The Skinny's 2025 Christmas Gift Guide

Alchemy Festive Markets

The Alchemy Experiment returns with their festive markets series, which features a daily rotation of seven artists & makers and local brands every weekend throughout December. Pop along to their Byres Road shop to pick up art, designs and gifts from local artists and creators. alchemyexperiment.com [Phoebe Willison]

The Health Collective

For the ultimate gift of not having to talk to anyone for at least an hour, get your loved ones (or yourself) a voucher with The Health Collective. Based in Kinning Park's Urban Office, this peaceful and relaxing space offers a range of treatments – I recommend an hour of Shiatsu with Natalie for easing all your winter aches and pains. @thehealthcollective___ on Instagram [PW]

Steampunk Coffee

Steampunk Coffee is an institution in the world of bean roasting, known for producing delicious coffee and looking extremely cool while doing it. This is sort of a two-in-one recommendation. You can go visit their lovely home in North Berwick, or check out the online Christmas Shop for coffee subscriptions, sleek brewing equipment, and some very cool merch, perfect for those coffee loving pals! steampunkcoffee.co.uk [Ema Smekalová]

Meadows Pottery

Meadows Pottery and their wee shopfront by Summerhall has been the object of my desires for a long long time. You’ll be spoiled for choice with their range of pots in various shapes and gorgeous, earthy colours. Be warned – you may well end up forgetting you were Christmas shopping for friends and family in the first place and instead leave with a little stoneware treat for yourself. It’s okay, you deserve it. themeadowspottery.com [ES]

Irregular Sleep Pattern Eye Mask

I’ve been mildly obsessed with Glasgow’s Irregular Sleep Pattern since they launched their pyjama sets in 2020. Proudly independent, their brand continues to expand in wonderful ways with blankets, oven gloves, aprons and even shower curtains now part of their lineup. They also do really cool padded eye masks and with mine fully on its way out, I’d love one of these for Christmas in literally any of their eight vibrant colourways. Pretty please! irregularsleeppattern.com [Tallah Brash]

Woolkind

I am such a magpie for brightly coloured things, so when I passed the Shop With No Name on Broughton Place mid-November and spotted a Woolkind pop-up happening, I changed course almost immediately. Sucked in by brightly patterned scarves and block-patterned fingerless gloves, this custom Scottish knitwear is made from 100% superfine merino wool, ethically made in Edinburgh and can be made to order if you like. It is all gorgeous, super soft and I love it. woolkind.com [TB]

Good Vibes Gift Voucher

It should come as no surprise that I love records, so if you’re ever stuck with what to get me, a gift voucher for cosy Leith record shop Good Vibes would be ideal. Their gift cards are super cute too and can be used on loads of other stuff they sell in the shop – genre baseball caps, cute zines and books, Lost Map merch, the list goes on. Support your local independent record shops! goodvibesrecords.co [TB]

Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store. Photo: David Anderson

Big Jim’s Hot Sauce

I stumbled upon Big Jim’s Hot Sauce around this time last year when I was bumbling around the indie shops of Leith. The world’s only Scottish whisky barrel-aged hot sauces, pick from flavours like Irn-Bru & Whisky, Jalapeño, Coconut & Lime, Barrel Aged Buffalo or the HOT-HOT Blue Agave Nectar, the latter perfect if you want to go full mixologist and make spicy margs at home. Trust me on this one. bigjimskitchen.com [TB]

Studio Kumari

You can’t go wrong with flowers and you most definitely can’t go wrong with a bunch or two from Studio Kumari. Although leaning more towards design commissions throughout the year, for the festive season, the studio often sells individual bouquets and wreaths. These gorgeous works of art are truly a special gift. studiokumari.co.uk [Eilidh Akilade]

Book Works Readers Club

Book Works may be one of the coolest art writing presses out there – and I, for one, want to be part of their Readers Club (please). The £50 annual subscription includes a copy of each new publication, as well as nice discounts and launch invites throughout the year. A very good (and desirable) deal, IMO. bookworks.org.uk/publishing/shop/readers-club-2 [EA]

Kosta Boda The Rock Votive

I love mountains and I love glass candle holders, please get me this. Any colour will do. kostaboda.com/the-rock-ljuslykta-cirkulaer-91mm [Rosamund West]

Donna Wilson Cottage Bag

A bag that looks like a house! Admittedly it’s more of a shopper for sunnier times, given Scottish midwinter bag design needs to be a bit more on the rain / snow / hurricane-proof side. Still we can dream of summer, and holidays exist. It’s very difficult to browse the Donna Wilson site without falling in love with a (large) number of her magical products, some of which are knitted in her Dundee micro factory. donnawilson.com [RW]

The Clydeside Distillery Tour

It’s always tempting to buy that whisky lover in your life another bottle of their favourite malt, but why not take them on a tour instead? And you don’t need to schlep all the way up to the Highlands and Islands to sample a tasty single malt now that Clydeside has opened on the site of a former pumphouse at the Queens Dock in Glasgow. As well as a fun and informative chat about whisky, Clydeside’s tour also gives a history lesson about Glasgow’s port and offers great views of the Clyde. theclydeside.com [Jamie Dunn]

The Clydeside Distillery. Photo supplied by Clydeside Distillery

Graeme's Glasgow Honey

Who doesn’t love a drop of honey on their toast or in their porridge? And if you live in Glasgow, this is about as locally sourced a foodstuff as you can get. Graeme has beehives scattered on rooftops and in parks across the city, and each jar gives you the location of the hive and the name of the queen bee who headed up the honey production, be it Queen Emily of Pollokshields or Grumpy Queen Jennifer of Hillhead. [JD]

GFT Cinecard Membership

I’ve recommended the GFT Cinecard for the Christmas Gift Guide in the past, but it’s an even better deal now. As well as getting four free tickets at the beginning of the year (which will come in handy with all the big Oscar contenders coming out just after Christmas, like Hamnet, Marty Supreme and Sentimental Value), the recipient will also get a discount on every ticket, priority booking for the film festival and earn loyalty points with each visit to the cinema. It’s perfect for that movie freak in your life. glasgowfilm.org/membership [JD]

Giorgia Di Dio Facialist

For the person who is one minor inconvenience away from full hibernation, book them in with Giorgia. An hour on her table is like being gently reassembled into a functioning human. Tension? Gone. Face? Glowing. Soul? Restored. She combines massage, targeted skincare and a very soothing presence that makes you consider cancelling all future plans just to stay relaxed forever. A proper treat for winter survival. giorgiadidioskin.com [Dalila D'Amico]

Hayley McSporran

If someone on your list swears by ‘buy less, wear more’ and has zero interest in fast fashion fuss, Hayley McSporran is a gift-win. Based in Glasgow, her studio creates minimalist, modular wardrobe staples that pair effortlessly with whatever your gift-recipient already owns – no trend panic needed. Expect clean lines, quality fabrics, and pieces that feel like they’ll survive more than one season. hayleymcsporran.com [DD] 

Inver

Treat a special someone to a stay at Inver’s woodland bothies, where crisp modern design meets dramatic loch views. Snuggle into a super-king bed, wake to a picnic basket full of Scottish produce, and let the on-site tasting menu restaurant carry the evening (yes, dinner is included). It’s the kind of gift that promises both downtime and decadence without the hustle of a big hotel. inverrestaurant.co.uk [DD]