Opinion The best Christmas guide for vegan gifting

Grab your Santa sack and get ready to power through your Christmas gift list – we’re taking you shopping!

I love Christmas. I’m sure I say it every year, but gift-giving is one of my favourite things. Finding something special – and customisable where possible – to treat my nearest and dearest brings me so much happiness. Sometimes it’s a hit, sometimes not so much, but there is never any question about the thought I’ve put behind it. And isn’t that the most important thing? 

In an attempt to make your lives easier, I’ve put my brain to work and come up with some ripper ideas to add to your Christmas list. You can consider this my gift to you – taking out all the guesswork so you can put your feet up, relax, and watch those smiles widen across faces on December 25th.  

Recipe Journal 

I’m starting off strong with this customizable gift from Papier. Papier make a whole range of journals, from wellbeing to gratitude to my personal favourite – recipes! 

If you know someone who – like me – has a million tattered pieces of paper in the cupboard with barely legible handwritten recipes, why not gift them a one-of-a-kind recipe book? With a ton of cover designs to choose from – or the chance to design your own – this journal could become their best friend in the kitchen. Give your pal the gift of never again losing a recipe, the present of preserving long-standing family traditions, or the invitation to get creative in the kitchen. This gift can do so many things! 

The Gift of Memories 

Let’s not beat around the boughs of holly here – I’m talking FOOD memories. For that special someone, pick them up a Polaroid printer. They’re small so they take up barely any room, they connect to your phone via Bluetooth, and they allow you to print Polaroid-style pictures of any photos directly from your Instagram account. And just like that, you’ve got a tangible, IRL, daily reminder of that time you ate the best smoky eggplant dip with house-made focaccia (I’m looking at you, Ballard’s).  

Capture those memories, stick ‘em on your fridge, or better yet – stick ‘em in your recently acquired Papier recipe journal! After all, what’s a recipe book without the food pics?! 

An Italian Christmas 

Ok, so I said, ‘An Italian Christmas’, not ‘A Christmas holiday in Italy’… but this book will get you half-way there on vibes alone, honestly!  

Our favourite vegana Italiana, Nadia Fragnito, has just released a collection of festively Italian dishes in her latest cookbook, Natale. As always, Nadia uses her recipes to guide you through the varying regions of Italy, each with their traditional Christmas dishes.  

You don’t have to be Italian to enjoy syrupy stuffoli or sweet strauben … you just need to be human!

You can order your copy of Natale, along with her other cookbooks, here.

A Night Off Cooking 

While a night free from slaving away over a hot microwave is great in itself, a voucher for one of your favourite vegan-friendly eateries ticks more than a couple of boxes. You can treat a mate to a delicious meal, perhaps introduce them to their new favourite place, give them the gift of your presence (if they choose to invite you, that is!), and perhaps best of all – support your vegan-friendly small businesses, many of whom are doing it extremely tough in this current economic climate. It’s a win-win-win-win all round! 

Post-Chrimbo Advent Calendar 

The lead-up to Christmas is mad, it’s busy, and it’s stressful for many. And by many, I’m talking about myself. So when the 25th finally arrives and you can stop, breathe momentarily (at least until you’ve shoved way too many roast potatoes in your gob) – and relax, the fun is all over. But it doesn’t have to be! 

With custom advent calendars, why not gift someone lots of little daily treats so the fun can continue on for the 25 days after Christmas?! 

My recommendations are for special treats from some of our favourite online retailers, or mini-vouchers for businesses – even if it’s just for a simple coffee. Perhaps something universal like these socks from Animals Australia, a unique candle from You, Me & Bones, or maybe some lush bath or skincare products from … well, Lush, of course! It really is a choose-your-own adventure. 

Fruit as Fashion 

For those thinking that fruit is just for eating, now you just wait a minute…! 

With some very creative innovation in the fashion industries over the past few decades, fruit, veg, and other plants are now being crafted into natural leathers for fashionable bags, wallets, jackets, shoes, and more.

Keen to try shoes made from pineapple? Vegan Style has them! Want a wallet or purse made of cactus? Vegan Leather Co are where it’s at! If you can grow it, the fashion industry can leather it. (But maybe don’t quote me on that.) 

Get Creative with Natives 

And by natives, I’m talking Indigenous Bushfoods. Bush to Bowl are an 100% Aboriginal-run social enterprise, bringing both native plants and produce to the masses.  

With such a diverse range of ingredients grown right here in Australia, it’s a special way to tap into our connection to country and culture, by literally tasting what the land has to offer. There are options to grown your own or grab some starter spice kits … or gift my personal favourite – this Saltbush Damper Mix.  

Drink (Responsibly) for Good 

For the wine-drinking animal lover in your life, you can’t go past Goodwill Wines. Every single wine they sell is animal-friendly. Not only in the way they don’t contain any animal ingredients (yep, that’s a thing!), but in that 50% of profits are donated to an animal-centered charity of your choice! With just shy of 100 charities on their list helping animals in a wide range of areas, why buy wine anywhere else?  

Stocking Stuffers for Fur Babies 

Now, I can’t say too much here in case my own furry kids read this, so I’ll keep things discreet.  

While you may think your non-human friends and family members may not know or care about Christmas, you’d be wrong. And as a very special treat to you just to prove it, I’m going to share with you this pic of my special girl getting her photo taken with Santa. And clearly having the time of her life! 

Pups in the Pantry have come through this year with some seasonal specials for pups of all sizes with their veg-based gingerbread iced cookies, gingerbread family pack, candy cane chews, chewy Christmas braids, and this full treat stocking. These are all available at The Reject Shop.  

The Reject Shop presumably also sell empty gift boxes, perfect for the feline in your life (yep, they sure do!), but maybe you want to treat them to something extra-special this year from  ZippyClaws – I’m partial to the new Kickerz range myself. Cats deserve plush catnip veg just as much as the rest of us.  

Need more help? 

If you find you still can’t nab the perfect gift for that special someone, don’t forget to check out our previous Christmas gift guides (which in my humble opinion, are absolutely stellar).

Otherwise, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook or Instagram and ask! We’re always here to help in your time of need and (hopefully) save the day with a gift suggestion, a product recommendation, or recipe inspiration. Consider us your virtual plant-based besties.