Diwali 2025 gift ideas for family and friends: Unique picks that blend fun and finance

Festivals are about so many things at once: traditions, decorating spaces, celebrations, religious ceremonies, get-togethers, parties, new beginnings and also gifting. When we show up at other people’s houses on festive occasions, it’s an unsaid rule to carry something, no matter how small or big, but with love.

Whether it’s sweets, home appliances or decorative items, gifting is a special part of festivals, especially Diwali. People visit each other with tokens of care, and sometimes it's the Sonpapdi box that has been passed down to so many families that it’s pretty clear who put some thought into the gift and who didn’t.

If you don’t want to be a sad gifter and give your friends and family something unique this time around, here are some ideas for you:

Who doesn’t like fun?

Everyone likes a challenge. Matching this energy, you can gift:

It’s quite easy to make QR codes now, and a fun one can stick around. There are free QR generators; give it a try. This way, you’ll learn something new and give a unique gift.

For instance: Give your younger sibling a financial literacy book and a PS5 (or something you can afford). Wrap the gaming console and tell them that they can open it only when they finish the book you gave them. For added fun, hide the console and keep it with you, so if they open the console before finishing the book, they’ll come to you for the controller. You can always quiz them about the book!

This idea can be used with anyone and can make gifting a game.

Financial planning tools

Financial planning isn’t something that everyone takes seriously. Many individuals go about their lives without realising the importance of budgeting, investing, making financial strategies and working towards growing their money. Earning a salary and saving money are rarely enough for you to build wealth, until you are putting your money to the right use and investing it in long-term assets.

You can gift your friend, or your siblings, financial planning tools like:

• A budgeting planner or a finance journal
• Vision boards
• Books on personal finance
• A course on investing, budgeting or taxation
• A subscription to a good Financial Newsletter
• Expense tracker
• Valuable stationery
• Financial document organiser

Personal finance books to gift

When you think about it, books are one of the best gifts to give someone. People almost always appreciate receiving a good book; they’re easy to order and carry, they are valuable and can be put to good use. For me personally, whenever I can’t think of anything, I give people books based on what I think they’ll like. It rarely fails.

Some books you can gift:

• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko
• The Dhandho Investor by Mohnish Pabrai
• The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon L. Lechter
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
• Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
• Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Retire Before Mom and Dad
• Let’s Talk Money by Monika Halan

If you want to keep it simple, you can give them some shares of a company, a bond, a gold coin, a digital gold voucher or just some money in an envelope with a personalised message.

For non-financial gift ideas, there are always sweets, chocolates, electronics and household items. If you’re looking for something more unique, here are some ideas:

• Interesting board games like Catan, Panchayat, Scotland Yard, Battleship, etc.
• 1000+ piece puzzle that can later be turned into a showpiece
• Plants
• A customised sweatshirt
• A home karaoke set
• Fitness kit
• Walking pad
• Robot vacuum cleaner
• A drone kit
• Star map (night sky on their birthday)
• A digital camera
• DIY kits
• Keepsakes

Remember that gifts are not just about the money you spend but the thoughtfulness behind them. You can be a good gift giver even with little money to spend if you make something yourself, or just pen down your thoughts on a card and give it to a loved one. This Diwali, excel in the art of gift giving and become the talk of the party.