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Virtual Christmas gift ideas (perfect for last-minute shopping)
This year is a bit different when it comes to buying gifts. Many of us won’t be able to see our loved ones in person and our usual organised gift buying has been thrown into disarray by shop closures and the fact everything just seems a bit more hectic.
One of the great things about 2020 is the number of businesses that now offer virtual or digital products. They’re quick and easy to buy online, don’t require reliance on couriers or postage times and can be enjoyed without the need for any physical element.
If you’re looking for some virtual gift ideas, we’ve rounded up a few of our favourites.
7 minutes to read
The gift of a forest
If you have someone in your life who prefers their gifts to be super green, why not buy them a forest? Or part of one, at least…the full forest is £12,000.
With Ecologi, you can choose to plant trees and purchase carbon offsets to make your gift recipient climate positive for 3, 6 or 12 months. Or you can just plant trees in a real-life forest, in one of the world’s most climate-effective places.
A virtual gift for art lovers
Josie and Elliot run Art Sippers, a live and interactive painting show full of jokes, a party vibe, interactive quizzes, music and creativity.
The art shows are run from their living room and they have hosted them for a huge number of people, including on behalf of the Natural History Museum.
“We have a growing community of people of different ages and skill levels, painting along with us from their homes” says founder Josie. “We have had floods of comments on how we have helped give people a purpose, helped people’s mental health and brought fun into the homes of people whose social lives had all but dried up this year.”
A National Trust or English Heritage Membership
If your loved one loves the outdoors, what better gift is there than access to some of the UK’s most beautiful and historic places?
A membership to The National Trust or English Heritage could be the perfect Christmas gift to drop into someone’s inbox so they can spend 2021 exploring all the places the UK has to offer.
A sea-themed mindfulness gift
Sea Soul Insights are individual audio recordings that offer a few quiet moments of compassionate life guidance, inspired by the sea and some gentle nature-inspired encouragement for ocean-lovers.
Each message also serves as a focus for meditation, journalling and other mindful activities. Founder Pippa says “Many of our customers use them whilst actually by the sea, or to virtually transport themselves there”.
You can purchase a digital gift card to print or forward on to a friend or family member and they’re especially popular at the start of the year as a way to choose a focus for the year ahead.
Sea Soul Insights are offered by donation to make them as accessible as possible, and Pippa donates 10% of every sale directly to environmental causes.
The recordings are based on Sea Soul Blessings – simple ‘blue mind’ mindfulness tools that combine Pippa’s passion for time in and around water, and her experience as a life coach.
A virtual gift for new Mums
Eliza Flynn is a personal trainer who specialises in helping women to return to running after having a baby. Her Postnatal Return to Running programme was put together with a women’s health physio. It contains 6 weeks’ worth of progressive workouts, pelvic health education videos, a Facebook support group and more.
Eliza has also offered Ailuna readers an exclusive discount – just add the code AILUNA30 at checkout for 30% off if you buy before Christmas 2020.
Support small business with an Etsy gift card
If you’re not quite sure what to buy for someone, but you know you want to help support small businesses this Christmas, an Etsy gift card could be your solution. Your recipient can then choose from thousands of handmade, personalised and quirky gifts.
Virtual decluttering and green cleaning lessons
If you know someone who has been talking about decluttering or having a “big clean” this year, then an online decluttering session or series of sessions with The Green Domestic Fairy could be the perfect gift.
Kesia offers bespoke, tailored sessions to help you get your house in order, and she is also a champion for all things eco-friendly when it comes to cleaning, which is a big tick in Ailuna’s box.
A whole collection of little virtual surprises
If there’s one company that specialises in virtual gifts, it’s The Little Surprises Company. They offer a whole host of lovely online gifts.
I hope my husband is reading this because I am particularly interested in a ticket to their online wellness festival, aptly named “Restival”.
They also offer an online murder mystery party, singing lessons and even a virtual spa.
Need a party idea without having to meet up in real life?
Musingo Bingo is the ultimate online musical bingo party. Entirely virtual but no skimping on the fun. You can host your own party by checking out the Musingo Bingo website.
Yvadney and Emmanuel, founders of Musingo Bingo
Are you a business owner with a virtual gift to offer?
Drop your offerings in the comments below to add to our selection. The more the merrier!
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Katie Skelton
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