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secret santa ideas

Low and no alcohol Secret Santa ideas

From funny, festive-themed tokens to personalised presents, Secret Santa can be lots of fun at Christmas. For those that don’t know how it works, the rules are these. You pop the names of the participants into a hat, and whichever name you pull out is who you buy for. Usually, the recipients are kept secret, and everyone who gives a present also receives a present. Perhaps you’re joining in with work party fun or you’ve pulled family names out of a hat. Whatever the set-up, it’s a great way of showing the recipient that you’ve really made an effort to find that one thing that will make them smile, laugh, or get a warm, fuzzy, festive feeling.

With a significant rise in the number of people choosing not to drink, it’s likely that you may well pick the name of a non-drinker. With a smorgasbord of low and no alcohol gifts on the market, your problem won’t be finding the perfect gifts, but choosing which fantastic alcohol-free present to choose! So our little elves at Club Soda have put together a useful list of Secret Santa ideas. From books to booze-free beverages, experiences to alternatives, here are the perfect presents for those who choose to have a booze-free Yule.

Books

Books are great Secret Santa ideas; they’re small, affordable, and Quit Lit is thoughtful and inspiring. This could be the book gift that helps someone change their life! Here are some of our favourites:

How to Be a Mindful Drinker: Cut down, stop for a bit, or quit

How to Be a Mindful Drinker is Club Soda’s very own book, and it’s the best of everything we know about how to change our drinking. It talks about how to start with analysing our drinking and how we feel about it. It discusses the effects changing our drinking will have on our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. And it gives tips, tools, and resources on how to live life as a mindful drinker.
This is a great gift if you know that the receiver is looking for guidance. It can show that you’re supportive of the changes that they want to make in their lives. It’s worth considering, though, whether you’re buying someone a gift to do with mindful drinking because it’s useful, or because you think that they have a problem with their drinking. Be wary that it’s their call, not yours.

The world of quit lit is vast, with many people opening up about their experiences with alcohol. These stories can inspire others to take their first steps. For more book-related Secret Santa ideas, why not take a look at our recent list of new quit lit books for a sober 2022.

Drinks gifts

We don’t think twice about buying a colleague a bottle of red to help celebrate the holidays. But when it comes to the best alcohol-free drinks, you might need some tips. Thankfully, we love to sample and share our thoughts about the best low and no drinks options available – you’re welcome – so we’ve got some Secret Santa ideas to suit every taste and budget!

£10 and under

Why not treat your Secret Santa to a bottle of something bubbly to have with their Christmas dinner? Saicho Hojicha Cold Brew Tea is a really unique alcohol-free sparkling wine alternative made from cold-brewed sparkling tea. This fantastic bottle, which comes in at £9.99, has delicate and complex flavours and is a roasted green tea from Japan.

Alternatively, you could try a de-alcoholised Prosecco such as Scavi & Ray’s alcohol-free sparkling wine. It’s the award-winning no alcohol version of their popular alcoholic drink. It’s so good that you could be forgiven for forgetting it contains no alcohol at all, and all this for under £10.

£20 and under

If the recipient of your surprise gift is more of a beer drinker, then they’re in for a treat. The low and no alcohol beer sector has exploded over the last few years, resulting in a plethora of pleasing beers to suit everyone’s palette.

For a light and aromatic table beer, then a box of Binary Botanical is in order. Tasting like a mix between a lager and a prosecco, this is the perfect beer to have with a turkey sandwich! Wise Bartender offers a 12 bottle box for under £20.

Non-alcoholic craft beers are in abundance, and the Nirvana Classic IPA is certainly worth considering. If your gift recipient likes their beer light, amber-bodied, and refreshing with no alcohol and packed full of floral flavours, this is for them.

Dark, alcohol-free ale lovers will enjoy the Bonfire Stout from Drop Bear Beer Co. Smoky, malty, caramel-like flavours make this one of the best Secret Santa ideas for those who love a stout. The perfect speciality beverage is available to order as 12 bottles and comes in at around £20 – £23.

£30 and under

The alcohol-free spirits market has also seen a rise in the number of mouth-watering offerings. This means there are plenty of Secret Santa ideas to be had in the form of single bottles and boxed gift sets.

