Gift Guide: Experience and Consumable Gifts
As I get older, I find myself wanting fewer things and more experiences, or things I can enjoy and make memories doing but that don’t take up valuable physical space in my home and mental space in my brain. The holiday season can feel especially like TOO much, especially when it comes to shopping for gifts for loved ones. Plus, I put a lot of pressure on myself to give really thoughtful gifts that the recipients love, and I don’t want to clog up their home with unnecessary things, either.
Enter: experiences and consumables! There are a seemingly endless number of experience gifts to give during the holiday season. I shared 25 ideas below! Some of them are perfect for couples, others for families with kiddos. You can enjoy just about any of them with family members or close friends. I also rounded up 15 consumable gifts—many of which I’ve given, received myself, or that I would love to give/receive in the future because I’ve heard good things.
Let us know in the comments what your favorite experience/consumable gifts to give and receive are!
40 of The Best Experience and Consumable Gifts for Anyone On Your List
Experience Gifts for Christmas
Cooking class (Korri and I enjoyed our cooking class at Sur La Table!)
Paint ‘n Sip class
Candle making class
Glass blowing class (if you’re local to Boise, check out Boise Art Glass!)
House cleaner (I’d love this to be honest)
Professional organizer (I’d love this too lol)
Spa day—massage, facial, and/or manicure/pedicure
Tickets to a Broadway production
Concert tickets
Tickets to a sporting event
Zoo membership (great for families with kiddos!)
Museum membership
Garden membership
National Parks annual pass
Professional photo shoot
Ski/snowboard trip
Horseback riding lesson or trail ride
Dance classes
Staycation at a local hotel
Disney/amusement park/waterpark tickets/pass
Skydiving
Airplane flying lesson
Airline gift card
River cruise (bonus: with dinner!)
Wine tasting (Idaho folks: check out Snake River Wine Tours)
Consumable Gifts for Christmas
Brightland olive oil and vinegars (The Artist Capsule is my favorite)
Garrett Chicago-style popcorn (my mom sends a tin every year!)
Spoonful of Comfort gourmet soup delivery
Meal kit delivery (we love Green Chef; get up to $150 off with my referral link or email me for a free box)
Box of real Idaho potatoes (check out Sun Valley Potatoes for delivery across the US!)
Coffee subscription (great options: Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee, or Awesome Coffee Club by John Green)
Bacon subscription (via Goldbelly, Zingerman’s, or Bacon of the Month Club)
Ice cream delivery (via Jeni’s Ice Cream)
Red Clay hot sauce, honey, and flavored salt gift sets
Man Crates curated gift boxes for men
Fortnum and Mason hampers and holiday gift boxes
Book of the Month (don’t know that books count as “consumable” ha, but I think reading is like consuming…)
MightyFix monthly subscription by MightyNest (some items are consumable!)
Gift cards to local restaurants (in Boise, a great option is the Downtown Boise gift card, which can be used at a ton of local restaurants and retailers)
Candy, cookies, donuts, hot chocolate, coffee, wine, etc. from a local grocery store (don’t underestimate the power of a bag of chocolates!!!)