This guide will help you pick gifts that people really want and love. Especially if they are into timeless, elegant and more sustainable quality pieces this is the guide for you. It’s not just a guide that provides a list where you pick something from, but of course lists are included below with a lot of different gift ideas.

However, I haven’t always found these guides very helpful in the past. In the end people are different and you know your partner, parents or friends best. Because what sustainable gifting means in my opinion is gifting people things they actually want and will use and then getting these things in a high quality, ideally from more sustainable brands and made from natural materials. So before we get into the actual gift ideas I wanted to include some tips how you can come up with ideas more easily, to avoid gifting things your family or friends won’t use.

Tips on how to choose the perfect gift

a gift should be something one loves and gets joy out of, so the most obvious tip is: Just ask. I know a lot of people want to surprise others, but especially if we get older, most people rather get something they actually use instead of being surprised with something that they don’t need at all.
If you don’t want to ask or people say they don’t want anything, get something that can be used up. Maybe something special they usually wouldn’t get for themselves. An expensive bottle of wine or a lovely olive oil. Choose things that aren’t too extra. A fancy spice mix that can be used for one specific dish might take quite a while to use up.
Experiences are usually a lovely gift. It’s personal, quite sustainable and can be tailored to someones interests perfectly. If you enjoy spending time with someone, it’s also something that you benefit from as well.
Gifting is the perfect opportunity to get someone something he or she wouldn’t buy themselves. That doesn’t mean it should be something they don’t really need. What I mean by that is gifting people a more exclusive version of something they love. I think this “upgrade” is possible in a lot of different categories: food, drinks, cosmetics, clothes and much more.

Finding gifts that people love and use not only enhances the recipient's experience but also promotes a more mindful approach to consumption. Try to generally opt for more timeless and high quality pieces. Not only do they elevate the gifting and wearing/using experience but they are usually more sustainable. And if someone decides to give a gift to someone else (something we shouldn’t take personal), it’s probably still in great condition.

Now that we’ve discussed a few general ideas about gifting, here are more than 25 gift ideas. I decided to not put them into categories like mom, dad etc. because people are different and I've never found the kind of stereotypical categories really helpful to be honest. Read till the end for a bonus tip! I also linked some ideas for you.

Home & Decor
Wooden Cutting Board
Cooking Knife
Luxury Candles
A beautiful tea pot
Wool Throw Blanket
Artisan Glassware
Nice Ceramics

Fashion & Accessories
Cashmere Scarf
Leather Wallet
Timeless Watch
Silk Tie
Quality Sunglasses
Socks (I think they always work)
Slippers

Food & Drink
Gourmet Chocolate Box
Personalized Wine Decanter
Premium Olive Oil
Spice Gift Set
Coffee Subscription
Special Wine or Whisky

Lifestyle & Hobbies
Quality Journal or Notebook
Board Game or Puzzle
Knitting or Craft Kit
Premium Yoga Mat
Leather Backpack
Books

Experiences
Concert or Theater Tickets
Fine Dining Experience
Cooking Class Voucher
Spa Day Voucher
Wine Tasting Experience
Membership to a Museum or Botanical Garden

I’ve put together some ideas, that I think are really pretty and seem of great quality. I also highly encourage you to look for those items maybe from smaller businesses where you life. Or just take the ideas and look for other versions that really align with someones style and taste. If you shop from the links please note that these are affiliate links, but that doesn’t affect the price you pay at all.

Bonus tip: And last but not least, personalization can make small gifts…well really personal. I recently saw an ad for a leather bookmark where you could put a message or initials on. Other ideas could be: jewelry pieces with letters or dates engraved, something to wear with a monogram or something cute with the paw of your pet on it. There’s so much more an I’m sure a lot of the ideas above can be found from a brand that offers personalization.

So I really hope that the general tips for coming up with ideas where helpful and/or you got some ideas from my list.

Love Alice

A gift guide: timeless, elegant and sustainable gifting - with 25+ gift ideas