Give a gift that could keep giving this Christmas

Do you have no idea what to buy for someone this Christmas? Or do you want to resist giving in to consumerism?

Instead of simply reaching for a gift voucher/card or cold, hard cash, why not give something that will last long after this year's festivities have ended?

There have arguably never been more options for giving someone a financial gift.

Here are some suggestions.

Premium Bonds

It's an obvious one, but some bonds from the UK's most popular home for savings has been a Christmas stocking filler for decades. You can invest in Premium Bonds from £100 and the recipient can withdraw their money at any time if they don't win a prize. So it's a risk-free, albeit potentially low-earning, financial gift. You can buy them online from the NS&I website.

Children's savings and investments

If the gift recipient is a child, why not contribute to a savings account or a tax-free Junior ISA? If they don't have one already, you could arrange to open one in their name.

You can save up to £4,080 in a Junior ISA during the current tax year. The top interest rate on a cash Junior ISA currently comes from Coventry Building Society at 3.25%.

In terms of children's savings accounts, the top rate for instant access is 3% from Santander's 123 Mini Current Account.

You could also look at a stocks and shares Junior ISA. Some providers offer the chance to pick shares or invest in index trackers (which are preferred), while others just give a choice of funds. Make sure you shop around and compare charges.

Or you could invest in individual company shares.

Compare stocks & shares ISAs and share dealing costs at loveMONEY.com (capital at risk)

Lending money

You could also choose to lend some money in the name of someone, which could earn them a return later.

Peer-to-peer lending to other people

There is a growing number of peer-to-peer websites allowing you to lend money to people keen to borrow.

Examples include Zopa and Lending Works. You can choose to lend your money over terms of up to five years and enjoy a rate of more than 5%. Shorter terms, or ones that offer near-immediate access, come with smaller interest rates.

This isn't without risk, as the money isn't protected by the Financial Service Compensation Scheme. However, the big peer-to-peer lenders all have contingency funds in case people get into trouble.

Peer-to-peer lending to small businesses

Another option is to lend some money to businesses looking to borrow via a peer-to-peer site. Funding Circle is arguably the most well-established company in this space. It reckons it can deliver returns of up to 7% if money is locked away.

Alternatively, you can lend to green projects through a site like Assetz and earn up to 7%, or to buy-to-let landlords through Landbay.

Compare peer-to-peer lending options

Crowdfunding

For something that perhaps has a bit more of a frisson of excitement about it, you could enable someone to become an investor in a company or project.

There are plenty of companies out there offering the option to invest small amounts, often as little as £5.

Big names here include Seedrs and Crowdcube, which allow you to invest in both start-ups and existing businesses.

If you fancy investing in green energy, Abundance Generation has debentures in solar projects available to gift from just £5.

All of these operations are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, although you could lose you money if a business goes under.

Take a look at crowdfunding opportunities at loveMONEY.com (capital at risk)