Forget the socks and the Christmas trinkets no one wants – this year, why not gift the beach lovers, thalassophiles and wannabe mermaids in your life a piece of the ocean? And no, we don’t mean getting a really nice jar, putting some salty water in it and placing it under the tree.

With Coral Gardeners you can actually adopt a baby piece of coral on behalf of your loved one, which they’ll plant in a reef that needs a little tlc, helping to preserve the world’s beautiful marine ecosystems.

Coral gardening might sound like something straight out of Moana, but it’s actually a fantastic and eco-friendly way to restore reef systems that have been damaged. By gifting a piece of coral, you’re not just wrapping up a little bit of nature (not literally), but you’re also giving our favourite reefs a real chance to survive.

And you can choose which coral species you want to adopt. There’s Pocillopora Meandrina, an iconic Fijian species that’s also known as cauliflower coral. Or Pocillopora Verrucosa, a raspy coral that’s native to Mo’orea Island. Or Montipora Grisea, an encrusting species of coral that’ll spread over the reef’s surface to help bind it together.

Your loved one can even track their baby bit of coral and watch as it grows thanks to regular updates and plenty of images. This isn’t some ordinary stocking stuffer, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.