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Shop sustainably this year by opting for unique experience gifts in NYC instead of a material item! While the gift-giving season can be an exciting time of year, it can also be stressful for planet-conscious people worried about overconsumption and waste build-up. Luckily, we have the perfect solution – instead of buying a mass of material gifts, treat your eco-conscious loved ones to new skills or a chance to explore their passion. We've curated some of the best presents for your friends and family, including Christmas wreath making classes and soy candle making workshops.
Experience gift cards in NYC are sustainable alternatives to useless knick-knacks – who needs another perfume set or Santa sweater anyway? These Chrismas gift ideas will leave no gift wrapping to toss into the landfill because these workshops are focused on cultivating a memorable in-person experience. Best of all, experience gifts in NYC give the lucky recipients valuable skills that last a lifetime, as well as a soothing sliver of mindfulness during the chaotic holiday season.
Perhaps you know a plant mom with green thumbs who'd love flower arranging? You may want to treat the fixer-upper in your life to an awesome pottery making adventure. Take your partner to a cooking class for a holiday date night. With a glittering trove of NYC Christmas present ideas to explore, we're confident you'll find something to delight your nearest and dearest in this 2024 holiday season.
If these ideas sound intriguing, keep reading as we share several engaging New York experience gifts that are full of festive cheer and kind to the environment.
Revel in the festive spirit with Christmas wreath making classes
Ho ho ho how about a pine Christmas wreath making workshop that combines flower arranging with DIY Christmas decorations? Floristry classes are safe bets for eco-friendly folk because they draw inspiration from seasonal flowers and plants. If you're looking for gifts for plant lovers, a wreath making class is the perfect blend of creativity and nature! Plus, you don’t need to worry about buying single-use holiday decor either!
If you're looking for eco-friendly gifts for your team, a wreath making class is a fun way to bond. During this exciting NYC experience gift, makers spend several fun-filled hours weaving a stunning fresh or dried flower arrangement. Choose a wreath that fits your loved one’s personality best. Minimalist, edgy, floral, or classic, there are so many fun styles to choose from. Alongside looking utterly gorgeous, if you choose to make a natural wreath, the woody aromas are heavenly. We suggest hanging your masterpiece inside to fill your interiors with dreamy yuletide fragrances.
This festive workshop will make this Christmas in NYC one to remember. You can even enjoy head-bopping festive songs and plenty of cringy jokes. BYOB if you would like to enjoy a drink while flexing your flower arranging muscles.
Find peace in natural candle-making classes
Searching for experiences to gift in NYC that inspire calm and lasting feelings of wellbeing? Join a relaxing candle-making class and enjoy the benefits of natural aromatherapy. Not only will makers walk away with valuable soy candle-making skills, but they'll take home a gorgeous pillar infused with essential oils. There's nothing more Christmassy than cuddling up on the sofa and breathing in fir, cinnamon and clove.
Above all else, you can choose a class that offers cruelty-free and ethically-sourced materials and natural fragrances. Our eco-conscious friends no longer need to miss out on the coziness candles bring to a winter space, with these handmade and non-toxic candles.
Not only are these candles planet-friendly, but they can also be personalized to your tastes, so you can bliss out every time you burn your creation. The knowledgeable instructor will explain how to manipulate each ingredient into an irresistible-smelling mixture, answering any questions along the way. In this candle making class in Brooklyn, you will learn how to make beautiful soy wax candles. Thanks to this beginner-friendly guidance, everyone will leave with the confidence to keep soy candle making at home.
Or, browse couple experience days in NYC for loved-up duos. A couple’s candle-making class is a great way to carve out time for one another, especially in the busy holiday season. There’s no room to fret about present wrapping, food buying or irritating in-laws when fully immersed in candle-making classes!
Treat them to the best plant-based food in NYC
Many people are now adopting a more plant-based lifestyle for mental well-being, health benefits, and even for its sustainable impact. If you know someone who's a passionate vegan or vegetarian, help them develop their culinary prowess in mouth-watering cooking classes. These cooking courses are also handy for anyone hosting an eco-conscious eater at this year's Christmas dinner!
Adventurous foodies are sure to adore a vegetarian Indian cooking class, such as this one in Queens – it beats bland nut roasts and overdone sprouts any day. Participants will learn incredible knife skills and techniques from an expert chef before taking their blades to the cutting board.
Not only will they get to enjoy a delicious homecooked vegan meal that will induce future cravings. But they’ll also get to take home exciting new vegan recipes to recreate at home with the refined cooking skills to make their home cooking experiences a breeze. If they prefer eating to cooking, a vegan food tour in East Williamsburg might be their cup of tea!
Excite their DIY mindset with a pottery class
Christmas experience gifts in NYC don't get much better than pottery workshops. Rather than gifting a store-bought mug, they can make a personalized piece and leave with new skills and fond memories of their experience. This class makes for sustainable gift ideas that promote creativity over consumption!
As well as studying the age-old art of pottery making under the guidance of a creative genius, participants will feel blissed out after playing with clay. Pottery classes are a soothing sensory experience that untangles muddled thoughts and brain knots – there's no need to meditate in a cave when ceramics are equally calming! You can tap into your childlike spirit and enjoy a day where you’re free to get a little messy.
Know someone who always puts others ahead of themselves? Remind them to slow down with this hand building and wheel throwing pottery class. This class will allow them to focus on their own needs and reconnect with themselves and maybe even meet a few new friends. Your loved one will handcraft charming ceramics before tackling the famous potter's lathe – watch out Swayze!
There's also a wealth of fascinating pottery classes and things to do in NYC at Christmas that are a little unusual. Neriokomi pottery will teach you how to make patterns in your pots with layers of clay or learn how to make crackle pottery that will add a rustic touch to your home decor.
Spoil the green-thumbed moms, upcycling dudes, and plant-based couples with guilt-free NYC Christmas present ideas. If you’re looking for sustainable gift ideas this year, there are plenty of planet-saving gifts for her and gifts for him to browse, including DIY wreath making and cooking classes.
Need more inspiration? We also have unique jewelry-making classes, art classes, and baking classes on our website. Whatever you choose, Christmas gift ideas in NYC prioritize sustainability while delivering bucketloads of festive fun!
Runs regularly
Manhattan
1 to 20 guests
$96
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