The festive season seems to creep up on us every year. Even when all the Christmas chocolates are in store the day after Halloween, or even sometimes just after Easter, to remind us that Christmas is coming!
However much we tell ourselves we won’t leave things to the last minute, life just gets in the way and suddenly it’s the week before Christmas and you haven’t sorted all your presents. Or worse, your presents are sorted and you get landed with a surprise Secret Santa you weren’t anticipating.
Never fear, we’ve got some last-minute gift ideas that you can source easily, quickly, and in an eco-friendly way!
Pull together a simple hamper
You don’t even need to have a basket but could simply paint, or decorate with old wrapping paper a box and fill it with some goodies.
Perhaps you’ve got some old bits you can regift or some items you could bake using up bits and pieces in your cupboard.
To make it seem really put together and not last minute at all you could try and stick to a theme. Here are a few ideas:
Mulled wine kit
Grab a bottle of red wine from the back of the cupboard, a couple of mugs (or some charity shop vintage teacups), and add in some cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise and perhaps even an orange. This mulled wine gift idea on BBC Good Food only takes 5 minutes, and if you’ve been doing any festive baking you should have most of this in the house.
If someone isn’t a wine drinker you could swap the red wine for a nice bottle of cider or apple juice. 
Keep it green
A colour scheme is a great way of making something feel pulled together. That’s why we love our Grinch House Hamper so much. For Christmas, a festive colour like red, gold, or green would be great or perhaps create something themed around their favourite colour or even the rainbow.
If you’re feeling lazy, our Grinch House Hamper does it for you. 
Cosy hygge hug
Pull together some cosy socks, a hot drink of your choice, and a few pamper bits to create a cosy hug. Perhaps you could add in a favourite book that they might like. You might even be able to find a copy in your local charity shop!
You could add a candle too! Definitely a great way to warm up cold evenings. 
Breakfast in bed
If you’ve been making any jams or marmalades this year, add these into a box with some loose leaf tea or some coffee beans. If someone is going to open the present immediately, you could even add in some breakfast items like bread, eggs, and pastries.
Shop small
Instagram is a great way of connecting with makers and creatives. If they live close by, you could even arrange to meet them to collect the gift, so it’s not reliant on postage.
It goes without saying, that the less distance a product travels, the less of an impact on our environment it has in terms of carbon footprint.
Plus by buying local you’re supporting the local economy and supporting someone’s small business.
If you don’t know where to start, you could look for items on sites like Etsy and Not on the High Street and refine your geography down. Most of the time you can then contact the maker directly via their website or social media, or even at local events.
Shop local
You don’t need to brave high street chains to get a good gift at Christmas. Instead, you could pick up a wreath from a local florist, some Christmas cake from a baker, or some local arts and crafts.
Keep an eye out for:
Local markets
It could be a village hall or school or be taking over a nearby street. Keep an eye out for less commercial markets where you’re much more likely to find local and eco-conscious brands.
A zero-waste shop
We’re lucky to be seeing more and more of these and they’ll doubtless have some amazing gift ideas. If you want to do something quick and creative, why not get some jars filled with herbs and spices for someone who loves to cook?
A farm shop / local independent shop
Get your hands on some local produce and locally made bits and pieces. Keep an eye out for anything locally made or grown. Remember, it’s unlikely bananas in your local shop will have been grown here!
Support EcoVibe
Did you know we can offer 24-hour shipping on items bought on the EcoVibe shop? Whether it’s household goods, makeup, beauty, or even gifts for your dog we have got you covered.
You’ll be able to trust that our items are as eco-friendly as possible with a number of plastic-free, vegan, and low carbon gift ideas. What’s more, we’ll always tell you on the product’s page all of its eco-attributes.
Plus, every purchase on the EcoVibe site plants trees with Rainforest Alliance UK.
Check out our latest gift ideas here.