The festive season is upon us! The adverts have started and the pressure is on to get the Christmas food in the freezer. A huge part of the holidays for people in Edinburgh is the gift of giving. This year, the holidays will be a little bit different for everyone and some businesses will need a bit more support given the year we’ve had. When you’re looking for gifts for family and friends, why not consider giving local businesses a try? Those local, independent restaurants, bars, cafes and gift shops across Edinburgh will all have options available which could make great gifts for your loved ones. Read on for our 2020 guide to local gifts in Edinburgh.
If you’re looking for gifts in Edinburgh this festive season, we’d love it if more people considered their local, independent businesses for potential gifts. We’ve put together a short guide that may help with some inspiration for what to get all those family members and friends on your ‘still-to-buy-for’ list.
Vouchers are always a go-to for folks looking for great gifts in Edinburgh. Buying gifts vouchers from local Edinburgh businesses is helpful now more than ever because it gives them some cash flow now and the visit later when the grateful recipient comes in for a visit. If you’re looking for Edinburgh gift vouchers, you can check their websites, or you can pop into local restaurants and grab a physical copy. Restaurants like Topolabamba will have loads of options for gift vouchers to use in 2021. Hint… You can earn cashback via Swipii if you buy the voucher in person from a participating business, like Topolabamba!
Depending on your area, you may only have non-essential shops open if you’d like to visit in person. You might also be able to visit! You can check your local area’s restrictions here. If we’re allowed, there are lots of independent Edinburgh gift shops who will stock loads of quirky, interesting gifts for you to pop in your Christmas stockings. Many of them will also have online shops, so if you know there’s an independent shop near you that you’d like to support, have a look and see if they have an online store! Our recommendations for gift shops in Edinburgh include Logan Malloch in Leith, Lifestory in the East End, and An Independent Zebra in Stockbridge!
If you’ve got a cafe or restaurant nearby who are open (make sure you check your area’s local restrictions), why not pop in for a visit! You and your household could visit a number of local businesses for a festive catch-up. You could try out one of our favourites in Edinburgh, whether it’s some pasta and pizza from Quattro Zero, or some noodles from Bar Soba! In this case, your presence is the gift!
Seen as we can’t always make it out and about these days, there are loads of options in Edinburgh which will involve a bit of DIY! Restaurants like Six by Nico and Fhior are offering kits to people in Edinburgh to make their own restaurant-quality meals at home. You can even order in a cocktail kit from Cask Smugglers if you fancy a tipple too. If you can’t get to your family’s house to make them a boxing day brunch - why not send them the kit to do it themselves!
The Swipii app is a great resource for folks who are looking for some local businesses to support this festive season! There are so many restaurants, bars and cafes from across the UK, and it’s super easy to find which ones are near you. Plus, as a reward for supporting them, each business on the app offers cashback on every single purchase you make by card in their business. You can even claim extra cashback offers within the app by toggling on to claim - you can sometimes earn up to 25% cashback on your purchases!
When you’re looking for those last-minute gifts in Edinburgh, why not try out the Swipii app to find some inspiration. You’ll end up saving some money too!
