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Our 2023 Christmas gift guide
The festive season is already under way, with lights a’twinkling on the streets, the darker nights starting earlier – seemingly by the minute – and the first advent calendars hitting the shelves. Christmas is on the way, and that means all the joy that comes along with it. It also means Christmas shopping is on the agenda. If you’ve been wondering what to buy that wild wanderer in your life – take a peek at our 2023 Christmas gift guide.
For the wild swimmer
Finding the right gift for your wild swimming friend can be tricky. What do you get for the person that seems so happy with so very little? Check in with someone close to them, find out what they take out to the river or the ocean, and see if they need:
For the on-the-beach costume switch outs, and downtime between dips.
Wild swimming's a chilly endeavour - especially if you use a swimming pond, which can get colder than the sea! Protect your amigo's little piggies.
If you can't keep an eye on your stuff, especially your phone or car keys, the only place to take them is with you into the water! Which means you're gonna need a dry spot for them. A dry bag can be incredibly useful, or a tow float with a pocket can help - at the same time as making you visible to other water users!
For the paddleboarder
They're out on the water every chance they get, and whilst you're not looking to shell out a few hundred for a board, you'd still like to get them something useful. Here's a few suggestions for something a little more affordable:
Looking after yourself on a day out is key, and you'll like be up against a lot of sunshine, from the sky, and back off the water's surface - an SPF lip balm will help avoid chapping down to the bone, and a first aid kit's always handy for the little cuts and scrapes.
Running into similar issues to the wild swimmers, paddleboarders have to take all their kit with them, as they can't leave it behind on the bank or beach. If they've got their dry bags already, they might want something like a hard case for their phone - so it's in easy reach for pictures.
Is your beloved friend or other half still using that beach towel from 2004? The ragged mess that's more holes than fabric? Pick up a recycled beach towel for them - and worry less about waste.
For the cyclist
As anyone who cycles to work knows, in winter you nearly sacrifice digits to your mode of transport. Getting specifically windproof gloves can help massively in getting to your destination with functioning fingers.
Socks are a vital part of Christmas. They're the present people rarely want, but usually begrudgingly need, and forget to ask for. No one blasts through socks like the people taking thigh burning rides up hills.
No, we're not talking about phones for spies, we're talking a light, packable, insulating layer to protect your chest when heading against brutal windchill. 100% recycled, Albion makes a winner.
For the hikers
From the casual walker to the weekend warrior heading up lofty heights, chances are you know someone that likes a jaunt in the countryside. Quite often it's hard to find a gift for the walkers and hikers, as they've taken great glee in choosing their kit -- here's a few suggestions for the bits they didn't think of:
An impromptu scarf, shelter from the sun, a makeshift sling or even a rather fetching bit of attire for the dog, a bandana has more uses than can realistically be listed. Organic and fairtrade, Patagonia's the spot to look.
We all have that one friend with the outdoor gear who's holding onto an item for dear life, when it's quite clearly seen better days. Help protect the environment from waste and give that item a new lease of life with some repair from kit patches.
A simple film camera We all miss those disposable film cameras from the 90s, and film's really having a moment right now. What the planet does not miss however, is oodles and oodles of plastic boxes lying around. Opt for a permanent camera for those vibey hillside shots.
Remember when all you needed for a good time was a large open space and a plastic disk? Flinging a frisbee hiker to hiker on a walk is amazing fun, and if you can't dredge up your old one from your parent's garage, this 100% recycled, 100% recyclable frisbee is a great option.
For the foodie
We are all thankfully blessed with a foodie friend, the type to drag us out to restaurants where the entrée's an edible bonsai tree. But without them, we'd never find the good spots to eat. To help them achieve peak outdoor decadence, here's a few suggestions for foodie glampers.
If you're making sandwiches or even serving charcuterie on the fly, you'll know preparing food halfway up a hill, out in a forest or on a riverbank -- is a shredded mess. Skip the hassle and pick up one of these for impromptu meals.
A little pricier than some, this one's perhaps for your other half. There are three types of people in this world, those who don't like coffee, those that do like it, and those that love it. With this device, you'll be serving fresh bean juice whether it's atop a mountain or on the high seas.
The spice missile's the way to transport your beloved seasonings wherever then need to go when you're wild cooking. A beachside fire, over a campfire, at your cabin, wherever. A good way to make sure you're already prepared with your fenugreek seeds -- because the local shop probably won't have them.
If you're looking for a place to drink wine, there's more than a few spaces at Canopy & Stars on, or near vineyards. For everywhere else? There's Top Cuvée. Three bottles of natural wine will see you and your beloved foodie through - and if not, there's cocktails and craft beer too!
For the kids
Got to buy for a smaller human? Finding something for kids can be a little bit tricky. If they're your own, you might just want ideas, if they're not yours, you need to be thinking of stuff that won't drive their parents nuts. So that's drums off the list.
Green fingered families might find their kids are out in the garden with them when they're trying to keep their green space in check. Imitation's the sincerest form of flattery, so grab a gardening set and help trick them into chores.
If they're ever so small, there's a limited number of things you can buy them, and the safest bet is generally something soft, and impossible to swallow. Pick something out from Babipur's selection of fairtrade soft toys!
It takes quite some time for kids to appreciate the beauty of a wide-open vista, for some reason, they're fascinated with the microscopic - so let them take an even closer look with an outdoor microscope!
For the child who has everything, there's always turds. We can't decide if we love it, hate it, find it hilarious or terrifying - but the poo activity kit must be acknowledged. With playdough, and all the accoutrements to make the various different shapes and size poos of animals, teach your kid to track the old school way.
The wellness warrior
Finding eco beauty products and sustainable, or ethical wellness goods and services, is still surprisingly tricky in 2023. But the good news is, it's still better and easier than ever. Here are some suggestions for the wellness warrior in your life.
If you can't rub Pharell Williams all over your body, then you have to settle for the next best thing -- his new skincare range. With recycled, refillable packaging, vegan and cruelty free products HUMANRACE is already a strong contender for more ecologically sound beauty products.
Spending time halfway up mountains, and on long coastal walks can take their toll -- all that blustery wind tends to dry out your skin. Prevention is the best cure, so try out the body & face balm to keep chapped-ness at bay.
Wild & Stone Natural fibre dry body brush
There's nothing like keeping up our wellness routines when on holiday, they feel even more rejuvenating. Fit this into your skincare routine before or after a dip in an outdoor bath for incredible luxury.
The Nature Lover
You wouldn't believe how frequently we stop and point out a beautiful creature in the great outdoors, and STILL have no idea what exactly it is. It likely has something to do with there being over 70,000 different species of animals, plants and fungi in the UK. This time, you can tell what the heck you're looking at.
Well, we would suggest that wouldn't we? It's 2023, and as of yet, AI hasn't replaced the coffee table, and therefore, the coffee table book. Give the gift of stylish things to lie around (or a rather scintillating read if you pick it up), with our very first book.
This might well be the most important one. It's one thing going out to visit nature, but it's most definitely another thing entirely to stay within it. If you've yet to try us, if your friends are in need of a soothing getaway, if you've forgotten someone you really shouldn't have -- whatever the reason -- come take a load off at one of our spaces.
