A Celeb?
Book for £100 at Virgin Experience Days.
Tinggly Merry Christmas Gift
A gift of their choosing (Picture: Tinggly)
If you know the person you’re buying for would prefer an experience gift but are stumped on the exact route to go down, a Tinggly box is a handy solution.
A beautiful box will arrive at their door (although you could opt for a digital version) with over 1800 experiences they can choose from and book at a time and location that suits them.
Plus, for every gift experience, Tinggly offsets carbon emissions by 200%, so by gifting this collection you’ve helped plant eight trees.
Cook Soulfood Lunch with Momma Cherri
Learn Soulfood from the best (Picture: Airbnb)
You may remember Momma Cherri (aka Charita Jones) from when she featured in an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares UK, stealing the hearts – and stomachs – of the nation.
We’re pleased to say that not only is the Brighton chef still going strong, she’s also holding classes on how to recreate her comforting Soulfood classics.
Supercar Driving Experience
This track day can be taken as a driving experience or as a passenger ride (Picture: Experience Days)
If your gift recipient has the need for speed, a spin in one of the world’s fastest supercars should satiate it.
Available at tracks across the country, a voucher gets them behind the wheel in their choice of car. Options include the Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari California, Nissan GTR, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Porsche GT3, Audi R8 and the BMW I8.
Book for £49 (was £69) at Experience Days.
Woburn Safari Big Cat Breakfast
Peek inside life in the pride (Picture: Woburn Safari Park)
For a real once-in-a-lifetime present that works as a group gift, a Big Cat Breakfast at Woburn Safari Park promises a whole lot of memory-making.
It’s 90 minute experience, with an experienced ranger taking you behind the scenes to meet and feed the big cats, followed by a guided tour of the Kingdom of the Carnivores – with tigers, bears and wolves.
Attendees also get entry to the park after the VIP tour.
Book for £375 for up to four people at Woburn Safari Park.
Jesmonite and Terrazzo Starter Kit
Inspire their creativity in Jesmonite format (Picture: Noah’s Box)
When you’re shopping for someone who gets easily bored – you know the type, that proactive person who’s always doing something – they’d likely appreciate something that can keep them busy at home.
Not only can crafting be a fun and accessible hobby to get into, they can also make some great looking pieces to keep in their home.
This kit has everything they need to get started making coasters, trays, and pots.
Ultimate Homebrewer’s Kit
100% of people who reviewed this kit said they’d recommend it to a friend (Picture: Uncommon Goods)
Another one for the serious hobbyists, it’s an experience in itself to go from pint enjoyer to master brewer, so get ready for this present to spark a new obsession.
With a durable fermentation system, thermometer, capping kit, and more, it can make five gallons of a beer of choice, and it comes with a guide to help them get going.
When their magic concoction is ready, perhaps you’ll get to experience the wares yourself.
Buy for £288 at Uncommon Goods.
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SHOPPING: Or the person who wants to make memories that’ll last a lifetime.
