I know it feels like Christmas is still a long way off, but you know what it’s like, you only have to blink and the big day is suddenly upon us. And is it just me, or does it get harder and harder to come up with unique Christmas presents for people? Like crazy hard, right?! Well, just call me Santa Claus, because I am here to help inspire you with some fab Christmas gift ideas in this year’s Art of Healthy Living Christmas Gift Guide.
Whether you need to buy a present for a gym obsessed teenager, an athletic but achy husband, a vegan fussy eater, or a mum who has everything, I’ve got you covered!
Here’s this year’s edition of the Art of Healthy Living Christmas gift guide:
Plantbased Cookbook
I love getting books at Christmas, especially hard backed recipe books. There’s nothing better than sitting down with a cuppa and flicking through a new recipe book, making new dinner plans and planning exciting bakes. And with a new year on the horizon and the inevitable health kick that ensues, it’s especially advantageous to receive a book packed full of healthy, plant based recipes.
The Happy Pear 20: Recipes and Learnings from the First 20 Years is precisely that book. Created as a celebration of 20 years of The Happy Pear (the food company that started out as a vegetable shop and café run by identical twins David and Stephen Flyn), the book features over 100 recipes hand picked from the most popular dishes served in the Happy Pear café as well as some of the Flynn family favourites.
The recipes are hearty yet healthy, easy to make, don’t require too many ‘fancy’ ingredients, and are designed to get you eating more veg as a family. I particularly love that the recipes are split into categories like, quick midweek dinners, dinners our kids actually eat, 5 ingredient cakes etc. and are interspersed with thoughts from the Flynn twins about 20 ways to eat more veg, 20 ways to pick yourself up when you’re feeling down, and 20 foods we couldn’t live without.
Stand out recipes include:
- Caramel Chocolate Banana Cake
- One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Crispy Tofu and Mushroom Ramen
- Shepherdless Pie
The photos alone are enough of a reaso for you to for you to get this book for someone this Christmas. Totally droolworthy and enough to convert even the most steadfast of meateaters. The Happy Pear 20 is currently available on Amazon for £16.99 and is the perfect gift for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone looking to reduce the amount of meat they eat and are trying to be more plant based.
Protein Chocolate Bars
If you have a teenager in your house, you’ll know about protein products. My teenage son is a protein fiend. He goes to the gym, is forever on a mission to ‘bulk up’, and he LOVES to eat. He’s tried a few different protein products in the past (protein powder for his morning shakes, protein bars etc.) but the thing that puts him off is that a lot of them have that distinct and somewhat unpleasant protein powdery after taste.
These WheyBetter protein chocolate bars don’t have that in the slightest. Each 75g bar contains 17g or protein, contain zero sugar, and have been infused with 13 different vitamins (A, C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7 B9, B12, D, E, K) plus they’re nut free, palm free, gluten free, keto friendly, as well as being Rainforest Alliance certified. So, it has all the nutritional benefits of a protein bar but with the more mass market appeal of a chocolate bar. And there’s no mistaking the fact that these do indeed look a bit like our favourite chocolate bars.
But did they pass the teenage test….?
Well, as soon as chocolate bars entered the house I had just enough time to photo them and grab a taste for myself, before they’d been swiped off my desk and snaffled away to my teenage son’s room. He’s a gym bro. Wants to bulk. Forever eating. Keen to up his protein levels. But he also loves a bit of chocolate and is frequently caught raiding the kitchen cupboards late at night for something chocolatey. These protein chocolate bars offer a great way of satisfying a sweet tooth without totally destroying all his health goals.
There are lots of different options to choose from on the WheyBetter online shop, but I think the Taster box, which gets you either 4 or 8 WheyBetter protein white or milk chocolate bars makes a great gifting option. The white chocolate is lovely and creamy, not too sweet which is good as some white chocolate bars can be a little sickly after a while. And the milk chocolate bar is smooth and tastes quite rich like a mix between dark and milk chocolate, so you don’t need too much of it to satisfy that chocolate craving.
Individual bars are priced at £3.50 each or if you buy them as a Taster box it drops to £3.25 each with a box of 4 bars costing £13 and 8 bars for £26.
