When you give a gift, you want it to send the right message. Ideally, something like: “I like you and understand you as a person; also, I have good taste and plan accordingly for important holidays and dates.”
What you don’t want your gift to say is “I forgot about you until the last minute and bought this from the pharmacy on the way here.”
With so much pressure around picking the right present, it’s no wonder so many of us get gift-giving anxiety. Tack on the fact that a gift has to be the right size, color, style and something your giftee doesn’t already own, and finding the perfect present becomes even trickier. And — let’s face it — at the end of the day, regardless of how much energy and care you put into hunting one down, they’ll probably only use your gift a few times before getting stashed in a closet somewhere. That’s consumerism, baby.
Looking for a solution to the existential dread that comes with shopping for presents? Try an experience gift. Experience gifts are nonmaterial gifts that create memories, not waste. Think anything from art classes to scuba diving lessons to wine tastings to subscriptions to full-blown vacations. Experience Christmas gifts are enriching, not easily replicated and are tailored to the tastes and personality of your giftee. Plus, they can often be gifted at the last minute because experience gifts typically come as a gift card or voucher.
Ready to free yourself from the shackles of consumerist gift-giving? We’re here for you. To inspire your path towards experiential gift-giving liberation, we’ve rounded up a list of one-of-a-kind experience gifts for everyone on your list.
Best Experience Christmas Gifts for Couples
Tinggly: Getaway — Minibreak for Two
Tinggly is in the business of experience gifts, offering countless adventures, activities and trips in countries around the world. For a couple that likes to travel, the Tinggly MiniBreak for Two represents a U.S. vacation in a box. It includes one night in a three- to five-star hotel for two from a choice of over 10,000 hotels in cities across the country.
Tinggly experience gifts come in either a physical gift box made of recycled materials or an e-voucher — the gifter’s choice. Tinggly gifts are sustainable, with the company offsetting CO2 carbon emissions by an impressive 200% and planting up to 40 trees for every experience.
Price: $399 (plus $10 for an optional Eco-friendly gift box) at Tinggly.com
Best Experience Christmas Gift for Couples Runner-Up — Blue Apron Gift Card: $70+ at BlueApron.com
Best Experience Gifts for Men
Classic Car Rental
The verdict is in: dudes love cars. Specifically, dudes like fast, expensive cars that go vroom vroom. If this sounds true of your dude, consider a classic car rental gift through Hagerty DriveShare.
It works like this: You use the platform to search for your fellow’s dream car, filtering results by location, make, model and price per day. Check its availability, choose your day and book. Your giftee can spend the day cruising around in style — hopefully with you riding shotgun.
Price: $100+ per day at DriveShare.com
Best Experience Gifts for Men Runner-Up — DIY Hot Sauce Class: $78 at UncommonGoods.com
Best Experience Gifts for Women
Rent The Runway
Editor’s note: As both a woman and a longtime Rent the Runway member myself, I can vouch for the service’s awesomeness. The concept is just like it sounds: You rent designer fashions each month for a fixed membership price. At the end of the month, you return it for a fresh new shipment.
Membership plans range from $94 for five items per month to $235 for 20 items. Shipping is fast and free, and returns are quick and easy. It’s perfect — and I mean perfect — for the fashionista on your list.
Price: $94+ per month at RentTheRunway.com
Best Experience Gifts for Women Runner-Up — HobbyYarnShop Scarf Knitting Kit: $40 at Etsy.com
Best Gift Experiences for Mom
A Getaway Often Pack
Getaway Outposts are tiny, secluded cabins nestled in nature outside of major cities — including Boston, D.C., Washington, Chicago and Austin. They’re designed to whisk you away from the hustle and bustle of life and drop you right into the great outdoors while supplying you with access to kitchens, soft beds and hot showers.
A Getaway Often Pack gets your giftee a set of consecutive nights at any cabin at any location. You can purchase a three-, four- or six-day stay, and they can book whenever and wherever they please. It’s perfect for the busy mother who could use some time out in the fresh air, below the stars and away from schedules, screens and Slack notifications.
Price: $250+ at Getaway.house
Best Gift Experiences for Mom Runner-Up — SpaFinder Gift Card: $50+ at MySpaFinder.com
Best Gift Experiences for Dad
MasterClass All-Access Subscription
Fathers are notoriously tricky to shop for, but an all-access MasterClass membership checks all the dad boxes. The pass includes access to classes in film, science, music, sports, politics, entertainment — you name it! — taught by literal masters of the fields. With a MasterClass subscription, your pops can learn cooking from Gordon Ramsay, photography from Annie Leibovitz and science and problem-solving from Bill flipping Nye (as in, “the Science Guy”).
A MasterClass subscription gets your dad a yearlong membership with unlimited access to more than 180 classes across 11 categories, in addition to bonus class guides and content. You can opt to gift him an individual account, which can be used on one device, or purchase him a duo or family account that can be accessed from multiple devices. That way, he can share his subscription with others — his favorite child, for example. (Hint, hint, dad.)
Price: $120+ for a one-year membership at MasterClass.com
Best Gift Experiences for Dad Runner-Up — PADI Open Water Diving Certification: $202 at PADI.com
Best Family Experience Gifts
America the Beautiful Pass
The America the Beautiful Pass unlocks access to magical forests, pristine beaches, towering mountains and thrilling outdoor adventures in over 20,000 national parks and federal recreation sites. The pass is good for one year of unlimited entrance for the whole family — or for one driver and all passengers in their vehicle at parks that charge per vehicle or up to four adults at parks that charge per person (kids under 16 are free). Often, families will spend multiple days at a big national park, so the pass represents a key to multiday, low-cost family vacations.
Price: $80 at USGS.gov
Best Family Experience Gifts Runner-Up — Disney on Ice Tickets: Varies at DisneyOnIce.com
Best Experience Gifts for Kids
Sky Zone Trampoline Park Membership
Sky Zone is a wonder world of wall-to-wall trampolines, obstacle courses and climbing walls. It’s a perfect place for youngsters — and adults, for that matter — to jump, play, tumble and get into their bodies and off their screens. A Sky Zone gets your giftee unlimited entrance, every day, to a location of choice. With over 140 Sky Zone locations in the U.S., there’s likely one near your kiddo.
Price: Varies by location at SkyZone.com
Best Experience Gifts for Kids Runner-Up — Magic Lesson: $25+ at UncommonGoods.com
Best Experience Gifts for Teens
Personalized Celebrity Video from Cameo
As one of the coolest customizable gifts around, Cameos are personalized videos created by celebrities, athletes, comedians, musicians and influencers. You pick your teen’s favorite star and provide the celeb with information on what to say. For example, you could book William Daniels (Mr. Feeny from “Boy Meets World”) to say, “Merry Christmas, Todd! Your mom wants me to remind you to do your history homework.” Your celeb records the custom message, which you can save and share with your delighted teenager.
Price: Varies at Cameo.com
Best Experience Gift for Teens Runner-Up — Online Guitar Lesson Subscription: $79.99 at Fender.com
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