100 Experience-Based Holiday Gift Ideas

‘Tis the season to shop till you drop—but what if this year, you focused on giving experiences instead of material objects? It’s scientifically proven that experiential gifts improve relationships and evoke strong emotional responses. And let’s be honest—do you know anyone who’s ever said, “Gee, I sure wish I had more stuff in my house!”

Another great thing about experiential gifts is price—they run the gamut from thousands of dollars to absolutely free. The best part? The memories you’ll create, which are priceless.

Here are my favorite ideas:

Practical Gifts for Everyday Life

1. A Costco membership. Is it a store? Is it an experience? Is it a lifestyle? Who can even be sure these days!
2. A gift card to Libro.fm. It’s the first audiobook company that allows you to buy audiobooks through local booksellers!
3. A Spotify membership. Crank tunes ad-free all year long. (see also: Apple Music, Tidal Music, Youtube Music, or Qobuz!)
4. Do they hate having to clean their house? Or mention frequently how much they’d love to do a deep clean but have no time? Hire a house cleaning service for them!
5. Another idea for anyone who needs to use a laundromat: hire a nearby laundry service who will come by, pick up their clothes, and return them neatly folded and freshly washed and dried.
6. Do they love workout classes? Get them a gift card to their favorite boutique exercise studio or if they like trying different classes, get them a ClassPass membership.
7. A subscription to the Calm app. Who couldn’t use a little more ommm in their life?
8. Make a playlist. Bonus points if it’s on a CD. Double bonus points if it’s an actual mixed tape.
9. Give the Dark Sky app. It’s a high tech weather radar that gets hyperlocal!
10. Get them a yearly subscription to any streaming service they don’t have – Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, AppleTV etc. Bonus: make them a list of TV show and movie recommendations exclusive to the platform. 
11. Get them a Masterclass to something that sounds right up their alley.

Gifts for the Sporty, Adventurous Person

12. Do they have a national or state parks bucket list? Get them an annual pass.
13. A yearly subscription to the AllTrails app, aka what most hikers rely on for correct navigation and up to date conditions. 
14. Get them skiing lessons this winter. (Or snowboarding!) 
15. Roller skating afternoon! Everybody snowball! (And if you want to get them cool roller skates, look into Daisies & Pancakes in Houston.)
16. Book an indoor rock climbing class you can do together.
17. Sign-up for some horseback riding.
18. Consider a hot air balloon ride.
19. Try indoor skydiving (outdoor could be great too, but know your audience.)
20. Try a unique workout class together like aerial yoga. It’s fun, and harder than it looks!
21. Consider getting them something practical but pricey that they may want but not need. Think fancier socks for hikes or a more technical jacket than they normally wear. 
22. Do they love running and want to run in more races? See if you can cover their entrance fee!
23. Make plans to go sledding or tubing at a local ski hill. If you’re wondering how to present that as a gift, consider making a save-the-date kind of card to plan when!
24. Take cross country skiing lessons together.
25. Always wanted to do something like scuba diving? Look into signing them up for a certification course at your nearby pool!
26. Get them archery lessons
27. Plan a go-karting outing.
28. Get them Nato Geo’s 100 Parks, 5,000 Ideas book
29. Are they big fans of any particular sport and/or team? Get them tickets to a game!

Gifts for Foodies

30. Head to your local bookstore, pick up a cookbook they’d like, and make a standing date to make something from it once a month together.
31. Get them a recipe box subscription, like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh. You give them the code, they do the ordering—no one wants a surprise dinner they have to cook themselves.
32. Take them out to a wine or beer tasting and organize a designated driver!
33. Create a home wine or beer tasting experience. Buy a selection of the same type of wine or beer (sauvignon blanc or stouts, for example). Offer bottles from different price points, parts of the world, etc. It can be consumed as a part of an event, or one at a time throughout the next few months.
34. Try all the so-called “best” burgers, pizzas, tacos, wings, whatever your town has to offer. Make a sort of booklet or passport you can use to track your progress and comments throughout the year.
35. Take part in a Japanese tea ceremony. Most larger cities offer things like this, either at a local tea shop or even at a conservatory or library!
36. Help them get started with an indoor garden. They can have their own herbs in no time!
37. If the gift is for another family member, consider teaching them a family recipe and making an evening of it. 
38. Hire a personal chef to come to their house and cook them dinner.
39. These DIY bitters kits are the perfect gift for the cocktail aficionado
40. Book a food tour either in your own city or in one nearby for something different.
41. Look for a specialized food or drink-related class like sushi-making, chocolate making, or coffee making. 
42. Keep it simple and schedule a brunch for the two of you!