Cute Candles
I love receiving candles as a gift at Christmas and I know most women who I buy presents for would agree with me. You see candles aren’t necessarily something we would buy for ourselves, are they? It seems a little too self indulgent and luxurious, but that’s exactly why they make such a brilliant Christmas gift. I personally think that the ideal candle should either smell beautiful or look a little quirky or different in some way (bonus points if it does both!), and these two candles from Caramel Rose Homeware fit the criteria perfectly. Let’s just say that I would be a very happy girl if I unwrapped these two beauts on Christmas morning.
The Citrine Botanical Crystal Candle in Honeysuckle both looks and smells divine. The surface of the candle is decorated with vibrant calendula petals and two citrine crysals, which are said to help encourage joy, boost self confidence and to help revitalize and calm the mind. And this goes hand in hand with the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle, which also aids relaxation and promotes feelings of calm and serenity. Priced at a very reasonable £16.50, this vegan friendly candle is made from soy wax, which means it’s non toxic, sustainable and doesn’t produce soot so you don’t get that blackening on the side of the jar that some candles create.
And just look at how stunning the Goddess Scented Body Candle in Petite is. Not only is this a candle, but it also stands out as a beautiful piece of home decor that can be used to add interest to a bookshelf or side table. Available in nude, melanin, or white, the candle is inspired by the curvy shape of the female body and has a lovely subtle vanilla scent, which is totally giving relaxing vibes. At just £8.99 this candle is excellent value for money and would make a great gift on its own or could be combined with a pretty plate or candle holder for the candle to sit on.
CBD Drops and Muscle Rub
Gifting CBD products may not be the obvious choice, but I think it’s a very thoughtful gift, one that shows your recipient you care about their wellbeing.
The CBD Muscle & Joint Balm and Ultra Pure CBD Fast Absorbing Oil Oral Spray from Pureis make a wonderful gift combination for anyone looking to enhance their recovery after physical activity and to help improve sleep and aid relaxation.
The Muscle & Joint Balm contains glucosamine, a natural compound which supports the growth of cartilage, tendons, ligaments and the fluid surrounding the joints. When combined with CBD this balm helps ease muscle tightness, aids joint mobility, as well as soothing, hydrating, and moisturising the skin. It costs £17.50 for 50ml tube and is clinically tested and approved.
The spearmint flavoured Oral Spray is a described as a ‘breath freshener with benefits’, with each pump of the spray giving you 5mg of CBD. Simply shake the bottle, spray 2 pumps under the tonuge, hold for 6 seconds, and swallow. priced at £20 for a 10ml bottle, which contains 28 uses, the oral spray is vegan, gluten free, cruelty free and is mixed with coconut oil for fast absorption. If spearmint is not for you, it is also available as an unflavoured spray or an orange flavour.
G&T Zing Shot
You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is some zesty gin and tonic inspired shot, but the G&T Zing Shot is far, far healthier than that. The powder is predominantly made up of ginger and turmeric (hence the G&T), and also has a sprinkling of ground black pepper, and Lions Mane musheroom powder. All of these ingredients have antioxidant properties and help to support our immune systems, plus just one shot contains 4 of your 30 weekly plant portions.
Each set comes with a pouch of powder, a reuseable plastic lidded shot bottle, and a scoop. Simply place one scoop of the powder into the shot bottle and half fill with either water (if you’re hardcore) or juice of your choice (if you prefer things a little sweeter) and give it a good old shake. Now, obviously you can buy ready made ginger shots in the shops, but this is a way more economical and environmentally friendly way to do it. The bottle is reusable, so you can wash out and use again. And the pouch contains a month’s worth of powder. So, lets do the maths…
An average one off pre-made ginger shot from the shops will cost you about £2.
The G&T Zing Shot has various different payment models to choose from:
- One off 1 month box – £22
- 1 month subscription box £18 per month
- 3 month box – £44.00
And they also offer a FREE 2 week trial box (you just need to pay £2.95 for the P&P).
