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Who in your life would appreciate fewer things and more experiences? We all know someone who would much prefer to do something than get more “stuff.” Rather than giving a gift that may be left in a drawer forgotten over time, the gift of experience is one of the best gifts you can give. Giving an experience shows you truly understand what they love, offering them something that lasts far longer than any physical item — moments, memories, experiences that truly enrich their lives.
A recent survey found that 92% of Americans would rather receive experiences than gifts this past holiday season. And people are giving experiences over gifts more every year. Studies show that experiential gifts cultivate stronger social relationships than material gifts. People are looking to create memories with friends and family, and there’s no shortage of meaningful ideas to choose from. From creative workshops and museum memberships to immersive artwork and practical (yes, practical!) home goods, these are experiential gifts that any minimalist will love.
Looking for more ethically made and sustainable gifts for the holiday season? Check out our guide to the best sustainable gifts (and best gifts for him, too). Happy giving! ✨
1. Adventure and explore
For someone who wants to slow down and bring more mindfulness and nature into their life, a guidebook to birds or trees ($36+) is a great gift to inspire them to go out in nature and observe the details. Or know someone who loves skiing, ice skating, or another sport that offers an annual pass? You could purchase their annual pass for them so they don’t have to!
If your loved one lives in a metro area, consider gifting a membership to local botanical gardens, like these in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, or Denver. Annual memberships for individual botanical gardens usually start at around $100, and many include unlimited visits, discounts, and free year-round parking. The North American Reciprocal Museum Association has a nationwide museum membership that works with over 1,000 institutions in the U.S., Bermuda, Canada, and Mexico. Members receive free visits, museum coupons, and discounts on tours and lectures for weekends filled with art and culture.
Finally — a team favorite — consider the America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) which is great for nature-loving minimalists who want to spend the upcoming year exploring national parks and forests.
2. Feel beautiful, inside and out
If you know someone who’s looking to learn more about skincare, the Annemarie Skin Transformation course ($400) is an expert-led 21-day program that combines gentle movement, recipes, practices, and targeted care. Or you could give them a 1:1 virtual consultation ($300) with an esthetician from Annemarie, where they’ll receive thoughtful, holistic solutions for your skincare journey. (The Good Trade Partner)
Give them the gift of beauty and self-care with the Vagus Nerve Trio from OSEA ($110). These products moisturize, soothe, and restore your skin, all while activating your vagus nerve, which helps calm the body down and reduce stress.
Know someone who loves to get a blowout or regularly gets their hair done? You could get them a gift card to their favorite hair salon! Similarly, if they love getting their nails done, you could give them a gift card to their favorite nail salon.
3. Deepen connections
For a gift that you and your close ones can play in different group settings, both Where Should We Begin ($40) and We’re Not Really Strangers ($25) card games are great for strengthening bonds and learning something new about one another, in a safe and intimate setting!
For a more intimate set of questions, we love Asking for Myself ($30), a new card game for deeper understanding and intimacy with your partner (and yourself!). It’s a great gift to give your partner, or this would be so great for newlyweds, too!
Know someone who loves to deepen self-reflection and journal? This Prism Oracle Deck ($20) uses color to help you tap into your intuition. And the Cacio e Pepe Tarot ($65) is another great self-reflection deck option for foodies in your life!
Of course, you could also get handmade with this sort of thing and create a huge list of interesting questions and journal prompts for them to answer, too! The minimalists in your life would surely appreciate the thought and time you put into it.
4. Experiment in the kitchen
Whether your loved one is an aspiring chef or a professional in the kitchen, new cookware invites them to try new flavors and recreate their favorite recipes. Tried and trusted cookware from Great Jones ($20+) will last for many years and meals to come. It doesn’t hurt that every single pot, pan, and baking sheet from this brand is gorgeous. I mean just look at this Dutch oven. Minimalists everywhere are swooning.
Do they love trying out new cocktails or mocktails? The Caraway Complete Bar Set has everything they need to mix up delicious drinks all year long. Pair it with a virtual mixology class and they can learn how to make a few favorites!
Flamingo Estate is one of our favorite local garden-to-home shops — their Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($48) is absolutely divine, made with hand-picked California olives from centuries-old trees. (You can even order a bottle with a personalized, handwritten label!) For those who enjoy their time in the kitchen, this curated cookbook ($78) will inspire new life in the kitchen, with recipes straight from the Estate. And for those who have a love of gardening, fresh and local produce, and home and body products from the earth, a Flamingo Estate Membership ($96/year) will give them exclusive access to their favorite products alongside complimentary gifts.
This beautiful, yet practical kitchen cleaning set from Homecourt ($78) feels intentional and thoughtful. Even a minimalist will appreciate having these on hand — chances are it’s something they wouldn’t usually splurge on, but would appreciate nonetheless!
5. Read and learn
If they love reading and care about indie bookshops, a giftcard to Bookshop.org is a win-win. Every purchase from the B Corp and Climate Label Certified company goes directly to independent bookstores across the country.
Do they prefer audiobooks? Libro.fm is another mission-driven B Corp that supports local bookstores when you buy audiobooks. A gift card for a few audiobooks is a great idea for book-lovers in your life!
