A sack of Christmas gifts, representing Little Bird Creative's blog on alternative Christmas gifts

Alternative Christmas Gifts – 5 Of The Best Unique Presents To Give This Year

Does Christmas shopping get you down?  Are you sick of socks?!

As lovely as it can be to browse the shelves looking for inspiration, sometimes we end up in a present-buying rut.  After another difficult year for so many, lots of people are looking for alternative Christmas gifts and here at Little Bird HQ, we have a few ideas to get you started.

So, pour yourself a mulled wine and prepare to mull over our alternative Christmas gift list!

Donate To A Museum

It’s been a tough two years for museums, but there has been an incredible effort happening behind the scenes to keep these vital institutions accessible even during lockdown, with everything from virtual tours to online learning programmes.  Once reopening was a possibility, enormous work went into making museums as Covid-safe as possible, through the use of signage, one-way systems and hand-gel stations.  This was a costly process, particularly for smaller organisations, some of which are entirely volunteer-led.

Museums have an almost unique ability to create a sense of community by celebrating our collective history and heritage.  Supporting a local museum through a donation – or by purchasing an item from a museum gift shop – is a great way to ensure we keep them open and able to do their important work for many years to come.

Did we mention we recently redesigned the Tavistock Museum website?  Why not start there, if you feel like browsing a museum gift shop for Christmas ideas this year?

Art gallery image for use in blog by Little Bird Creative on alternative Christmas gifts
Decorative image for use in Little Bird Creative blog

Plant A Tree For Someone You Love

When I was leaving secondary school, I vividly remember a friend writing in my leavers’ book: “The future depends on trees.”

Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus play a huge role in tackling climate change.  They can also help to prevent floods and of course, they provide food and shelter for thousands of species of wildlife.  What better gift to give someone you care for, than something to protect our planet and its inhabitants?!

Visit The National Trust for more information.

Buy Tickets To A Local Theatre Show or Concert

It’s a well-documented fact that the Arts were hit hard by the pandemic, with musicians cancelling tours, theatres plunged into darkness and choirs unable to rehearse.  Now, as we continue to safely enjoy live events again, it’s vital to lend our support to this sector, particularly to the local drama groups, production companies and event organisers who have worked so hard to bring the Arts back to your area.  So, if you feel safe to do so, why not buy a ticket for a play, or go to see a choir perform some of the songs they learned during lockdown?  You’ll have a fun evening out and you’ll be supporting your local creatives!

Most areas will have a “What’s On” page on Facebook, plus In Your Area is a handy website for finding things to do near you.

Theatre tickets - alternative Christmas gift ideas from Little Bird Creative
Turn your child's drawings into a work of art with Little Bird Creative

Turn Your Child's Drawings Into A Work Of Art!

Okay, so it might be a little late for this Christmas, but this is definitely one to think about for next year!

From January 2022, Little Bird Creative are proud to be launching a new service: we’ll take your child’s drawings and create a gorgeous work of art – a printed poster (framed or unframed) or a canvas – to hang on your wall in pride of place!  Send us a list of your child’s favourite things, special words, names or sayings and we’ll also create a bespoke poem as part of the artwork.  Email us for more information.

Donate Your Time To A Local Charity

We all know that one of the best gifts we can truly give is our time, particularly as we all live such hectic lives.  Therefore, why not donate some time to a local project or charity, if not for Christmas, then in the new year?  There are some amazing CICs and charitable organisations across the UK, doing everything from feeding the homeless, to caring for abandoned pets.  Whatever your interests are, there’s bound to be a group nearby that you could get involved with.  It might just change your life!

The Charity Choice website has a function to search either by the type of charity you want to help, or by the region of the UK you’re based in.

Photo by Ismael Paramo from Unsplash

Whatever you decide to give your family and friends this Christmas, we hope you have a safe and very merry time.  And no matter what your plans for 2022 entail, Little Bird Creative are on hand offering everything from graphic design and videography, to copywriting and bespoke illustration, so please do get in touch if we can help!

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