Unusual Christmas Gifts: 10 Gift Ideas

Need an unusual Christmas gift for a special loved one? Looking for something that won't take up a lot of space or be left in the closet? Here are 10 gift ideas for unusual Christmas gifts. Be sure to read all ten!

*Name a Star

Give someone the stars-- or one, anyway. Choose a star and give it a special name. You'll receive a personalized certificate and information about how to locate your star.

Price Range: $10- $150

Good for someone who...is a science enthusiast, is romantic, has everything.

Learn more about this gift at these websites: http://www.starregistry.com/index.cfm- http://whitedwarf.org/palebluedot/

*Adopt a Whale

Forget the new puppy or the pet hamster, give them a whale instead! Okay, so you can't exactly put it in your bathtub or teach it to do tricks, but if you adopt a whale, you get to help conservation efforts and you'll receive information and updates on a real whale that's out there swimming around. There are Humpback adoptions and Orca adoptions, in the Pacific ocean and Atlantic ocean.

Price Range: $35-50

Good for someone who...is an animal lover, is an ocean enthusiast, is an environmentalist.

Learn more about this gift at these websites: http://www.pacificwhale.org/adoption/index.php - http://www.whalecenter.org/catalog.htm

*Memory Jar

Get a jar. Decorate it with paint or glitter or ribbon or whatever you like. Then take 52 strips of paper, and on each one write a memory that involves the gift recipient. Make an instruction card that tells them to take out a strip of paper each Sunday and read it. They've given you a lifetime of memories. Share a year's worth of those memories to show how much they have meant to you.

Price Range: $5- $50

Good for someone who...is sentimental, you share many good memories with, is elderly.

*Yoga Classes

Many yoga studios offer either an unlimited one-month pass, meaning unlimited classes for that one month, or a 10 or 20 class punch card, meaning you can go to 10 or 20 classes over the period of a few months. One of these passes can be a great unusual christmas gift for the right person. Give the gift of health, peace and enlightenment this holiday season.

Price Range: $140-$240

Good for someone who...is active, already practices yoga, has expressed interest in yoga, leads a stressful life.

*Zeppelin Flight

Zeppelins were once used for both passenger transportation and military attacks. They were taken out of the air for many decades, but now they're back, revamped and updated, and offering sight-seeing tours in San Francisco, London, Tokyo and other popular tourist destinations. The full price of a flight is a few hundred dollars, but gift vouchers are available in varying increments. If you have a friend who lives in one of these areas, or who will soon be traveling there, a flight in a helium-filled Zeppelin could be the perfect unusual christmas gift.

Price Range: $50-$500

Good for someone who...is adventurous, is a history enthusiast, lives in or travels to one of these areas.

Learn more about this gift at this website: http://zeppelintours.com/

*Museum Membership

Museum memberships usually offer free admission for the year, special discounts at the gift shops, special invitations to events and a whole slew of other privileges. Choose a history museum, an art museum or a specialized museum. An Individual Membership can be the perfect unusual christmas gift for the young artsy type, and a Family Membership can be just the right choice for someone who wants to raise cultured kids. Plus, your contribution to the museum is tax-deductible, so this gift helps you out too.

Price Range: $40-$200

Good for someone who...is a history enthusiast, is a science enthusiast, is an art enthusiast, has children, appreciates culture.

Find museums in your area at these websites: http://www.museumlink.com/states.htm - http://www.museumca.org/usa/

*Gas Gift Card

Maybe not the most exciting gift, but certainly the most practical. With tight budgets and high per-gallon prices, giving a gas card is like giving a little slice of freedom.

Price Range: $50-100

Good for someone who...drives, commutes to work, has a tight budget, appreciates practical gifts.

Learn more about this gift at this website: http://www.svmcards.net/home/

*Website

For a fairly low price you can register the domain name www.billysmith.com or www.ilovejenanderson.net to give your friends or family their own spot on the Internet. For the price of one of those ugly sweaters that they'll never wear, you can give them several months of website hosting, so they can finally promote their business or show off their prize-winning action figure collection.

Price Range: $9-$150

Good for someone who...is computer savvy, has a business to promote, has a passionate hobby.

Learn more about this gift at these websites: http://www.homestead.com/ - http://www.name.com/

*Short Story

What could be a more personal and unusual Christmas gift than a short story in which your friend or family member is the hero of the story- battling sea monsters or finally meeting the perfect man! You can do this for free if you email it to them. For a bit fancier package, print on nice paper and have the people at Staples or Office Max bind it for you. If you've never written a story before, be sure to read some writing advice, and start early. It may be harder than you think! If you like this idea, but lack the time or talent, try your local Craigslist under Writing and Editing Services. Some professional writers would be happy to do it for a reasonable fee.

Price Range: $0-$100

Good for someone who...you know well, likes to read, has a sense of humor.

Learn more about this gift at these websites: http://www.write-your-short-story.com/index.html - http://www.fictionfactor.com/

*Family Crest Plaque

Celebrate your family heritage or help a friend learn their own. These sort of products range from the simple unframed scroll to wood-mounted hand-carved works of art. Some simply have the family crest and coat of arms, others feature a whole history of the surname. You can also have the plaques feature two surnames maybe yours and your wife's, or your mother's and father's.

Price Range: $20-$270

Good for someone who...is a genealogy enthusiast, is a history enthusiast, is family oriented.

Learn more about this gift at these websites: http://www.houseofnames.com - http://www.4crests.com/