Gifts for Their Next Trip

42. Hotels do gift cards! Get them one and they can put it toward their next vacation.
43. Plan a day trip to a cute small town with antique stores, quaint breakfast spots, and an independent bookstore.
44. Do they always talk about a dream vacation—like eating their way through Italy, exploring India’s colorful cities, or hiking in Patagonia? Offer to help them plan! Or if you’ve got some extra cash squirreled away, take them!
45. Pay for someone’s passport. Bonus: help them navigate the application process.
46. Take a train ride! You could do a short, scenic trip, or book a weekender on Amtrak. If you want to get really fancy, check out Canyon Spirit’s offerings.
47. Book a farm stay and lend a hand gathering eggs and caring for animals. Or just stay at a B&B on a farm and pretend you helped.
48. Plan a glamping trip in a yurt or rustic cabin.
49. Buy them travel points.

Gifts for Creative & Artsy People

50. Get them an adult coloring book. Pair with a nice box of crayons or colored pencils.
51. Another option is to get them one of those guided painting workbooks like the ones from Emily Lex Studio. Pair with one of her paint kits.
52. Buy them a workshop to learn a craft like glass blowing, wood working, ceramics, or pottery.
53. Get them a fun jigsaw puzzle. I still think about the wood ones from Puzzle Lab in Victoria!
54. Help them embrace their inner “Great British Bake-Off” contestant and get them a cake making class at your local kitchen store.
55. Sign them up for a knitting, sewing or crocheting class.
56. Book a flower arranging class.
57. Sign them up for an improv or comedy class.
58. Look into foraging courses. Are they an art lover? Get them an annual membership to a local art museum. Bonus: look into memberships that are part of the ROAM program. It can get them into a ton of other museums for free around the world.
59. Get them music lessons – singing, guitar, piano. Or if you know any of these skills and they’ve been wanting to learn, offer to teach them and put together a program as a gift. 

Gifts They Can Use with Family & Friends

60. A fun board game, like Apples to Apples, What Do You Meme, Bananagrams.
61. Plan a movie marathon, complete with popcorn, drinks and cozy socks.
62. A cool cribbage board and deck of cards. If you get a small enough one, they’re easy to travel with.
63. Plan a picnic with your loved one’s favorite foods… even if it’s freezing cold, you can host one on your living room floor.
64. A friendship lamp is perfect for long distance relationships. These in-sync lamps change color with a touch of your hand—or your loved one’s hand, no matter how far away they live. Each person sets up their lamp via Wi-Fi, then reaches out and touches the lamp whenever they want to let their loved one know they’re thinking of them. A material thing that fills every day with warm fuzzies.
65. Give your favorite people a self-addressed, stamped postcard. Tell them to pop it in the mail when they’re feeling down later in the year. When you receive it, bake them cookies and send them in the mail.
66. Set up a family photo shoot. Get fancy and book a photographer. If you make it quick and easy, your family will forget the awkwardness of smiling for the camera the moment they see all the wonderful photos.
67. Bring everyone to an animal shelter and help them meet a furry roommate! At the very least, they’ll enjoy playing with cats or dogs for an afternoon. 
68. Book a day cruise or sunset cruise.

Really Unique Gifts

70. Create a mini spa day, with a manicure, pedicure, and maybe even a little champagne. 
71. Book an appointment with a head spa.
72. If they’re interested in fashion, get them a color analysis appointment to see what season they are.
73. Ever done a float tank? Perfect for anyone who doesn’t get enough rest and relaxation.
74. Get tarot card readings. So fun to do in anticipation of the new year! You can either book one with a reader, or buy them their own set and learn how to read them together. 
75. Get their astrological birth chart mapped out.
76. Visit a salt cave. Whisper about whether or not you think it actually works.
77. Try an ancient bath ritual.
78. Book a helicopter tour for a real splurge!

Gifts for an Evening Out

Some quick ideas for when you want to gift an evening out to someone:

79. Concert tickets.
80. Local restaurant gift cards.
81. Stand-up comedy show.
82. Improv comedy show.
83. Local dinner theater.
84. Top Golf or mini golf.
85. Bowling.
86. Ice skating.
87. Author readings or events.
88. Escape rooms.
89. Axe throwing.
90. Arcade night.
91. Golf range.
92. Batting cage
93. Rock climbing
94. Dance lessons

Great Gifts for Kids (or Your Friends with Kids)

95. Annual zoo or children’s museum pass.
96. A gift card to their favorite sweets or ice cream shop.
97. Plan a scavenger or treasure hunt (kids will love this!)
98. Offer to take the kids for the day and let parents relax.
99. Bring them to something you adored from your own childhood—a local baseball game, a cool carnival, an amusement park, the movies…
100. Take kids on any sort of unique form of transportation. A trolley or train ride is pretty darn exciting. Even a city bus if all they’re used to is a minivan!

What’s the best experience-based gift you’ve given or received? Share in the comments!