From a gifting point of view, it’s far nicer to receive a set with items that can be used again, than it is to be receive 30 bottles of juice shots. Just not the same is it!?! This is a great little set if you’re looking to buy a present for someone who loves looking after themselves and is a fan of a morning juice ritual.
Stocking Filler Idea
A bookmark and coaster emblazoned with a cheeky French croissant (Pierre la Patisserie – I know, even cuter that he has a name!), I mean who wouldn’t want to find this cute set in your stocking on Christmas morning!?!
The Pierre la Patisserie bookmark and coaster are the creation of Beth from Arty Bee Designs. She has a whole range of beautifully designed cards, stationery, homeware, gifts and more over on her website so go and check it out if you’re after some stocking filler and gift ideas. The bookmark is made of metal, with rounded corners and a tassle at the end to help you see where you are in your book. It has a real luxury feel to it and because it’s made of metal rather than card it will help you to keep your page for book after book after book. Priced at £4.40 this is the perfect gift for a stocking filler, or would be lovely wrapped up with a book as a main gift for someone.
Likewise the coaster would be a great stocking filler or included with a mug or even as part of a hot drinks hamper if you;re looking for a bigger gift. The coaster is priced at £3.00 or you can choose 4 coasters for £10. Made of hardwood with a glossy smooth finish and rounded corners, the Pierre La Patisserie Croissant Coaster is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
Sustainable Crackers
Although not a gift per se, you could say that this is a gift to the environment and certainly a small step in helping cut down on unnecessary plastic waste at Christmas time. We all love pulling crackers before tucking into our Christmas dinner, I mean it’s tradition, right!?! But the foil coated cracker cases and the plastic gifts concealed inside… well they’re all just landfill.
When I was a child, I remember my aunt making crackers out of old toilet rolls, tissue paper and ribbons. She would fill the crackers with miniature alcohol bottles for the men, body sprays or a small make up item for the women, and sweets or bath pearls for the kids.They were far superior to shop bought crackers and I got just as excited about opening them as I did opening my Christmas presents.
These reusable crackers from Keep This Cracker are a similar concept in that you make the crackers up yourself and choose what to fill them with. However, whereas my aunt would spend hours meticulously making the crackers only for them to be pulled apart and then the packaging thrown in the bin, these ones are super easy to construct, can be reused, and they are environmentally friendly. The crackers and ecosnaps are made from recyclable card and the wallet is compostable. They’re printed with vegetable based inks and the satin ribbons are made in the UK from yarns made out of recycled plastic bottles.
Each £22 pack contains:
- 6 flat-packed crackers
- 6 ecosnaps
- 12 ribbons
- A reusable card wallet to store the crackers in between uses
- Instructions
The crackers come flat packed, and easily pop into shape (there are instructions printed on the card wallet for first timers) ready for you to fill with a gift. And what makes these clever, is that the crackers can be pulled in the same way as a normal cracker (don’t worry you still get the ‘snap’), but they don’t tear, and can therefore be used again. Talking of snaps, each set comes equipped with low-noise ecosnaps, so they have more of a ‘pop’ than a ‘bang’ – great for households with pets or people with sensory issues. If you prefer a louder cracker, you can buy a pack of 12 standard snaps from the online shop.
There are lots of lovely Christmassy designs to choose from, so you’ll easily be able to find something to suit your Christmas table theme. Or you can opt for a plain pack of crackers which you can decorate yourself and this is also a lovely craft activity to do with kids in the run up to the big day.
Round Up
Christmas shopping can be a stressful experience and it can be all too easy to leave it until the last minute and then panic buy gifts that lack imagination and are quite frankly a bit boring. If you’re fed up of buying socks and smellies as presents, hopefully this Christmas gift guide will have given you a few different ideas and some inspiration to help you to up your Christmas gift shopping game this year.
*all products gifted for review purposes
Need Even More Inspiration?
If you’re still struggling for ideas, why not take a look at some of our previous year’s Christmas Gift guides linked below:
Your Ultimate Wellbeing Christmas Gift Guide
The Self Love Christmas Gift Guide
Dog Christmas Gift Guide
Health And Wellness Christmas Gift Guide