For the minimalist longing to get back in the classroom (even if it’s a virtual one), you can support their endeavor by gifting a membership to an online educational platform. MasterClass ($120/year) offers courses in writing, cooking, photography, and more — we particularly enjoy Dr. Jane Goodall’s class on conservation and Ron Finley’s class on gardening.
Are they a big fan of newsletters? Find out which ones they love and see if there’s a paid subscription option — you could give them a year of it! And of course, subscribing to The Good Trade’s Substack also makes a great gift for anyone, too. 😉
Similarly, if you know someone who has a Substack, consider buying an annual subscription to their Substack to read their work all year long. Every paid subscriber means to the world to Substackers, so this gift is meaningful to them — and fun for you, too!
6. Get crafty
What better gift for someone who loves new experiences than delving into arts and crafts?! Check out this gorgeous Japanese Watercolor Set ($34) that’ll have you in awe of how many combinations one can mix and match into crafting a masterpiece.
Check out local craft classes in their area, too. You could buy them a gift card to take a class in pottery, painting, collaging, drawing, or something else! If you’re in the New York area, check out The Drawing Room or Happy Medium. On the West Coast? Check out Cera Sera Studio’s LA pop-up ceramic workshops or Pinch Pottery Studio in San Diego.
7. De-stress
For daily relaxation and a quick rejuvenating break, you can’t go wrong with gifting a massage to a local spa or wellness center!
Or show your loved one you care about their well-being and gift them a subscription to the Happier Meditation App ($100/year), Headspace App ($70/year), or Calm App ($70/year). A subscription features meditations and breath work for sleep, stress, mindfulness, focus, and more.
Nothing says de-stressing like a comfy cozy gift that’s genuinely practical. They’ll be wearing these Cloud Socks ($16) from Le Bon Shoppe every chance they can get! And nothing says de-stress and cozy up like a weighted blanket — these are our favorites.
If sleep is a priority, you can invest in their well-being with one of these gifts for folks who need better sleep.
8. Focus on wellness
Wellness gifts aren’t only helpful, but they let our loved ones know we care for their wellbeing and want them to thrive. General supplements like natural multivitamins and magnesium offer nutrients that most of us are deficient in, and can provide that extra reminder to give our bodies some love every day!
Being active is also essential to wellness, and there’s no better way to gift the experience of movement than through a Classpass gift card. It’s our favorite way to try new fitness studios and gyms, plus classes we’ve never tried before (think barre, reformer pilates, boxing, and spin!). Credits can also be used on select beauty salons and spas, and across many major cities globally. If they’re not much of a workout class person, a simple yoga mat might be the perfect (practical!) gift for them.
Giving them something to keep track of their self-care shows how much you care. We love the adorable gamified self-care app Finch. While there are free versions, a subscription to this app offers added features and more fun while they check off their to-do list and take care of their little bird. If they prefer a more analog approach to self-care, this beautiful wellness journal ($35) from Papier has prompts for daily intentions, restful moments, movement, journaling, gratitude, and more.
For something that folks rarely will splurge on themselves but will almost certainly appreciate, a TUSHY bidet is a practical yet elevated gift. We also love the Hydration Support ($41+) from B Corp and Climate Neutral brand Needed. It offers refreshing electrolytes with delicious flavor, and every ingredient is vetted by experts and rigorously tested by third parties.
For more inspo on wellness gifts, check out our gift guide to the best wellness tech and gear.
9. Make it personal
A personalized gift is perfect for the minimalist in your life as it can tie into their love for experiences, giving them something one-of-a-kind that feels both intentional and memorable. We think these personalized storybooks from Storyworth ($99) are such a special gift because you can preserve stories your family tells through colorful photos and words.
A great choice is a customized photo album, photo frame, or a calendar from premium photo printing company Paper Culture. Featuring old memories and pastimes is a sentimental way to create new traditions that capture experiences to be remembered forever.
If your giftee loves to write, journal, or use planners on the daily, personalized stationery from Papier ($8+) is a surefire way to have your loved one remember your thoughtfulness everyday!
And for someone who is always traveling for work or for fun, customized luggage from Roam is one of our favorites ($495). You can choose the exact colors of the bag, plus monogram their initials on it. Our editor absolutely loved traveling with this luggage — read her review here!
10. Giving is better than receiving
Giving to a charitable or social cause in honor of someone you care about is one of the most meaningful ways to celebrate the season. There is no shortage of impactful organizations. Some of our favorites include She Should Run, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to increase the number of women running for public office; Moms Demand Action, an organization working to pass stronger gun laws; Alliance for Period Supplies, which is working to end period poverty throughout the U.S.; and the Loveland Foundation, which provides therapy to Black women and girls. Here are even more of our favorite grassroots organizations.
As millions of Americans lose SNAP benefits, we’re especially thinking about organizations that alleviate food insecurity and provide food to those who need it most. Feeding America is a national nonprofit working to end hunger through collaborating with community food banks. You can search for your local food bank and donate directly to them.
We highly suggest looking into all of your local organizations as well, or asking your loved one which local organization they prefer you donate to. Remember: If a monetary donation isn’t possible, you can also volunteer your time in someone’s name.
