Guide to Christmas gifts inspired by Shetland

Bring a little taste of Shetland to Christmas this year with our guide to gifts inspired by the islands’ wild beauty, rich heritage and creative spirit.

With Christmas just around the corner, here are some fantastic Shetland gift ideas to support local makers and share a little piece of Shetland with a loved one.

If you know someone who loves to knit then this is the perfect gift! Each year Shetland Wool Week releases a bespoke knitting pattern for a woollen hat. Shetland Wool Week 2026 Patron Helen Robertson designed the fabulous, funky Birsie Beanny, with optional ‘toosks’ (tufts)! You can purchase a kit, which includes the wool and a paper copy of SWW Hat Pattern 2026 to create your very own Birsie Beanny!

If you know someone who has a sweet tooth, why not treat them to 7 of the Shetland Island Larder’s finest Shetland confectionary items including the famous Puffin Poo!

For anyone who loves cooking and Shetland produce, Marian Armitage’s book ‘Shetland Food And Cooking’ is worth a look. This book is about Shetlanders, the food they grow, rear, catch and sell; the traditions and historical influences as well as the newer trends. Marian has drawn on her upbringing in Shetland, her training and experience as a practical food teacher and in-depth research to produce this fantastic collection of recipes. 

Coleen lives on the island of Yell and designs and creates a range of Silver jewellery from a small workshop at home. The Crofthoose pendant, made from sterling silver is a bestseller inspired by the crofthooses dotted around the landscape in Shetland. A truly unique gift!

Shetland Jewellery create unique pieces of jewellery in their own workshop in the Shetland Isles. Surprise someone who loves puffins with the cutest Tammie Norrie charm to fit on snake bracelets.

Gilly B creates the most fantastic paper scenes from her studio in an old Kirk in Sandwick in Shetland. She offers a huge range of gifts from prints to lampshades. It’s worth having a look at her shop for some gift inspiration. See if you can spot some of her fabulous artwork on our website!

If you or someone you know plans to travel to Shetland soon this fantastic guidebook would make a great gift, celebrating Shetland’s beauty and rich cultural heritage. The handy guide was created by the travel writer and Shetlander Laurie Goodlad, who has written a number of blogs for our website that you may have enjoyed and the Shetland publisher Misa Hay. Shetland: Your Essential Travel Guide is an invitation to experience the soul of Shetland, the most northerly islands in the UK.

Lerwick Brewery brew traditional beer styles with a Shetland twist. Located over 100 miles north of the UK Mainland, they are the UK’s most northerly brewery. Treat someone you know to “The Classics” Giftpack. A beautiful giftpack featuring three original beers in a sustainable kraft cardboard giftbox.

If you want to get a whisky lover something really special then Lerwick Distillery create an Up Helly Aa 2026: Limited Edition blended scotch whisky. Celebrating the Viking spirit of the festival, the Up Helly Aa 2026 Edition is a premium blend from select Speyside casks. Strictly limited to 2,000 bottles, each hand-initialled, it’s a uniquely expressive tribute to its island heritage.

Unst-based Glansin Glass is a fused glass studio creating and selling decorative and unique glassware including jewellery, tableware and art pieces, all inspired by Shetland. Their Unst studio offers workshops, a fun and relaxed way to create your very own glass coaster or hanging decoration.

No visit to Shetland is complete without getting up close and personal with some friendly Shetland ponies. The Shetland Pony Experience is based at Papil in Burra, just a 25 minute drive from Lerwick. If you know anyone who is planning to visit Shetland between May and September next year, this could be a real treat for them!

For a full list of creatives, check out the Shetland Arts & Crafts Trail.

If you happen to be in Shetland, the annual Shetland Arts & Crafts Associations Christmas Craft Fair, held at the Clickimin Leisure Centre from 6-8th of November 2026. Friday 6th: 6:30PM-9PM / Saturday 7th: 10am-6pm / Sunday 8th: 11am-4pm, featuring over 100 local makers is well worth a look!

By Victoria Dixon Orkney and Shetland fanatic, likes to capture life through a lens, loves creating, eclectic taste in music, enjoys being a Mum; would secretly love to be a star of the West End!

Pin it!