2021 “No-Box” Holiday Gift Guide
Whether you’re reducing the amount of “stuff” you exchange with family/friends this year, you’re a last-minute shopper looking for something thoughtful for your active or outdoorsy loved one, or the supply chain wonkiness is affecting how you are shopping, thinking outside of the box for holiday gifts can be tough. Time, money, and connection are the main things we’d like to have more of, right? It seems like a very personalized and specific way of shopping for people, since we all have different perspectives about what that time, money, and connection can offer.
How about a wild visit to Meow Wolf, Santa Fe?
Here are some ideas about the intangible gifts we’ve shared over the years:
Plan and Execute an Excursion: Is there someone in your life who would *love* to get outside and participate in more activities, but they don’t know how or never seem to have the time to plan ahead and be ready? Be their guide for an excursion. You take the lead and plan the activity, the where, the packing, the food, and even the when… all they have to do is show up. This is a huge relief to a person who is rearing to go but has trouble getting organized enough to steal that planning and packing time for themselves.
Repair Something for Them: Kayak have a gouge? Backpack zipper blowout? Puncture in the sleeping pad? Or a warranty issue on their favorite piece of gear? Help them out. If you have the skills to DIY the repair well (keyword: well), then this is easy. If you don’t, search for the reputable person to do so, price it, and get it done. For warranties, make the phone calls or write the emails that we tend to put off for ourselves, then package up the item in need of repair and get it sent off so that they will have that piece of gear for the upcoming season. Sometimes it’s just managing the details!
Detail Their Car: Who wouldn’t love this?? If you are a detail-oriented person, this might be the perfect gift to give. Spend a day loving on their car - one of the most expensive purchases a person makes - and make it look like new for them to start the New Year. We spend a lot of time in our vehicles. Doing a detailed cleaning inside and out can improve that environment and their outlook on the day.
Gift Certificates: Regardless of what other’s say, we love gift cards. Especially in a time when options of style or size or even larger items (like bikes, racks, etc) are more limited, give your loved one the choice of options.
Services like Training or Coaching: Are they training? Or perhaps they’re wanting to get into an activity like ultra running or triathlons, or to diversify their cardio with learning about weight training or nutrition. If they (or you) know a great trainer or coach, it would be a great step forward to get them started with their first session or two (or a package if you can splurge). Check out our interview about nutrition with Magnetic North for a little inspiration.
Subscriptions/Memberships online, such as Masterclass, AloMoves, The Access Fund, American Whitewater, Strava, Outside+, etc: In the old days, we sometimes gifted magazine subscriptions. In modern times, everything is going digital and all those subscriptions can begin to add up. If there’s a subscription or membership your person has talked about, but they haven’t taken the plunge yet, beat them to it!
Personal Assistant for a Day/Timeframe: “How can I help?” This question is one that is sometimes asked with an open-end, little follow-through, or leaves the person being asked wondering “what can they do?” Well, for this gift, it’s time to make this actionable. Sit down with them and ask what’s on their plate. Would something like taking care of housework for a day be their greatest relief (and let them focus on what they want to)? Or can you sort through all those unopened emails, make some phone calls, or responding to clients on social media? They have to be willing to relinquish some control to you, but if you have this level of trust, they will relish the relief your assistance brings.
National Parks Pass: Are they making plans to travel this year? A National Parks Pass might be perfect for them. It gets them into more than 2000 federal recreation areas around the US. Chances are, there’s a destination close to them, too.
Local Wine, Beer, Kombucha, Chocolate, Coffee, and more: A tour of the local flavors is always appreciated. The list is endless: cheese, baked goods, crafts, furniture, honey, soaps and lotions… Honestly, there’s such a wealth of talent and tastiness in so many communities, you might be surprised by the gift basket you can put together.
Gait Analysis or Body Work: Does your loved one want to start running, fine-tune their runs, or need some recovery time from training? A gait analysis can help them see nuance that could level-up their running. However, and this is my favorite, recovery is even more important than training, so hook them up with a session from your favorite massage therapist, acupuncturist, neuromuscular therapist, and more. Massages are good for anyone, regardless of lifestyle or activity level!
Race/Event/Conference/Course Entry Fee or Cost: Do they have their sights set on a race, conference, or event coming up this year? Cover that entry fee and let them dive into getting ready. It’s something to look forward to and hopefully you can get out there and cheer them on.
We hope this list helped warm up alternative ideas for gifts to share. While it can be fun to unwrap something (we have a 2021 Gear Gift Guide for that, too), what makes the magic happen is the time, connection, and flexibility to have those experiences or reach the goals. It means a lot when someone supports their friends and family in those endeavors. Do you have any “outside-of-the-box” ideas you’d add to our list?
Happy Holidays from Keyword Adventure!
Planning an excursion for your loved one can be a great surprise!
