Xmas is coming and this year we all need something that will make us dream about our next travel. I’ve compiled a list of gift ideas for Greece, ideal for someone who loves beautiful, sustainable and unique items! You won’t find cheesy souvenirs, you will discover Greek designers and projects made in Greece.
They are all small businesses and artists running their projects with passion and enthusiasm.
If you can’t go to Greece, Greece will come to you!
I divided the list in chapters:
- Greek-themed Art prints and artworks
- Greek experiences and retreats
- Greek sustainable fashion
- Greek food and drink gift ideas for Greek lovers
- Books about Greece
It’s a long list but it’s worth reading and discovering all the projects!
[This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my link, at no cost for you.]
Greek-themed Art Prints and Artworks
Since I moved to Greece I discovered and met many great Greek designers, artists and projects! It feels so good to have a handmade object, a print or else, in our house, that we know was born in Greece!
Look at these cards with a vintage aura printed by Neanikon. I wrote about his story and his beautiful old printer.
Anna (Lila Ruby King) is an independent illustrator living and working in Athens! Whatever she does, I love it! She designed a lovely map of Santorini for me that you can download for free here!
Julie (Cartoules Press) is a brilliant Greek illustrator living in California, her family is from Kefalonia (as my grandmother!). She loves hand lettering and everything she does is outstanding. Check out the candle series to get high with some Greek fragrance.
And what about Fotini Tikkou’s art? She’s an illustrator and maker! I love her ceramics and she’s my inspiration when I create mine!
When I visited Syros I met Chiara and Spyros who run Plastico Gallery in Ermoupolis, I bought their notebooks because I love writing! Here are some charming Xmas bundles for you by The Pattern Tales!
What about hand crafted music instruments made with love in Santorini? Check out Symposion, a great project that you must visit when on the island!
Because I used to work both for independent book publishers and labs, I love everything is related to printing! I can’t wait to go to Athens and visit TindExtraordinaire. This poster has been on my wish list for a while now.
I am always impressed when I look at the details of DeltaKappa‘s illustrations! And what about this cutie?
The Greek Stitch has been quite a recent discovery! Look at these beautiful embroideries, an art of other times, or maybe not.
Elena is a Greek designer who combines everyday life, history and mythology in her project Grecian Chic. Check out the beautiful scarves on her website and these lovely Xmas postcards!
Maimu Vintage stories is the new project by Letizia and Velia! She does what we all would like to do, she hangs around vintage markets in Athens and find hidden gems from the past!
If you want to discover even more Greek designers and projects you should visit Flaneur online and pay a visit to them next time you will be in Athens!
I am in love with handmade soaps and I consider them a piece of art too! Ena Karo project is based on the beautiful island of Tinos.
Greek experiences and retreats
Gifts can also be not physical, a memory, a feeling can live with us forever! Check out these retreats and experiences (some can be done online now!), they will make an unforgettable gift!
Wanting to learn to cook Greek Vegan dishes with the most lovely couple I know? Organize a fun vegan cooking class with Kristof and Nimi, they will welcome you in their kitchen in Methana. If you can’t wait for the time when we could travel again, set this up as an online class, their warmth and love for Greece will go beyond the screen!
If your gift is for someone into yoga, wellness and stunning Greek Island, I suggest you to check out the retreats of Fykiada for summer 2021.
Would you like to cook tomato balls like a pro? Get in touch with Santorini Experts, they know a thing or two about traditional food in Santorini!
If you know someone who wants to move to Greece or that has the dream to learn Greek, get in touch with Mona (Learn Greek with Me), she’s a great teacher offering both classes online and retreats during the summer.
This can be a great gift for a family or a group of friends who want to spend some time learning about ancient Greek history with fun and humour! Check out Fran’s experience that can be done online or in Athens when you will visit!
Meditation is a mindful practice that I embraced this year thanks to my friend and teacher Dena (The One Fierce Heart). It has helped me a lot and I think this would make a great gift for anyone who wants to connect with her/himself. Meditation to your place directly from Athens!
Greek sustainable fashion
Since I moved to Santorini I’ve been trying to live a more sustainable life, I became vegan, I put all my effort to avoid plastic, I buy less and when I do I try to support small businesses which are conscious about the environment. And local is better than global!
Gary and John, sister and brother, run an upcycling project where they reuse and create bags and accessories on a small scale following the principles of sustainable fashion. And hey, their brand name is 3QUARTERS!
It’s a shirt is an interdisciplinary project/brand based in Athens. It manifests the values of slow fashion, natural colours, textures, artisanship, collaborations, humour, simplicity, openness, timelessness, gender neutrality. It desires to attract human beings who are concerned about the history behind a garment, yet also the values that engages. Each and every piece is produced in Athens of Greece under entirely sustainable conditions.
Can you imagine that these beautiful shoes are (hand)made out of upcycled plastic bags? Alchimia Vegan Shoes are made of waste for an environmental cause, as Nikoleta, the designer and owner, likes to explain! It looks magical to me!
All we see is the sea is another versatile project by Christianna: clothes, collages, boats and much more!
Do you have a yogi friend in love with Santorini and Greece? These pants by Veronika (Santorini Yoga) are the best gift! And they are made of plastic bottles! Recycling and upcycling is very cool!
I met Diti, heart and mind behind the project Théla, a few years ago in Athens. She’s from Gujarat (India) and based in the Greek capital. Her mission is to create handmade objects mindfully and as sustainably as possible.
Greek food and drink gift ideas for Greek lovers
If you love Greece, probably, one of the reasons is that you are crazy about Greek food! Why not sending some Greek flavours to your beloved ones?
What about elegant hampers by the Isle of Olive? I used to work there so I can guarantee the high quality of everything they sell!
I have an addiction to green tea and herbal tea and I love Rhoeco project. Greek high-quality herbs and you can plant and grow your own one!
My second addiction is about nut butters! I have so many empty jars of Kiss the Earth that I could build a whole house! Yummy and healthy butters from the island of Chios!
Books about Greece
This is a classic gift but really appreciated if the person is a bookworm like me! It could be a cookbook, a fiction or a children book!
Thanks to Eleni The Foodie Corner I discovered the Slow Cooker and it has really changed my life! Check out her book about Greek recipes that you can easily prepare with your slow cooker.
If you are learning Greek and you need some practice, try with a cookbook: you will learn new words and new recipes. You can start with Madame Ginger new cookbook!
Do you know anyone in love with Crete? This is the perfect gift! Amazing recipes, beautiful pictures and stories about the island from the point of view of a young chef running one of the best restaurants in London.
This is a bilingual book ideal for a child or for everyone who’s learning Greek! Look at those sweet illustrations by Eikones by Androula!
If you are into fiction books like me, you should check out Aiora editions, Greek publisher of modern classic Greek writers translated in several languages! One of my favorite is definitely The Great Chimera
[This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my link, at no cost for you.]
1881 illustration by Thomas Nast who, along with Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem ” A Visit from St. Nicholas “, helped to create the modern image of Santa Claus. Saint Nicholas of Myra was a h-century Greek Christian bishop of Myra (now Demre ) in Lycia. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with dowries so that they would not have to become prostitutes.
isn’t it very interesting?
I LOVE this list. Thank you for collecting all this Greek goodness into one place 🙂
Christa in New York
Thank you Christa!! I am so happy you love this! Kalo Mina!!!