You probably already know where to find spa tokens (lastminute.com), the latest Bill Bryson (amazon.co.uk) and a day in charge of a very large gadget (redletterdays.co.uk). Here are some more unusual presents.
Bespoke maps
From £25 + postage
stanfords.co.uk
Aerial photographs and detailed (1:5000 scale) and historical maps are available in various sizes - samples are available online and you can order by email.
Classic London Transport posters
From £2.50 + 20% p&p
ltmuseum.co.uk
Over 60 classic Tube posters, including pre-war designs, Charles Paine's penguins at London Zoo, Rugby at Twickenham and the Kew Gardens, Love is ... and Simply ... series.
easyJet toy plane
£5.95 + £1.50 postage
easyjetgifts.com
Comes with 'pull-back action, light and sound', but (and understandably at this price) no engine.
Scholl flight socks
£12.99 + £2.95 postage
wellbeing.com
If you must buy socks as a gift, then at least make them practical rather than decorative. After a couple of trials I was forced to admit that they really do prevent swollen feet at the end of a flight.
Waterproof socks
£19.99 + £2.50 postage
millets.co.uk
Can a 78% cotton sock really be waterproof? Worth a try, surely. The Millets website is also an good place to find Swiss army knives, compasses and unpretentious outdoor gadgets and equipment.
Roberts shortwave radio
£39.99 + £3.95 postage
dixons.co.uk
Shortwave radios, which can pick up the World Service in distant locations, are a great boon for backpackers with limited internet access and hostels too basic to offer satellite TV - but they come in many varieties, prices and sizes. Ogormans sells a bigger selection and explains how to choose one. It also sells wind-up radios (from £20) and a wind-up SW radio with a solar panel (£70).
Acela Express train set
$199 + $37 delivery (£149)
store.amtrak.com
British locomotives are all very well, but the real train fan will appreciate the die cast chassis and nickel silver E-Z Track of this Acela Express high-speed train set from the US. Don't forget to buy a US-UK adaptor plug so it works over here.
Garmin eTrex GPS
£158 (free delivery)
cotswold-outdoor.com
One of the cheaper (for which read 'entry-level') waterproof GPS systems for the more intrepid hiker.
A tree
£8.50
futureforests.com
This is the perfect gift for the bad-tempered relative who disapproves of present-giving isn't really celebrating Christmas anyway: a tree planted in the forest of your choice to offset the effects of a polluting flight. The same sum also buys an even more altruistic present: an energy-saving lightbulb for a developing world community.
· Email ros.taylor@theguardian.com
