Our Last-minute Holiday Gift Guide
The holidays are almost upon us. Most of us have been trying to wrap up projects at work, confirming holiday meal plans and menus and generally running ragged for the past month. We envy those who have wrapped up their holiday shopping by Thanksgiving and are now calmly sipping hot chocolate waiting for their families to open their presents.
If that is not your case, read on for our suggestions of last-minute experiences that you can gift your family this holiday season.
Go camping with your family
Our friends at Camping Union have seven locations across Quebec, so you get to choose what type of experience you want to have with your family. Go for the week-end or for a week or two and enjoy water activities and unique panoramas that each location has to offer. You can stay in a tent, bring your RV or even stay in one of their tree houses.
How to wrap the gift: If you already have some camping equipment, gift wrap it and add a note explaining that you will get to choose your location and activities together as a family. It’s even more fun if you wrap your tent or all the ingredients required to make S’mores. We can’t guarantee that you won’t eat these before your trip, though!
Hiking and Biking in the Outaouais region
If you haven’t explored the Outaouais region in Quebec, you should definitely give it a try in winter or in summer. Our friends at Carpe Diem Aventures have built a sustainable way to get visitors to fall in love with their region’s many activities. You can even head on over to their bistro for some local fares.
How to wrap this gift: this one really depends on which one of their many activities you choose to do. For example, if you want to go on the bike tour, you could wrap up a bike helmet with a map of the biking trail for your family to explore together.
A wine tasting tour in the Ottawa region
Ottawa is the newest wine region to develop in Ontario. There are, of course, many wineries offering white and red wines, made mostly from hearty varietals that do well in cold climates such as theirs. But, as we learned when we visited them, there are many other producers focusing on fruit wines as well. If you don’t know which one to choose, drop Julie a line. She is the head of Fortified Grape, a company specialized in showcasing the best that the local vineyards have to offer.
How to wrap this gift: that’s easier than the tent we mentioned above. Buy a bottle of wine or wrap a corkscrew in the local region’s vineyard map and then enjoy planning your week-end getaway with friends or your significant other.
A fishing trip in Charlevoix
You may have recently read our fishing article and it inspired you to mention a fishing trip with your friends and family. If you don’t know where to start, you can try the Lac Croche Outfitter in the Charlevoix region. They open in the spring for prime fishing season and are ready to welcome you until late in the fall.
How to wrap it: You can find and upcycle a small box and put some of your lures in it. You can even fit the small box into a bigger one to trick your family into believing it is something very large. If you don’t actually own any fishing lures, consider crafting a paper fish or using one of your children’s toys.
Plan your staycations for years to come
If you prefer to stay around the house in summer and don’t particularly enjoy travelling or planning trips, you can also consider building one of our Bunkies. They can become your outdoor dining space, your family room for board games, your man cave or your she shed. They increase your living space and the possibilities are endless.
How to wrap it: depending on how you plan to use your Bunkie, you could wrap an object that is related to the intended use, so a beach towel for a pool cabana, or a board game for a family room or even a nice outdoor dining set. When your family opens the box, explain that this item will now be located in your very own backyard next spring.
Ultimately, your family will remember the memories you made together while engaging in activities that make you discover the world, explore a new region and simply spend time laughing and talking. And that gift is priceless.
Questions on how to get the most from your Bunkie? Our team is here to help! Call us at 1-877-554-0854 or email [email protected].
