The holiday season is upon us and it's time to start rushing around for presents. Here are some of the quirkiest gift ideas available in Australia.
The experience gift
Camel riding in South Australia, $65.
Give a memory rather than more scented candles and soap this holiday season. Websites such as
Big Thanks and
Red Balloon sell a huge range of experiences to suit anyone's tastes, from
hot air ballooning to
horse and camel riding to a
professional portrait sitting. Be warned though, an experience gift will set you back a lot more than your average socks-and-jocks present.
The novelty gift for the person with everythingLast supper mints, $7.95.
When you need to buy a present for someone who doesn't need a thing and won't tell you what they want, a novelty gift will solve all your problems.
USB devices are fun for anyone with a computer. You can power pretty much anything you could ever want (and a lot of things you don't want) through your USB port- including
fish tanks,
cup warmers and
missile launchers.
Some novelty gifts are just bizarre, such as
absinthe soap and
last supper mints- perfect for your favourite oddball. And for the little darling you know who has all the toys in the world, get a
construction site styled plate, complete with forklift-shaped eating utensils. Never again will he or she have to worry about their peas touching the other elements of their meal! In fact, novelty gifts are so much fun that even if you have to buy a present for someone who
doesn't have everything, you still should consider a gag gift.
The edible gift
Edible Christmas tree, $99.
Rather than give regular food-shaped food, you can get edible bouquets and pot-plants. The
bouquets made out of chocolate flowers look delicious, but for the more health-conscious,
fruit creations are available too. There is a selection of
edible Christmas trees, wreaths and bouquets which can be sent anywhere in Australia. The edible creations cost from $39, with plenty of great options under $100. Delivery, if the order is in advance, is $9.90 for chocolate creations or $14.50 for next-day delivery. Fruit bouquets costs $16.50 to deliver.
The charity gift
A duck for a disadvantaged family, $20.
To give yourself and the person you are buying the present for an instant warm and fuzzy feeling, give a charity gift on their behalf. Giving the
'gift of sight' from the Fred Hollows Foundation, which treats preventable blindness (most often cataracts) in developing countries, can cost as little as $25- although you can donate any amount upwards of this. You then send the card which explains that you have just provided the funds to keep someone's eyes working to the gift recipient. Or, you can purchase useful items for disadvantaged communities from just $5 from
World Vision Gifts. Pencils, ducks, and toilets are just some of the gifts you can purchase on someone else's behalf. You then send your gift recipient the card, which explains what someone on the other side of the world is enjoying as their Christmas present.
The socially responsible gift
Fair trade document bag made out of a recycled tyre tube and coffee sack, $69.95.
If you have a friend with a social conscience who still likes to receive presents rather than have gifts of livestock sent to African countries on their behalf, consider a fair trade present.
Oxfam Shops sell fair trade versions of anything from handbags to toys to chocolate. As the nature of fair trade goods is to give third world workers a fair go and not underpay them for their labour, you can expect to pay more than you would picking up a similar item in discount department stores.
Find your nearest Oxfam Shop
here or order online- postage costs between $6 and $16 per order in Australia.