Caleno is a popular brand of botanicals offering two distinctive flavours. Caleno Dark & Spicy is a rich blend of pineapple, coconut, ginger, black cardamom, and lime. It reminds us of a rich, spiced rum, perfect for stormy winter nights. Light & Zesty, however, is a great alternative to gin. Paired with a great soda, it has tongue-tingling infusions of citrus, Inca berry and mango. And if you think your Secret Santa would love both, then you’re in luck. Caleno offers a beautifully packaged gift box with both bottles retailing at around £22.

Lyres offer a really great variety of alcohol-free spirits, with something to suit everyone. From their Italian Spritz to create an Aperol-type aperitif to their nutty, tangy Amaretti, Lyres’ range gives your giftee the opportunity to have fun with flavours. Create delicious mocktails, and learn to re-create old favourites without the hangover! Here’s a review we did of their Pink London Spirit, with some recipe ideas, too. Most bottles retail at around £22.99, making them great Secret Santa ideas under £30.

£40 and under

For the present for those who want to be present, the Three Spirits Starter Pack has everything you need. These spirit alternatives, made with functional plants with active compounds, are designed to make you feel good without intoxication. The taste of the three flavours on offer – Livener, Social Elixir, and Nightcap – inspires the mood of starting a night off, lifting the spirits, and winding down later on. These drinks offer stimulation and are great alcohol-free Secret Santa ideas in one box for under £40.

If you’ve got a healthy budget and want to splash out on your Secret Santa, why not order a hamper, complete with alcohol-free drinks? This gorgeous alcohol-free hamper from Regency Hampers has all of your Christmas treats inside, including a delicious cranberry and orange presse. A great way to show your recipient that you support their life choices while also giving them a treat.

£50 and under

Sometimes, a drink doesn’t have to be complicated to be versatile, interesting and really, really tasty. This is why the Gimber Gift box is on our list of Secret Sant ideas. Because what better than a fiery kick of a drink to remind people that alcohol-free definitely isn’t boring? Containing GIMBER, 2 glasses, 2 shots and 2 straws, this fiery ginger concentrate which makes a great mixer or a healthy shot comes in its own beautifully presented box at just under £50.

Why not give the gift that keeps on giving this Christmas? Subscription boxes give your Secret Santa the opportunity to try a whole load of low and no alcohol drinks that they might not know about! Club Soda has teamed up with Wise Bartender to offer two fantastic monthly subscription boxes. Try the Wine Subscription Box or the Discovery Subscription Box. Each box is chosen by Club Soda founder Laura Willoughby, alongside guest drinks specialists. We also provide live online wine tasting, recipe ideas, and more!

Vouchers

Gift vouchers seem to have a bad reputation. Many consider them to be a low effort choice lacking careful consideration. We disagree. A gift voucher shows that you care about the interests of the recipient. A gift voucher says ‘I give you permission to spend money on yourself’. How often do we give ourselves permission to indulge in luxuries? How often do we say ‘oh, I couldn’t possibly spend that on myself’?. So go ahead, give someone you love the permission to treat themselves.

Beer lovers will love Big Drop Brewing Co’s gift card for their popular range of non-alcoholic beers. Denominations start at £10.

For more choices for your recipient, then choose a Wise Bartender gift card. Let them choose their own new favourite drink from an extensive range of wines, beers, ciders, and spirits. Cheers!

Non-alcoholic Secret Santa ideas

Just because your nominated present receiver doesn’t drink also doesn’t mean that you have to buy them something that’s designed to be an alternative to alcohol. Your Secret Santa ideas don’t have to be geared towards sobriety. Why not choose a hamper or goodie bag? This cheeky chocolatey Christmas hamper from Marks & Spencer doesn’t involve anything related to alcohol but is still a festive luxury.

Gifts also don’t have to be a physical, gift-wrapped present. Gift experiences are the ultimate luxury. Try offering a relaxing luxury spa day or an afternoon tea in a really nice restaurant worthy of dressing up for. These experiences are more often than not far more memorable than unwrapping a gift. So much so that your Secret Santa receiver will be dying to know who to thank!

If you know that the person you’re buying for is already a fan of alcohol-free drinks, then look no further than Ferm Living for glassware that will make that low or no alcohol treat even fancier! Every glass piece in their stunning collection is mouth-blown and made with love, and they make a really beautiful gift idea.

Happy Secret Santa-ing! We realise that our list is made up of predominantly British gift ideas, so if you’re in another country but you’d still like to follow our gift ideas, here is where you can find fantastic no and low alcohol products where you are.

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